Please help me!!! Im defeated!

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Tinamarie

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LifeTime Supporter
Aug 10, 2014
8
Pittsburgh, PA
Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and just found it last night and thought I'd give it a try. This year we bought a 16X48 Pro-Series pool for the kids to get use to having a pool before we buy a big one. (I just wanted to make sure I could handle the chemical part) I haven't had too much trouble with it this season other than the last few weeks.

Our pool was a green color and no matter what I did it would stay green. So I googled and found "hth green to blue" so off to Walmart last night and bought it. I read the directions and youtubed it and put it in last night. This morning my pool is green/brown with orange at the bottom!!!!!! I vacuumed it this morning as per the directions and it just looks nasty. I tested it and as always theres no PH, Alkalinity or stabilizer in it but now the FREE Chlorine is between a 3 and 5. (For once it registered there is something in it) When I look closely into the water the stuff I vacuumed off the bottom is all through my pool. I feel defeated and now the kids are crying that I "killed their pool." *Sigh*

Any help would be much appreciated. :confused:
 
For lack of seeing closer detail of what might be floating around in the water, this looks like your basic green algae problem. Definitely get the pH in a recommended range, but I'd also be inclined to dose it with algaecide. Do you have a good test kit? I've found those thin test strips that the pool stores sell are not always reliable. Also, are you getting good filtration and circulation in the pool? That has alot to do with the water clarity and possible algae growth.
 
I suspect a lot of the green is Iron. Adding a bunch of strong oxidizer via green-to-blue has caused it to precipitate into rust particles. Not all bad, if you can vacuum some of it up and wash the filter out. That will get rid of it. Click this picture to read about one man's battle.


As far as no readings, it's quite possible that high chlorine levels have bleached the dyes. Test strips are just not reliable. It's impossible to have no pH reading - it could be super low, which would account for low alkalinity, but there has to be some number to apply to it.

First suggestion: get a proper test kit coming. There's a comparison writeup in Pool School. Or skip that and just order a TF100, which is the best bang for the buck and which will last you through the rest of this season and probably through next year as well.

Then start reading in Pool School. The ABCs will help you understand exactly what all those test result numbers mean. Then move on over to the chemistry section and familiarize yourself with what's in there.

The metals article should help, and I see a possible SLAM in your future as well.

But the starting point for all of this is reliable test results. Test strips and pool store testing just won't cut it if you're serious about taking control of the pool.
 
Tinamarie said:
After I vacuumed it out this morning, I automatically replaced the filter. So I guess now I will get the PH up and see what happens.
Click to expand...

Baking soda is cheaper if you can find the bigger bags, like this.
y4epu8u3.jpg


12lb from Kroger.
 
I'm just gonna save this advice for the future.
Most importantly, take a breath. As with any emergency procedure, think about it. Un do the last thing you did. Evaluate the situation, make a decision, but be open to ideas. Basic troubleshooting. You might make an erroneous decision but it will lead you to a successful end result. Keep trying and don't panic. Listen to the advice here. Put on some Johnny Cash and relax.
Wow, I just had a epiphany, for my life questions. Mod squad, smack me back if I get out of line. But really, a lot of this is confidence..
 

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I just want to say first off to EVERYONE that has responded, THANK YOU!!!! "Uhblackhawkmtp"- you are absolutely right I need to relax...lol Its kinda hard when I am trying and I have my husband and kids telling me I should get "mother of the year b/c I took their pool from green to just down right nasty...way to go." **SIGH** I am trying to read and theres so many things that I can do. I went back outside and added PH to it, then "super" shocked it. I still see the brown stuff I vacuumed up this morning some is still on the bottom, so I am going to vacuum it again in about an hour and see what happens. I keep using my test strips (and I know I need better ones probably, but its all I have right now) and my levels are all back down to the low end. :(
 
Keep going, don't stop. Yes, initially you're going to dump a little $$$. However, do not put yourself in a financial hardship to make this pool perfect. It owes you, you don't owe it.
It is a very simple philosophy, just do it. Bleach cures a lot of problems and gets you to a manageable position. Then you can fine tune it.
I did everything wrong initially. I was arbitrarily dumping every thing but battery acid into my pool. Read the pool school, repeatedly. Learn it, love it, live it. And put on Johnny Cash.
 
Well I just dumped bleach into it. ( I have never done that before, and maybe that's one of my problems) I always rely on those chlorinating tablets. So after all the junk I put into it today I will continue to read the forum tonight, vacuum it when it gets a little cooler and see what tomorrow brings. I'll take a picture again and compare. Thanks again to everyone who has helped me.
 
How long did you use tablets for (and how many per week). If you have used many, your stabilizer level could be high or getting there. Stop using them until you get a good test kit and test the stabilizer level. Test strips do not count.

One thing you should know is that test strips are very unreliable. I did a test with my OTO test kit, and it read about 5 or 6 ppm of total chlorine. I did a test with my strips, and it read only 3 ppm for total chlorine. I trust the test kit.
 
if you haven't already ordered the the TF-100, order it with the XL option. Anyone starting the TFPC process with an existing algae problem will likely go through the essential FAS-DPD reagents so that you wont have cleaned up the problem before running out. Ordering the TF-100 with the XL option is still your best option, but it will delay that first reagent reorder until after things go back to normal or you close the pool for the winter. Properly stored reagents will last through next pool season, so don't worry too much about it.

As thinkpad eludes to, starting a new pool maintenance process using dichlor granuals or trichlor "pucks" is likely to lead to problems with CYA levels accumulating in the pool. As CYA level raises, it takes more and more CL to sanitize your pool. Eventually, you will reach the point where the CL in your chlorinator (dichlor/trichlor) is insufficient to prevent and/or kill algae. That is why the TFPC method calls for bleach as the sanitizing agent. Ordinary household bleach contains no CYA. This allows you to maintain adequate CL level to sanitize the pool and kill algae without increasing CYA level. It doesn't mean you can ignore CYA level, rather you must monitor it to ensure it will stay in range. That will allow you control the CL level with a reasonable CL dose daily!

You need to start reading PoolSchool (see link at top of page) as the required information you will need to both clean up your pool (SLAM) and maintain it going forward, is there. You will also find information about winterizing your pool that will probably come in handy.

I would also suggest you post questions anytime you see something in pool school or here on the forums, that doesn't make sense or flies in the face your your current instructions. This will allow you to understand why much of the information you probably have about maintaining your pool is inaccurate, false, or down right misleading. The TFPC method offered by PoolSchool works, not only to allow you maintain safe and beautiful water, but to do it without spending a lot of money on expensive chemicals . You should be able to find plenty of testimonials to that by browsing through the Getting Started forum.

I am new to the TFPC process this year, and I have to admit, you must go all in and buy one of the test kits, or you will be reduced to asking questions that cannot be answered here in the forum.
 
Hi everyone, I'm baccccck...lol I am still fighting with the stupid pool. Aghhhhh. I am still vacuuming out the "green to blue" **** off the bottom of the pool. Still over a week later. That stuff is nasty. I have however got my chemical levels up to where they should be or just about. I did order a new test kit to see if that makes a difference. I will take another picture in the morning and share it with you to show you what it looks like now. *Sigh* I'm so over this pool.
 
Don't give up. Work with the group to get the pool clear and then, keep your chlorine level up and you will be fine. The TFP method is easy and cheap. All you have to do is test and add bleach and a few other things that are cheap and easy to get. For now, take a deep breath and soon it will be clear.
 
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