am I stuck in a vicious cycle?

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newmomerin

0
Aug 12, 2014
4
Danville, PA
We bought a house this summer with an above ground pool.
The liner was totally jacked, so we replaced it (FUN!!)
We filled the pool with our garden hose. At the time, we had straight well water, no softener or purifier system.

We had no clue what we were doing, and just went by the internet and what the local pool store told us.

I added chlorine and stabilizer that I bought at a big box store. Water was clear, but turned green then tea brown.

Pool store sold us metal-out

that seemed to work, but then we had an algae bloom. SO we added algicide.

I read your website and went to the pool store (i had a return to make) and looked for a test kit. The lady convinced me to bring some water in and I did because they only sell test strips and a cheapo $10 kit.

WHen i brought my sample in, it was super high phosphates. SO she sold me $70 phosphate clear. she told me that aside from feeding the algae, the phosphates can cause green water (??) and to bring back a sample in 2 days. She also told me that high phosphates will cause my chlorine reading to be zero on my test strips. I have totally lost trust in this woman because she said to work on phosphates first, then any remaining algae. But then when i got home i read the bottle and it says in big red letters, to treat algae first!

I have a sinking feeling that the algicide is adding metals back in, and the metal out is adding phosphates. so the problem is feeding itself. Am I right?

Also, last week, out of desperation to get chlorine levels up, i bought a chlorine tablet and floater system. Today, I have pulled that out. I also have a big test kit on order (one that you recommend)

Do I need to resign myself to just draining and starting over? I've already spent close to $200 in just chems for this pool that we have gotten in THREE TIMES.

any thoughts?
-Erin
 
Welcome to TFP.

It's certainly frustrating and because you've spent so much already it's hard to spend even more. The good news is that you've already made a huge step in the right direction. Buying a good test kit is a big step. :goodjob:

Do you know if your well has metals?
What is the ingredients of the algaecide?
 
Don't worry, it won't be too hard to correct. You will need the actual test results from your new kit before we can tell you exactly how to fix it. It's not your fault you've been mislead by the pool stores.

The simplified solution is phosphates are a non-issue. They are technically "food" for algae but you should never have any algae in a properly maintained pool so it's not a concern. Phos-free and similar chemicals are only good for padding the wallets of pool stores and/or slowing down the growth of algae in poorly maintained pools where people let their chlorine levels drop down to the point it is unable to kill new algae. If you use the method here you won't let your chlorine go that low and won't have algae in the first place.

Algaecide is also wasted money in all but a few strange cases. Chlorine kills algae just fine and algaecide does nothing but cost you money AND will often put metals (specifically copper) in your water which is terrible because...

Secondly, the green color was probably metals in the well water. The metal out doesn't actually take any metal out. It basically "dissolves" it and keeps it dissolved so the water appears clear. You'll have to keep adding it periodically since it looses its effectiveness over time. There's not problem with this except it's an extra cost and hassle. You will never get the metal out without draining the water and having metal-free water added from a pool filling company. Just FYI.

In order to fix your algae problem you'll just need to add chlorine appropriate to your level of stabilizer (CYA) which you will learn when you get your test kit. Read the SLAM procedure in Pool School as this is what you will be doing. Once the algae is gone you'll just check your chlorine every day and add the appropriate amount of liquid chlorine for your volume of pool and stabilizer (CYA) level. Stop using solid or granular chlorine (pucks or tablets) as they add CYA as well as chlorine. Continued use of this will keep adding CYA meaning you'll need more chlorine to keep the algae away and this cycle will only get worse as you keep using non-liquid chlorine.

-----

As a bonus we will also help get your Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness and PH in the right range, but these don't really have an effect on the problems you are having now.
 
I'm feeling quite impatient. Today the pool looks just as green as it did monday, if not more. I have bleach, borax and baking soda on hand and ready to go as soon as the kit gets here.
I guess there's nothing more to do? I'm contemplating using my vacuum to do a partial drain just to physically get rid of some of the algae.
photo.jpg

- - - Updated - - -

We plan to limp along in this beast for a few seasons then build an in-ground. It's got to be 10 years old. All the screws were rusted like crazy when we did the liner.
 
It is generally not a good idea to stock up on ingredients just because they start with a B. The TFPC method is really just about understanding your pool’s chemistry and through accurate testing, adding only what the pool NEEDS.

Many (dare I say most) members never need borax (to raise the pH) or baking soda (to raise the TA). So there is no reason to have it on hand, just buy it if you happen to need it.

You can continue to add a bottle of bleach each evening, but I would not do anything beyond that until you have a kit and test everything.
 
Yea... I did the same back when I started - got 4 boxes of Borax and several of Washing Soda that I've never used. It's not that big a deal since it was so cheap but I haven't need them.

On a somewhat related note, if you (or anyone else reading this) needs some Jack's Magic Pink Stuff for taking care of metals in the water, I got two bottles for after I did an Ascorbic Acid treatment but never needed them. I'd be happy to send them off to a good home for cheap if someone needs it.

Like the others have said, just add a bottle of bleach at night until the kit gets there. There's not much else you can do, at least not without wasting money on chemicals you may or may not need.
 
Like chjade, I too have 2 13lb bags of baking soda and 2 boxes of 20 Mule team I was using before my tfp days to keep my ph and TA where they needed to be because of the pucks I was using. I also have 2 big bottles of phosfree because of being les-lied. Oh, and a couple bottles of 50% algecide I'll never need.
 

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newmomerin said:
Wow, what a difference already with the bleach. I finally have hope!!

and the baking soda and borax are not wasted. I don't use commercial cleaning products, just vinegar and soda and borax for almost everything.
Click to expand...

Great! Just stick to 1 gallon per day and make sure you circulate with the pump on while adding and let it run for at least 30 minutes after adding.

Pop a can of POP (Pool Owner Patience) while waiting for your kit. You'll need POP (and maybe an adult beverage or two of your choice, if that's your thing) later in the process as well. Take some time to read the links jblizzle posted and when they start to make sense, explore Pool School on other topics.

Post a full set of test results when it arrives and we'll help you from there.
 
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