Leak In Winter Cover

[jimmcg29]

I had a leak in my winter cover so the water on the bottom mixed with all the water on the top. That led to two problems.

One I have a big “tea” stain on the marcite where the dirty water came in contact.
Two the only way I could get the cover off was to pull it off and let all the crud go into the water. I probably should have asked around here first because someone probably had a better idea. I couldn’t pump the water off the cover because it would simply draw water from the pool.

Anyhow, now I have a brown pool full of leaves and a big “tea” stain. I guess draining the thing is one option. I was planning on doing that anyhow to fix a leak on the main drain. With Michigan’s economy and the fact I did not lose much water over the winter I would like to put that little repair off for another year.

So after a long introduction my question is how do I get my pool from brown to clear. Algae does not seem to be a problem since the water is still too cold for that. What I have been doing is trying to get the water in balance. I also added about seven gallons of 6% bleach which did nothing. I am also scooping the leaves out of the brown water the best I can. I can’t see the bottom especially after I started scooping. Once I get the bulk of the leaves I plan to hit it hard with bleach which I believe will clear up the “tea’ stain.

The pool full is around 30-35,000 gallons. Right now I would say it is around half full maybe a little more.

I think what I am doing is correct but I am hoping someone here will let me know if I am wrong. What I am not sure about is if I should fill it the rest of the way. If I do I will need twice the amount of bleach but I can run the pump and mix the bleach in the water better.

Any suggestions?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Most certainly you should shock the pool, this will make the stains fade, though it might take a while with slightly higher than normal FC levels. Treat it like it's algae, they are both organics consuming your chlorine.

You should start filling, scooping crud and filtering. Once the water has circulated overnight, test and post a full set of results, then we can advise you better.

Shocking is more of a process, you don't want to hit it hard and end up overdosing the pool on chlorine. Normal shock levels, maintained thru frequent additions of bleach, will clear this up, rather than pouring in too much all at once and not being consistent, KWIM?