Don't want the algae to come back!

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T

Tashacaroline

0
Jun 17, 2015
5
Concord, CA
I bought a house with a pool in February... In ground, plaster, pool and spa, irregularly shaped 25,000 gallons with a cartridge filter.

Gets direct sun almost all day and is surrounded by trees who loooove to drop tons of leaves.

I ordered a cover to keep the leaves out and the sun out, should arrive next week.

We developed algae in march. Immediately went to the "L" store. Cleared up the algae... And then it came back... And then it came back AGAIN... Needless to say I'm pretty convinced that what I'm getting from the pool store is a quick fix and a bad cycle.

Just (hopefully... Maybe?) rid myself of algae for the last time... Pool is still a little white/cloudy and I can't seem to keep Free Chlorine levels up. Have found myself some Kem Tek liquid chlorine from Orchard Supply Hardware.

I'm determined I will master my pool! And it will one day be pretty and clear! Any and all advice welcome :)
 
Hello T+12. :) Welcome to TFP! :wave: Good, you are frustrated by the pool store advise and gimmicks. Now it's time to take charge on your own. YOU can do it! Here's how:
- You need the right test kit! Why? Because we've all learned (from personal experience) you cannot reply on pool store tests, test strips, or simple over-the-counter kits. They don't read Free Chlorine (FC) or Cyanuric Acid (CYA) levels accurately or to the high levels we need.

- What you are describing is algae, and it needs to be killed. In TFP, we "SLAM" algae. SLAM is the term used when we “Shock” our pool to a higher “Level” of Free Chlorine (FC) and “Maintain” it that way until 3 objectives are met:
1. Water is clear
2. You do not lose any more than 1ppm of FC overnight (that's the OCLT)
3. CC (Combined Chlorine) is <.5
** You MUST meet ALL 3 items above to properly do a SLAM. Simply “spiking" the FC higher than normal isn't SLAMming, therefore there’s a good chance your algae will return.

Please get yourself the proper test kit (link below) so we can guide you through the sanitization process. It's not all that hard, and only uses liquid bleach, but you MUST have that test kit.
 
Welcome to TFP!

We can help you easily if you truly want to master the pool. We are about understanding first. You need to test your own water with a good kit, and take action based on what you find. Until you do, you'll be back and forth to the pool store with a green pool in between. It's really easy once you get a little knowledge. All that and the help you need is here. Lots of folks have been exactly where you are right now. Many of them are experts and guides helping others take control of their pools now. Stick around, and enjoy the forum.
 
Welcome to TFP! We can definitely help you keep that pool clean and clear.

Please add your pool info to your signature as shown here: Pool School - Getting Started

Get one of the Recommended Test Kits, I use the TF100 from tftestkits.net.

When you get it give us some test results and get ready to SLAM Your Pool.

Here are some of my fave Pool School articles to get your started in the right direction.
TFPC for Beginners
ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

Here are the Recommended Levels for your pool.
Here are the Recommended Pool Chemicals and how to add them.
Use PoolMath to figure out how much to add.
 
Thanks everybody, I've been reading a lot of Pool School today, will keep working on it. I'm also going to order the test kit as recommended!

I currently have the Clorox Pool and Spa 3 way test kit... Can I trust the readings from that enough to start the SLAM process until my better test kit arrives? I am just afraid if I wait a few days the cloudy water will go back to green...

Also something I have found strange is my Spa doesn't seem to have a problem with Algae or keeping free Chlorine... The water level in my spa is a bit low so it's not currently spilling over into the pool or vice versa. Maybe that's why?
 
You've been given some good advice already, but I wanted to welcome you to TFP!

Your signature looks fine. BTW, on that drought...ours ended this year with prolific rainfall which filled our lakes up beyond what is considered full pool. I'm willing to bet that yours will end in much the same way - when is the only question. If we could have shared some of the rainfall we've had over the past couple of months, we would have.
 
Tashacaroline said:
I currently have the Clorox Pool and Spa 3 way test kit... Can I trust the readings from that enough to start the SLAM process until my better test kit arrives? I am just afraid if I wait a few days the cloudy water will go back to green...
Click to expand...

Any idea what your CYA level is? Chlorine level is set based CYA level and the Chlorine CYA Chart

You can add 2-3 gallons of 8.25% plain old unscented bleach per day, no easy pour or splashless.
 
I'm using strips to test CYA right now and it says it's about 40... So according to the chart I would need to get up to a 16 for chlorine to SLAM... Or maybe a little higher in case the strip is off.

I went ahead and added 3 gallons of kem Tek liquid chlorine because my free chlorine was only 1 and the little 3 way test kit says my Free chlorine is about a 4 now.
 
Ok, keep it around 8 right now. The PH test is not valid when chlorine above 10. When you get your test kit adjust PH to 7.2 first and then SLAM the pool.
 

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Okay so here's my progress:

SLAM worked like a charm! Water looks beautiful. And I'm doing my due diligence with my new test kit and levels are all good except... Calcium hardness.

Calcium hardness is at 700. Which I find odd because when we bought the house pre algae we had had to fill the pool up by about a 1/3... And that seems to be how most people advise softening the water. Were in a drought so won't be draining and refilling again anytime soon.

But even with calcium that high it's safe to swim right? With everything else in range?
 
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