Water keeps turning brown

[hvac70]

I opened my pool about 5 weeks ago and started my pump back up. Upon adding the first bit of chlorine my pool turned brown. I originally added some sequestrant and it cleared up a day or so then turned brown again. I had some small patches of algae from the off season so I decided to go through the SLAM process. I got the pool up to SLAM levels a few days which seemed to dissipate out the metals and stained the pool brown, I then let the FC get back down to 0 and done a AA treatment which got the pool clear again. I started slowly adding LC and got my FC back up to around 4. Added CYA according to pool math all was good for a few days then the pool turned brown again. I added more purple stuff and some metal out and the pool cleared again for two days and now has turned brown again. Should i run the FC back up to dissipate again, or what should I do to get a handle on this? I hate to have to AA the pool again. I haven't had this issue to this extent in the past. Currently FC-5, CC-.5, TA-100,, CYA doesn't seem to read but has only been a few days. PH-7.2
TF PRO kit.

Thank you!

 

[ajw22]

You have iron in the pool water.

The rapid pH change caused by the chlorine addition causes the iron to precipitate out of the water and turn the water brown. When the pH normalizes the iron goes back into solution.

The only ways to stop it are to try and filter out the iron using polyfill or drain the water after an AA treatment and refill with iron free water.

Ascorbic Acid Treatment - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Iron Fill Water Filter - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[duraleigh]

Are you filling from a well? It sounds like you have iron (dissolved) in your pool and the big dose of chlorine causes the iron to precipitate out into a brownish-greenish color. A Pic of the water would be helpful.

Let's find out if you have iron in your water first and then go from their.

 

[hvac70]

I’m not filling from a well and filling from a city water source. My pool is 9 years old and I’ve filled from this same source all those years. I have been filtering with poly fill for a couple weeks. I had my water tested today at the pool store and that test showed no iron and a slight bit of copper. I know the AA is supposedly not effective on copper but is on iron, and the AA cleared it up when I added it. I have use way too many bottles of sequestrant and just going back and forth from clear to brown. See pic attached. I was clear just yesterday.

 

[ajw22]

Your water will continue the cycle of clear to brown to clear until you do a water exchange with clean water. You need to get the iron out from the pool.

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[duraleigh]

I’ve filled from this same source all those years

Yes, but the affect of iron in your source water is accumulative. (It took around 8-10 years for enough iron build up to finally show in my pool, too)

So, still can't say definitively that it is iron but there is little else it can be. Purchase an iron test or find another store to test for you and test your source water for iron, too.

Next, stop buying sequestrants..........that's just a band-aid that really doesn't work well.

Keep your pH low - not much more than 7.4 or so

Get your CYA to about 30 ppm.

Also, stop chlorinating your pool for a few days and keep using polyfill in your skimmers. I think your water will begin to clear and you can begin to add chlorine slowly.......no big slugs.

Read the articles ajw22 posted for you. Your task to keep the pool clear is formidable but possibly doable without a complete exchange.