Green Walls / Perplexed By Test Results - Help Please

Jump to latest Follow Reply
D

drobbva

0
Jun 30, 2015
25
Washington/DC
Pool owner going on two years now and just starting to understand water chemistry thanks to this site. Admittedly, we have slacked on brushing the last two weeks with a newborn at home, but it seems like the walls have turned green within the last couple of days. Had time to scrub the entire pool tonight by hand as far down as I could reach and then the brush on the extended pole after that. Looks much better, but obviously the water is no longer clear. I thought I needed to SLAM, but by CC levels are less than 0.5ppm. Results from tonight's water testing:

PH = 7.7
FC = 2.5
CC = <0.5
TA = 110
CH = 300
CYA = 30

Short history that may be relevant. Drained pool in May for an acid wash prior to opening (suspected scaling resulting from what pool store tests indicated absurdly high levels of CH, likely a result of the prior owner and me initially relying on their suggestions to add Calcium Hardness increaser and shock every other week). Surface looked great after the acid wash and we filled pool from hose with city water. Water has been crystal clear up until earlier this week, but I do need to add 16-32 oz of Muriatic Acid each week. For chlorine I have been using a combination of trichlor tabs (been trying to slowly bring up CYA levels) and liquid bleach. I've been running the pump at least 7am to 7pm. Here are my prior two tests since receiving my TF 100 test kit earlier this month.


July 9th:
PH = 7.8
FC = 1.5
CC = 0
TA = 100
CH = 250
CYA = 20

July 4th:
PH = 7.2
FC = 7.0
CC = <0.5
TA = 110
CH = 250
CYA = 20

Based on tonight's testing, I added 16 oz of muriatic acid to bring the PH down below 7.5 in the event I do need to SLAM and left the pump running overnight. I know my Chlorine levels are low, so was going to add the liquid bleach tomorrow after giving tonight's acid the night to mix in to bring my FC up to 4. What should I do after that? Just maintain my FC level at or around 4ppm or should I SLAM? Help please!
 
Congratulations on the newborn! If your walls have turned green and the water is not clear, then sounds like you need to slam the pool. You can do an OCLT test and see how much fc you are losing at night. If you lose more than 1.0ppm then you will have to slam.
 
I had a feeling. Thanks for confirming. Started the SLAM process a few hours ago bringing my FC up to 12 with bleach (calculated using Pool Math) and will keep tabs on the FC levels a few times a day. Hopefully I caught the problem early enough to resolve fairly quickly so we can get the pool back to how it was two weeks ago.
 
First let me say, please don't yell at me as I have already done so myself along with a few kicks. I started my SLAM the morning of July 16 and by July 18, my water was clear, I had zero CC, and my OCLT showed less than 1ppm loss for two nights in a row. So on the evening of July 18 (Saturday), I decided to go ahead and add PhosFree Extra Strength given my last pool store test before I found religion here at TFP showed phosphate levels at 2,500. I know that if I maintain my FC at the appropriate levels then algae would not be a problem, but a few threads here seemed to suggest that a phosphate remover without metals would cause no harm.

Anyhow, following the manufacturer’s instructions (http://naturalchemistry.com/en/pool-spa/products/detail/phosfree-extra-strength/), I added 48 oz. to the skimmer with the pump running. My water immediately clouded and my filter pressure shot above 20psi. I again, followed the instructions doing a quick backwash to lower the pressure. The morning of July 19 the pressure was up again, my water remained somewhat cloudy and grey dust (dead algae I presume) reappeared on the pool floor. As I result, I continued SLAMing keeping by FC at or above 12ppm and sweeping multiple times a day. Last night and this morning I repeated the steps to lower the filter pressure, sweep and add chlorine. This morning the grey dust on the bottom appeared to be slightly less, but the water wasn't really sparkling clear. Instructions say not to do a full backwash for 48 hours, which will be this evening and then add the remaining 48 oz. of PhosFree. I'm inclined to not repeat the process, but instead, just do a full backwash tonight and keeping SLAMing until the pool is sparkling clear again. So a few questions:

1. Anyone disagree with that approach and if so, do you have a better suggestion and/or have you had success using PhosFree or another similar product in the past that I should consider?

2. I'm guessing there was some hidden algae, otherwise how else did the dead algae appear on the bottom after I had just completed the SLAM and had not yet let the FC drift back down?

3. Am I missing anything here that I need to be considering?
 
Last edited:
TFP method all the way! I am going to post a link to what we use for our pools. You should be able to see what you worried about that we do not do. (hint-------it starts with a p)

Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

I would call this a "life lesson). Learn from it and move on. You know what to do (or not do in this case) to get your pool back to clear!

HUGS! It will get better!

Kim
 
kimkats said:
TFP method all the way! I am going to post a link to what we use for our pools. You should be able to see what you worried about that we do not do. (hint-------it starts with a p)

Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Click to expand...

I know, I know. I could have cried after I did it. It felt like cheating on a diet....sounded like a good idea at the time but I knew it was wrong!

Flushed the filter clean with a good backwash, recharged it and replaced the chlorine lost during the sunlight today (about 3ppm) with container of bleach. Hoping I'm back on track in a day or so to try the OCLT again.
 
Reread the instructions for phosfree.

For DE & Cartridge Filters: Do not add more than 1.5L (48oz) at a time. If more than 1.5L (48oz) is needed to treat, be sure to clean or backwash the filter between treatments.

Important: Algae must be treated prior to testing and lowering phosphates. Chlorine must be under 5ppm before testing phosphates.
Click to expand...
Oops. That's why you developed milky water. Given time, it will clear up. Just don't add any more.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
We never recommend phos free. Never. Those numbers do not matter one bit when it comes down to chemistry and keeping the FC in line with the CYA levels. It's a waste of time and money and a head ache as you can see.
 
Richard320 said:
Reread the instructions for phosfree.

Oops. That's why you developed milky water. Given time, it will clear up. Just don't add any more.
Click to expand...

I had passed all three tests for completing the SLAM so there was no visible algae (even the grey dust on the bottom). The algae reappeared the morning after I started the phosfree treatment. It had been gone for 24 hours. Instructions only saying testing for phosphates has to be below 5ppm, not for using phosfree. Hence my reason for suspecting hidden algae, which appears to be dissipating. Anyhow, lesson learned leave phosfree to the other suckers. If I had any enemies that had a pool I might sell them the remainder of the bottle, sit back and get a good chuckle.
 
So I'm back on track after clearing out the PhosFree last night. Continued my SLAM overnight and through today. This morning the water was by no means clear and when I brushed there was a good bit of "dust" that came up off the bottom, but not nearly the amount that was there Sunday morning. I was fortunate and didn't lose much FC today (only slipped 1ppm below my target shock level of 12ppm). I added a little more bleach tonight to bring my FC back above 12ppm and brushed again. There was substantially less "dust" tonight when brushing.

My question is....is this dust dead algae or dirt/organic matter that has fallen into the pool? Our yard had dozens of old trees surrounding the pool and it is a constant battle to trim them back and keep the pool clear. Regardless, I plan on continuing to SLAM because the water isn't yet 100% clear, just curious if I should expect this "dust" to completely go away. To be clear, its not visible until I actually brush, then you can see it kick up from the bottom.

Thanks for all of the help/advice/encouragement. I have been doing a lot of reading the last two weeks, but its nice to be able to share specifics and get feedback to my situation as it unfolds.
 
drobbva said:
So I'm back on track after clearing out the PhosFree last night. Continued my SLAM overnight and through today. This morning the water was by no means clear and when I brushed there was a good bit of "dust" that came up off the bottom, but not nearly the amount that was there Sunday morning. I was fortunate and didn't lose much FC today (only slipped 1ppm below my target shock level of 12ppm). I added a little more bleach tonight to bring my FC back above 12ppm and brushed again. There was substantially less "dust" tonight when brushing.

My question is....is this dust dead algae or dirt/organic matter that has fallen into the pool? Our yard had dozens of old trees surrounding the pool and it is a constant battle to trim them back and keep the pool clear. Regardless, I plan on continuing to SLAM because the water isn't yet 100% clear, just curious if I should expect this "dust" to completely go away. To be clear, its not visible until I actually brush, then you can see it kick up from the bottom.

Thanks for all of the help/advice/encouragement. I have been doing a lot of reading the last two weeks, but its nice to be able to share specifics and get feedback to my situation as it unfolds.
Click to expand...

I just assumed mine was dead algae, I killed a lot of it at once ... two times in a few weeks. I also used the "First Aid" product though, which seems to be a common theme as well.

At some point after my CYA got to a decent level (from 0 to 30) which allowed me to keep my Chlorine high, and I added first aid, I woke up to a crystal clear pool with all the "dust" settled into different locations that looked like "puddles". I can either attribute this to the First Aid product, which I did use, or to the fact that I finally had enough chlorine. I can't really say.

Sweeping up these puddles caused the pool to look just as cloudy as it had been prior to the settling.

Not sure what kind of filter you have. I have cartridges and basically had to get those dust puddles into my filter via vacuum hose to get rid of it via filter cleaning. If you have sand or DE even better, you can vacuum it out to waste and bypass it going into your filter.
 
rolandv said:
At some point after my CYA got to a decent level (from 0 to 30) which allowed me to keep my Chlorine high, and I added first aid, I woke up to a crystal clear pool with all the "dust" settled into different locations that looked like "puddles". I can either attribute this to the First Aid product, which I did use, or to the fact that I finally had enough chlorine. I can't really say.
Click to expand...

I plan to avoid use of anything not on this list.
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals


rolandv said:
Not sure what kind of filter you have. I have cartridges and basically had to get those dust puddles into my filter via vacuum hose to get rid of it via filter cleaning. If you have sand or DE even better, you can vacuum it out to waste and bypass it going into your filter.
Click to expand...

I have a DE filter, but no vacuum.
 
It is a high probability that most of what you see i dead algae. That will disappear as your SLAM is completed. With a lot of trees, you may always have some debris but not what you are seeing now.

You do not have a manual vacuum? I would consider that an essential part of good pool maintenance. They are inexpensive and doing an occasional hands-on vacuuming gives you a better "feel" for your pool.

Meanwhile, you should be running that auto-vac as much as you can run it. Vacuuming, manual or auto is a mandatory part of the SLAM.
 
duraleigh said:
It is a high probability that most of what you see i dead algae. That will disappear as your SLAM is completed. With a lot of trees, you may always have some debris but not what you are seeing now.

You do not have a manual vacuum? I would consider that an essential part of good pool maintenance. They are inexpensive and doing an occasional hands-on vacuuming gives you a better "feel" for your pool.

Meanwhile, you should be running that auto-vac as much as you can run it. Vacuuming, manual or auto is a mandatory part of the SLAM.
Click to expand...

No I do not have a manual vacuum. Was not with the house when we moved in and the prior owners left pretty much everything. Neither one of the pool "professionals" we've hired to help us get it up and running and then close and open the past two seasons has mentioned a manual vacuum either. There used to be an attachment that hooked into the bottom of the skimmer our most recent pool guy mentioned was an adapter for a vacuum but said it was not a part I needed. I'll head over to the equipment forum and get up to speed on that. In the meantime, I have been running the auto vac in the mornings and evenings and then it is always set to run on a timer about 2 hours mid day.

I'm continuing my SLAM. I am worried about the FC loss I experienced today (about 4ppm). Although the amount of "dust" on the bottom when I sweep continues to diminish. I juiced it back up to 12ppm tonight and the water is looking great. Hoping I can try an OCLT in the morning, but expect to continue to have some "dust" so will continue the SLAM until that clears up. Here are a couple of pics (those are some floating leaves in the second pic that I hadn't yet scooped out with the leaf rake) to help give a sense of what I am looking at.


Pool Stairs.jpgPool Deep.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply