Opening pool that was not closed or opened for two years, what a mess!!!!!!!!!! Filter and pump run fine then once in a while dirty Crud coaggulating ontop of water, I emptied pool to about 6 inches refilled, added shock, and algeaecide. Water went from brown to light green, gets brown again then light green, I have backwashed several times, maybe too much.. any suggestions...... above ground 15 by 30.....
Newbie in trouble
- Thread starter xxreddoor24xx
- Start date
Brown film keeps accumalating!!!!!!!!!!! if it was sand from filter it would settle to floor no rise right??????????????
You need to test the water find out what it has already and what you need to do. There are several products that give you chlorine, which is what you need in the pool. Some have other chemicals that you need some, but not too much, of.
First, a good or a great test kit. I suggest the TF100 as it is the best value out there, with all the tests you need, and enough reagents to do a lot of them. Easy online ordering, great service, fast delivery. http://www.tftestkits.net
Second, get a notebook and start a Pool Book. Write down what you have done already, since you refilled the pool. Do this before you forget. Exact measurements, with brands and ingredients of chemicals you use. Some things build up as you add them to the pool, some are consumed.
Third, read the Pool School, then post your questions here.
Last, call around and find out where you can get various sources of chlorine for what prices. You will want bleach or liquid chlorine, you will need Stabilizer. You may want other types of chemicals, but you will need an accurate test of water before you know.
First, a good or a great test kit. I suggest the TF100 as it is the best value out there, with all the tests you need, and enough reagents to do a lot of them. Easy online ordering, great service, fast delivery. http://www.tftestkits.net
Second, get a notebook and start a Pool Book. Write down what you have done already, since you refilled the pool. Do this before you forget. Exact measurements, with brands and ingredients of chemicals you use. Some things build up as you add them to the pool, some are consumed.
Third, read the Pool School, then post your questions here.
Last, call around and find out where you can get various sources of chlorine for what prices. You will want bleach or liquid chlorine, you will need Stabilizer. You may want other types of chemicals, but you will need an accurate test of water before you know.
You need to get a good test kit I highly the TF-100 (see link in my sig). You'll be able ot take control of you pool.
Have you read Pool School on how to shock your pool. Also read teh turning you swamp into a sparkling oasis.
You need to scoop everything solid out of the pool. Then stock up on lots of liquid chlorine (bleach). More than you think you'll ever need.
Have you read Pool School on how to shock your pool. Also read teh turning you swamp into a sparkling oasis.
You need to scoop everything solid out of the pool. Then stock up on lots of liquid chlorine (bleach). More than you think you'll ever need.
everytime i start the filter within a half hour or so i see a brown film start to float on top of the already greenish-brown water. Is this due to the algaecide and clarifier I added to pool?
I've also seen some sand in my backwash puddle, how bad is that and do you think it could be related to brown skuzz floating
arvil
Well-known member
You emptied the pool to 6" and refilled with clean water. I assume you cleaned any debris out of the pool at that time? Have you cleaned the filter since you filled the pool?
It almost sounds like your filter is dirty and needs more backwashing. I do not have a sand filter so I will let someone else help on that point.
It almost sounds like your filter is dirty and needs more backwashing. I do not have a sand filter so I will let someone else help on that point.
I lve in mass, I've backwashed and rinsed several times. My return has no eyeball so shoots straight out, circulation is a problem, and so I use the hose to help circulate and it seems to me to be what starts the mystery brown mucus!!!!!!!
Ok So here are my numbers after adding 6 (182)oz. bottles of 6% bleach...
Total Hardness looks like 400
Free Clorine 10+
PH Pink not red But between 7.5 & 7.8
Total Alkalinity 80
CYA between 0 and 30-50
Total Hardness looks like 400
Free Clorine 10+
PH Pink not red But between 7.5 & 7.8
Total Alkalinity 80
CYA between 0 and 30-50
Re the mystery brown mucus -- any chance this pool was using Baquicil? The scum sounds a lot like what happens when converting over from that.
How did you determine that you needed 5 bottles of bleach? Have you calculated the volume of your pool? If so, please put that in your signature. Go to the User Control Panel (upper left of the page), select Profile, then Signature. Put in all the stuff you can, size of pool type of surface, type of equipment, where you are located. All these things are important.
Next, how are you testing this pool? It may be that your chlorine is way above 10, you may need to dilute the sample to know.
How did you determine that you needed 5 bottles of bleach? Have you calculated the volume of your pool? If so, please put that in your signature. Go to the User Control Panel (upper left of the page), select Profile, then Signature. Put in all the stuff you can, size of pool type of surface, type of equipment, where you are located. All these things are important.
Next, how are you testing this pool? It may be that your chlorine is way above 10, you may need to dilute the sample to know.
HTP test strips, get better ones soon, thinkink maybe metals in water like rust???????
Get water stains in bathroom and water does look RUSTY, how do I determine that?
No Idea about Baquicil, dont think so though.......... I've never set it up before and it sat with a ripped cover
for 2yrs............ Just moved here...........
Get water stains in bathroom and water does look RUSTY, how do I determine that?
No Idea about Baquicil, dont think so though.......... I've never set it up before and it sat with a ripped cover
for 2yrs............ Just moved here...........How do I know if i should use a stabilizer, and what kind..., numbers holding so far....
You may need to get a pool store to test for metals.
We really need someone else to help with a lot of your questions, I will do the best I can until someone better comes along.
You say you added shock and algaecide.... how much and what brands?
Water was brown as soon as it was refilled? When you put water into a white bucket, is it brown to start with? Sounds like iron or rust. That may call for a metal sequesterant, and I have no experience with that.
The green was probably algae trying to start, the shock would have helped that. Keeping FC high will help that but too high won't be good for the vinyl. Can you get some distilled water to dilute a pool water sample by 50%, like 1 cup pool and 1 cup distilled, and then retest the FC? That number x 2 will give a better guess as to where FC actually is now. If CYA is 20 or 30 shock level is 10 or 12 so you don't need to be much higher than that.
Walmart will have conditioner/stabilizer which has CYA, as will pool stores. Don't raise CYA yet, but you will want to have that on hand. It may matter what the "shock" product was that you used, that may be adding CYA, depending on what it was. It may be that simply using more of that will get your CYA to the 30 that we want at this point. So find that shock product and read the label carefully.
We really need someone else to help with a lot of your questions, I will do the best I can until someone better comes along.
You say you added shock and algaecide.... how much and what brands?
Water was brown as soon as it was refilled? When you put water into a white bucket, is it brown to start with? Sounds like iron or rust. That may call for a metal sequesterant, and I have no experience with that.
The green was probably algae trying to start, the shock would have helped that. Keeping FC high will help that but too high won't be good for the vinyl. Can you get some distilled water to dilute a pool water sample by 50%, like 1 cup pool and 1 cup distilled, and then retest the FC? That number x 2 will give a better guess as to where FC actually is now. If CYA is 20 or 30 shock level is 10 or 12 so you don't need to be much higher than that.
Walmart will have conditioner/stabilizer which has CYA, as will pool stores. Don't raise CYA yet, but you will want to have that on hand. It may matter what the "shock" product was that you used, that may be adding CYA, depending on what it was. It may be that simply using more of that will get your CYA to the 30 that we want at this point. So find that shock product and read the label carefully.
still rusty in color..!!! How do I check if I need a metal agent??? I added another (4) 182oz. bottles of bleach yesterday and today..I cant figure out the pool calculator......... water does look slightly better
TH 100
FC 10+
PH 7.8
TA 80
CYA 30-50
TH 100
FC 10+
PH 7.8
TA 80
CYA 30-50
I know nothing about rusty water but I can help you with the Pool Calculator.
First you need to enter your pool size at the top. 10,000 gallons
Then go to the bottom at Suggested Goal Levels and put in TroubleFreePool.com for "Use goals from"
Select Bleach as your primary source of chlorine and Vinyl as pool surface
Then you go down the Now column and enter the values that you have tested. You have Total Hardness not Calcium Hardness and so you will have to just estimate that one. I think I recall that CH is about 2/3 of TH, not sure, but for vinyl it won't matter so estimate that at 70 for now.
You have FC at 10+ and that is not accurate enough for the calculator, you will need to dillute the sample to get a better number. Get 1 cup of pool water and the exact same cup of distilled water, then use the strip to test. Assuming that is a readable number, enter that into the FC now space.
For pH, pick a number, it is between 7.5 and 7.8 -- so is it closer to 7.5 but not 7.5? that is 7.6, or is it closer to 7.8 but not 7.8? that is 7.7. You gotta choose. (Don't sweat this as you will not need to adjust the pH since FC is above 10 for now and you should not adjust pH when FC>10 since you cannot trust the pH test at that level) Just do this for practice now.
TA = 80, so 80 in the TA now column.
CYA could be 0 or 10 or 20 or 30, I sure don't know which is why we don't like strips around here. Let's use 20 for practice.
As you get the numbers put them in. In the Goal column you need to select something, the range is right there, so you need to decide what you want. Now look at the bottom again and see what it says for Suggested FC Levels -- shock = 11, Mustard Algae Shock = 14. You may be there already.
If your test was only at FC 8 for example, you would put 8 in the FC now column, then put 11 in the FC Goal column for regular shock level and then the calculator will say Add 62 oz of 6% bleach after you select 6% bleach in that section. You could select cal-hypo or whatever source of chlorine you want to use in that part. So, for example, to go from FC 8 to FC 11 using 73% cal-hypo you'd use 5.2 oz by volume. Be sure to select jug size for bleach at the correct ounces so that if it says one half jug you use the right volume, big 182 oz or little 96 oz jug.
Now look at TA, you have 80 and the goal it suggests says that 80 is just fine, so in the goal you say "80" to leave that alone. CH is fine, even with the gross estimate we made, skip that also.
But CYA, this gets tricky since we really need a better number there. If it is 0, 10 or 20 really matters when you want to get it to 40, give or take some. It will tell you what to add but only if you find the correct starting value. You can guess and check, but that will take some time for the CYA to show up and you don't want to go over goal.
First you need to enter your pool size at the top. 10,000 gallons
Then go to the bottom at Suggested Goal Levels and put in TroubleFreePool.com for "Use goals from"
Select Bleach as your primary source of chlorine and Vinyl as pool surface
Then you go down the Now column and enter the values that you have tested. You have Total Hardness not Calcium Hardness and so you will have to just estimate that one. I think I recall that CH is about 2/3 of TH, not sure, but for vinyl it won't matter so estimate that at 70 for now.
You have FC at 10+ and that is not accurate enough for the calculator, you will need to dillute the sample to get a better number. Get 1 cup of pool water and the exact same cup of distilled water, then use the strip to test. Assuming that is a readable number, enter that into the FC now space.
For pH, pick a number, it is between 7.5 and 7.8 -- so is it closer to 7.5 but not 7.5? that is 7.6, or is it closer to 7.8 but not 7.8? that is 7.7. You gotta choose. (Don't sweat this as you will not need to adjust the pH since FC is above 10 for now and you should not adjust pH when FC>10 since you cannot trust the pH test at that level) Just do this for practice now.
TA = 80, so 80 in the TA now column.
CYA could be 0 or 10 or 20 or 30, I sure don't know which is why we don't like strips around here. Let's use 20 for practice.
As you get the numbers put them in. In the Goal column you need to select something, the range is right there, so you need to decide what you want. Now look at the bottom again and see what it says for Suggested FC Levels -- shock = 11, Mustard Algae Shock = 14. You may be there already.
If your test was only at FC 8 for example, you would put 8 in the FC now column, then put 11 in the FC Goal column for regular shock level and then the calculator will say Add 62 oz of 6% bleach after you select 6% bleach in that section. You could select cal-hypo or whatever source of chlorine you want to use in that part. So, for example, to go from FC 8 to FC 11 using 73% cal-hypo you'd use 5.2 oz by volume. Be sure to select jug size for bleach at the correct ounces so that if it says one half jug you use the right volume, big 182 oz or little 96 oz jug.
Now look at TA, you have 80 and the goal it suggests says that 80 is just fine, so in the goal you say "80" to leave that alone. CH is fine, even with the gross estimate we made, skip that also.
But CYA, this gets tricky since we really need a better number there. If it is 0, 10 or 20 really matters when you want to get it to 40, give or take some. It will tell you what to add but only if you find the correct starting value. You can guess and check, but that will take some time for the CYA to show up and you don't want to go over goal.
From all your descriptions it certainly sounds like Iron in your water. You need to add a metal sequestrant. Read Pool School on how to handle metals.
Here's an excerpt about the brand and type of sequestrants that are recommended.
It's hard for us to help you without good test results.
Here's an excerpt about the brand and type of sequestrants that are recommended.
And one final push for you to get a good test kit.
It's hard for us to help you without good test results.Similar threads
