New Liner and water already turning on me

[Neo337]

Hey there! So we just replaced our old liner, and had a new one installed. Once installed we filled it halfway and had to wait a few days for him to come out and cut in everything so we could finishing filling it. Luckily, the temperatures were still getting into the 40's at night and 50's during the day so I wasn't too worried about algae. Well, finally he got everything cut in, put 10 bags of salt in the pool and gave me 1 gallon of liquid stabilizer. Now I know that isn't enough to get everything started, so I went and purchased more salt and more stabilizer. By now, it is warming up (70's - 80's during the day) and I'm am worried about no FC or CYA in the pool . I give the salt time to dissolve (24 hours) and start the SWG. At this point the pool still looks good, but I can see the bottom of the deep end is not quite as clear as it should be. I test everything:
FC - 2
CC- 0
pH - 7.2
TA - 50
CH - 60
CYA - (too soon to test, but adding enough to get to 30)

I set the SWG at 100% to try and produce as much chlorine as possible, but when I check yesterday, the deep end is slightly greenish, while everything else is clear and blue. So I go ahead and start a SLAM, brushing everything and bringing the FC up to 12. It looks even worse today! Now everything is tinted green. I don't know what to do and I'm very frustrated that the company did not get the pool started or even give us the chemicals we needed to get started. I have a picture from when we first added the salt, about 4 days ago, and today. I did see that Chlorox Pool Salt can sometimes cause iron stains, he did use that for about half the salt, could that be the problem? Also, we have a ton of pollen still falling, but I am removing it daily, could that be an issue. I'm worried about staining or ruining or brand new liner. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Mdragger88]

Are u using Liquid Chlorine for SLAM Process?

 

[Neo337]

I would, but most stores here are out, so I used bags of shock. Since my CYA was low anyway, I thought it could help to raise it in the process.

 

[Mdragger88]

I would refrain from using anymore “shock”- was it trichlor? Did it have the words blu in the name? If so u just likely added copper to your new water. It will also soon bottom out your ph which can pucker that new liner. I am not far from you & i know for a fact Smith pool has 12% liquid chlorine in 2.5 gal jugs you can call & order & they’ll bring it to your car. I have also had luck finding 10% @ lowes & Walmart . I would definitely find a reliable source of lc before proceeding. I’m sure someone will be along soon that can help determine if this is a metals issue.
@mknauss @Texas Splash

 

[Neo337]

It was trichlor, but did not have any blue in the name. I usually use Walmart or target and they both were out of any kind without additives (splashless, scents, etc.). I haven’t checked pool stores because their prices are usually twice as much. I will try to go find some today to continue the SLAM.

 

[Mdragger88]

Smith isn’t expensive around 2.50$ gal- you do have to pay a deposit on the jugs though.

 

[Mdragger88]

Our Walmart usually has pool essentials 10% but it’s been hit or miss lately

 

[Neo337]

Walmart, Target, and Lowe’s were totally out of bleach/liquid chlorine. Went to the pool store and bought some 12%. Right now, my chlorine is holding steady. It is 12.5, and has been there all day (checked every couple of hours). That’s what worries me is if it isn’t algae, what can I do, I just filled the pool!? If was algae, wouldn’t it be using up the chlorine? I haven’t had to add any all day. It’s just really frustrating dealing with this when I just filled it Sunday.

 

[zea3]

The water looks clear green. Is it also clear green in the deep end? Do you use well water to fill the pool?

 

[Mdragger88]

The only test results we usually suggest to use from the pool store are metals - that may be your next order of business . How did u fill the pool? City water? I don’t have alot of experience in the metals dept. but i know there’s some things u can do to figure it out. Hopefully someone will chime in on it soon @YippeeSkippy .Until then just keep the fc in target range for your cya as high fc levels can make metals cause staining.

 

[Neo337]

It is a clear green. We used our garden hose which is just our city water. I figured if it was the water, why would it start clear, and then turn? I am going to keep the FC in range and if I don’t see improvement I guess I can have the pool store check for metals? Should I continue the SLAM?

 

[Mdragger88]

It is a clear green. We used our garden hose which is just our city water. I figured if it was the water, why would it start clear, and then turn? I am going to keep the FC in range and if I don’t see improvement I guess I can have the pool store check for metals? Should I continue the SLAM?

I would wait until you get the metals test to continue slam. Just maintain 4-6 for now. In general memphis h20 is pretty great. have u ever dealt with metals in it before? Here’s an article to help u out so u know what to look for if your tests are positive Stains in Your Pool - Trouble Free Pool

 

[zea3]

Iron in the water has a yellowish tint. Next to a blue liner it looks clear green. In the photo I can't really tell if the steps look yellowish or not. I would ask for an iron test. If you do have iron, get a good sequestrant like Metal Magic, or Jack's. If you need a sequestrant, it will become part of your maintenance routine. After initial treatment you usually need a booster dose every month.

 

[Shirker]

Looks like dirty water to me. Like this:

New Build | Athens Georgia

Our dogs was one of our considerations too. I'm not sure what they are going to think of the pool (they hate baths) but I wanted to make sure they had an easy way out if they ever found themselves in the deep end.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[zea3]

You can always take a sample of your fill water from the outside hose bib and have it tested for iron. The city may have added a new source for their water supply, or conditions may have raised the iron content in the local water supply. If it was just dirty water it would have filtered out by now.

 

[Neo337]

Woke up this morning and it looks exactly the same. It passed the OCLT (only lost 1ppm of FC from 6:30pm - 8:30am). So I feel that it can't be algae or the FC would have dropped dramatically. I am going to take a sample of the pool water and the hose water to the pool store and have them test for iron and copper. If it is metal, has anyone had success with using Cu Lator to remove the iron after adding a sequestrant. Is there some other method to try and remove it? Does DE in the sand filter help at all? Thanks for the help!

 

[Richard320]

Woke up this morning and it looks exactly the same. It passed the OCLT (only lost 1ppm of FC from 6:30pm - 8:30am). So I feel that it can't be algae or the FC would have dropped dramatically. I am going to take a sample of the pool water and the hose water to the pool store and have them test for iron and copper. If it is metal, has anyone had success with using Cu Lator to remove the iron after adding a sequestrant. Is there some other method to try and remove it? Does DE in the sand filter help at all? Thanks for the help!

You can check right now by layering some paper towels in the skimmer basket while the pump is on. If they turn orange or brown, you have Iron. A Tale of Two Filters... and Ugly, Rusty Water.

If so, we have a solution. If you’ve got iron in your fill water, use Polyfill to remove it

 

[Neo337]

Thanks for the tip! I did that, and the paper towels started turning a yellowish orange color. I'm sure with more time they would get worse. I also had some vitamin C tabs and dropped one in on the steps and immediately saw the color start to fade and disappear. So if it is iron, is it better to do an ascorbic acid bath, or use a sequestrant and then polyfill or something else to remove the iron? Metal Magic and the like say they can remove the stains, and the stains are not are not old or set in as we just replaced the liner at the beginning of the week. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Richard320]

Thanks for the tip! I did that, and the paper towels started turning a yellowish orange color. I'm sure with more time they would get worse. I also had some vitamin C tabs and dropped one in on the steps and immediately saw the color start to fade and disappear. So if it is iron, is it better to do an ascorbic acid bath, or use a sequestrant and then polyfill or something else to remove the iron? Metal Magic and the like say they can remove the stains, and the stains are not are not old or set in as we just replaced the liner at the beginning of the week. Thanks for all the help!

Raise the chlorine so it oxidizes precipitates and strain it out. Go to Wally world and pick up some pillow stuffing or quilt batting.

Sequestrant comes after you've removed as much as you can physically. Sequestrant doesn't remove Iron, it seals it up. It's like the candy coating on an M&M. You don't want that at this point. Vitamin C reacts with chlorine so the stuff will reappear when you add more bleach. So get it out as much as possible, then go for stains, then sequester.

 

[zea3]

I would follow Richard's advice, but I would still get an iron test done. I wouldn't test for copper unless you know you added it. Reacting to vitamin C confirms iron. Question is how much is in your city water? Don't be alarmed if the water turns brown when you raise the FC. That will be oxidized iron and it will filter out with pillow stuffing in the skimmer basket.