Swamp Green to Cloudy Blue

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Mikemq2003

Mikemq2003

0
Nov 3, 2014
6
Brandon, Florida
Hi everyone,

I'm seeming to have an issue with my pool clearing up after our pool guy came several times to clean a swamp like pool. My wife and I purchased the house and the pool was a swamp. No insects swimming around that I could see. We hired a pool guy because we have no experience and he was recommended by my in-laws. He does great work. Anyways over the past 2 weeks or so he has come 3 times to put chemicals. To be honest I only know a few things he put in the pool. Acid, liquid chlorine, something to shock the pool in powder form, and few other things. The pool is currently blue but very cloudy and cant see the bottom. Almost like the dead algae is still floating around and not being filtered. The pump ran 24 hrs for a few days after each visit and still nothing. He's saying that now since its not clearing up that I might have to drain the pool half way and fill with clean water. I've been around reading and learning a lot from TFP and will be ordering my test kit from here soon. Since I know nothing about maintaining a pool, I've come to learn and ask for a second opinion from you guys. My pool info is in my signature (I know that's a must for any kind of help) and hope I can get this issue resolved.

Thanks in advance,
Michael
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

It is going to be pretty hard to provide any recommendations until you can provide us a set of reliable test results.
There is no reason to have to replace water just because it is cloudy ... although depending on what potions the pool guy has been dumping in, he may have messed up some of the levels (namely the CYA) to the point where water replacement is required.
Likely you just need to follow the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process to clean up the pool.

What is going on with the filter? One issue I see you are going to have is that you 100sqft filter is way too small for your pool and cartridge filters are a real pain when you have to clean up a swamp. Ideally you should have a filter at least 250sqft based on pool size and location. I would guess you need to be cleaning the filter every few hours at this point. You should clean it when the pressure rises 20-25% over the clean pressure.
 
Seems like 90% of users on this board have that same first post as you....lol

You're in luck. You found the right place.
You need to start in Pool School here. Click that and READ READ READ.

You don't need the pool guy. You can do this yourself, better and cheaper. Read up in pool school. Buy a GOOD test kit. Most on here recommend the TF-100.

Once you understand the relationship between your Chlorine and your CYA (Stabilizer), everything falls into place. We cannot help you without accurate test numbers.

And you said he dumped in some powder shock. We stay away from that stuff. We only recommend using liquid chlorine (Bleach). Sometimes it's called Liquid Shock. But regular old Great Value bleach from walmart is perfect.

Buy the test kit, READ READ READ while it's in shipping, stock up on bleach.....Then once you get your kit, you'll understand exactly what you need to do. Then come back and ask questions with an accurate set of test numbers.

Good Luck! You found the best place for pool care.
 
He hasn't checked the levels since hes been here. He said there wasnt a point since the water was green. He said he would do it once things start to clear up which is one of the reasons why Im grabbing my own test kit. As for the filter, The filter was replaced a week or so ago. The old one was broken. I was told to just order the same one but putting in the number off the cartridge housing. The gauge doesnt go above 10 psi from what I can see. Could that mean I have an issue with the gauge or there's a leak somewhere? I havent been cleaning the filter. The pool guy would come and check the filter and says its ok but I'm guessing that since the new filter was installed after the green was gone that maybe the dead algae was hard to see? He should be here today and I'll have him do a water test and see where the levels are. For the size of my pool would it be best to purchase a larger filter?
 
I have a sand filter personally. Somebody else will have to chime in on the Cartridge filter aspect. But I do agree with Jason in saying your filter is too small. I think even my sand filter is too small for my pool. But sometimes you have to make due with what you have.
See how your guy performs the test when he comes over. If he dips a strip in the water and tells you the numbers, DO NOT trust them. Even if he does a drop test, I'd be hesitant to trust it as well. I had a local pool store tell me I had a CYA level of 25 in my tap water and a FC reading of 2. It was tap water. I tested myself and found that to be WAY off. Both were at 0. You definitely need your own kit. Its super easy to test and takes all of 5 mins once you get used to them.
 
Mikemq2003 said:
He hasn't checked the levels since hes been here. He said there wasnt a point since the water was green. He said he would do it once things start to clear up which is one of the reasons why Im grabbing my own test kit. As for the filter, The filter was replaced a week or so ago. The old one was broken. I was told to just order the same one but putting in the number off the cartridge housing. The gauge doesnt go above 10 psi from what I can see. Could that mean I have an issue with the gauge or there's a leak somewhere? I havent been cleaning the filter. The pool guy would come and check the filter and says its ok but I'm guessing that since the new filter was installed after the green was gone that maybe the dead algae was hard to see? He should be here today and I'll have him do a water test and see where the levels are. For the size of my pool would it be best to purchase a larger filter?
Click to expand...
Mike,

The first decision you need to make is if you are going to take control of your pool or let "the pool guy" do it. He has already shown his lack of knowledge by saying about testing that it "wasnt a point since the water was green".

The basis of TFP is only putting in the pool what you need when you need it. The prime cause for most pools going green is too much CYA, also known as stabilizer or Cyanuric Acid. If he doesn't know the CYA level, he doesn't know how much chlorine is correct to kill the algae without damaging the pool or wasting your hard earned money. Plus, if he is using solid/powdered shock he is just adding more CYA to the pool.

His idea of a test is probably going to be chlorine and pH. We want more. We want the following:

FC - Free Chlorine - A sanitizer which keeps your pool water safe and free of germs. Chlorine must be constantly replenished. (level depends on CYA)
PH - Acidity/Alkalinity - Needs to be kept in balance to prevent irritation and protect the pool equipment. (7.5 to 7.8)
TA - Total Alkalinity - Appropriate levels help keep the PH in balance. High levels can cause PH to rise. (60 to 120, sometimes higher)
CH - Calcium Hardness - Appropriate levels help prevent plaster damage. High levels can cause calcium scaling. (220 to 350, vinyl lower)
CYA - Cyanuric Acid - Protects chlorine from sunlight and determines the required FC level. (outdoors 30 to 50, SWG 70 to 80, indoors 0 to 20)

It should look like this when you report it.
FC 4
PH 7.5
TA 60
CH 350
CYA 70

If he baulks at your request, says it's not needed or says he can't do the tests it's time to take control yourself - and SAVE money.

To follow the pool care methods taught here you need to arm yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to care for your pool.

The knowledge is condensed in the Pool School link at the top of every page. It is a great community here, but we do ask that you read and try to understand the information being taught. Questions are always welcome and folks will try to direct you and teach you the methods.

The tools are not limited to the brushes, vacuum hoses and other stuff you use around the pool, but include the most important item - one of the recommended test kits. You can buy a kit at a pool store, but again the pool store kits generally won't cut it. To effectively practice the TFPC methods, the FAS/DPD chlorine test is essential. All these kits contain that test while very few other kits do. Think of it this way, do you see a doctor blindly prescribing drugs without seeing the patient or having tests run? Here at TFP we are going to ask for photos so we can see the condition of the water and are going to ask for a full set of test results.

So, welcome to TFP!!
 
wow .... how can he know what needs to be done to clear the algae without testing? This just proves the point that many pool "professionals" have no idea what they are doing and just blindly throwing chemicals at the problem with no understanding of the chemistry.
 
Michael,

If you are inclined to learn, I would never have the pool guy on your property again. If he is not testing he is totally slack or totally clueless.
one of the reasons why Im grabbing my own test kit.
Click to expand...
Be careful about just "grabbing" a kit. There are only a very few that will help you manage your pool the way we teach. There is an article in Pool School about test kits.

There is also a MOST important article on ABC's of Pool Water chemistry. You have a lot to digest, but if you take care of your own pool, your eyes will be opened widely and we'll all help you.
 
To start off the house was vacant for a while before we bought it. There was algae going on the steps and bottom of the old filter. I only hired him so he could just get it to a point where I can do the work myself. I don't see a point in spending $100 a month on maintaince when its very easy to care for a pool once all the levels are where they need to be(most of the time) . When I mentioned about grabbing a kit it was just an expression. I was looking at the tf-100 kit. As for the test the pool guy is doing I will tell him to test the water and see which method he is doing. I will order my kit today and once I get it in and test it myself I will update.
 

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Take ownership, ditch the pool guy...you can do it! But you have to want to do it AND don't mix advice from multiple sources (recipe for disaster).
 
So I'm starting to clean my week or so old cartridge filter and noticed the bottom. The orange rubber that keeps everything together is broken. It wasn't like that when I purchased it. Could the filter housing be the cause of it breaking? Hopefully I can post a picture of it later today when I get home.
 
Mikemq2003 said:
To start off the house was vacant for a while before we bought it. There was algae going on the steps and bottom of the old filter. I only hired him so he could just get it to a point where I can do the work myself. I don't see a point in spending $100 a month on maintaince when its very easy to care for a pool once all the levels are where they need to be(most of the time) . When I mentioned about grabbing a kit it was just an expression. I was looking at the tf-100 kit. As for the test the pool guy is doing I will tell him to test the water and see which method he is doing. I will order my kit today and once I get it in and test it myself I will update.
Click to expand...
The problem you can have with this theory is that the methods we teach are completely different from the methods most "professionals" use. They throw lots of "stuff" in the water with very little testing. The cost of this comes out of your pocket. We believe in only putting in the water what it needs, when it needs it. Many times that is just chlorine and acid that you can buy in most big box stores inexpensively. Mixing his methods and ours will not work.

Did you get your test kit?

Mikemq2003 said:
So I'm starting to clean my week or so old cartridge filter and noticed the bottom. The orange rubber that keeps everything together is broken. It wasn't like that when I purchased it. Could the filter housing be the cause of it breaking? Hopefully I can post a picture of it later today when I get home.
Click to expand...
A photo would help visualize it. Could the filter have been in the housing crooked?
 
I can't help with the filter but buying the TF100 is a great choice.
 
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