Cloudy water after ascorbic acid treatment

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C

camppool

0
May 13, 2008
15
Wisconsin
Here's the deal. I followed the ascorbic acid steps and got my pool looking great (the rust literally faded away). It really works!!! The only problem I have now, is that as I have started to add bleach, my water is getting cloudy and green. I've been adding bleach slowly and am currenly at .5ppm FC (before adding another gallon). I can see the drain, but it seems like it's getting cloudier as the day rolls on. I will admit that I did not add the polyquat since it's been in the 30 and 40 degree temperature here and was told by the local pool guy that algae won't be a problem at these temps.

I really need this pool open by Saturday. The pool guy suggested flock. Any suggestions??

Thanks for your help
 
You have to go slowly when raising the FC level after an ascorbic acid treatment or the stains can come back. The water often gets cloudy for a while and it is fairly common to get algae. The only solution that doesn't give you the stains right back is to take it slow and hope for the best.
 
I must have added the chlorine too fast, because I can see the stains starting again. I put a vitamin c tablet on the steps and it's a dramatic difference.

I was at 1.5 FC and have added neutralizer. I plan on starting the ascorbic acid treatment again tonight. When adding the bleach, how much should I add at a time (how slow is slowly?). I am using 5.25%.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks.
 
I'll run a full set of numbers tomorrow and post them so you can see where things are at. I think I may need to add more sequestering agent based on the sticky that you referred me to. The local big box sells a organophosphonic metal reducer. Will that work as well as metal majic or jack's pink stuff? The only reason I ask is that it's alot easier for me to get it (I have to order the others).

Thanks.
 
That sounds fine. Practically any metal stain prevention product will work. I like Jack's Magic Pink, Blue, and Purple and Proteam Metal Magic, but there are many similar products, some noticeably cheaper, that are essentially identical.
 
Here are my numbers:

FC 0
PH 7.0
Alkalidity 70
CH 100
CYA (was under 30 last week)

I treated the pool with ascorbic acid again yesterday and plan on starting to add bleach later today. All of the rust is completely gone (again). I really don't want it to come back!! After my previous ascorbic acid treatment, the water turned green then brown when I added my third dose of bleach (I added about 1.5 gallons). My first dose of bleach was .5 gallons, the second was 1 gallon. I also added about 8 oz of sequestreat each time I added bleach.

Currently the water has a slight haze to it but overall is pretty clear. Any suggestions on how to keep my water from turning brown again.

BTW I have a 20,000 gallon IG (older fiberglass and cement) with a Triton II Sand filter and Hayward 1.5 HP pump.
 
With that low CYA level, you shouldn't be adding more than 1/2 gallon of bleach at a time, preferably less, and need to try and keep FC between 1 and 2 for several days.

When you add bleach the PH goes up for a short while and that can cause the metals to precipitate out, coloring the water or bringing the stains back. Because of this you want to be adding bleach in very small quantities, ideally around one quart at a time (given the pool size and CYA level).

I suggest you work on adding some more CYA to the pool while everything else is happening. Try to aim for a level between 30 and 50.

It would be great if you could put your pool and equipment specs in your signature. That way they are always available to people who are trying to answer your questions.
 

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I've been adding bleach and sequestreant slowly (about 1/3) of a gallon at a time. I test the water for chlorine about every 2 - 4 hours. So far haven't had any sign of stains returning. I have added about 3 gallons of bleach so far but haven't been able to get a reading. Is this normal and about how long does it take for the chlorine to hold?
 
Ascrobic acid destroys chlorine so it will be difficult for your chloirne to hold until all the ascorbic acid is destroyed. If you overdose on the ascrobic acid this can make the process more difficult. Just keep adding small amounts of bleach slowly into your skimmer so if any staining occurs it will hopefully happen in the filter.
 
I finally got a reading of .5 FC (I added 1/2 gallon of bleach 2 hours ago). I plan on continued testing every 2 hours or so to get my FC level at 1.0 and hold at that point for the next week or two.

What is the best method of adding soda ash to the pool? I would like to raise my PH from 7.0 to 7.2

I really appreciate the help that's been contributed.
 
Do NO add soda ash at this point or you could risk staining agian!!!!!!!
After about three days of filtering you can SLOWLY start to raise your TA, which is probably low right now also but I would NOT worry about a pH of 7.0 in ANY surface pool
 
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