Green swampy water for 2 weeks

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Hi momfromMI,

Doing a series of partial drains/refills will get your CYA to a managable level. Once the CYA is down, you can shock successfully.

A good test kit is the BEST investment we made in our pool. I recommend the TF Test kit sold by duraleigh, one of our members. He also has fantastic customer service. There is a link to his site on the home page and a link in my sig. The kit will put you in control of your water.

Welcome to the forum.
 
momfromMI,

If it takes a few days to do the step by step refill of the pool, do it. Your CYA level is killing you. I had (have) the same problems and am finally starting to see results. Please remember also that the 'pool experts' are experts at selling you stuff. Most of the time they are 'undereducated' people who follow a company line (training) on chemicals. I have had one 'expert' tell me my CYA was perfect but then hemmed and hawed about what that perfect reading was. Another one at a different store told me there was no way possible that I had any algae in my pool if my FC was at 20+ and that I was probably having problems with my filter... Some (most) certainly are trying to be helpful but do not have a clue besides what they are told.

I have been working on my pool for 2 weeks and am getting real close by following the advice here. It can be overwhelming but keep reading at the Pool School, learn from others experience and keep plugging away. I am confident you (we) will see the results soon.
 
Well we drained off quite a bit more water today (about 10 inches below the skimmer) and refilled. Our well really got a work out today I don't think we are going to be able to push it like that again (it ran for like 5 - 6 hours). On my test strip it looks like the CYA is lower but I can't really tell what the level is. I can probably take it to the pool store tomorrow to get a result.

We added a couple more gallons of liquid chlorine today and tonight. Using the dilution method I think our FC and TC are both around 40. That seems really high - is that going to hurt my liner? I know this method is not totally accurate. I did order the test kit today - I'm not sure how long it takes for shipping. It will be much easier after I get that.

Question - does it do any good to vacuum at this point? or should we wait until the algea is dead? Will we see a definite change it the color from green to a grey/white when the algae is dead? We have been brushing also.
 
Hi Mom,

Can you go to the 'User Control Panel' top left of your screen....
Then into "profile"
Then into "Edit Signature"

And add your pool specs and equipment there? That way post responders don't have to search the prior posts (of sometimes very long threads) to find the info that may affect how they answer the question.

When is the last time you cleaned your cart? You can vacume or you can wait....it may help some. If you haven't cleaned your cart and plan to vacume, I'd vacume first.

Frequently with the CYA tests....if your CYA is well over 100, the test will still read 100 even after partial drains. When CYA is really high sometimes it takes a while. Becareful, you don't want to burn out your well pump. Maybe try smaller drains? I know it takes longer and uses more water, you'll have to decide what works for you.

One trick in the article Defeating Algae (Pool School) there is a link to "Turning your Green Swamp into a sparkling oasis" and it talks about filtering the water sample thru a coffee filter before testing the CYA, as murky water can alter the results.

Running at FC at that high when your CYA won't bleach out your liner, but you need to be certain of your CYA results. Hopefully your test kit will get there soon. And the test kit DOES make it easier!

You will see a definite color change. Your water will go to cloudy/white and lose it's green tinge when the algae starts to die off.

Hang in there!
 
Hi, Mom! :wave:

If you have debris on the bottom, like leaves, scoop them out. Otherwise you really just need to keep pushing the FC level up there. While 40 ppm is not great for a vinyl liner under normal circumstances, you don't have normal circumstances! Your chlorine is probably being used up almost immediately after you add it! Which, while that will prevent liner fading, it will also slow down your progress!

If you can, test your water frequently and add bleach to get it back to shock levels. Every few hours if you can. I second what FrustratedPM said about getting false high CYA readings with cloudy water, though that is with the 'black dot' test and not strips.

Keep working on getting your CYA down, and keep smacking it with the bleach, and you will have a trouble-free pool in no time!
 
We switched our cartridge out to a clean one yesterday. I don't think I have any debris on the bottom of the pool (didn't before the algae came). I can't see the bottom though.

Although I don't have the good test kit yet - I don't really think my FC levels are dropping that much. I've been diluting my test with distilled water and after 2 hours in the bright sun I'm not seeing much change. I think the fC and TC are around 40.

Took my water in today and their results were:

TC 10++
FC 10++ they only test to 10 - the color was way off the charts
PH 7.4
TA 204
CYA - they didn't test for this which made me mad because that was the main level I was wondering about -- She had a small amount of my water left and tried to test it with some tool that had a black dot on it and said it was "probably around 100". uggh! That was a wasted trip.

I think the pool water is looking a little better - it is a lighter green and I can see a little more of the ladder.

I saw somewhere on this site a recommendation of using bleach in combination with a polyquat algaecide but I can't find it now. Does anyone know what this method is?

BTW -- my husband is convinced that something must be wrong with our filter so he is going to replace it with a sand filter -- Do you think this is a good idea?
 
Mom, Skip the algaecide. That does some good for preventing algae, but you are a little late in that regard! :shock:

You need bleach. As long as your water is green, you have live algae. The best thing to kill algae is bleach (chlorine.) You need to get a FAS-DPD chlorine test kit, even if you don't get the whole kit. TF test kits sells one, or you can probably get one at your PS. You need to KNOW your FC level, not guess at it. When you dilute the water sample, it is really just a slightly educated guess, as you lose accuracy with each level of dilution.

Don't replace your filter. It is NOT the filter. You need to kill the algae first, and then in can take up to a week to filter it out.

What you need is POP... Pool Owner Patience! It didn't get yucky overnight, and you will not clear it overnight.

If you must go to the pool store for testing, get your water tested, get your results, and come here and post them. DON'T listen to anything they say!!!!!

When I reread this post, I sound a little harsh :hammer: I certainly did not mean to! I'm just trying to emphasize that all you need (at this point) is bleach and patience!! 8)
 
Finally I'm seeing some progress...

My water looks more blue then green, - sortof a greyish blue in the shallow. I can see the bottom step on the ladder and when I brushed the pool this morning I could see my brush head on the floor of the shallow end.

Wish I had my test kit here...although using the dilution method I don't think I'm losing my FC overinight. Looks like I'm still at 40+ for FC and TC. We added a gallon of liq chlorine (calcium hypo) last night around 9:30 p.m.

So, should I continue to add more chlorine this morning since I don't have the test kit? Or should I wait and test again later. I don't want to go backwards.

Please advise... and thank you to all that have helped me so far :)
 
momfromMI said:
Finally I'm seeing some progress...

My water looks more blue then green, - sortof a greyish blue in the shallow. I can see the bottom step on the ladder and when I brushed the pool this morning I could see my brush head on the floor of the shallow end.

Wish I had my test kit here...although using the dilution method I don't think I'm losing my FC overinight. Looks like I'm still at 40+ for FC and TC. We added a gallon of liq chlorine (calcium hypo) last night around 9:30 p.m.

So, should I continue to add more chlorine this morning since I don't have the test kit? Or should I wait and test again later. I don't want to go backwards.

Please advise... and thank you to all that have helped me so far :)
Click to expand...

Do you mean you added a gallon of liq chlorine (SODIUM hypo)? I don't think Cal-hypo comes in a liquid form....

Sounds like your making progress!

If you think your chlorine held, (I understand you are using dilution which has some degree of error) you won't necessarily be taking a step backward to wait on adding bleach.

My only concern about maintaining high levels of FC is you (and we) are uncertain as to your CYA levels. If we had a more recent test result....If it were still 100 it's not a problem to keep it at 40. But if you were successful in lowering it below 100 extended periods of high FC like 40 could bleach out your liner.

Any idea when your test kit will arrive? Can you take it too the pool store and ask them for only a CYA test?

Keep it up, you're doing great ! :goodjob:
 

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Sorry - my mistake - We put in 1 gal of liq pool chlorine last night - it is 10% Sodium Hypochlorite (not Calcium hypo).

As for my CYA - unfortunately I'm a little in the dark on that but I don't think it is below 100 yet. The pool store said "around 100". When I test with my strips the color looks to be closer to the 150 mark in my opinion. I guess I have some more draining to do but it does seems like I'm making progress on the aglae despite the high CYA. What I don't know if how low to allow my FC to get.

Guess I will try to get a sample to the pool store and ask specifically that they do a CYA test. Then should I drain more water immediately or keep with the chlorine in the 40 ppm range?

Thanks !!
 
Okay I got my test kit in the mail.

Here are the readings both last night and today...
Wed 7/30 6 p.m.
FC 32
CC 1
CYA 90 ? This was a little subjective on seeing the dot (it was a little faint)

Added 1/2 - 3/4 gallon of liq. Pool Chlorine

Wed 7/30 9:30 p.m.
FC 39
CC 1
CYA 70
PH 7.8

Thurs 7/31 morning
FC 35.5
CC .5
CYA 70
PH 7.8

I am having difficulty with the T alk test. I put in put in up to 80 drops of the R 0009 and the mixture never turns red. It turns from green to blue to yellow to white. What am I doing wrong?

The water is looking better each day - it is blue now but still a little cloudy. I can see bottom pretty clearly in the shallow but only a little in the deep end (I can see where the bottom drains are but they are not clear).

So should I add anything? - it seems that my FC levels are plenty high for my CYA now.
 
The TA test is done when it turns yellow. At high FC levels the TA test will turn from blue to yellow, instead of from green to red. You might see green for a little while before it goes blue, but that doesn't mean anything.
 
Thanks to both of you for the info on TA testing and for the link about the CYA test. I think the last couple times I tested the CYA - I was better able to distinguish when the dot disappears.

So if my CYA is only 70 then do I just wait for my FC shock level is actually lower than what I'm at, correct? More like 20? So, should I not add anymore chlorine until it gets down below that? What else should I do for the cloudy water besides vacuum, brush, etc. I think I need a little PH decreaser. Anything else?

Thanks to everyone - it looks a lot better then it did a week ago!!
 
Yeah, if your confident in the 70 result, then let it go lower according to the chart. Remember to always maintain the proper levels, never let it drop below minimum and you won't get algae, and you shouldn't have to shock routinely either.

Let the FC drop before retesting the PH. 7.8 is the top end, but when FC is high the PH can read high...you can leave it for now.

Just keep brushing, testing, and adjusting the FC as needed. And let the filter run 24/7 till it clears. Your'e doing great! :goodjob:
 
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