chlorine is discoloring the water

[Micmak]

I have well water which I very very rarely use to top up the pool, because of iron in the water. I use rainwater instead. I've been doing it this way for years. But this season, when I take a reading of the water, it says that the chlorine is zero and the ph is up. I put ph down in it and got that under control but if I add chlorine at any time, the pool goes green! It clears up as the chlorine dissipates. It's almost perfectly clear but if I add more chlorine it goes green again! I have never had this problem before but I have had a pool (in several homes) for 20 years, so I know how to maintain them. Why is this happening now? Also brown staining on the liner will not clean off! What's happening??
......Micmak......

[Backglass]

If the pool is green after adding chlorine, it isn't the chlorine...it's copper. The brown staining is most likely iron.

You need to add a sequestrant to get the metals out of your water.

[Micmak]

Wow! What is a sequestrant, and where do I get it? I have never heard of it before. If it's an iron problem, why did I never have this problem in the past?
......Micmak......

[Backglass]

Wow! What is a sequestrant, and where do I get it? I have never heard of it before. If it's an iron problem, why did I never have this problem in the past?
......Micmak......

A sequestrant is just a fancy name for "stuff that get the metals out of pools". Any pool store will have a "metal out" or "metal magnet" product....just tell them you have copper & iron. Better yet, have them test it for free to be sure before believing a faceless internet pool owner!

It will get worse before it gets better in the short term however, as the chemical makes the metals come out of solution so they can be filtered & vacuumed. But once it's out, it's out and easy to prevent.

The metals build up over time. Lots of people use copper algaecide for years with no problems for example, then one day BOOM...everyones hair turns green. The same with Iron. My friend is a Culligan man and he claims that wells can be seasonal, meaning lots of iron sometimes and other times not as much.

[Micmak]

Great! I'll do as you suggest. Thanks for the info. It all makes sense. Do you regularly take part in this furum? I'd like to consult you again if a "metal out" product doesn't work. By the way, will a "metal out" product cure the brown staining on the liner too?
Thank you.
.....Micmak.....