just added 3" of water to my pool

[jerseyhunter]

It was getting low but perfectly clear. After going to turn the water off my pool looks greenish and can't see the bottom that well.  What the *@&^!

[hvnj]

If you have a well it is probably copper.  cUlator is a product on Amazon. Put in your filter basket( not skimmer) and it will chelate the copper.  I also put an R.V. water filter on my hose bib to remove it from the fill water. 

[jerseyhunter]

   Thanks for the reply.  No well, it's my drinking water from the town.  Shouldn't be any copper build up as the water is used constantly.  We have a well in town that I use for cooking and coffee. I usually refrain drinking  city water unless it's filtered. 

[BowhunterNJ]

May have diluted the chlorination and algae took over.  Doesn't take long.  Check chem levels, likely shock or double shock and elevate chlorine to spa level to kill algae.  Use a clarifier to eliminate cloudiness.  Brush floor and walls a few times a day to keep algae in the water column as opposed to on liner surface which lets chlorine kill it more effectively. When the algae dies it will settle to bottom.  Most important part is when you go to vacuum from now until the water clears, vacuum all the junk on the bottom to WASTE and not to filter.  Refill pool as needed.  You don't want the bulk of the algae to keep going through filter like it will during filter driven cleaning and then cycling back into the pool or persisting in the filter, you want it OUT.  Backwash your pool during cleaning cycles to clear it out of any crap that got trapped in there.  The process takes 2-5 days depending on how bad it is.  I went through it this summer and was back to crystal clear in 3-4 days.  

[Buckmaster3405]

I use a algecide called seaclear every opening...its guaranteed no algae..amazon has it ..other than chlorine tabs and ph up and occasional robot cleaning my pool stays crystal clear all season

Edited August 27, 2022 by Buckmaster3405

[jerseyhunter]

I don't know if everyone realizes that is happened as soon as I put in 2 inches of water which took about 1 hour.  I'll check the pool again in the am.

[BowhunterNJ]

14 minutes ago, jerseyhunter said:

I don't know if everyone realizes that is happened as soon as I put in 2 inches of water which took about 1 hour.  I'll check the pool again in the am.

Did you check the chemical balance?  What did it indicate?  That is the starting point.  But generally there is only algae and copper that will turn pool water green (that I'm aware of).  You eliminated the latter per city water being used.  If it happened instantly, as in within that 2 hour period and not over the next 12-24 hours, then there was some kind of reaction with whatever was in that city water with the pool water.  May be a good idea to take a sample to a pool store to get checked, they can definitely identify what's out of balance and what caused it.

It's also possible highly elevated chlorine causes cloudiness, but adding water doesn't do that unless your city water is pool level chlorination, in which case it would be making people sick who drink it and is most certainly not the case.

[DJ0808]

If existing pool water had low pH with high level of chlorine and water you added had high levels of copper or iron dissolved in it, then chlorine in the pool may have rapidly oxidized these metals in the water causing it to turn greenish. 

I'd check the pool again in the morning, then if still green you may need to add CuLator like @hvnj mentioned, but I would get water tested first. 

[BowhunterNJ]

Low free chlorine and high ph can green it, but makes me wonder what is in the city water that adding 2" could transform it that much.  Copper as a cause was eliminated since it was city water, unless of course the city water has copper in it which would be a disaster.

[jumpthestring]

If there is local pool store in the area. go get the water tested, that's what i do and works all the time. No Guessing

[Roon]

Not for nothing, keep a solar cover on it. You won't have to add if it can't escape.

Put some algicide in and bump up ph I'm no expert but knock on wood have a clear pool from March to October 

[Kype]

4 hours ago, jerseyhunter said:

   Thanks for the reply.  No well, it's my drinking water from the town.  Shouldn't be any copper build up as the water is used constantly.  We have a well in town that I use for cooking and coffee. I usually refrain drinking  city water unless it's filtered. 

smart man. i build pumps that pump city water. some people wouldnt believe what comes out of their tap. after all its all filtered and treated sewage. city water is disgusting to say the least. 

[rem870hunter1]

Check for phosphates in the pool and the faucet water. 

I work for a pool service company..17 years so far. And the levels have gone up in the drinking water. Phosphates are algae food. However it could be the hardness level dropped too from the 3'' of water.

[rem870hunter1]

2 hours ago, Roon said:

Not for nothing, keep a solar cover on it. You won't have to add if it can't escape.

Put some algicide in and bump up ph I'm no expert but knock on wood have a clear pool from March to October 

Solar cover doesn't stop evaporation and ph of 8.0 and up is bad..chlorine will not work correctly. Needs to be 7.2 to 7.8

[jerseyhunter]

well Just checked , the chemicals are in balance and the water is just about clear again.  This is only the second time it has happened the first was when I refilled the pool in the spring to open it.  I was just under the impression the cloudy water in spring was due to winter settlement being stirred up.  Thank you all for the  replies.  Definately going to show my wife Kype's reply about the drinking water. 

  Ps chlorine eats up the solar covers' life span fairly quick. 

Edited August 28, 2022 by jerseyhunter