Been working on my pool for a month and it is still cloudy

[braxtongage1022]

Hello, I have been working on my pool for the past month and it is still cloudy.
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I am not sure if the pics went through or not, but this was my pool BEFORE I brushed the sides and vacuumed. My pool is a turquoise/bluish color, has a greenish tone though. My question is that I need a step by step guide on how to get my pool clean and crystal clear.
Thanks,
Gage Burke

 

[woodyp]

Re: Been working on my pool for a month and it is still clou

If you post up a full set of test results, folks here will be happy to get you started. How much are you running the filter/pump and backwashing it? Have you read shocking your pool here in pool school? Welcome.

 

[braxtongage1022]

Re: Been working on my pool for a month and it is still clou

I added floc last night to let it settle everything to the bottom. I have shocked my pool several times with the Super Clear shock from Wal*Mart. My filter has ran everyday and every night for the past month, except for last night, because I added the floc. While reading in pool school, I did find out that your not suppose to backwash your filter alot because your suppose t let the debris build up in it to help with filtration. I just tested my pool and here are my results:
Total Hardness: 0; very low
Total Chlorine: 1; ok
Free Chlorine: 1;ok
Ph. : 7.2;ok
Total Alk. : 40; very low
Stabilizer: 50;ok

I tested my pool with the Aqua-Chem test strips from WalMart.

A few other things that may be helpful are:

*I switched my pool from Baquacil to Chlorine in Summer 2010.(I got tired of spending hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on that worthless junk!) haha

*I don't really go by any pool method. By this, I mean I use Chlorine tabs in my skimmer, usually just 1 in there.
I use Baking Soda for PH and Alkalinity.
I shock my pool 1-2 times a week
I vacuum 4-5 times a week. Brush 1-2 times a week
Thanks,
Gage

PS. I also need some advice on the BEST OF THE BEST chlorine methods to follow.
Thanks again! I love this site. (I use it to guide me through my switch from Baquacil to Chlorine! )

 

[RobbieH]

Re: Been working on my pool for a month and it is still clou

Shocking is a process, not something you add to your pool. That said, there is NO REASON you should be shocking your pool once a week, in fact done properly you should never have to shock your pool unless you close it for winter.

Take a look at Pool School at the top right corner, verse yourself with the shock PROCESS, and the BBB method. Get a reliable test kit, and get your pool sparkling. Your FC looks low for normal use, and is nowhere near where you need to be to shock the pool to get rid of your algae. You need to know your CYA level to know how to shock, so getting a good test kit is going to be paramount to success.