clear water turned green

[guest from sc]

Ok so there is a lot of this going around aparently but, I my situation may be a little different, so here goes.
I bought a brand new pool 16x4 above ground vinyl, filled it up w/ well water from well that is aprox. 3-4 mos. old, which took almost 2 days. used pool w/o any chemicals, we had very heavy rain for a couple of days. after the rain ceased i tested the water before adding a chemicals, found everything normal except chlorine obviously, so i added reccomended amout of shock plus as per package, almost instantly the water turned green. keep in mind i dont know jack about pools or chemicals. i thought maybe there was algea in the water making it green (i know it sounds stupid after reading more on this site), so i put in algea remover and clarifier following the directions on the bottles. now the water is cloudy as well, and still green. i had a freind of mine tell me that every time he shocked his pool after a hard rain it would turn the water green, and he would have to drain the pool and refill. i dont know how true that is, but i dont know what to do. ive tested the water with test strips and heres what i got.
total hardness= 250
total chlorine= 3
free chlorine= 3-10
ph= 7.8-8.4
alkalinity= 180
stabilizer= 50-100
this was after all the chemicals, like i said before everything except chlorine was normal w/ only fill water. i know that some of the results are kinda iffy but, thats the best i can do right now. i havent had the water tested for copper but, if there is can be bad to drink. if my fill water has copper in it that means my drinking water has copper in it, which cant be ok can it? also, is there a simple way to test for copper, i cant afford to pay someone to come out. thanks in advance

[Pool User]

I checked the filter in the pump when i got home this evening, because the skimmer wasnt pulling in any water. the filter was completely clogged and brown, it was white, and i have spotted some yellowish bubbles in the skimmer, as well as a brownish ring around the top of the pool. please help

[Kym]

I am by no means a pool expert but in my years of experience with a big EZ Up and my latest experience with a 24'x52" a/g I can tell you that fresh well water turning green with exposure to any amount of chlorine is perfectly normal.

Look for my post (below I think) - it explains a lot!

My brand new fresh clean water delivered straight from a municipal drinking water tap turned green within TWO HOURS of delivery when the 11k or so of clean/chlorinated drinking water hit the 8-12" of well water we had used to set the liner.

Within 24 hours of running the filter, the water was sparkly blue.

It greened up again when we shocked it last night, and after consultation with our Pool Professionals (store where we purchase all chemicals - and I HIGHLY recommend you go to a pool store and pony up for the "good" chemicals (not the Wal-Mart crud) and free water tests and advice you'll get for purchasing from a reputable pool store will be WELL worth it (no pun intended!) - we were told it would clear up on it's own - and it did.

Our water had already been professionally tested and we were in the process of "start up" (adding x chem at X time, etc.) -- our water was perfectly safe to swim in - just green.

Within 8 hours the water was sparkly blue again.

So ... don't panic!

Light green on fresh water is not algae but more likely the metals in your well water reacting with the chlorine or other treatment. Another fun one is when you add X and your pool turns shocking orange and/or rust red. Had that happen in an EZ Up when something (cannot recall what) oxidized the iron in the water overnight. Good times!

Hope this helps. I feel your (pool) pain.

All I can recommend is that you get yourself to a reputable pool store and get into their system. I've had water in my pool for less than a week and am already finding "my guys" invaluable.

[Kym]

Final tip - this is my own personal mantra (and one that makes the pool guys laugh) but my own chemistry-challenged brain sees it thus:

Red (iron/metalic traces in well water)
+
blue (chlorine/chlorinated water)
= GREEN!

--- repeat to self as you wait not-so-patiently for your pool to look normal again!

Also, as long as your water is testing okay, green water from chlorine/well reaction is safe to swim in.

DH told our young daughter she would "turn green like Shrek!" if she swam in it.

Presuming you have this pool because you have young children, just tell the kids you have a special "Shrek Pool" and you'll have the coolest pool in town!

[Pool User]

My pool is green as I'm filling it with well water. I have a hose in the deep end and a sump pump on the top step in the shallow end.This is to keep fresh water coming in while keeping the pool level the same. I have a 16 x34 fiberglass pool and was told by the manufacturer that draining the pool could cause it to crack. My cyonurik acid level is causing chlorine lock and this is the only way to get it down. I've done this before, after you get the chemistry back to normal the water goes back to blue in a week or two.

[Michel15]

It is not big problem, green water mean your pool have dirty germs and unwanted things which convert water into green. First you have to empty pool and then clean it with cloth, add some chemical ingredients which help in controlling those germs who cause of water greenery.

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