Algae Nearly Gone After Being Closed for 2 Years.

Jump to latest Follow Reply
C

ChuckBeez

0
Aug 4, 2014
11
Lynbrook, NY
Hi All, Newbie Here..

So I just closed on a home and had the vinyl in ground pool opened up after 2 years on non use. Fortunately it had a pool cover on it so there wasn't much debris aside from algae. We had a pool guy come in and shock with 8lbs of powdered chlorine on 2 occasions and had the pumps running 24/7. After a nice scrubbing of the walls and few back washes and a vacuum, the pool was nice and clear...4 days later, there I checked the pool and saw very some light spots of algae on the floor and walls ..(wasn't able to be at the property but the pumps were running). Went to Leslie's and threw 2 bags of shock Saturday evening and then applied 12 caps of pool first aid the morning after since I was told it's a 24,000 gal pool.. Cleared up a bit by Sunday evening so I was thinking I do the same Monday evening with the pool first aid and go from there. I'm hoping it will be all gone so I can then continue the upkeep with the chlorine tablets and floaters I also purchased! Am I on the right track? Thanks all!
 
Welcome to the Forum!

Sorry to say, but no, not by the methodology we teach here. We are about knowledge first, doing our own testing, and dosing the pool only with what is needed. Most of us do not trust or rely on Pool Stores or services for anything chemical that a pool needs.

I suggest first taking a look at the ABC's of Pool Chemistry. From there in Pool School I would check out Defeating Algae, SLAM, and all else you can absorb. If you are willing to learn some basics, do some of your own Daily testing and understanding what it all means then you can do this yourself easily. Part of this means getting your own proper test kit. If this sounds like something you'll be willing to do, let us know, and we are here to help.

Enjoy the forum!
 
Welcome to the forum. All the stuff Brushpup is talking about is linked in the pretty colors of his signature.
 
You're on the right track from this day forward. You've sought the good advise that is offered here. The rest is up to you. Do as Brushpup said, read as as much as you can, and you'll be returning those chlorine tablets and floaters you bought soon enough. Good luck and welcome.
 
It sounds like you may have won a few battles, but you still haven't won the war. Algae is sort of like yeast, if any is left to grow, it will, and it will grow exponentially. It's not that the algae is back; it never left.

Pucks and floaters don't just add chlorine; they also add stabilizer. So do most "shock" powders. And while the chlorine goes away, the stabilizer stays behind, which means the chlorine levels needed to ensure you have some active chlorine left over to fight algae goes up. So you add more pucks, which raises the CYA (stabilizer) level again. And while the chlorine goes away, the stabilizer stays behind, which means the chlorine levels needed to ensure you have some active chlorine left over to fight algae goes up. So you add more pucks, which raises the CYA level again. And while the chlorine goes away, the stabilizer stays behind, which means the chlorine levels needed to ensure you have some active chlorine left over to fight algae goes up. So you add more pucks, which raises the CYA level again.... You're trapped in a vicious spiral that will end with a green cloudy pool, an empty wallet, and a pool store recommendation to drain the pool due to high Total Dissolved Solids. And then you get right back on that merry go round unless you adopt a new strategy.

Spend some time in Pool School.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/123-abc-of-pool-water-chemistry
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/122-what-is-tfpc-bbb
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/130-definitions-and-abbreviations
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/142-how-to-chlorinate-your-pool
 
I just did some research on the kits and basically the 1000 only tests for Bromine, Chlorine & pH. Gonna return it for the full K2006. Would it be bad if I didn't add anything to the pool for a day or so till I test the water? Would more algae build up? Like Richard320 said, and from what I read, adding more shock and starting to add floaters is only gonna raise the cya and make a bigger issue.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
It's best not to add unless you have a good idea of what it needs. As for the kit, ordering the TF100 is a far better value for your dollar. Same Taylor reagents, more of them in the parameters you'll test for often. The link is in my sig line as well.
 
so my kit finally arrived and i'm going to test the waters... will post some numbers later today. yesterday the pool was mostly clear aside from some small specks of algae here and there. i currently have a floater in there with some tablets and have the pump on an 8hr day timer.
 
ChuckBeez said:
any thoughts on how i can raise that cya? from my reading so far i'm going to have to have cya in there for the chlorine to stay in. should i do that sock method or just buy a few bags of the powdered shock?
Click to expand...
Using powdered shock to chlorinate every day will probably take about two weeks to raise the CYA to anything useful. It could take even longer to get it up to your target. For that reason, I suggest adding CYA granules via a sock. Shoot low; you might have some CYA already in the pool, just not enough to register, and you don't want to go too high. Target 30 for now. It's easy enough to add more later if you come up low.
 
So given the numbers I posted, that's the main culprit? I'm planning to do the sock method you suggested... is that something I can purchase at Leslie's or Walmart? Is it going to be labeled as stabilizer and or conditioner? Also how much should I add and should I keep the floater in there with the pumps running 24/7? Thanks!
 
ChuckBeez said:
So given the numbers I posted, that's the main culprit? I'm planning to do the sock method you suggested... is that something I can purchase at Leslie's or Walmart? Is it going to be labeled as stabilizer and or conditioner? Also how much should I add and should I keep the floater in there with the pumps running 24/7? Thanks!
Click to expand...
With no or very low CYA, any bleach you add is destroyed by the sun within hours. There's also a slim possibility that whatever CYA was in the pool was converted to Ammonia, which in itself will consume bleach about as fast as you can pour it in. But that's kind of unlikely, since the water should be green and refuse to change if it has a bunch of Ammonia.

This article in Pool School tells you what to use to change what and how to add it: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/139-recommended-pool-chemicals\

This article will tell you how to use poolmath to determine how much to add: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/114-poolmath-pool-calculator

I'm going to make you muddle through and figure out how much you need to buy. You can always ask us to check your answer before you start adding stuff. But it's really important that you learn to do this yourself. If you just want someone to tell you to add X amount of Y chemical, you might as well go to the pool store.

Let whatever's in the floater dissolve, and then switch over to bleach. It's not as convenient as pucks, but it doesn't take much time every day and you have much more control. See How to Chlorinate.

attachment.php
 
Since I needed CYA in the pool, I added 4lbs of it last night via the skimmer and have kept the pumps running. I have some sodium hypochlorite 12.5 % bleach laying around so given the pool math, to get from a shock level of 12, I need to add 178 oz of the hypochlorite.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply