Stain Removing: Cloudy Blue Water Stage

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I think it will be easier to test and I will likely use it more. Not sure if it is as accurate, have heard arguments on both sides on that. But I can be a goober when I am testing so this seems less apt for user error. I tested with both one after the other and the results were very close. I will probably use both but I think when things get normalised, I will probably view testing as less of a chore. Do you think the LaMotte is ok?
 
Here is what some of the Mods here say...

Lamotte ColorQ Pro 7 - just how accurate ( especially T.A and C.H. Readings)

I bought a ColorQ Pro 7 in May 2018... Seems to work well. However, there is no way to 'Benchmark' how accurate the reading are! The results are way different then a Taylor K2006 I tested the CH in a pool: with the ColorQ Pro 7, the CH readings were in the 110 ( really low for a pool)...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Test Kit Comparison

So I have been using the Lamotte ColorQ Pro 11 since my pool was completed a couple months ago and have been happy with the ease of use and it seems to be consistent but I'm more concerned with accuracy. I needed Borate strips tonight and well shopping at TFT curiosity got the best of me so I...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

ColorQ vs TF100

Well, in my search for results I can rely on, I went ahead and bought a TF100 kit and decided to do a side-by-side with the ColorQ. I'm spending a lot of money on this testing stuff, but it's obviously important. Once I get settled in, I'm good. Fascinating results and let me share them - all...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

New Pool Owner from Fresno California

Hi, I'm Mike from Fresno and my wife and I just moved into a new house that contains a large (30,000 gallons, L shaped, 43ft by 31ft and widest and longest points, with two separate shallow ends) and older (1981) inground pool and spa. We've already replaced the 200,000 btu heater and added a...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
Ok. That helps. I will use Taylor 2006 to post here so my test results are not under a cloud. And the ColorQ will be great when I get things back to normal. I don’t have a stir thingy that I see people posting about so I guess my swirling manually suffices. I can’t believe how much I have learned on this forum. It really is great. I will have to become a supporter to express my thanks.

One question. Should I steer clear of clarifiers? I dearly love that Nat Chem Pool First Aid. But if it adds things I am trying to be rid of, than I may have to give it up. Also, My CH is much lower than my old kit was reading so I suppose that is something I will have to learn about when this cloudy phase clears.
 
Briar said:
One question. Should I steer clear of clarifiers? I dearly love that Nat Chem Pool First Aid. But if it adds things I am trying to be rid of, than I may have to give it up.
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No need for clarifiers. They just gum up your filter. Once your filter is gummed up then you do think you need the clarifier.

Clean you cartridges when filter pressure rises 25% from clean pressure. A good running filter does not need the help of clarifiers to do its job.

Briar said:
Also, My CH is much lower than my old kit was reading so I suppose that is something I will have to learn about when this cloudy phase clears.
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Once your water chemistry is stable raise your CH to 250. That is the minimum for a plaster pool.

When you need to get more reagents for your K-2006 order them from TF-100 Refills and get the Speedstir Magnetic Stirrer It makes testing easier and more accurate.
 
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For a cartridge filter, you want to generally stay away from filter fiber additives and clarifiers. They have a tendency to become embedded or stuck onto the paper filter media and then you get irreversible pressure rise (increased head loss) in the filter. Once your pool is back to “normal”, you should not ever need ANY filter additives. If you experience cloudiness, then a filter additive is only masking the problem, not getting to the root cause. And if that cloudiness is being cause by sanitation problems (algae or water mold), then a clarifier is not the right fix.

And yes, you can get algae in an indoor pool....
 
I cleaned the filter out and did not add any back in. I’m not sure how much of the cloudiness still in the water is from algae/organics or the gobs of AA and metal sequestrants I added. Probably both. I’ll just keep adding prescribed bleach amount until the FC holds and hopefully the cloudiness will clear. I’m exhausted. This is the 11th day of this madness and now that pool is starting to clear, I’m not sure it really removed any of the stains.Thanks for all of your help.
 
Day 12 and I can see the main drains. I am hopeful. I still lost 7ppm of FC last night so I know I have to keep the process going. I have to go to another town nearby to get more bleach. Question: My CYA is going up and because it is indoor pool, no uv to help burn that off. Am I creating another problem fo myself? The TA is coming down and ph is up and CH is abnormally low now. Csi is not good. Any suggestions would be helpful. I also read about borates and I want that! Will that be ok with bromine pool?

Latest test results:
FC: 5
Ph: 7.6
TA: 90
CH: 120
CYA: 50
CSI: -.47
Temp: 72F
 
What chemicals are you adding? Something has CYA for it to be increasing.

Your testing methods are suspect. TA, CH and CYA don't change that much in a day.
 
Don’t get whipsawed by one test. Look at trends. Keep on doing what you have been doing and see what the next few tests say.
 

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I ordered more agent tf100 as you suggested as I am nearly out. It eats that small kit pretty quickly. I’ll get more bleach today. Pool is starting to have that ick scent. Should I order that Proteam Supreme Plus for borates? I think I would love that stability and feel in the water.
 
I think you need to wait on adding anything until you have a nice clean stable pool.

If you want to spend money install a UV system. You need UV to get rid of the CCs and the smell.

Order the Speedstir if you don’t have it.
 
I think the scent will go away when I am done adding gobs of chlorine and get the bromine evened out. It never puts out any scent. Just have to keep door closed while it is super chlorinated for now. I will get a speedstir. Maybe my results are not mixing properly and that is why they are all over the place. I will test with the ProQ and see if those levels match up with the Taylor results. Thanks for the continuing help.
 
I had to SLAM my pool when it was still bromine. The smell was horrible - I had to run the exhaust fan for weeks until it cleared.

I have to say though, that with liquid chlorine, the only time my pool has an odor is when I'm off my game. (and that's rare) I've considered adding a UV system, but I just haven't needed to.
 
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If you’re losing 7ppm overnight, that’s big. That’s a biological contamination so you’ve got something in the water, either algae or water mold. Keep up the shock level.

Because your low CH, you could use calcium hypochlorite powder instead of bleach. For every 10ppm FC added, it will raise CH by 6ppm. The only downside is that it will raise pH (because it is caustic) and you can get temporary water cloudiness by adding it. It’s up to you but it’s another option versus liquid bleach.

Bromamines (bromine combined with amine compounds like ammonia), can stink pretty horribly. With a high bromine concentration and a contamination issue, you’re going to create some smelly oxidation byproducts. They should go away as the pool clears.
 
I don’t have access to get cal hypo without ordering it and that would take until next week to get here. I have a box full of MPS and I know u said to stop using that in plaster pool due to sulphates. Do you think it would be ok to use it to shock the pool this time to clear what nasties lurk and then discontinue it after it clears up?
 
Briar said:
Okie Dokie. I will go and get more bleach. I cleared our wee town out of appropriate bleach so I will go into the city for more and keep adding. Looks like I need a lot.
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If the “city” has a pool store, then swing by the pool store and get some bags (or a pail) of cal hypo. By this time of the year they’ll probably be running “end of season” sales. The big box hardware stores (HD, Lowe’s, Ace, etc) will carry pool chemicals too.
 
Rollercoastr said:
I had to SLAM my pool when it was still bromine. The smell was horrible - I had to run the exhaust fan for weeks until it cleared.

I have to say though, that with liquid chlorine, the only time my pool has an odor is when I'm off my game. (and that's rare) I've considered adding a UV system, but I just haven't needed to.
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Thanks for the encouragement! I don’t know what kind of mess I have made with this stain removing process. I have a bunch of stuff in there I never use. Sequestrants and acids and the like. Normal times it is easy. I add Pool Perfectphosfree once a week and keep tabs in the bromine feeder, run the pump every other day for a few hours, vac once a week and its good to go. Now I have done this to myself and I just have to fix it?
 

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