Issues with shocking for Algae! Please HELP!!!

[MattGinGA]

Alright, a few of you have asked me about the status of my pool. As you know on the 17th of June I was very frustrated and was ready to drain the pool. I posted on here that I was going ahead and draining it. I went outside and what do you know I could actually see the bottom. After A LOT of POP (Pool Owner Patience) and serious help from the people on this board here is what the pool looks like today June 29th. I am now a FIRM believer in the BBB method of taking care of the pool. However, I assure you that before I do this next year I'll have a sand filter instead of Intex's junk that they send with the pool. Thanks for everybody's help.

 

[wilson5186]

Matt - Thanks for posting the update. I am in the throes of waiting for the green murky pool to clear via the BBB method. It is torture (as I have very little POP ) but your update gives me some much needed hope!

 

[MattGinGA]

It WILL clear up Wilson just give it some time. Do you have any pics of what it looks like right now? When did you start working on it?

 

[wilson5186]

I just started on Thursday (see what I mean by no POP!). We went camping this weekend so I wasn't able to run the pump 24/7 but I did come home and add bleach each day to remain in shock mode. It is no longer terribly green, just still murky. I just finished brushing it down so it is a cloudy mess. I will take a picture tonight or first thing in the am when it is clearer. Today I could actually see the bottom so we are making progress. It's just torture having the kids beg and plead to go swimming each day. Not knowing when they can swim is the worst!

 

[MattGinGA]

I completely understand. At least you're making some good progress. My biggest problem I found was the filter that these Intex pools come with. I've noticed now that it has cleared up that even after I put in a new filter and go to vacuuming I see debree coming out of the return from my vacuuming. They just don't get the small stuff. A good sand filter is in my near future.

 

[wilson5186]

I know it! This is our second season using the piece of junk pump. We are definitely looking into a new one for next year.

About how long did you stay in shock mode until the cloudiness cleared up? I know every pool is different. I keep hearing it can take a few days to a week or so. I'd just like to hear a real person tell me how their experience went.

Thanks!

 

[wilson5186]

BIG improvement overnight! Here are some pictures:

The reflection of the clouds kinda distorts the pictures but you get the idea.

 

[Gooserider]

This seems to be a common pattern from the threads I've followed - an extended period of relatively little change, and then a big improvement in just a few hours.

My guess is that initially you are killing stuff as it's reproducing, and until you have reached the point where you are both killing it faster than it reproduces, and start to break down the existing generation there will be little change - I suspect that this stage is where it goes from a bright color to a "murky" color.

It then takes a little while for all the dead stuff to either decompose or get filtered out - I know that when cells die they release enzymes which destroy their insides, but this takes a while. My guess is that the radical improvement comes when you have both killed most of the crud, AND the dead algae have undergone their decomposition so that they are either filtered out or broken down into their component parts...

It might be worthwhile if Jason and friends were to add a note to some of the Pool School and other articles on doing the algae battle about this pattern, as it might encourage those who feel like they aren't accomplishing anything because they aren't seeing signs of improvement to keep hanging in there...

Gooserider

 

[Guest]

I think there is a popular belief that shocking will always kill the algae. IT WONT! Sometimes you need an algaecide. Yes your CYA lvl will hold chlorine better at around 80ppm with a SWG.

Also, make sure your not trying to test your water after you shock seeing as how the chlorine lvl is so high that it tends to thow off most testing reagents.

What type of filter do you have and when did you clean or backwash it last. Make sure that when adding something to kill the green stuff that you give the pool a quick brush down to disperse as much of the green stuff as you can. It will make the shock treatment/agaecide or whatever your using that much more effective.

I thought you had to keep CYA down with the SWG because the SWG can't handle the CYA levels.

I am pretty sure that the correct Chlorine level will indeed kill algae without the need for algecide products. Algae is organic and high enough chlorine level will kill and burn up anything organic.

 

[Gooserider]

I think there is a popular belief that shocking will always kill the algae. IT WONT! Sometimes you need an algaecide. Yes your CYA lvl will hold chlorine better at around 80ppm with a SWG.

Also, make sure your not trying to test your water after you shock seeing as how the chlorine lvl is so high that it tends to thow off most testing reagents.

What type of filter do you have and when did you clean or backwash it last. Make sure that when adding something to kill the green stuff that you give the pool a quick brush down to disperse as much of the green stuff as you can. It will make the shock treatment/agaecide or whatever your using that much more effective.

I thought you had to keep CYA down with the SWG because the SWG can't handle the CYA levels.

I am pretty sure that the correct Chlorine level will indeed kill algae without the need for algecide products. Algae is organic and high enough chlorine level will kill and burn up anything organic.

Double check your SWG manual, and the pool school, there is a minimum CYA level needed w/ an SWG, and it's somewhat higher than a jug chlorine user like I am wants - I forget the exact number, but...

(I also agree, chlorine WILL kill all the critters...)
Gooserider

 

[reebok]

I think there is a popular belief that shocking will always kill the algae. IT WONT! Sometimes you need an algaecide. Yes your CYA lvl will hold chlorine better at around 80ppm with a SWG.

Also, make sure your not trying to test your water after you shock seeing as how the chlorine lvl is so high that it tends to thow off most testing reagents.

What type of filter do you have and when did you clean or backwash it last. Make sure that when adding something to kill the green stuff that you give the pool a quick brush down to disperse as much of the green stuff as you can. It will make the shock treatment/agaecide or whatever your using that much more effective.

I thought you had to keep CYA down with the SWG because the SWG can't handle the CYA levels.

I am pretty sure that the correct Chlorine level will indeed kill algae without the need for algecide products. Algae is organic and high enough chlorine level will kill and burn up anything organic.

yes it will, done properly. ignore that guy, he's not here anymore, fortunately. can his posts be deleted mods?