Help cleaning up green pool

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CumminUp07

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Mar 21, 2014
27
Augusta, GA
Hello all,

I recently purchased a house in december of last year that has the pool in my signature. This is my first experience taking care of a pool and therefore know nothing about it. When we first moved in the pool was nice and clear, well in February, we had a major ice storm and a tree fell on my pool pump and broke some pipes. My being a little lazy and not knowing what I was doing, took until last week to get it fixed. In that time my pool went from clear to a murky green which I am assuming is algae. I have spent a lot of time on this site and others reading up on how to take car of it but I am still unsure about some things, and my local pool store's lack of ambition to teach me anything has me a little weary.

So first off I know that i need test results to post, I don't have any testing equipment yet and really don't know what to get, I'm looking at the TF-50 kit, will this be suitable for starting out (overkill/not enough).

Second I have seen so many different figures on what to put in the pool and how much to put in the pool in order to kill the algae. I also read somewhere that seeing as how it has been about a month of this, some readings won't be accurate (i believe it was CYA but not sure). What am i supposed to do in this case, just guess?

I have also read a lot about using bleach instead of dichlor/trichlor or commonly known as "shock". (I do realize that shock is a verb and not a noun) What I dont get about this is that seeing as how it is an outdoor pool wont i have to add CYA with the bleach negating the use of the bleach in the first place? so with a pool this size about how much of what type of chemicals should i have on hand during the SLAMing process?

Lastly, when i took over the pool, the salt level was below the usable range for the intellichlor rendering it useless for the time being, also I read the manual and it said that if the pool water gets below a certain point it will shut down and not produce any chlorine. Well now the water temp is in the acceptable range, should I add salt before, during, or after I SLAM the pool?

Thank you for taking the time to read this and putting up with my long windedness
 
Welcome to TFP!

You probably want the TF-100 for your pool. It has more of the 871 reagent which is used during the SLAM process.

CYA levels can get out of control pretty quickly using stabilized forms of chlorine. It's all about knowing your levels and knowing what you are adding. If you need CYA, the dichlor is fine to use for shocking.

Check out the article on Defeating Algae for details on how to proceed.
 
Welcome to TFP !
First thing is to get yourself a test kit. I'm going to suggest going with the TF100 with the XL option. The XL option will give you extra reagents for the SLAM process. When you get the kit post up a full set of test results. You need to know where the CYA level is so you know what the SLAM level will be.
In the mean time read up on the SLAM process. This has to be followed the T. http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl
Here is another link to take a look at. http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/3913-Turning-Your-Green-Swamp-Back-into-a-Sparkling-Oasis

We will help you get this cleared up ! ?
 
Welcome! :wave:

The Tf50 probably won't cut it for clearing the swamp. Spend the $$ on a TF100 and get the XL option, sice you'll be using a lot of the reagents during the SLAM process. If you don't have a salt test, get that, too , since you have a SWG. It's money well spent.

CYA is good, but like many things, some is good, but more is not always better. You add somewhere around 6 ppm CYA for every 10 FC using the powders. (I'm too lazy to go look up the exact figure) but while FC dissipates with sunlight and is consumed killing algae, CYA is the gift that just keeps on giving. It's a vicious spiral; if CYA goes up, the minimum FC to be effective goes up, so you add more powder which also adds more CYA, the minimum FC to be effective goes up, so you add even more, which adds even more CYA, and so on and so on and your pool never gets clear and sparkling.

To clear the swamp, you need to start with test results. You have to know where you're starting from if you want to get where you want to be the fastest way possible. You might already be suffering from too much CYA, which means a partial drain; why dump a lot of expensive chemicals in if all you'll do is dump them out again in a few days?

Hold off on the salt until the pool is clear and the chemistry is balanced. Again - why dump salt in when you'll be pumping it out during backwashing (frequent during a cleanup) or when draining to lower CYA? Once the pool is balanced, then you worry about taking the CYA up to SWG levels and add the salt. If you have kids, check out Diamond Day.
 
ok, well i'll be ordering the TF-100 kit with XL and salt strips tonight (unless there is a huge difference with the k-1766 test), should be here early next week and I'll post the results up here. Thank you all for your quick replies and look forward to having a crystal clear pool soon
 
Welcome neighbor! Good choice going with the TF-100. We have a long swim season here in Augusta and you'll want to test often (don't worry- it will lessen as you learn your pool needs) and get it all tweaked up for the season.
Do you belong to Costco or SamsClub? They sell these nice triple packs of Chlorox bleach. I'd stock up on some of them to get ready for the SLAM that's comin... Be ready. You also don't want your SWG on during a slam process (as its output would skew your testing). During swim season I use liquid bleach when I need a fast raise in my CL. While the SWG is good for giving you a steady baseline of CL it isn't good for a fast increase. I figure this also saves a little wear and tear on my SWG too.
 
I ordered the TF-100 kit along with the XL and salt strip options last night, in the mean time I would like to start stocking up on the stuff that i know im going to need. I plan on using bleach from sams as Yippee mentioned as long as my CYA levels aren't completely out of proportion, is this the three pack you are talking about?

I also need to get a brush, any recommendations?

Anything else that I will definitely need?
 

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A wall whale brush is nice. Any nylon brush will do. Wait till your kit comes to see where your PH and CYA levels are to see if they need adjusted.
You will need the bleach. How much I don't know, but a fair amount.
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One more thing to stock up on. POP......Pool Owner Patience. ?
 
that last one might be a little difficult pwrstrk, being my first pool im worried that im going to screw something up and end up having to pay thousands to get it right again. Thank you for the recommendation on the brush, is there a preferred "place" to get pool supplies from?
 
Your going to be fine !! You've come to the right place. The people here won't let you screw anything up. Just keep asking questions.
I don't really have a preferred place to purchase from. Pool store will likely have that brush along with others. You can do a google search for them also. Lots of places on the net. eBay being one. Just have to look around. ?
 
Hi neighbor! Listen to what these guys tell you and you will be fine. Your best bet is to just stay out of pool stores all together. Or if you do have to go in one to buy something wear earbuds with your favorite music on so you can avoid listening to anything they say.....:D
Michael
 
They only thing pool stores are good for is equipment, toys and covers and such. Other than that, you don't need to be in a pool store.
 
Ahhhhh nice and green ! Best thing is you can fix that and it will be sparkly and clear.
Let us no when your ready to start and we can help ya out. Make sure to post the pic's as you clear it up. The people here love to see the progress. ?
 
CumminUp07 said:
I know everybody likes pictures, so while im waiting for my supplies to come in i though I would show everyone what im working with, hopefully i can get it sparkling clean soon.View attachment 27970
Click to expand...
You should have no problem with that. It's green, not black, and you can see through it a few inches. My guess: two days til blue, five til clear, four more to finally pass the OCLT. :mrgreen:
 

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