Copper - Maybe

[ummhasan]

Hello All,

I opened up our pool about 2 weeks ago to find it green and we accidentally let the cover drop in the pool with all the debris on it! This is our first time having a pool over the winter so it's the first time we opened a pool after winter too.

Anyway, I used some concentrated algecide that i already had from last summer. I don't know if it had copper in it or not. I have a sand filter and a SWG. I shocked and bumpped up the SWG to 12 hr cycles to super chlorinate for the first week. Green is all gone, debris has been all cleaned out, bottom is clear, and water levels (except CYA - which seems to be zero) are fine.

The problem: My SWG is pushing out a cloudy white substance and as a result the water is very cloudy white. I can see the bottom through it though just not clear. I decided to clean the SWG out via a vinager soak although it didn't look like there was any build up. I also shocked the pool again yesterday (1 wk after the first shock).

The 2nd Problem: Since I put the SWG back together, it keeps getting a low flow signal BUT the flow is great as well as suction at the skimmer. I can hear the flow flapper going up and down so I know it's flowing - any ideas?

FYI - test results
FC = 5
CC = .5
TC = dark yellow (high maybe 10)
PH = 7.8
AK = 100
Hardness = 160 (I think this is high but it's a vinyl pool)
CYA = filled up the view tube and black dot was very visible
Salt is right on for my pool size

Thanks in advance.

 

[JasonLion]

The white coming from the SWG is made up of thousands of tiny bubbles, which are harmless. Once you get your levels balanced they should turn into slightly larger bubbles that won't be anywhere near as visible.

You want to raise CYA up to the 70 to 80 range. That is best done in two or three steps, as you don't want to overshoot. CYA is easy to raise but difficult to lower.

Your hardness is fine. You don't need to think to much about harness unless it is over 400.

The low flow error might indicate a problem with the flow sensor. They do break sometimes.

 

[ummhasan]

Thanks for the rapid reply!

Can you tell me how to properly raise the CYA please - what do I add?

 

[chem geek]

See ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry in the Pool School. It says:

CYA - Cyanuric Acid

Cyanuric acid, often called stabilizer or conditioner, both protects FC from sunlight and lowers the effective strength of the FC (by holding some of the FC in reserve). The higher your CYA level, the more FC you need to use to get the same effect. It is important to know your CYA level so you can figure out what FC level to aim for. If you don't have a SWG or problems from extremely high amounts of sunlight, CYA is typically kept between 30 and 50. If you have a SWG or very high levels of direct sunlight, CYA is typically kept between 70 and 80.

You increase CYA by adding cyanuric acid, often sold as stabilizer or conditioner. CYA is available as a solid and as a liquid. The liquid costs a lot more, and generally isn't worth the extra expense. Solid stabilizer can take up to a week to fully register on the test, so don't retest your CYA level for a week after adding some. Solid stabilizer is best added by placing it in a sock in the skimmer basket. The pump should be run for 24 hours after adding solid stabilizer and you should avoid backwashing/cleaning the filter for a week.

In nearly all cases the best way to lower CYA is to replace water. If replacement water is extremely expensive you might want to look into a reverse osmosis water treatment.

You can also hang the sock with CYA in it over a return flow. For me, I use an old T-shirt in the skimmer, but I have a bypass for the skimmer and also have floor drains so there is no chance of me clogging flow and causing a problem.

 

[ummhasan]

Okay, thanks a lot, I'll have top go pick some up tomorrow. I was hoping there would be a household product alternative.

I'll let you know next week how things worked out.

How about the copper level? Do you think I might have high copper too? Are there any signs of that?

 

[ummhasan]

Re: Copper - Maybe or just CYA

I wanted to know if it's safe to swim when the CYA is zero. Also, today, when I went out to check the pool it was crystal clear! As soon as I turned on the SWG, a white cloud of stuff started coming out and it spread across the pool quickly and in about 30 mins (before getting the low flow signal), all the water was cloudy again.

I know you said bubbles, but this was very obviously what is clouding my water - whatever is coming out of the SWG. It is also, probably, why I keep getting a low flow signal.

Any ideas?