Do I need to refill? Stupid Low pH and lots of copper in water test.

Jump to latest Follow Reply
C

coloexposures

0
May 29, 2011
21
Loveland, Colorado
Greetings. I'm supposedly in a world of hurt, according to the pool store and my water test. They gave me a $400 shopping list - or - said to drain and refill. Can I get some advice on here? The pool was completely neglected last year because of a death in the family - just chlorine went in, nothing else. We put in 10,000 gallons when we opened it last weekend...but, I guess that didn't help dilute any issues.

40,000-45,000 gallon pool - gunite, fiberglassed, no heater.

They said the biggest issues are metals in the water and a stupid-low pH.

Here are the results (I have no clue what all of these are):
Saturation Idx: -4.5
TDS:200
CYA 60
Tot. Chlorine: 0.8
Free Chlorine: 0.7
pH: <6.6 (said they can't measure below 6.6)
Tot alk: 0
Adj Tot Alk: 0
Total Hardness:7
Copper: 1.8
Iron: 0.3

Should we stay out of the pool? Should we drain and refill? Draining and refilling will cost about $150 here.

Thanks for your help.
 
If you believe the pool store test results, they're right. Draining is your best option with all those metals in the water. We can only hope the copper came from some miracle ionizer system or algaecide.

First, order your own proper test kit, so when you have it refilled, you're ready to take control immediately. You'll need it whether you drain or not.
Second, drain and refill. Not sure where you're from (please fill out location and signature) so you may need to worry about floating the pool up out of the ground if there's water close to the surface.
 
I have no idea where the copper came from - maybe from the copper pipes on the returns. However, those returns haven't been used in a couple of years because of a leak. We have actually been 'redneck' returning water to the pool through a firehose. Fun fun. Time to put some PVC on the deck for some more respectable returns. Hmmmm...maybe there is copper in the fittings on the firehose. I don't know. Time to drain I guess. Then start from scratch. Two days to drain, 3 days to fill.
 
How were you adding chlorine?

By letting the TA and pH get that low, you could have been dissolving the copper pipes into the water (although less likely if water was not passing through them).

Even if you do drain, you still need to invest in one of the Recommended Test Kits.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply