Greetings! Long time TFP-method user, first time posting.
How quickly can a pool go from crystal-clear and sparkling to green? This morning my pool was clear, as it has been for months. This afternoon we got a big storm passing through, and now the pool is green.
History and stats:
My in-ground pool was a swamp for two years while I neglected it. Two months ago I drained, dredged, pressure-washed, and refilled it, SLAMing it after refilling until the water was clear and sparkling, the OCLT was passed, and the chemistry was both within the TFP-recommended ranges and within the ranges where I've previously had success.
Most recent test results:
FC: 6
CC: 0.5
pH: 7.4
TA: 60
CH: 425
CYA: 30-40
I do not have an SWG.
My chlorine sources since the restart have been a mix of chlorinating liquid, cal-hypo, and dichlor, depending on whether CH / CYA were at the levels I wanted. For the past four weeks or so I've been using trichlor pucks in my inline chlorinator. My intention was to shut it off and switch back to liquid once CYA got somewhere between 50 and 80, but remarkably that hasn't happened. I test every few days and CYA has yet to get above 45. We've had a very rainy spring/early summer here in Georgia so I supposed that the pool overflow from the heavy rains were keeping CYA down.
My testing reagents are several years old but all appear to be in good condition based on the criteria described in other posts. They're stored in a cool, dark, dry location indoors. My R-0013 is brand new. I've previously calibrated my CYA testing technique against the Taylor R-7065 CYA 50 ppm standard. My FAS-DPD tests have shown the expected range of results based on circumstances, i.e. it's read low or zero when I knew there was likely to be very little FC and read in the tens and twenties when I was slamming and expected to have high results.
Even on days when I don't run tests, I look over the pool to judge the clarity, and it's been consistently crystal-clear, with the main drains in the deep end clearly visible through eight feet of water even when viewed from inside the house and one story up. I'm very familiar with the difference between crystal-clear and slightly cloudy, as I watched the water get more clear day by day while I was SLAMing it. The pool was clear yesterday and it was clear this morning.
We are heavily wooded and get a lot of debris in the pool. There is always a small amount of debris at the bottom, but I have a Dolphin robot that I run every two or three days, or more often as needed, and it keeps the pool mostly clean, along with me netting the top. So far the debris load has actually been quite light; it's worse when it rains, and it'll be worse later in the year.
So.
Any thoughts about how or why a sparkling pool could turn green literally within hours?
Appreciate any insights you might have.
How quickly can a pool go from crystal-clear and sparkling to green? This morning my pool was clear, as it has been for months. This afternoon we got a big storm passing through, and now the pool is green.
History and stats:
My in-ground pool was a swamp for two years while I neglected it. Two months ago I drained, dredged, pressure-washed, and refilled it, SLAMing it after refilling until the water was clear and sparkling, the OCLT was passed, and the chemistry was both within the TFP-recommended ranges and within the ranges where I've previously had success.
Most recent test results:
FC: 6
CC: 0.5
pH: 7.4
TA: 60
CH: 425
CYA: 30-40
I do not have an SWG.
My chlorine sources since the restart have been a mix of chlorinating liquid, cal-hypo, and dichlor, depending on whether CH / CYA were at the levels I wanted. For the past four weeks or so I've been using trichlor pucks in my inline chlorinator. My intention was to shut it off and switch back to liquid once CYA got somewhere between 50 and 80, but remarkably that hasn't happened. I test every few days and CYA has yet to get above 45. We've had a very rainy spring/early summer here in Georgia so I supposed that the pool overflow from the heavy rains were keeping CYA down.
My testing reagents are several years old but all appear to be in good condition based on the criteria described in other posts. They're stored in a cool, dark, dry location indoors. My R-0013 is brand new. I've previously calibrated my CYA testing technique against the Taylor R-7065 CYA 50 ppm standard. My FAS-DPD tests have shown the expected range of results based on circumstances, i.e. it's read low or zero when I knew there was likely to be very little FC and read in the tens and twenties when I was slamming and expected to have high results.
Even on days when I don't run tests, I look over the pool to judge the clarity, and it's been consistently crystal-clear, with the main drains in the deep end clearly visible through eight feet of water even when viewed from inside the house and one story up. I'm very familiar with the difference between crystal-clear and slightly cloudy, as I watched the water get more clear day by day while I was SLAMing it. The pool was clear yesterday and it was clear this morning.
We are heavily wooded and get a lot of debris in the pool. There is always a small amount of debris at the bottom, but I have a Dolphin robot that I run every two or three days, or more often as needed, and it keeps the pool mostly clean, along with me netting the top. So far the debris load has actually been quite light; it's worse when it rains, and it'll be worse later in the year.
So.
Any thoughts about how or why a sparkling pool could turn green literally within hours?
Appreciate any insights you might have.
A significant amount of product washed into the pool in a short amount of time can really cause stress to your water. In addition, I suspect your biggest problem might be those old reagents. We've seen others come back this season and say they wished they had changed them out sooner. While your eyes are accustomed to a certain clarity, fresh reagents confirm what we can't see. It's possible your FC and/or CYA have been out of range and the storms were just enough to mess it all up. I'd start with fresh reagents and go from there.