Discolored water -- Kicking myself

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CeeElGee

0
Apr 8, 2013
306
Battle Creek, MI
I needed to add 2-3 inches to the pool yesterday, and instead of dragging out the long hose reel and stringing it across two yards to get to my father-in-law's municipal water supply -- the only water I've ever used to fill and refill my pool -- I got lazy and decided to just use our nasty well water. I thought I could be clever and put the hose directly into the skimmer, thinking the D.E./cellulose filter would somehow make a difference. But I could tell as the day went on something wasn't quire right, and this morning when it's overcast I could see an obvious greenish tint to the water. Even my 10-year-old disabled daughter noticed it right away! I tested last evening around 6, after the kids had been in it, and I had 3 FC and 0.5 CC, so I added 20 oz. of 12.5% chlorine. This morning the numbers are good -- 5.5 FC and 0.0 CC (pH both days a perfect 7.5), but the color has me bummed. Is this rust? What is going on?

(Side note: Water wasn't the only variable yesterday, as I also added the new Confer steps to the pool. They are weighted down my three bleach jugs filled with sand, water and a little chlorine and sealed tightly. Is this a factor in any way?)
 

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Just a guess but I'd bet your well water has iron. If you know this to be true, add sequestrate (eg jack's magic pink stuff or Metal Magic are the two brands this forum typically recommends for metals). Your water may be a bit cloudy while the sequestrate "attaches" to the metal but leave the filter running and It will clear. Also, you may need to add maintenance doses per bottle instructions to keep metal staining at bay if there was a good bit of iron in your well.

I am on well water but I run my outdoor tap through th water softener now, and filter the hose to be safe. But I do still have to rely on sequestrate to keep the metals at bay :)

Oops, cross-posted ;)
 
I ended up going to the local pool store and picking up some of their sequestrant. I can't wait long enough for one of the recommended brands to arrive. I had to do something! The salesman was concerned that I had already added chlorine, thus making the job more difficult. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the quick answers.
 
Happy to report that, after running the pump/filter for nearly 24 hours, the sequestrant seems to have done the job :) Filter pressure went from 14 p.s.i. to more than 20 and return pressure was almost non-existant until I "bumped" the D.E. filter a half dozen times.
 
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