Can't Get Pool Clean. PLEASE HELP!!

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S

SouthernJohn

0
Apr 15, 2011
2
Atmore, AL
Okay. I'm new here so please bear with me.

My wife and I bought this house (a foreclosure) a year ago and were dismayed at the daunting task of getting the pool up and running. It had a wooden frame built over it with chicken wire and thick poly sheeting to cover it while sitting up. We had to replace the liner and I won't even begin to tell you what we found in the pool while trying to clean it out. Anyhow we got the pool up and running pretty quickly without having to pay a pro to do it. :lol: I was very proud of myself for this but this year I am feeling very inadequate for the task. :(

We had originally hoped to buy a cover for the pool but figured we'd save the money by just keeping the pool up over the winter. That didn't happen either. Now the new season is here and the pool is virtual swamp. I started by netting all the leaves and muck out that I could. I took a sample to the local Pool Supply Store to test the first time and spent around $125 on chemicals. After applying all of this, nothing got any better. Just for info it was 50lbs. of calcium, 36 lbs. of baking soda, 5 gallons of liquid chlorine, 5 lbs. of shock and Drop Out. After all of this, I was left with a slimy green foam on top of the water that took me and my son 2 days to get out. After this we vacuumed but the cloudiness only seemed to get worse. I took another sample to be tested and got $168 in chemicals. :rant: Basically the same as before but added a bottle of Super Blue and a new skimmer basket. This time however we doubled up on the shock and liquid chlorine. So I vacuumed again, blindly I might add as the visibility in the water is only about 6 inches. I noticed that the color coming from the jets was darker than the surrounding water and it hit me that maybe my filter wasn't catching everything. So now my water is a BEAUTIFUL Aqua blue color that we cannot see through, but can see tiny clumps of goo flooting throughout and some large clumps of Dead Algea floating on the surface. Either way the cloudiness will not go away and only seems to intensify once we try to vacuum. I'm running out of money, patience and time! :grrrr:

The pool is a 25,000 IG with in line chlorinator. The filter is a Hayward S-244T and the pump is a GE 1081 I think. Thats the only number or name I could find on it. So now I'm wondering if the sand in the pump needs to be changed. I don't know where to go at this point? :?

PLEASE HELP!!
 
I am sorry to tell you have been pool stored.


First read pool school, then take a water sample to the pool store to get tested and post the results here, 3rd buy a quality test kit like the TF-100 from tftestkits.net, the vast majority of the time a swamp like pool can be cleared with just removal of gunk and bleach, plus maybe a few chemicals to stabilize the pH to make the process go faster.
 
Welcoe to TFP! :wave:

I was in the process of typing exactly what has just been told to you and was beaten by faster typers. :lol: Pool school is the place to start and also the test kit. Once you start to read pool school you will realize the value of a good test kit like the TF-100 test kit. You will get the pool cleaned just be patient. :cheers:
 
Hi, welcome to TFP! Can you post the last set of test results? An unfortunate fact of life is that most pool store employees are trained to sell product, and haven't been well trained in how to care for a pool. Thus they enter test results into a computer that spits out product recommendations based on the numbers. They also do not take the Chlorine/CYA relationship into account when instructing you how to dose your pool. If you do not have the last set of results, go ahead and have the store test the water again, just don't buy anything this time. Once you post the results we will help you get this mess cleaned up.

You will need to backwash the sand filter well. Here is a link to the manual in case you need the info. The best thing to clear a swamp is liquid chlorine, and lots of it. Once you post the test results we will help you figure out how much you need.

I will echo the recommendations to read through the Pool School articles a time or two to familiarize yourself with the process. I also second the recommendation that you acquire a high quality test kit, such as the TF 100
or the Taylor K2006. You will need to be able to test levels of chlorine above 5 ppm to complete the shock process, and most test kits sold in stores will not test that high. I know it's tough to hear you need to buy something else after what you spent at the pool store, but a good test kit makes all the difference in the world.

You tackled the initial problem last year and triumphed, you can do it again! :goodjob:
 
I'll just say welcome to TFP :wave:

Tftestkits.net sells the TF100, and get the speedstir while you are at it. The kit pays for itself by keeping you out of the pool store :goodjob:
 
Thank You all for your advice. I'm already reading "Turning your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis".

I do have one question and that is should I replace the sand in my filter?

I have backwashed and backwashed to the point of needing to add water to the pool.

Last test results are:

Free Chlorine: 0.1 ppm
Total Chlorine: 0.0 ppm
Combined Chlorine: -0.1 ppm
pH: 7.5
Hardness: 150 ppm
Alkalinity: 79 ppm
Cyanuric Acid: 5 ppm
Copper (Due to Drop Out): 0.48 ppm
Iron: 0 ppm
 
This depends on the age of the sand, if it is over 5 years old or suspected of being it is probably an idea worth considering. Note is also common to find damaged parts when you get into older sand filters, if you do the cheapest solution may be replacing the sand filter.

Ike
 

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SJ,

Welcome to the forum :lol: Stop backwashing unless your filter pressure rises by around 25% or more. Then you must backwash.

You cannot rid a pool of algae by backwashing........you can only do that with chlorine. You'll need far more than you think you will need and you must tackle it as a process rather than just dosing one time.

Reread the "green swamp" article again and follow it step by step. Also read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry so you will have a better understanding of what the test results are telling you.

You do not have to change the sand in your filter but you will need plenty of chlorine to kill the algae in the filter as well as in the pool.

Stick with the process.....you'll have a crystal clear pool if you do!

That copper result is troublesome....what does "due to dropout" mean?
 
Looking at the results posted - you should spend some more time in pool school to really drill what all those little abbreviations mean.

For example
FC: 0.1
TC: 0
CC: -0.1
just can't be right and if you got that from a pool store it should have been a HUGE red flag. None of these numbers can be negative for starters, and the idea that the pool store can test down to 0.1ppm is a joke.

Obviously your chlorine is low. You may be adding just enough chlorine to kill most of the algae and then stopping. The chlorine gets all used up and then the remaining algae is free to grow back. You end up kinda running in place.

This is where a good test kit comes in. At first it'll feel like just another $100 pool solution, but honestly it'll be one of the best investments you could make. Once you really get your head around the chemistry and have a real test kit to measure with there is no reason you can't maintain your pool for a whole lot less than that pool store nonsense.
 
Ditto what Lightingguy said.

One of the most important things you can learn when dealing with a green pool is that, Shocking is a process and not a product! When you first start killing algae you need to add enough chlorine to get to shock level for you CYA and you'll need to test and add as often as every hour. When you start making progress you can tell because your FC will start holding longer and longer.

How much water have you replaced since you got that .48 copper reading?
If I'm right, Drop out, is algaecide, right?
 
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