Algae in the pool

[poolgirl22]

My wife added more dichlor based on earlier comments before reading through other posts. :-(
We do not aerate capability.
I will check the readings when I get home. Looks like it rained earlier today. Not sure of the rain affect on pH.
Do I get borax and Great Value Bleach in target or walmart/samsclub? Or there are other stores that sell cheaper and larger quantity.
I do have national pool near my home that sell liquid chlorine. I am guessing it will be pricey compared to generic brands. Please suggest.

That's fine. At least we know where you should be in general. Just please switch to bleach.
You'll have the best price of those things likely at walmart. Buy plenty, you can take back what Borax you don't use. The rain has a aerating effect so it may have raised it or compensated for the lowering effects.

I don't know what effect on FC the shock had at such a low ph to start with or where your ph might be right now (someone else likely can comment onthat) after that last addition so I would hedge a bet that ph will be your first item of business this evening. We'll see when you post new results.

Stay with us...anyone who's around will pick up where one of us leaves off.

 

[pjpool2010]

I just did some basic test:
FC: between 4 or 5
TC: >10
pH: 6.8

Please advise.

 

[poolgirl22]

I just did some basic test:
FC: between 4 or 5
TC: >10
pH: 6.8

Please advise.

Refresh our memories...what testing method are you using?

Raise ph to 7.3. Use pool calculator to determine how much borax.

We need a CYA number. It's likely around 55 based on the progress we've been tracking but it will need to be verified.

Using the CYA value you get from your test enter it in the now section of CYA.
Raise your FC to shock level (which should be from the CYA chart according to your CYA reading). Example (55 is shock of 22)
Enter 4 in the now on the pool calculator and whatever your shock target is and calculate. Make sure you read the line that says x ounces of 6% bleach.
Test in an hour, enter the values again, add bleach. Repeat
Reread how to shock your pool.

Once you figure out your CYA and target shock value, check your numbers, post back here if you wish for verification. I think you'll be on track though.

 

[PaulR]

pjpool2010, earlier you mentioned using a PS233 kit. Seems like it would have to be a few years old by now, is that right? Are you still using the original reagents or did you get fresh replacements? (Or has PoolSolutions started shipping kits again?) If your reagents are multiple years old, I would not be inclined to trust them; Leslie's should have refills or equivalents for most of them.

Nevertheless, if we trust the results of FC ~5 and TC > 10, you are in serious need of keeping up the shock process. Use bleach for the next little while, because the dichlor seems to have dropped your pH more than I would have expected.

Speaking of pH, you could use borax to raise pH quickly if you wish, but I think if your TA is in the 140 range, pH should recover on its own probably in a few days.
--paulr

 

[joykens]

While I really like the Clorox from Sam's Club, if you get liquid chlorine from the pool store, you will save yourself a lot of lugging of jugs, especially with the size of your pool. Often times, they are pretty similar in price by the time you compare concentrations.

 

[pjpool2010]

PS233 kit I own is 2 or 3yrs old. Each tube say "taylor".

Water is still light green. FC still low.

Added pH increaser 1lbs that I had at home and 1 full box of borax to increase pH from 6.8.
I added 12 jugs of "great value" bleach earlier today. My FC level does not seem to go up. BTW, I also have total 4 Chroline tablets in skimmer.
I had water tested at National Pools few hours back and here is the result :

FC: 0.6
TC: 10
CC: 9.4
TA (Input): 81
TA (Adjusted): 81
pH: 7.1
CYA: 28 (interesting to see this is back low again.)
Calium Hardness: 101 (Do I need to increase this)
Saturation Index: -0.75

BTW it rained last 2days. How long and how much more chemicals before water is clear

Thanks!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

How was your test kit stored? unless it's been stored in a temp-controlled dark place, like an indoor closet, I'd get a new kit.
I would not count on pool store testing as it's often wrought with errors.

FC 4 or 5? Are you using the yellow OTO test? How did you reach that result?

You need to follow the steps in
Shocking Your Pool

until the FC holds overnight and your CC is .5 or less and your water is clear. Use liquid chlorine or bleach - it will take ALOT when the CC is that high.

There is no way to predict how long or how much. Testing and adding chlorine up to hourly to maintain shock level is the key to clearing it up sooner rather than later. Add bleach, wait 30 minutes, if you haven't reached shock level you add more bleach until you do. This means testing the FC hourly and recalculating how much bleach to add to reach shock. So say at 10am you test and the FC is 2, you calculate how much bleach you need to reach say 20. Add that amount, wait an hour, test again, say you are at FC 8, recalculate how much bleach, add it, and test again in an hour. Does that make sense?

 

[esim13]

PS233 kit I own is 2 or 3yrs old. Each tube say "taylor".

Water is still light green. FC still low.

Added pH increaser 1lbs that I had at home and 1 full box of borax to increase pH from 6.8.
I added 12 jugs of "great value" bleach earlier today. My FC level does not seem to go up. BTW, I also have total 4 Chroline tablets in skimmer.I had water tested at National Pools few hours back and here is the result :

FC: 0.6
TC: 10
CC: 9.4
TA (Input): 81
TA (Adjusted): 81
pH: 7.1
CYA: 28 (interesting to see this is back low again.)
Calium Hardness: 101 (Do I need to increase this)
Saturation Index: -0.75

BTW it rained last 2days. How long and how much more chemicals before water is clear

Thanks!

Does anyone else see a problem with 4 pucks in skimmer? Stop using the pucks. This will only lead to a higher CYA level which will lead to a higher shock level which will lead to buying more bleach and costing you more time and money. Besides, putting them in the skimmer could lead to future problems with the pump.

Get a good test kit and test your own water. I personally have the Taylor K-2006 and I love it. Others love the TF100. Either way is fine - just get one! Pool store results are not very accurate.

 

[PaulR]

If you take samples to the same pool store and it's the same person doing it every time, then you might get consistent results. Otherwise all bets are off. Sometimes people have take two samples from the same pool, and gotten different results for each of the samples; and that's with the same person doing both sets of tests. Nobody will do the tests with the same care and attention you would; that's why we always say you should do your own testing.

Leslie's stocks refills for most of the stuff in the PS233, assuming that the PS233 still marks the Taylor numbers on the reagents (R-0xxx).

Now, about those most recent readings: You have a vinyl liner, so hardness and saturation index can be low without causing any problem. (In a plaster pool it would matter; vinyl, it's irrelevant.)

FC remains low, and 4 pucks in the skimmer aren't going to help defeat algae--in 33K gallons, that's probably not even a maintenance dose for a clean pool. The pucks are contributing to your low pH, however. The algae is consuming the chlorine almost as fast as you are adding it; you need to hit it hard and stay on top of it.

The 12 jugs was a good start; the thing is, you need to keep hitting the algae until it's all gone. Hit it once and let it go, it will all grow back and you've made no progress.
--paulr