Found Algea around steps

[okstpat]

Thanks in advance for the help.

I found some algae around the steps of my in ground pool. From reading on here I realized I needed to shock the pool. I am using pucks and bagged crystal shock from the pool store.( I know I am going to switch to the BBB method soon) Since all I could test was alk, chlorine, and ph with my test set. My ph was a little low so I put in some Soda ash and then added more pucks directly into the skimmer. I also added 3 bags of crystal shock on Sunday. I started to notice dirt in my pool and I would vacuum and the next day there would be more dirt. So on Tues I got into the pool and started to inspect the steps closer and noticed that the bag of sand( which was placed to hold the steps down by the company that installed the pool had a hole in it and the large zip lock back it was placed in was covered in green algae) So I got that bag of sand out and unsecured the steps and brushed them well to get all the algae off of them. I let the automatic vacuum go all night Wednesday to try to get the remaining sand out of the pool. Thursday night pool was very cloudy, not green but very cloudy. So I turned the pump on high and added 3 more bags of crystal shock and some more pucks to the skimmer basket. Today the pool is just as cloudy without much improvement. I could not monitor my chlorine level because I didn't have the proper test kit. I just knew it was pretty high. I received my TF-1000 test kit today. I was excited to take my first round of tests with it and started with the chlorine test. If I did it correct my FC test was 33 with a CC of 0. I next tested the cya which read 70 or 80. Which I found strange because my last pool store test from 2 different pool stores showed 40 2 weeks ago and I have drained over half of my water to repair a slipping liner a week ago. Is it possible that my chlorine is so high that it is making my cya test inaccurate? Please help!!! My daughter is having a pool party Sunday night and is going to be upset if they can't use the pool.

 

[Suziqzer]

If you are using pucks and granular shock you are continually adding cya to your pool... get yourself some liquid chlorine or bleach pronto!

Read through pool school, order yourself a good test kit, and read the section on how to shock your pool several times to get a good grasp of it.

Pool store results are notoriously inaccurate as many on here will attest to. I would imagine if you asked them to test you water and then handed them an identical sample you would likely get two different readings.

 

[okstpat]

I have read pool school and I just received my test kit that is how I got the cya test. I have also read the shocking process and I am now switching to bleach. I have shocked the pool and can keep it up, but I was wondering if that High level of chlorine could and clowdy water could mess with the cya test. I need to know that so that I can keep my pool at shock levels. Thanks for the help.

 

[mpacheco72]

High levels of chlorine don't have any effect of your CYA level. Probably adding that much shock has raised it recently.

 

[ajackson]

okstpat. Hi there I just wanted to put in my 2 cents... I had my CYA tested at pool store and they told me it was 30. 1 week later it was 35 they told me to add some stabalizer to bump it up some. So I did.. Then I found this site and got my proper test kit... My cya was really 160.. so I had to drain 1/2 mine to.. could have used somemore.. but I didnt want to risk wrinkles in the liner.
I will never be putting pucks in my pool again.

 

[okstpat]

Well I guess since I am at shock level even with my cya level being high I will keep it up until it clears up and only use bleach from now on. I hate to drain again with about a month left in the season. I am glad to get my test kit, hopefully I don't ever have to depend on a pool store to tell me what to do for my pool anymore. Thanks for the responses and if any one else can offer assistance I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[okstpat]

I think I may have been a little off on my testing yesterday. I took two rounds of tests today and this is what I came up with.

FC=16
CC=0
CYA=70
TA=50
pH=7.2

Now to the pool calculator

 

[okstpat]

Ok starting to get frustrated now please help. Last Sunday morning I passed over night chlorine loss test I lost .5 and my pool was fairly clear. So I allowed my FC level to move back down never letting it get below 6.5 which should be ok since my cya is 70. Tuesday night I noticed that I had some algae begin to form on the bottom of the pool. So I raised my chlorine back up to shock level, in fact I have stayed fairly consistently in the 30's. I just went by the house and I can still see some algae coming back. How long should I have to shock? My pool is clear just not sparkling. I guess I am just wondering how long the shock process takes. My son's baseball team is having there team party in the pool on Sunday, should I be ok by then? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[chem geek]

It sounds like you may have poor bottom circulation. You might consider pointing one of the returns downward towards the area where algae seems to form. Also, is this algae only on the shady side of the pool and is it dust-like or is it more like traditional green algae that doesn't disappear when you try to capture some of it? Don't forget that brushing is part of the shocking process.

 

[okstpat]

I only have one return and it is pointed downwards. I have been brushing at least once a day on the entire pool, and usually hit the parts that I can see algae in 2 or 3 times a day. When I brush it up it tends to dust up into a green cloud and then disperses. The water no longer has the green tint to it that it did when I first brought it up to shock level last week, but I still get the algae back. Overall considering I have algae in my pool, my pool is pretty clear.

 

[chem geek]

You have a 25,000 gallon pool with only one return? OK, then. Maybe you'll need to either maintain a higher FC/CYA ratio or use some supplemental products. You can't get very good circulation with one return in a pool that size. At best, you can point diagonally downward to try and produce a swirling effect and hopefully have a high flow rate, but doing that probably won't circulate near the surface very well (including the stairs).

 

[duraleigh]

Overall considering I have algae in my pool, my pool is pretty clear.

How do you know it is algae? From your history and description of chlorinating, it sounds more to me like you are seeing DEAD algae accumulating in the bottom of your pool.

Does it puff up into a cloud when you brush it? Is it sorta' brownish-greenish-yellowish? Do you have a pic? that might help.

Mostly, algae shouldn't exist in the conditions you are describing so I am thinking you are simply seeing the "debris" of the dead algae the chlorine has been killing.

 

[okstpat]

Yes it does just puff into a cloudy dust when I brush it. So it may benot just deadpuff algae, but i have brushed and vacuumed many times the past week. I went ahead and went to the pool store and bought some algaecide and put it in now. We just got an inch of rain here ! Yay we really needed it.

 

[okstpat]

Sorry about that last post. My phone and autocorrect didn't like it much. Lol

 

[okstpat]

Just an update I allowed the FC to go down to 21 so that the boys could swim at the team party and vacuumed the stuff of the floor before they got there. The pool was decently clear but not crystal clear. It did get cloudy with the 12 boys in there and then began to clear late last night. I checked this morning and there was no noticeable stuff on the floor of the pool. I will check again tonight.