Algae...again

[deviouslyvivid]

Hey all! I'm having pool trouble again. I ended up with pneumonia and then it rained... a lot. So now I have a crazy algae bloom. No problem, I'm all well again so off to Sam's I went to buy bleach. My FC readings using the FAS-DPD are ranging between 2-5. I can't seem to get the FC reading to shock level. In the last 5 hours I have put 7 bottles of bleach in the pool. Is it possible my FAS-DPD chemicals are bad? The R-0871 is clear and I just bought new 0870 from TFtestkits.com. When I run the chlorine test using 0600 it's at least 5 every time, even when my FAS-DPD is 2. Should I just buy new chems? Is it possible that my algae problems is that bad?

Other readings right now:
PH 7.2
TA 60
CYA 50 (Higher than what I'd like, but still doable with shock)

 

[Richard320]

I'll bet that if you run the FAS-DPD test completely, so you get the CC reading, you'll discover that FC + CC = TC = the OTO test results.

If that CC is caused by Ammonia, you'll be using bleach about as fast as you can pour it in.

 

[deviouslyvivid]

Hmmmm, and chlorine is the way to get rid of the ammonia right? Should I just dump a bunch in?

 

[pooldv]

Yes, chlorine gets rid of ammonia. Add enough bleach to raise your FC to shock level for your CYA, Chlorine CYA Chart. Pump running, test again in 10-15 minutes and repeat until FC holds for 30 min or so.

 

[deviouslyvivid]

I added 8 gallons of bleach, waited 15 minutes and my FC is 1.5. CC is 26!! At this point I've used 27 bottles of chlorine since yesterday. I'm wondering if I should continue with the bleach or drain the pool? Honestly, at this point I could have D&R for less money.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Yes, that would be the quickest route to take in your situation. Cheapest....probably?

How easy is it for you to drain? Don't drain it all, leave about a foot or little more in the pool so that the liner doesn't shift.

Its a freaky situation when you get ammonia in the pool. Let us know what you decide to do.

 

[deviouslyvivid]

It's pretty easy to drain our pool. It costs about $125 to fill the pool. At this point I've spent $93 on chlorine to not even get close to shock level. How much more will I use, I wonder?

Thanks y'all for your help! So glad I've got peeps I can come to with these questions.

 

[pooldv]

Yeah, that is a beating! You are probably close with the bleach. Gotta be right?!?

 

[deviouslyvivid]

So, what can I expect my FC and CC levels to do during SLAM. I've been adding bleach every hour (with the exception of when I'm sleeping at night) since Friday. Today's the first day I've seen a slow down of FC consumption. Since Noon today FC has been holding around 1-2ppm of my shock level so I switched to checking every couple of hours. My last reading was FC 10.5 (down from 14) and CC 4.5 (up from 3) after 3 hours of last chlorine add. Is it common for CC to go up? Just trying to find the light at the end of this murky green tunnel.

 

[pooldv]

Good that the FC is holding now, that is great progress. CC is a sign that the chlorine is oxidizing stuff. CC of 4 means it is oxidizing a lot of stuff. The sun will help burn off the CC. You are on the downhill slide once the CC starts dropping.

Retest your CYA now, there might not be any left. If it is below 30 raise it back to 30 ppm.

 

[deviouslyvivid]

I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere! I'm getting ready to go on my 4 days on shift at the hospital so testing and adjusting is only going to happen twice a day. So hopefully I've got it stabilized enough that all my work this weekend isn't in vain. Retested this morning and now my levels are
FC: 7.5
CC:3.5
CYA: 35
My water is still a little murky, I filled the CYA tube with just pool water and I can't see the dot at around 30. Should I add a little CYA?

 

[duraleigh]

I filled the CYA tube with just pool water and I can't see the dot at around 30.

I am not sure what you mean??? Did you perform the CYA test?

 

[deviouslyvivid]

Per the Extended Test Kit instructions, "Very rarely, cloudy or murky water can affect the CYA test. To check for this, fill the view tube with straight pool water. If you can still see the black dot clearly, the cloudy/murky water is not affecting the test result". When I did that, the dot disappeared at 30 with straight pool water. When I run my test with the chemicals my CYA level reads 35. How much is the murky water affecting my CYA readings? Enough that I should add a little more CYA?

 

[pooldv]

I would stay where you are on CYA. I think you have made enough progress that switching to twice a day is going to set you back. It just might slow it down a little. We'll see what your FC is after a 12 hour shift.

 

[duraleigh]

Per the Extended Test Kit instructions, "Very rarely, cloudy or murky water can affect the CYA test. To check for this, fill the view tube with straight pool water. If you can still see the black dot clearly, the cloudy/murky water is not affecting the test result". When I did that, the dot disappeared at 30 with straight pool water. When I run my test with the chemicals my CYA level reads 35. How much is the murky water affecting my CYA readings? Enough that I should add a little more CYA?

That's a first. That means you cannot see down into your pool more than about 2" or so. Is that right?

 

[deviouslyvivid]

Yep, about 3". It's murky green mess. But I know TFP method works. So I'll just plug along until my pool is back to normal.