Sequester water before "opening" pool?

[PoolMom1031]

Hi there - this is my 3rd season to open our pool and I have a question about the order of steps before officially opening.
Over the winter, our water level dropped more than normal (currently testing for a leak), so we've had to refill quite a bit. We are on a well and I'm very aware that our water has high iron. I've started to refill the pool with a filter on our hose, but I'm anticipating dealing with metals all season.

My question is: should I add a sequestrant now? Right now my FC is 0 since it's been sitting all winter, but I know I will need to SLAM when we get the filters/pumps hooked up because the water is cloudy. I don't want to add a sequestrant and then SLAM and turn the water yellowish/green. The good thing is, I know my CYA is 30 or less. I tested a few days ago and I could still see the black dot at 30, so I plan on retesting soon.

If I know I will be battling metals all season, when should I add Jack's Magic Magenta Stuff? And how much? Thanks!

 

[Texas Splash]

I would run the SLAM Process first. Adding the sequestrant first will result in it getting oxidized faster with the elevated chlorine. Run the SLAM and consider having some polyfill ready for the skimmer(s) if the water changes to capture some of the metals as it reacts to the chlorine.

 

[PoolMom1031]

Awesome, thank you. I’m trying to find a definitive answer on this, but at what FC level does a sequestrant not work and put the metals back into solution?

 

[Texas Splash]

I’m trying to find a definitive answer on this, but at what FC level does a sequestrant not work and put the metals back into solution?

That's a fairly deep chemistry question that (IMO) would be very difficult to determine. That's because so much depends on the CYA, FC, and amount of iron at the time of sequestrant usage. You ad your neighbor could try to do the same process in a pool and literally have different reactions. Best thing you can do is treat for algae first while simultaneously attempting some polyfill filtering during the SLAM Process in hopes you get lucky catching some of the iron while it's in a precipitated stage. After the SLAM, rebalance the water, and add the sequestrant.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Sequestrants degrade and need to be re-dosed during the summer.