Algae or filter not filtering?

[Melgrace1]

My water started looking a touch cloudy sunday. I checked my levels and they were
fc 7.5
cc 0
Ph 7.2 ( had added ma to get ta down)
Calcuim hardness 60ppm
Cya 60 ppm
Backwashed pump and added 16 oz cal/hypo because water was starting to get cloudy and i was expecting swimmers.

Tuesday it looked even more cloudy.
fc 8
cc .5

Today it was really cloudy... Like algae bloom cloudy, but my cc was only .5 so i added 1 cup cal/hypo and went to work. Got home and it was cloudy green. Or dirty.. Backwashed my filter again just incase it was dirty. Took readings
fc 10ppm
cc .5
ph 7.2

backwashed and put 1 more cup cal/hypo. Im so confused because i thought if the cc was low that it meant nothing was eating up the chlorine... Im doing the test exactly like the instructions said. I have never gotten high cc readings but my water was always clear until sunday. I have obviously dirty water and my combined chlorine is only .5??? Help!!!! Im wonding if my filter is not filtering.... Even tho it has been for about a month since i took the cover off! Changed the sand last year and changed the spider gasket/ valve on the miltiport. Im really scratching my head...

 

[lefty51]

Hi,
It sounds like the start of an algae bloom. Try doing the overnite test to see how much FC drops overnite. The low CC could be that the algae is just starting to take hold. Don't know what effects cal/hypo might have on cloudiness.
If it were me I would do a SLAM according to what pool math says your SLAM level should be. I would do it with just plain old bleach. And when you pass the OCLT with clear water you should be ok.

 

[tim5055]

Yup, Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT) will show if there is a problem

 

[Melgrace1]

Ok.... Did the oclt last night. At 9pm my ppm was 11.5 fc and .5 cc. I tested it this morning and it was 12 fc and .5 cc. (I had added a cup of cal/hypo at around 6pm the night before, so im thinking it didnt finish disolving and thats why my fc went up.) Not sure. I could cry! Its cloudy green so i went ahead and added 2 lbs of cal/hypo. I also added a dose of clarifier. Its been running since noon. Im going to do the oclt again tonight. Thanks for yalls help!

 

[Texas Splash]

Melgrace, that's a nice pool, and we want to see it crystal clear for you. My biggest piece of advice right now .... stop using the cal-hypo for the moment, find a good place to buy regular bleach, and rely only on that right now to maintain your required SLAM FC level. It's easy and very effective. Your last CYA was 60, so your SLAM FC should be 24. If you maintain that FC of 24 all day & night with "regular/plain" bleach as much as possible, while following all of the other items noted on the SLAM page (link below) you will be amazed at the transformation. But you must do everything on the page, and don't stop until you pass ALL 3 SLAM criteria. Do not add any more clarifier or pool store products hoping for an overnight cure. It didn't get algae overnight, so it won't go away overnight, but YOU CAN fix it with bleach. Hang in there!

- - - Updated - - -

 

[lefty51]

Hang in there Melgrace,

Pat beat me to your SLAM numbers. See it's great having these knowledgeable folks on here with accurate numbers and procedures. Take it from me, they led me every step of the way and I've had a pool for a long time.

Please do as he says and follow the SLAM steps faithfully and you will be swimming in no time. NO shortcuts! Also what he said about plain old bleach and no xtras. And remember to brush and vacuum! It will start turning clearer by the day. But also remember you may get to a point that it looks almost perfectly clear and you will think it's not progressing anymore. IT is even if it looks like it's not. As he said, it didn't get that way overnight(even if you thought it did) and it won't clear in a day, BUT it will work. Hang in there

 

[kcindc]

You have been given good advice... one more thing to consider. You should only backwash when your pressure rises 25% above your clean pressure (just backwashed pressure). Sand filters do a better job when they are slightly dirty. Hang in there!