So, I'm a fairly new pool owner (Intex Easy Set 15' x 48") and am having my first experience with slightly green, cloudy water. I am not totally sure it is algae, but figured posting here would be a good place to start. Friday evening we had a surprise pop up thunderstorm that blew a TON of tree debris (catkins, leaves, etc) into the pool. I netted out what I could in the short amount of time I had before the next storm came up and covered it for the night (I usually cover the pool every night). The next morning I vacuumed, brushed and cleaned the remaining debris out as best I could. By yesterday afternoon it was starting to look a little cloudy and then today it was more cloudy (I can still see the bottom) with a slightly green hue. Testing wise, I also noticed that my pH was higher today (usually runs around 7.5 but was up to 7.8). My TA is always high, but usually my pH is still fairly stable. FC has not been below 2 and CC has not been above .5 in the weeks since I opened the pool. I'll list all of today's test numbers below. My question is, should I SLAM the pool now? Or, wait and see if my CC's start rising or cloudiness/green hue worsens? I went ahead and added dry acid today to get the pH down as well as putting in a new pump filter, so I don't know if that potentially could clear it up without SLAMming?
Also, as I mentioned, I usually cover every night to help keep bugs/debris out as well as conserve heat (we like our water warm). Could covering it every night be contributing to some of my issues? If a SLAM is needed, should I cover or leave uncovered during the process?
Thanks for any suggestions/recommendations!
FC = 3.5 (just added bleach to raise to 7, but usually add bleach each evening as needed to keep it around 5)
CC = .5
pH = 7.8 (retested this evening and it's already down to 7.2 from dry acid added earlier today)
TA = 160 (usually runs between 130 and 160)
CYA = 40
Water temp = this past week it has been hovering close to 90 degrees
Note: Testing with TF-100 Kit
Also, as I mentioned, I usually cover every night to help keep bugs/debris out as well as conserve heat (we like our water warm). Could covering it every night be contributing to some of my issues? If a SLAM is needed, should I cover or leave uncovered during the process?
Thanks for any suggestions/recommendations!
FC = 3.5 (just added bleach to raise to 7, but usually add bleach each evening as needed to keep it around 5)
CC = .5
pH = 7.8 (retested this evening and it's already down to 7.2 from dry acid added earlier today)
TA = 160 (usually runs between 130 and 160)
CYA = 40
Water temp = this past week it has been hovering close to 90 degrees
Note: Testing with TF-100 Kit