Green algae on bottom of pool

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J

jupitermoon

0
Jul 12, 2016
7
Davisburg
Hello, I need some help figuring out what to do with green algae in my vinyl above ground Intex pool. Last week, we had a couple of days of rain and since then we've been fighting the algae battle. Since opening the pool in mid june, We have been using the BBB (Bleach, Borax and Baking Soda) method for keeping our pool clean, however last week we noticed a cloud of green algae coming up from the bottom of the pool when we would brush the bottom. The water at first sight does not look terrible, maybe just a little cloudy but when I brush the bottom or the kids go in and swim, the pool water starts to look green. I have been keeping the chlorine level really high in the hopes of killing off the algae but I'm not sure how long it should take to see results or even if I am doing this right. My levels today are:
PH: 7.8
FC 22
CC .5
TC 22.5
TA 140
CYA is between 60-70 (was 50 yesterday but seems to have gone up)

Any advice would be great!
 
Hello and welcome to TFP! :wave: Well, if you are doing a TFP SLAM (link below), you're FC isn't high enough to match your CYA of 70 according to the Chlorine/CYA Chart (link also below). You might want to look at both of those pages one more time just ensure you've got everything covered. Also, which test kit are you using? Would you include it into your signature please at your next opportunity? Thanks.
 
I am using test kit TF100, I will add that to my signature line. We did add some stabilizer in the nylon sock two days ago but have since pulled the sock. I also just added in some bleach to bring the FC up to 27 ( or should I keep it at 28?). When I did the cya test, we ran it a couple of times and it seemed to be between 60 and 70.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 
Ok so I am now reading all about slamming and I see that while doing so you should test/add chlorine at least twice a day. I am wondering if I should add muratic acid since my PH is slightly high at 7.8. I notice there is a lot of suggestions about vacuuming your pool. We do not have a vacuum for the pool. Is this something we need to get or should we just stick with what we are doing which is brushing the pool with a nylon brush and running our filter 24/7? Lastly, while doing the shocking is it safe to swim in the pool?
 
If your FC is over 10 the pH test isn't valid. Just assume it's whatever it was when you first started.

If you don't have a vacuum or a robot it might be hard to get "stuff" out of the pool. If you can use a leaf rake (net) that's fine, but over time you'll get sand and small stuff that will be hard to get out with a leaf rake.

It is safe to swim up to SLAM levels if the water is clear to the bottom.
 
Yes, lower pH BEFORE increasing the FC to 28. Once FC gets over 10 it skews the pH reading. Of course maintain that FC of 28 around the clock (pump running too) until you pass all 3 SLAM criteria. At some point you will need a very simple vacuum. A suction-type one that you can connect to the suction line so the debris goes straight to the filter. There are some very simple ones on-line (i.e. Amazon). You can still be in the water as long as you do not exceed your SLAM FC level - in your case 28. In fact, that's a good time to grab a brush as well and give the pool surfaces a good scrubbing. :swim:
 

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You guys are awesome! Thanks so much for the suggestions and quick response. We did buy a hydro tools swim line vacuum #8140 when we bought the pool but we could not figure out how to get it to work. It has a long blue hose that came with the vacuum head and I thought it was supposed to hook up somehow to our pump but I could not for the life of me figure out how to get it to work. We do not get any leaves in the pool as there are zero trees around thus our pool sits in full sun. I skim the water regularly to catch any bugs that get into the water and we have an indoor/outdoor throw rug that the ladder sits on as well as a water filled "foot rinsing" bucket so not much grass gets in either. I was more wondering if the vacuum is needed to get the algae up off the bottom as that seems to be our main problem. The other thing I have considered is switching to a sand filter instead of our Krystal Clear Model 635T filter pump. Any opinions on the effectiveness of the sand filter vs the smaller cartridge pumps? Not sure if I mentioned before but our pool is 18ft round.

 
The small cartridge filters are junk (especially if you are using the Intex cartridges in them and not a better aftermarket replacement). These are a nightmare to use and try to clear up algae from a pool.
The larger pump and sand filters are a HUGE improvement.
 
The filters I am using in my Krystal Clear Model 635T filter pump are the Intex Type A filter but before I was using Coleman Type III A/C Poll filter pump replacement cartridge. Not sure if one is better than the other? Any recommendations on size/type of sand filters. I see several on Amazon.com.[h=1][/h]

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Inside the pool there is a small screen that the water travels through into the hose that then leads to the filter.
 
The Unicel or Filbur cartridges are better (somewhere there is a thread that has the item numbers).

Get the biggest Intex pump/sand filter you can afford ... could always use it on a larger Intex pool if you ever upgrade ;)
 
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