Green pool - opened for the "sprummer" we're having

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kathleen.petrzelka

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May 4, 2013
18
Western Washington
We just opened our pool and our water is green, deep green, cannot see the bottom in the deep end. We replaced 3/4 of our water last summer due to a very high CYA.

Looking at our numbers, not sure where to start to get us in balance. Throughout the summer we use bleach as our source of chlorine, throughout the winter we use tri-chlor pucks in an automatic chlorinator.

FC - 2.5
TC - 3.4
pH - 6.8
TA - 46
CH - 169
CYA - 33
 
Well, assuming tests are close (around 50 TA), 30 pounds of baking soda would increase TA in your pool to about 100. That's a bit high for using unstabilized chlorine products, like bleach.

I suggest you leave the TA where it is for now and use borax to get the pH to the low 7's. Then start the shock process outlined in Pool School to clear the pool.

Post back with any questions you have and someone will be around to help.

Welcome to the forum :wave:
 
So we started shocking the pool pretty hard this afternoon -

before shocking:

FC - 5.5
TC - 6
pH - 7.2
TA - 40
CH - 169
CYA - 40

After the first hit of bleach, tested 30min after application

FC - 18
TC - 18

So now, as I understand, we wait until is has been 1 hr, test again and see if the FC is holding, or if we need to bring it back up adding bleach. Then we continue to test throughout the afternoon - yes?
 

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kathleen.petrzelka said:
So we started shocking the pool pretty hard this afternoon -

before shocking:

FC - 5.5
TC - 6
pH - 7.2
TA - 40
CH - 169
CYA - 40

After the first hit of bleach, tested 30min after application

FC - 18
TC - 18

So now, as I understand, we wait until is has been 1 hr, test again and see if the FC is holding, or if we need to bring it back up adding bleach. Then we continue to test throughout the afternoon - yes?
Click to expand...
Yes. But only FC and CC. Keep replenishing that bleach. And don't forget to brush.
 
Just checked again for the third time - this time the FC dropped from our shock level of 18 to 17 over the course of an hour. Can't say we have much CC to speak of, the test water has just barely a tinge of pink so I assume our levels are between 0-0.5.

My question is when should we start seeing the pool actually change color from green to the grey/green people speak of? I want to make sure there isn't something I'm missing!
 
It will take some time. A few days if not 5-7 depending on your pool. Keep that FC in range and follow the process to a tee. At first it will be slight then it will take off. Follow the process!

Don't forget to brush and check filter/backwash.

Follow the shock process. It takes some time and work and testing.

Time and chlorine are on your side. Let it work and keep at it.
 
So I just checked our numbers again - and our FC is up above where it was supposed to be the last time I added bleach (I've been shocking at 18, now it is at 20) - and then I mentioned it to my husband and he said that our automatic chlorinator is still running, adding tri-chlor to our pool, in addition to the 8.25% bleach I have been adding. The tower chlorinator is our winter chlorinating method.

My question here is whether or not I turn off the chlorinator - I'm assuming it will help us get more accurate readings of what is happening?
 
Good morning - well, since starting our treatment midday Sunday I can definitely say I am seeing an improvement - though not out of the weeds yet!

My numbers this morning:

FC 24.5
CC 0
pH 7.5
TA 50
CH 169
CYA - 75 (I have run this test a few times, after thoroughly reading test advice on TFP, I believe our CYA is somewhere around 75 - though I have read that # can be +/- 15 so I used the high # of 90 just to make sure we were covered chlorine wise)

We added some DE this morning to our filter in hopes of getting more of the fine particles out of the water.

I have a few questions in light of all of this information:

1) At what point do I backwash after adding the DE? The pressure is definitely up - about 2-3psi.

2) Should I be adding additional Bicarb? or wait till we are clear and have a more accurate reading on pH? I added a little bit at the beginning of this process but have held off per TFP advice.

3) When should I begin dealing with the CH?
 
kathleen.petrzelka said:
Good morning - well, since starting our treatment midday Sunday I can definitely say I am seeing an improvement - though not out of the weeds yet!

My numbers this morning:

FC 24.5
CC 0
pH 7.5
TA 50
CH 169
CYA - 75 (I have run this test a few times, after thoroughly reading test advice on TFP, I believe our CYA is somewhere around 75 - though I have read that # can be +/- 15 so I used the high # of 90 just to make sure we were covered chlorine wise)

We added some DE this morning to our filter in hopes of getting more of the fine particles out of the water.

I have a few questions in light of all of this information:

1) At what point do I backwash after adding the DE? The pressure is definitely up - about 2-3psi.
Click to expand...
You have more-or-less a DE filter right now. So follow the recommendation and backwash when pressure increases 25%. If you run at 12 psi normally, backwash when you hit 15. Or whatever 25% turns out to be. Or if you notice the water coming out the returns is noticeably slower than you're used to seeing.
2) Should I be adding additional Bicarb? or wait till we are clear and have a more accurate reading on pH? I added a little bit at the beginning of this process but have held off per TFP advice.
Click to expand...
Wait. TA can be fixed in half an hour. You'll just end up losing some of it when you backwash the filter.
3) When should I begin dealing with the CH?
Click to expand...
When the shock process is complete. I see you're still relying on the pool store test for that one. Don't be adding any Calcium until you're sure of your results. It's easy to add CH, not so easy to remove it if you add too much.
 
Hi there - we are definitely seeing progress here - thank you so much for your guidance.

Overnight our FC held. Our FC dropped 6ppm throughout the day - I wasn't home to keep up on it today as I have been every day since Sunday..
This evening our

FC - 20
TC - 20
pH - 7.2
TA - 70
CH - 150
CYA - 75 +/-

Water quality/color:

Aqua/turquoise
Still cloudy, though we can see our filter heads at the bottom of the pool from the shallow end to 3/4 way down the pool. Kind of has a "frosty" look to it.

My questions are:

1) Should I keep shocking or start letting the FC drop back down?

2) Should start adjusting my other chemicals? If so, where do I begin?

3) We have DE in our filter now, should I (can I) do anything else to speed up the process of filtering the fine particles?
 
1) Keep shocking, the pool is still cloudy. Can't stop until your pool is clear, you CC is less than .5 (CC is TC-FC if you didn't know, it stands for Combine Chloramine and is a byproduct of FC breaking down organics (usually stuff with Nitrogen like ammonia creates CC)), and you pass the OCLT. Wondering how to do an OCLT? Ta-da! pool-school/overnight_fc_test

2) You PH could very well be lower than 7.2. When FC is high, it skews the PH test. However, I'm not really an expert on this topic. I'll defer to others.

3) Nope. You basically are still letting the Chlorine do its job killing stuff and the DE will do a fine job cleaning up the aftermath. It'll take a little time, but you're getting close now (as long as you keep shocking)
 
Good morning -

Did our levels last night and this morning, per the OCLT instructions - total FC loss is somewhere btw .5-1. I did the test a couple of times to make sure it was accurate.

Water conditions (Aqua/turquoise - Still cloudy, though we can see our filter heads at the bottom of the pool from the shallow end to 3/4 way down the pool. Kind of has a "frosty" look) remain the same.

CC - 0 (we haven't had a CC above 0 in 3 days) and
our FC has held overnight at least 2 nights in a row.

SO... I keep shocking?
 

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