New pool owner - just found a huge algae bloom

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U

utdcole

0
Jul 18, 2014
6
Richardson, TX
Hi TFP'ers! First off, thanks so much for the wealth of information on this site. I went from understanding nothing to having a pretty good idea on how to manage things on my own in a week! I'm a first time pool owner, rennovating a house that was vacant for > 6 months. The pool was eating chlorine like mad despite being relatively clear, then over the weekend I noticed some algae forming on the steps, I knew I had a problem. Luckily my TF100 arrived on Saturday and I was able to do a full test. 10,000 gallon in-ground pool. Numbers:
FC: 0
CC = 0.5 (I had added in a 1lb bag of dichlor a few days prior)
TC = 2.5
CH = 325 (My area is known for hard water)
TA = 110/120
CYA = 0

I added in a full gallon of liquid conditioner and started the shock process this morning. After depleting the chlorine rapidly several times I knew something else had to be up. The pool light was burnt out and I needed to figure out if it was 12V or 120V, so i climbed in and unscrewed the pool fixture. Algae everywhere :mad::mad::mad:!!. I grabbed my corner brush and scrubbed away, then brushed the sides of the pool again, then kicked on my polaris to stir all that algae up into the water for the chlorine to fight. Now, on to my questions:

1. Is it safe to leave the pool light out of its fixture? The power is off to the light fixture, and I want to make sure the water can circulate in its cavity to help kill the algae.
2. Should I have the pump focusing more on the main drain or skimmer? Previously I had the gate set to about 2/3 skimmer and 1/3 main drain, but have moved it to half/half for this step.
3. Now that I've cleared out a massive clump of algae, should I be doing anything differently other than keeping myself at shock level for a CYA of 30?
4. My pH is high. I have some muriatic acid on hand, should I add in the recommended amount to get it down lower now, or wait until I pass the OCLT?

Thanks again so much for all the knowledge and assistance!
 
Welcome to TFP.

1. It should be ok to leave the light out
2. Not sure. I have different valves for returns than drains and skimmers
3. You posted test result showing 0 CYA. Assuming you added enough CYA to bring you to 30 then you want to keep at shock level for your CYA
4. You didn't post your original PH test. Above 10ppm FC the PH test isn't accurate....ignore it for now.

Questions?
 
Hi,
good job on getting your pool taken care of.

as for your questions.
1. its safe to leave the light out.
2. I dont think it matters as long as the water is being filtered. 50/50 should be fine.
3. Dont do anything different. Just SLAM it until all 3 Slam criteria are passed.
4. You should get your Ph Down before your bring up the FC. FC above 10 will give a false high PH test. Get the PH down to about 7.2 before Slamming.

Edit to Add: Also if your Ph really is high and you dont bring it down, it will have some effect on of your FC working as well as it should.

That should do it for ya.

Good Luck!
 
You should let the FC level fall to less than 10 then retest your pH. It shouldn't take long to drop if you have visible algae. Then adjust your pH to the low 7's and resume the SLAM. Hope it goes quickly for you!
 
Welcome to the forum :wave:

The problem is your are asking a question without providing the necessary information.

You were at 8.2 before and the FC was near or at zero so the 8.2 is a good number. Because 8.2 is the max on the test you could be 8.2 or 9.0 or ....

If you have raised the FC level above 10 ppm a new pH test will not be accurate so don't bother to retest pH. You can still use Pool Math to figure out how much acid to add to go from 8.2 to 7.2 That is what I would do now. It will help make your chlorine a little more effective. If you have NOT raised the FC above 10 I'd add the acid and retest in 30-60 minutes and if needed and below 8.2 adjust again to hit 7.2 then start your SLAM.

If you are already at SLAM FC level above 10 ppm just do the one addition and forget pH until the SLAM is done.

So I would drop in 25 oz of 34% if 34% is what you have and then depending on your FC level retest if below 10ppm and make another adjustment if needed and then start SLAM or if your over 10ppm wait until the SLAM is done.

Pool Math - > http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html Also button at top, left of page.
 

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Ok, so I let the pool settle over the morning and just did a full retest. New numbers:
FC 3.5
CC 0.5
TC 3
CH 275
TA 90
CYA 40
PH 7.8

Should I go ahead and drop my pH down to 7.2 then resume the SLAM? The water is actually quite clear this afternoon, but I know I want to keep it at SLAM until I pass the OCLT.
 
Go ahead and get pH down to 7.2 since it should only take an hour or so, then continue your SLAM.
BTW...TC (Total Chlorine) is FC + CC. Your first post showed 0 + 0.5 = 2.5, and your last post showed 3.5 + 0.5 = 3.
TC is not needed when reporting. Just want to make sure your FC and CC are the correct numbers.

Good luck. Sounds like you are getting close.
 
Sorry about that, it's been a long few days - I subtracted instead of adding :p. I've added in the appropriate amount of muriatic acid and will retest in an hour, adjust if necessary, and resume SLAMing. Thanks everyone, I'll report back with progress and/or questions.
 
If your recent test was 7.8 and you used pool math to drop in the proper amount of muriatic acid to hit 7.2 don't bother to retest it, get the FC back up !!

That "M" in SLAM is maintain. Any time you are dropping below the SLAM FC target you are not killing algae. You might have it in check if the FC is close but as the FC drops algae's ability to grow/reproduce increases.
 
Just thought I'd follow up with a big thumbs up:party:! Two days, 6.5 gallons of 8.25 bleach, and a little less sleep later I've passed the OCLT, CC 0, and the water is sparkling! Thanks so much for the help!

My next fun adventure - figure out why my bottom-hinged weird doors aren't floating! They move freely if I reach in and move them around, but always end up falling back down flat.
 

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