My water is clear, but tinted green, blue or brown – how do I fix this?
Green Tint
A green tint might mean you have algae in your water. This might happen if the electrodes have worn down and need to be replaced. If the electrodes are okay and the copper level is correct, you can also try a clarifier.
Blue Tint
Fresh, clean water has a natural blue tint. You will notice this more if your pool or hot tub has a white or light colored shell. If you think the water is ‘bluer’ than normal, the water may have a higher than recommended level of copper. This can come from certain filters, algaecides or ionizers. Test the water with a copper test kit to make sure it is within the recommended range of 0.2-0.4ppm.
If you have a ClearBlue system and copper is above 0.4ppm, you should turn off the mineral output by switching the Maintain (Ion/Action) setting to 00. Copper is stable in the water, so it will decrease slowly. If you have a hot tub, the high copper level is fine and you can wait until your next refill to lower it. In a pool, you may want to use a sequesting agent like copOUT.
For the ClearBlue system, refer to the operating guide for the correct setting for your size of pool or spa. Make sure to test the copper level on a weekly basis and dial down the Maintain (Ion/Action) setting if the level creeps up beyond 0.4ppm.
Brown Tint
Water containing iron can sometimes look brown. Iron may have been present in the water used to fill the pool or spa. If you have iron in your source water which can be common in dug wells, we recommend using a hose filter to remove the iron before it gets into the pool.
If it’s too late and the water is already in the pool, you can use a stain & scale sequestering product to remove iron from water. Unfortunately, this will also remove the ClearBlue minerals and neutralize new minerals for a period of up to 6 weeks. If you must use a sequestering product, we recommend that you disconnect the power from the ClearBlue controller so that you are not needlessly using up the mineral electrode. Maintain chlorine or bromine at 1ppm – 3ppm during the 6 week period and then power the controller back up. Once the copper ion level reads 0.2ppm, you can reduce the chlorine or bromine down to 0.5ppm to 1ppm.