Pool green as it’s filled???

[bobmcinnis]

Hi you guys have been really generous helping me with my pool problems before. So I just assembled and filled my 18’ above ground Intex pool from our hose for the season and the water seemed a little green as it filled and a little silt is forming on the bottom.

The only thing I can think is that the day before, our water had been brown from the fire department using the hydrants stirring up the silt and while it seemed to quickly clear in the house, the pool was still affected the next day when I filled the pool.

I’ve been running the filter since then and the filter is full of brown stuff each time I change it.

But the water is green not really brown which seems weird. Any idea what’s going on and how to fix it? Is it copper from the town water pipes perhaps that’s turning it green? I can’t imagine filling the pool with what is essentially tap water and there being something growing in it.

Would anybody have some advice/thoughts?

Thanks! My kids are dying to jump in. It’s hot out there!

Bob

 

[kellyfair]

While we don’t normally recommend pool store testing, you might want to take a sample of your fill water to have it tested for metals (don’t buy anything!)

Here, we see tannin from the oak trees will sometimes cause the water supply to go a bit brown for a short time, but not green.

 

[Mdragger88]

It is probably iron. You house may have some copper pipes but the ones in the ground for the municipality are probably not.
A pool store can test for iron & copper.
Here’s a helpful tutorial for removing iron

If you’ve got iron in your fill water, use Polyfill to remove it

EDIT: Found out this method only works if your iron is oxidized already, meaning it’s got a dull or bright green tint to the water, or a nasty brown tint. If you know you have iron in your fill water, but it isn’t oxidized yet, bring your pool to shock level and it’ll turn the telltale green...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[PoolGate]

Lots of pools are green with the first fill usually it is iron.

 

[borjis]

It's very likely to disappear in 48 hrs.
I had 2 different pools look green on fill, then cleared in that time

 

[bobmcinnis]

Thanks so much guys. It seems to be clearing up so I’ll keep an eye on it.

 

[bobmcinnis]

One more question (for now!). The pool is clearing up—from the silt from the pipes I assume—and the filter seems to be catching a lot of brown stuff. The Cl in the pool is at a zero even though I have a couple of big chlorine tablets in one of those floating dispensers. I think last year I got into trouble using too much of that and not enough liquid chlorine bleach (or the other way around) and green started growing in it. I’ve had a solar heater cover on it most of the time since I filled the pool on Sunday except for all day yesterday and it’s been crazy hot and sunny. Any idea how I should deal with the low Cl? I have a second dispenser I could use. Thanks!

 

[PoolGate]

Use liquid chlorine (bleach) or install a saltwater chlorine generator. Using pucks is not going to end well. And keeping your chlorine that low is going to create a swamp. Now is the time to act. Do you have a proper test kit? Your chlorine level is proportional to your CYA level. Without knowing your CYA level, you won't know what chlorine level to target.

 

[CrystalRiver]

With a fresh fill, you have no CYA. No CYA means the sun burns up your chlorine almost instantly.

Pucks aren't good for anything other than occasionally going on vacation. Right now, they are releasing chlorine and CYA too slowly. Soon, the CYA will build up and render the chlorine ineffective. You need to add dry stabilizer using the sock method to get up to 30, and use liquid chlorine to maintain your FC levels according to the chart.