I feel like an idiot....

[Christi1284]

I'm so lost! My phone doesn't let me access the school portion of this so I apologize if these questions are repetitive but I need help, I'm so frustrated!!!!
I know my pool is nothing like the pools you have but here it goes.

I have an above ground Intex pool, its 18' x 48" and hold 6,423 gallons at 90% capacity. I was told that instead of shocking the pool to add bleach and baking soda instead. So upon filling I dumped in 4 gallons of bleach and 8lbs of baking soda. I failed to test my water out of the hose to see what I was starting with in the first place, it is well water, not city water so there is absolutely no chlorine in it. So of course once the pool was full the pH and chlorine levels were through the roof! Not even a number that matched the color on the test bottle. And the water is soooo green and has white particles!!!! Everything I read says that green =algae....so i shocked it. And it didnt get any better. The chlorine level was so high there is no possible way algae could be living in that. I did buy the acid to bring the pH down and it is dropping but the green color and white particles are not improving at all. The chlorine and pH are getting close to where they should be but the clarity is terrible, I can't even see the bottom.

I'm trying not to start over because trucking in water seems pointless because they just get it from the river and I feel that I will be battling algae then. Also, where I live for whatever reason, we run out of water quite often. I would hate to run the well dry.
So I'm trying to fix the water that is in it.
1. Why/how is it green if there is not algae in it??
2. What do I do if pH and chlorine are balanced and it hasn't cleared up?
3. I tested the tap water and the pH is naturally high-ish (approx 7.8-8) so if I were to start over....how in the heck would I add chlorine without freaking out my pH level again and ending up in the exact same boat i am in now?

I am fine with not having crystal clear water, I can't expect perfection when I am using hard well water....but poopy green is ridiculous! And it became that color in less than 2 hours, so again I really do not believe algae has anything to do with it. Help! I'm so frustrated and my kids and I want to swim so bad!!!!

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!

I have not read your post yet, but if you access the forum with a browser from your phone then you have access to Pool School.

 

[jblizzle]

When was the pool filled? When did it turn green? Is it clear green or cloudy green?

You are going to need to invest in one of the recommended test kits if you want to try to salvage the water currently in the pool.

 

[Christi1284]

I filled the pool Sunday morning. As it was filling it kept getting greener and greener but I was adding the bleach and baking soda upon filling. And it was a clear green and its now a cloudy green. I have already replaced 1 filter

 

[Christi1284]

Right now I have the pump off, my train of thought was to let all that junk settle and see if I can vacuum it up in the morning (but its just one of those "vacuums" that attaches to hose and basically blows stuff into a bag, but I have added panty hose to make it catch more!).....should I run the pump all night or let stuff settle?

 

[Richard320]

Sudden green when chlorine hits the pool is Iron in the water. It may precipitate out and get filtered away or you may need a metal sequestrant. Article on metals

The white stuff could be calcium flakes from improper chemistry.

The best way to know what is going on is by testing and posting results. If you don't have a proper test kit, get one. There's an article in pool school about test kits.

Don't dump the water! Baking soda can be neutralized with acid, and if the green is Iron, the refill will do the same thing.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

How did you come up with how much bleach and borax you were going to toss in, especially since you hadn't tested the fill water in the first place?
Stop the insanity and just order a GOOD test kit (I myself like the TF-100) and start testing your water before just adding chemicals in willy-nilly. Your water sounds like it has iron in it (green, but not like algae). You still should have time to get it all fixed up and enjoy the rest of the summer. Read Pool School on your computer if you can't read it on the phone.
Its going to be okay. Honest.

 

[Christi1284]

Hahahaha! 4 gallons and 8lbs of baking soda.... it was just what someone else told me to do and I went for it! Lesson learned!!

I ran the filter all night, all day today, and will leave it on tonight too. It has already started to look so much better. The incredible hulk green color is going away, finally. Still cloudy but the little white particles/chunks are pretty much gone.

Thank you everyone for your help!

 

[Beens]

Definitely get one of the kits recommended here!

A lot of us have the intex pools so you're not alone on the forum for that! I have a metal frame intex 18' x 48" that I've had for almost 10 years now.

I'm on my phone too right now so my signature probably isn't showing. At least it doesn't on this stupid app. I have a love hate relationship with Tapatalk.
Get on the computer or open the forum from your phone browser when you can so you can read up on some pool care info. The abcs of pool water chemistry article in pool school is a must.

It's really important to get a good test kit so you can find out what's going on with your water. Get one coming soon so you don't have to waste time or money guessing.

I use the TF-100 from tftestkits.net. I bought it last year around this time and except for maybe 2 refills (I've been testing chlorine daily since last year at this time...even through winter! (Long story)) it's still going strong!

Welcome to TFP!