Yuck

**maw-p** · 06-20-2011, 02:15 PM

OK I flubbed this one up...now how is the easiest way to fix it without draining the pool completely and starting over?
This is what happened to my slightly orange water in my pool when I shocked it. I looks like a pool full of Coke.

**Russ** · 06-20-2011, 02:25 PM

I believe you have a lot of iron in your water. Did you fill it with a garden hose from a well?

**Neeley** · 06-20-2011, 03:34 PM

That is what our pool looks like every year when we get ready to open it for the season.

You need to make sure your PH is balanced. Test your water. To get your PH up, add baking soda. My pool is 14,000 gallons and we add 30 lbs at the start of every season to get our PH right. Once you get your PH right you probably need to get your chlorine balanced, shock it then "flock" it. There is a product that gathers all of the gunk, sometimes it is called "Drop Out" other brands call it "flock". Once the flock draws all of the gunk, you vacuum it and are pretty much good to go.

I suggest taking a water sample to ypur pool supply store. They know whether your area has hard water or not and can better advise you to the exact measurements. I always take a sample of my black water to the pool store to be tested. They test it and write down exact directions and products I need to get it right. Mine was so bad one year after being closed for the winter, it had frogs. With the instructions from the pool store, everyone was swimming in less than two weeks.

We never drain our pool, the one time our pool water level got too low, it caused the liner to pull apart. Now, we don't let the water level vary more than about four inches. Boy was that an expensive lesson.

Good luck! It's not as bad as you think, I promise.

**craftypam** · 06-20-2011, 04:04 PM

Neeley;
I'm not sure of how many gallons my pool is, but it is 18' rd and 4' deep and we put a couple of gallons of chlorine in our pool to close it and put a cover on it and as long as we empty the water off the top of the pool before taking the cover off our water is totally clean and clear. Do you use a cover?

maw-p,

I would just put some gallons of chlorine in your pool; how much will depend on how large your pool is. I have had a pool for many, many years and don't use all that stuff they recommend. I just put chlorine in and when we don't go in it for a few days to a week because the weather is bad I do add shock to it.
What did your water look like b4 the shock?

**Greebo** · 06-20-2011, 04:07 PM

V = pi*(r^2)*h

so 3.1415 * (18*18)*4 = 4071 cu ft = about 30,000 gallons

**mom21** · 06-20-2011, 04:50 PM

In the formula "r" stands for radius and she gave diameter. I think instead of 18 it should be 9. Feel free to correct if I'm wrong. Many, many years have passed since I did this.

**craftypam** · 06-20-2011, 06:27 PM

I come up with more like a little over 7000 gallons

**Neeley** · 06-20-2011, 06:42 PM

We don't cover ours anymore. The dog, all 80 lbs of him decided to walk across the cover one day. It was an adventure to say the least.

Our pool is roughly 10 foot wide by 20 foot long, 6 foot deep at the deepest point. DH told me I was wrong, it is 17,000 gallons, not 14,000.

**Greebo** · 06-21-2011, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by mom21

In the formula "r" stands for radius and she gave diameter. I think instead of 18 it should be 9. Feel free to correct if I'm wrong. Many, many years have passed since I did this.

She said 18rd which I took as radius but that would be a 40' diameter pool and that would be huge... so I suspect you're right.

**Greebo** · 06-21-2011, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by craftypam

I come up with more like a little over 7000 gallons

If it's a 9' radius so do I.

**maw-p** · 06-21-2011, 09:46 AM

Russ - yes we used a hose and well water.

Craftypam- the water had just a slight orange tint to it until we shocked it then BAM. Not sure how much water it holds but it is 18' across and 4' deep, the same as yours.

It just shocked me to see it turn so red. It is starting to settle out more and the bottom is covered. DH still wants to drain it and refill using city water. I dont know, this is new to me

**craftypam** · 06-21-2011, 11:14 AM

Did you ask at a pool store? I'm not familiar with well water. I would see what the pool store tells you, but it still might be worth it to put some gallons of chlorine in it first instead of going through all the emptying and refilling it.

**CrazyCat** · 06-21-2011, 11:21 AM

Don't drain it. Have a pool company test the water..and they will give you some chemicals to 'fix' it. Neely has the right idea. We have had our pool over 10 years..and it's still going strong. Last year....the liner let loose..and we had to start from scratch almost.~what a nightmare.~! This year was much better.

yes Greebo. Way off. Our pool is 27' round and about 5' deep..and it holds 17,000 gallons.

**lisaflex** · 06-21-2011, 06:10 PM

we have a 3 ft - 10 ft in ground pool. we have a pool srvc wkly from may - sept and then they cover it for the long cold winter.

if you do not have a regular srvc, you may have to pay more and wait a few days for them to show up. not sure how it works in your area. but that is the main reason we have a wkly srvc to clean and do the chemicals. because the season is soooo short, who wants to loose a few days...

hope you get it all worked out!