How Do I Clear Up My Well Water In My Pool..It's Green
by Candy
Then we went to the pool store which told us to use Metal Magic algaecide and shock. First we put Metal Magic in. We ran pump for 48 hrs and then we added the algaecide. Ran pump 12 hrs then we added the shock. The pool still hasnt changed.... what can we do? Answer: Thanks for the question Candy We first need to understand what each product does. A metal sequestrant does not remove metal from pool water. It holds it in solution until it can get filtered. Then you backwash the metal out. Because metal sequestrants break down over time and get filtered and backwashed out, you need to weekly dose your pool if you have high iron and copper. Metal sequestrants that are based on HEDP, phosphonic acid or something similar are the most effective. Jack's Magic Blue, Purple, and Pink Pink Stuff, Metal Magic, Metal Free, & Metal Klear are very good. Be sure any algaecides you use don't have any metals or copper in them. You don't want to add to the problem. An algaecide does not remove green pool water or kill algae. It is used for preventative measures only, normally on a weekly basis. You can use a PolyQuat 60 algaecide when shocking a pool as added insurance against an algae bloom because the algae will be consumed by the chlorine. Your chlorine level will drop very quickly, so using an algaecide during the shock time is good. Shocking a pool, then a daily manual dose of chlorine to keep the chlorine level up while the algae is being killed is the only way to get rid of an algae bloom and green pool water. Daily brushing and backwashing is also recommended. It's best to put in the metal sequestrant and allow for a complete turnover of the water. At this time you'll want to backwash. You did run the filter for 48 hours, which is what you want to do. Keep filtering and backwashing. A 2nd dose of sequestrant might do you well. Allow for another turnover of the water. This is normally around 8 - 10 hours. Then do your shock. Here are links and charts to help you out: Swimming Pool Chlorine Pool Shock Pool Chlorine Because of the constant backwashing, your water level will drop. Be sure to keep your pool topped off. 1/3 - 1/2 up from the bottom of the skimmer. Keep an eye on your stabilizer (cyanuric acid/CYA) because if you're putting in fresh water, you'll be diluting any CYA that's already in the pool. This should be kept between 30 - 50ppm. It's this time that you'll need patience. There's really no "quick fix" when dealing with pools. It does take time and effort. Keep filtering and backwashing. Try to add chemicals in the evening and retest in the morning. There also good information on the pool Q&A page dealing with well water and green pools: Swimming Pool Questions and Answers Hope this helps and let me know how it turns out for you. Robert |
