Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light green

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N

Noah_Count

0
Apr 16, 2013
146
Eatonton Georgia
I've had my above ground pool for about four years. it is a Sharkline Reprieve 18 foot diameter 48 inch deep. The first year I had it I had no problems at all keeping the water clear even though I was a complete novice at pool care. Then a couple of years ago, it didn't get covered over the winter because I was having some health issues. It was dark slimy green and it took me forever to get the water to any semblance of clear. What finally did the trick was a product called " Yellow Rid" and shocking the pool per the directions on the yellow rid bottle. Still the water was not ever "sparkling clear" as it once had been. Everything tested well but there was still a very slight cloudiness to the water I could not get rid off.
Which brings me to this year. It was not covered again this winter. ( Yes I know, I should have known better.) Again I started with the really dark slimy green. I started shocking the pool and also added algecide and brushed the sides. I also worked with the net to get as many leaves out as possible. After awhile the pool began to look much better, it's no longer the dark slimy green and now is a very light green but the clearing process seems to have stopped right there no matter what I do. I have a catridge filter which I hose off daily, sometimes more than once, and it seems to be dirty everytime, even slightly green at times so I know stuff is being pulled out of the pool. Before I found this site, I tried the "Yellow Rid" again but it was to no avail. I have SWG inline but I don't even have it operating at the moment because I figure I need to get the water completely clear or close to it first. One boo boo I seem to have made was trying to adjust PH with baking soda. My PH is fine right now but my TA is really high, around 170-180ppm last I checked. I now have Borax and Baking soda on hand after reading this site. I have been using powdered shock because it's as cheap as bleach at Wal-mart.
I know you guys are going to want some test readings and I'll get some posted soon. I don't have a kit recommended here but I have an Aqua Chem liquid test kit that was given to me by a friend. It has chlorine, PH, TA, Water hardness, and CYA test off the top of my head.
Anyway, the main reason I went ahead and posted this tonight without test readings is because it just seems strange to me that the clearing process has just stopped. It doesn't seem to worsen or get better either. I can even see the bottom of the pool somewhat, it just has that light green tinge to the water. BTW, I did use a strip to test for copper trying to rule that out. Tested OK although I know strips aren't very reliable. I've decided to swear off most of the pool chemicals except for maybe something to get my TA down. I don't like the idea of fooling with Muriatic acid.
Regards,
Michael
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

I have been using powdered shock because it's as cheap as bleach at Wal-mart
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Welcome to the forum. :lol: Yes, but what else is in it besides chlorine? If it's tri-chlor or dichlor, that could be why your pool won't clear.

How old is the kit your friend gave you? It may be worthless but I don't know that for sure.

What I do know is that we can help you get your pool crystal clear but it is going to take some learning on your part and it's going to mean you have to get out of the bad habit of tossing stuff in your pool when you don't know the outcome.

I suggest you start up in Pool School.....read "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry". Then, you are going to have to get us some valid test results. It's essential. We can't help you get where you want to go unless you can tell us where you are.
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

To clear the pool, you are going to need the FAS-DPD chlorine test, which can be found at tftestkits.net. As to the chlorine you have been using, it probably contains CYA, which increases the level of chlorine needed to clear the pool. Once you get the test kit, you will need to follow the shock process (pool-school/shocking_your_pool)
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

The test kit was bought last season by my friend. He had one of those temporary pools and got frustrated with it. The active ingredient in the powdered shock I'm using is something call Trichloro-s-triazinetrione. The it just list "other ingredients" as the rest. I've already read pool school and the shock instructions as well. I explored the site for a few days before registering. That' why I went out and got some Borax and some more Baking soda. I just didn't get the bleach because I already had a five pack of the powdered shock at the time. I want help here but I think the characterization that I'm just throwing stuff in the pool at random is a little strong. I'm trying what has worked for me in the past. Algecide and Yellow Rid have worked before, they just aren't working now. Anyway I am tired of spending money for the stuff. Here are my test results from this afternoon as best as I can tell...
Free Chlorine 1.5
Combined Chlorine 3.0
Bromine 3.4
PH 6.8 ( actually could be lower) color was lighter than the lightest color on the gauge
Total Alkalinity 140 ppm
CA ( stabilizer) 40 ppm
One thing that confuses me is the fact that people say that if you don't have enough stabilizer that sunlight eats up your chlorine but I also see where too much increase the level of chlorine needed to clear the pool. That's kind of contradictory.
Regards,
Michael
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

Those bags of shock add CYA, which will make it harder to keep the pool clear. How big is your pool? The only thing you will need to clear the pool is bleach. You will need the TF-100 or K-2006 to properly shock the pool. There is no need for algaecide or Yellow Rid in a properly maintained pool. Also, if your CYA is truly only 40 (I have my doubts) your chlorine should be at 15 ppm, which can only be measured using the FAS DPD test. Your pool will not clear up with current FC levels.
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

Trichloro-s-triazinetrione is what we call tri-chlor. For every 10 ppm FC you add with that, you also add 6 ppm CYA, which raises the shock level, so you need to add more powder to raise the FC to shock level each time, which raises the CYA level some more, and on and on and on. You're stick in an endless spiral. Lay off the trichlor until the water is clear, then you can use it to maintain the FC and bring the CYA level up. Use bleach or what the pool stores call "liquid shock," which is the same thing, just more concentrated.

Shock level is dependent on CYA level. The lower the CYA, the lower the FC needed to kill the algae faster than it can reproduce. Follow the instructions and you will get a clear pool and it will all start to make sense. Study Pool School.
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

JohnN said:
Those bags of shock add CYA, which will make it harder to keep the pool clear. How big is your pool? The only thing you will need to clear the pool is bleach. You will need the TF-100 or K-2006 to properly shock the pool. There is no need for algaecide or Yellow Rid in a properly maintained pool. Also, if your CYA is truly only 40 (I have my doubts) your chlorine should be at 15 ppm, which can only be measured using the FAS DPD test. Your pool will not clear up with current FC levels.
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The pool is 18 foot in diameter by 48 inches deep. Around 7000 gallons by my math. Why do you doubt the CYA? Actually to be quite honest, the CYA test and TA test are the ones that I trust myself on. The others require matching colors to a color scale on the vial and that drives me batty. Used to have to do the same thing when I was into saltwater aquariums. So, assuming a valid test kit, those are the ones that I have the most confidence in myself with. Everyone keeps recommending certain test kits but
spring/summer is an extremely lean time of year for me. It's going to be hard for me to afford that especially considering how much money it looks like I'm about to have to outlay for bleach. I may be pool owner but I'm a poor pool owner. :oops: :cry:
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

BTW, my wife is wanting me to just drain the whole thing and start over with fresh water. I have several reservations about this, it's not good for the liner, the cost of the water, the fact that overanxious me already added the salt for the SWG and that would need to be replaced and also that I'm not sure it would cure the problem because it's dang near impossible to get all the water out. She contends that by the tine we buy new test kits and tons of liquid pool shock or chlorine bleach that we will have spent about the same amount of money.
Regards,
Michael
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

5 bags but not all at once. Over a few days period. And actually more than that over the past month. I had also put three or four gallons of bleach in it this past month after reading about using it on another site. Mostly though it's been shock. My other method of chlorine application last year was using the puck sized chlorine cakes. As far as water replacement, just filling the pool up to skimmer level after having reinstalling the pump. It was taken lose and stored inside over the winter. I live in Georgia and we don't have harsh winters but better safe than sorry.
Michael
 

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Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

That seems like it should add up to a lot more than 40 on the CYA test, because the 5 bags alone is about 50 ppm. And since you said you have not replaced much water, the CYA could not have gone anywhere. I'm not doubting that you know what you are doing, just mentioning that the CYA result of 40 doesn't seem right.
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

JohnN said:
That seems like it should add up to a lot more than 40 on the CYA test, because the 5 bags alone is about 50 ppm. And since you said you have not replaced much water, the CYA could not have gone anywhere. I'm not doubting that you know what you are doing, just mentioning that the CYA result of 40 doesn't seem right.
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Oh no, I didn't mean that you were doubting me. I just meant that I had more confidence in myself to perform that test than some of the others. Pouring liquid in a tube till a black dot disappears is a lot easier for me to judge than the color scales. I doubt myself on reading the color scales right. I just wanted further explanation of why you thought the CYA test was off so I could better understand it.
Regards,
Michael
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

One thing I do want to say is DO NOT drain the whole pool. It will cause the liner to come up, which can be a real pain to get back down flat. I believe it is recommended to leave a least a foot of water in the pool. I realize the test kit is expensive (I was in the same boat last year) but all I can say is it really is necessary if you want to clear up the pool. Most people here, when we first tell them to get the kit, say it is expensive, but by the end of the season they say it was the best investment they made and it paid for itself by saving money on unneeded chemicals.
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

As JohnN has noted, your cya is likely much higher than 40 ppm (I get 5 lb of trichlor raising your 6700 gallon pool by 56 ppm cya). Do you know how much additional trichlor "shock" you have used this year?

We would recommend that you stop using the trichlor "shock" and use bleach/liquid chlorine while you do the shocking process.

Also, I agree that you do not want to do a full drain. If you decide to drain, leave at least 1 foot deep water in the pool and fill right back up again. This should prevent your liner from wrinkling and shrinking.
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

linen said:
As JohnN has noted, your cya is likely much higher than 40 ppm (I get 5 lb of trichlor raising your 6700 gallon pool by 56 ppm cya). Do you know how much additional trichlor "shock" you have used this year?

We would recommend that you stop using the trichlor "shock" and use bleach/liquid chlorine while you do the shocking process.

Also, I agree that you do not want to do a full drain. If you decide to drain, leave at least 1 foot deep water in the pool and fill right back up again. This should prevent your liner from wrinkling and shrinking.
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Heck I would guess I've put 10 or 12 bags in this year. It always helped keep the pool clear in the beginning and I did not know any better this year. I was just faced with a mucky green pool and I got it clear to a certain point but then it just sort of stopped in the state it's in now. Now I understand about the stabilizer being part of the shock and the pucks I don't plan to use any of that stuff anymore. I was investigating at the the local Wally World today and they don't even sell liquid shock. I did find liquid bleach of course and also "concentrated" liquid bleach. From some reading on this site, I understand I may not be getting an accurate CYA reading because of the murkiness of the pool water but if you scoop some of the water up out of the pool, it looks clear. Same if you take the top off by the skimmer, water flowing in looks clear.
What gives me pause about draining the pool is that if I stop with a foot of water down at the bottom as suggested, won't all the particles and any algae that might be suspended in that water just mix with the fresh water going in and just contaminate the whole shootin match again?
Regards,
Michael
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

Noah_Count said:
Heck I would guess I've put 10 or 12 bags in this year.
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If it was 10-12 bags, then you are likely at/over 100 ppm cya and in need of the drain/refill. I am confused why your cya test is not indicating that. I do not think it is typical for the cya reagent to go bad...but maybe yours has? Cloudy water is rarely a problem for the cya test, but when it does affect it, it causes high readings not low.

Noah_Count said:
What gives me pause about draining the pool is that if I stop with a foot of water down at the bottom as suggested, won't all the particles and any algae that might be suspended in that water just mix with the fresh water going in and just contaminate the whole shootin match again?
Click to expand...
By draining, you will be reducing your cya level. Then you should follow shocking process to get rid of the algae. But first, if you haven't already, I would invest in an appropriate (and new) test kit...see: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

With cost being a factor and since you have a partial kit already, you might look into getting the TF-50 test kit. It's a little less expensive and gives you what you need to perform the shock process properly.
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

I did the test again today and got basically the same results as yesterday. Used the last of my CYA test too. Looks like I just can't afford what it's going to take to get my pool clear. Bummer. I've spent too much money already. It's going to be a struggle just to replace the salt I'll be losing if I drain it and I can't go buying huge quantities of bleach at one time either. In my situation, spending 10 or 15 bucks at one time is one thing but spending 45.00 to 70.00 all at once is another. Then on top of that, I would still have to buy bleach and more salt. I guess some people can't understand what that's like. :oops: :oops: Oh well, thanks for trying to help guys. :cry:
Michael
 
Re: Pool has gone from dark green slimy looking to light gre

Just another couple of questions.... We have had a lot of rain here in Georgia lately. On at least a couple of occasions there have been torrential downpours for awhile and I've actually had to take the hose loose from the pump and allow the water to drain down some because the skimmer was completely submerged. Could this in any way account for my CYA levels being lower than what you guys expect based on the amount of tri chlor I've put in the pool?
Also, I hear everyone loud and clear about the test kit, I just can't afford it at the moment. At least not the ones recommended. We have already decided to drain the pool down low to about the one foot level and refill. Again, based on the amount of tri chlor that I've put in the pool unwittingly raising the CYA level, is there anyway to guesstimate how much bleach I could use as a starting point once the pool is refilled? It's tempting to say "I'm going to drain it, refill it and just pour in X amount of bleach to start and keep adding bleach till I see the algae starting to die off. But then what is X amount, 5 96 oz jugs 10 jugs? etc. etc. Seems almost like there should be a rule of thumb. (BTW there is a sticky here somewhere that suggest if you don't have a chlorine test that reads high ranges to just keep adding bleach until you see the algae turning white and dying off.)
Regards,
Michael
 

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