I've got absolutely no clue where to start!

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HeyEng said:
You are in Hot Springs, correct? A quick search of the water quality report from 2018 doesn't indicate a high level of iron (or any metal) in the water.
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Yes, Hot Springs. Hmm.

So there were a few rocks in the pool, some change and I noticed a large bolt last night that I can’t really get out unless I get in. I also noticed a rust stain in the shallow end, like something he sat there for a while. Almost looks like a burn with orange edges. Maybe there was something leeching iron in?
 
Ran some full test today,

FC: 4.5
CC: 0
PH: 7.2
ALK: 50
CYA: 20

I didn’t get to test this morning so the low chlorine was from the sun. Just added some bleach.

First time CCs have been 0

Is it strange my PH has been 7.2 since I added the PH up at the start of all this? I guess I expected it to fluctuate SOME but every time FC was under 10 and I’ve tested it’s been at 7.2

Need to get some more CYA in, lost a bit through backwashing.
 
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Amazon.com : Kem-Tek KTK-50-0006 Pool and Spa 60-Percent Concentrated Algaecide, 1 Quart : Swimming Pool Algaecides : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : Kem-Tek KTK-50-0006 Pool and Spa 60-Percent Concentrated Algaecide, 1 Quart : Swimming Pool Algaecides : Garden & Outdoor
www.amazon.com

Is this the correct algaecide I would want to do while I drop my FC to 0? I can't find the instructions on this so... is 1 bottle enough? Should I add 2?

As far as sequestrant.. debating between Jacks Magic Pink Stuff and ProTeam Metal Magic. Jacks seems a little easier to get a hold of, but metal magic seems to work really well for some and require less maintenance dosing.
 
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Oh my gosh. THIS TREE. My pool has so many leaves ?

It’s been storming really bad today so I blindly dumped some bleach in the pool without testing; just sat the jugs to pour them self and ran inside away from the lightning. I ran out again during a small break to empty the skimmer because it was stuffed to the gills and I was worried about water flow. That’s all I could really do today. Under a tornado watch and everything! The wind from the storms released sooooo many leaves

68789295-0179-4B43-BE00-A5B604BDEAF0.jpeg

I did want to show this because look how bright and blue the pool looks from my kitchen ? When it’s cloudy outside, it really helps hide the orange stains.

I ordered everything I think I need to treat the stains (asorbic acid, polyquat, metal magic). And I also ordered the jacks magic filter stuff, which i think is a DE alternative fiber that is safter then pool grade DE. Since i’m backwashing into my lawn, I was concerned with the DE and my pup. Let me know if this isn’t okay to use! hopefully we can tackle this next week. I’ll probably just keep up slam until then.
 
Could my filter be taking out some iron? I am just curious. First backwash in 2 days and it was SO BROWN, even though the pool water is crystal clear.

Just ran a gigantic toad out of the pool.
 
kimkats said:
It could be taking some out. Have we talked about adding DE to the sand to help it filter even more?
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This^ you will be amazed at the difference. Because of concerns with DE I switched to Fiber Clear (spendy but worth it) and does a better job in my opinion. My filter calls for four scoops but I only run two scoops. The difference is night and day and once you get that special sparkle you will never look back. Be prepared to backwash...a lot at first.
 

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We haven’t specifically but I’ve read about it! I actually just ordered some along with the items I need to clear the stains. Well, I ordered jacks magic filter stuff - which is a fiber alternative to DE? Because of backwashing into my lawn and having a dog, I didn’t feel comfortable using pool grade DE.
 
I just finished treating for metals and I’m at the slowly bringing chlorine back up stage. My chlorine held last night so I turned the salt generator back on today. This is my third try so I’ve learned a lot! The first time I believed that CU Later would take the metals out of my pool so I didn’t keep up with the sequesterant. That was mistake one. The second time I didn’t use enough algecide, had a big rain and the pool clouded up terribly. Things were about to go really south so I added chlorine to shock and of course with the sequesterant diluted too, it all came back again. This time - so far so good!! I’m certainly no expert (as verified by it taking
me three tries) and I defer to the experts on here but I wonder if you should wait to raise your CYA until after you treat the metals - or at least keep it on the low side. The reason I say that is you might want to be able to drop your chlorine level to near zero pretty quickly rather than have it go down slowly and be in a favorable situation for algae longer. Just a thought.

Also this time I used Jack’s Magic Purple Stuff because I have a salt chlorine generator. I talked to a very nice tech at Jack’s Magic who was a big help. I am using the Jack’s Fiber stuff and I really like it. The main reason I chose Jack’s Magic is they have a Sequest test kit that checks the amount of sequesterant in the water. It was pricy but I want to be sure it doesn’t drop too low again! I’m not sure though - aren’t all the sequesterants about the same? I wonder if the Sequest test kit would measure any sequesterant? Also, the guy from Jack’s said to put the sequesterant in 48 hours before treating. It did fade the stains a good bit before I even treated. At this point they were fresh stains though. Good luck with your metal treatment! It’s a balancing act for sure!!
 
I was curious about the Culator. Seems to have mixed opinions, but I wonder if it would be helpful at all..

I am just really curious what is with the brown backwash water. My actual water is no longer brown and I don't think it's green either, it is very very clear too - no hint of cloudyness. So I wasn't sure what of that color is getting so gunked into the filter. It also doesn't seem to be effecting the filter pressure much, I just decided to backwash because I hadn't, and it was browny orange again.

When everything gets here -
Do I want to add more polyquat then recommended on the bottle for this process?
Do I want to add the filter fiber before or after I add the ascorbic acid?
Or do I want to do it at the very end, after the metal magic?
I haven't upped my CYA yet. Maybe it would be a good idea to wait until I finish the staining removal.
 
I didn’t see any help from the CU Later. I’ve seen where others have. I bought the big one and kept it in for a month. I wasn’t willing to spend the money to try it again.

I did add more Polyquat than recommended - not sure if it was necessary but I was paranoid. I added some every day that my chlorine was low.

I added the filter fiber right after the Ascorbic acid, but I already had my Purple stuff in there.

Hopefully someone who knows more than I do will give you advice about the CYA.
 
mattchase00 said:
Turning the salt system back on so soon worries me.. As pH is going to drift and if we dont have all the Iron salted out we may re-stain? Keep pH between 7.2 to 7.4..
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Was that for me? I don’t think Strawberryshortcake said that she’s got a salt system. I waited until the chlorine didn’t drop overnight before I turned it back on. I’m keeping a very close eye on my PH. I am keeping it between 7.2 and 7.4. I don’t mind turning the system off and continuing to use liquid chlorine if it would be better. I’ve been keeping the chlorine on the lowish side at about 2. If I should turn it off, when should I turn it back on. I don’t want to derail Strawberryshortcake’s thread so I can start my own if I need to.
 

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