New pool. Bad fill water

[moodypool]

New member but had researched a lot of information on TFP and thought I was ready to start up my pool. Completed erecting the pool yesterday morning and started to fill. As the pool was filling noticed that the water was green. The green color was not readilyy apparent until the pools was nearly half full. I was thinking how can algae be growing that fast. Finished filling the pool and water was definitely green. Decided that starting shock process was called for. Added 96 oz of bleach prior to pool being completely full which should have increased FC by 5.5. As soon as pool was full enough started pump/filter. Then started to add 4 lbs stabilizer to increase CYA to ~60. From yesterday afternoon until midnight I added enough bleach to increase FC a total of 31. I also ran the SWG for 4 hrs. The water is still green and not clearing. I suspect it is not an algae problem but something else. Metals possibly? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Pool volume 8400 gallons

Test results Fill water:
PH- 7.2
FC- 1.0
CC- 1.5
TA- 140

Test results completely full:
PH- 7.2
FC- 1-2 (oto)

Test results 9:00 am today:
PH- 7.2
FC- 33.5
CC- 0.5
TA- 110
CYA- 50? Very subjective test. Still had some CYA in sock in front of return

Test results 12:00
PH- >7.2
FC- 33.5
CC- <0.5
Temp 75

Test results 3:00 pm
PH- >7.2
FC-34
CC- <0.5
CH- 220
Copper-0 test strip that came with pool kit

I started to aerate pool at 11:00 am in an attempt to increase ph. Did not want to add borax as the TA was already on the high side. Should I add borax? I spoke to my water company. There response was since I used 2 hoses I filled the pool too fast and drew in sediment. They came to my house and sampled the tap water. The reason I don't believe it is algae is the FC is not being used up and CC is quite low. It has been sunny all day and FC is still not falling? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JasonLion]

Don't trust the PH test when FC is that high.

Is the water a clear transparent green, or is it a cloudy murky green?

 

[moodypool]

Clear/transparent I can still make out the pattern on the bottom of the liner. Should I increase the PH with something? If so with what?

 

[JasonLion]

Don't do anything with the PH until FC is below 10. You can't trust the PH test result at high FC levels, so you need to wait until you can get a reliable FC reading before adjusting it.

Clear transparent green water is usually either iron or copper in the water. Try adding a startup dose of sequestrant. ProTeam's Metal Magic and Jack's Magic the Pink Stuff (regular), the Blue Stuff (fresh plaster), and the Purple Stuff (SWG) are some of the top sequestrants. You can also find many other brands with similar products, some of which are noticeably less expensive. Sequestrants based on HEDP, phosphonic acid, or phosphonic acid derivatives are the most effective.

 

[moodypool]

So I will need to just wait for the FC to come down? Or can a sequestrant be added with the FC so high? I'll try to post a picture of pool.

 

[JasonLion]

You should be able to just go ahead and add it. Check the label to see if they say anything.

 

[Bama Rambler]

What size hoses did you use to fill and was it the public system it was filled from?

You should get a water report from your water company. They're required to make it available to you.

 

[zea3]

Check the water for iron. Iron in the water sometimes gives it a yellow cast that when combined with the blue liner results in the "green" water.

 

[moodypool]

I filled the pool with 2 3/4" garden hoses. The water company is just trying to blow smoke. The water company sent someone out to get a sample of water from my tap. They would not take a sample from the pool since I had already added chlorine. I am going to call them back today and have some further "discussions". I have spoken to several people in the area with pools and none have ever had a problem with fill water. I guess I am just "lucky". I am going to try and locate some sequestrant this morning. Is not being able to accurately measure my ph due to high FC going to be a problem? Will a pool store be able to test for iron? Jack's Magic purple stuff was recommended would magenta stuff work also? What should I expect see when I add the sequestrant to the water?

 

[JasonLion]

Use purple rather than magenta if you possibly can.

If I am right and the color is from iron, the water should clear up completely within a few hours of adding sequestrant.

The water won't always test positive for iron while it is green. The green color comes from tiny crystals suspended in the water, while the test measures dissolved iron. Adding sequestrant should cause it to dissolve again, and show up on the test, though even then the iron tests are not completely reliable.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Sounds like they switched sources. There's no way using 2 standard hoses would have any effect either way.

 

[moodypool]

No magic from Jack's Magic purple stuff. Initially the purple stuff seemed to clear the water just slightly. I added 1 qt which was the recommended startup dose for 10,000 gallons, my pool is 8400. I have done some reading on sequestrants and it seems most recommend to have FC level quite low prior to application. Could my high FC have caused the purple stuff to be less effective? Should I wait for FC to come down and try another dose of purple stuff? Yesterday morning prior to adding the purple stuff I ran the Pool Rover Jr and when filter was cleaned quite a bit of orange "stuff" washed out. I have ran it a couple of more times and the amount it picked up is decreasing. Pool store where I purchased purple stuff tested for copper and iron results for both were zero.

Latest test results:
FC- 19
CC- 0
PH- 7.5 "not accurate due to high FC
CYA- 60
TA- 120
Temp 75

 

[Bama Rambler]

It sure sounds like it's not metals. But it sure looks like it is.

Do you have the fine filter on the PRJ?

 

[JasonLion]

That all fits there being a very high metal level, too much for the usual dose of sequestrant. But it is difficult to be sure and mildly expensive to experiment. It would certainly be better if your FC level was lower, but again there isn't enough to go on to be sure if that is affecting things or not right now.

 

[moodypool]

The only filter I have on the PRJ is the one that came with it. Is a finer filter made? Could chlorine reducer be used and then try another purple stuff treament? It is going to take several days for the chlorine level to reduce on its own.