Hard time with new pool

[smenzel]

Hello! We just moved into our new home 7/12. We have a 24 round above ground pool that we had no idea if it was usable. We were intimidated by it so I called some pool guys to help open it up for us to get started with the intention of maintaining after they opened. Ended up having to replace the motor which was 200 but other than that it is still in fine shape. According to my neighbor it hadn't been used for at least a year so it was really dirty.

The pool guys did several rounds of shock (8lbs once a week) and it's still green. I finally just told them we'd take it from here because I was paying them so much. Ended up paying them about $500.

We would like to do the BBB method but see so much contradicting information.

The water was clear but green and cloudy. Tested the water. Everything was low, so put in a bottle of bleach (3 liters) 4 lbs borax, and about 2 pounds baking soda.

Brought water into Leslie's and they gave us a recommendation sheet that we have been doing. I will attach the sheet. We still have one more round of shock plus the last step. Is there any information/advice to help me with our pool? We really want this to work. Thanks!

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! I wish you had found us sooner. The best way to clear the pool is with liquid chlorine and lots of it. We use the SLAM Process to clear the pool, and we rely on accurate testing to guide us on chemical dosages. I am afraid you are going to continue to have problems after this round of "treatment" from Leslie's is completed.

We recommend a good quality FAS/DPD test kit. It will allow you to test the parameters needed to conduct a slam. We use chlorine levels that are usually above 5ppm, which is the top limit for most test kits. Keeping a pool clean and clear of algae depends on maintaining the correct FC/CYA ratio. Do you have a recent set of test results you can post? It will help us advise you on what you should do next.

The Green to Clean/Yellow Out Leslie's recommends contains ammonia. The ammonia might kill the algae, but it will positively increase the chlorine demand in your pool until it is oxidized out of the water.
Here are a couple of articles to read ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry, FC/CYA Levels, Test Kits Compared. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

 

[smenzel]

Thank you for your reply. Sorry I hadn't read all the requirements before originally posting. I will try and get a better idea before hand before posting.

Current readings based on my test kit (not a recommended one because I just came across this website and will need to buy a proper kit)

FC - about 2.3
CC - above 3
pH - less than 6.8
TA - 80 ppm

We just backwashed as well. Hadn't done that in a few days. Can you help me with the next steps I need to take? Thank you








The Green to Clean/Yellow Out Leslie's recommends contains ammonia. The ammonia might kill the algae, but it will positively increase the chlorine demand in your pool until it is oxidized out of the water.
Here are a couple of articles to read ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry, FC/CYA Levels, Test Kits Compared. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
[/QUOTE]
Thanks s

Hi, welcome to TFP! I wish you had found us sooner. The best way to clear the pool is with liquid chlorine and lots of it. We use the SLAM Process to clear the pool, and we rely on accurate testing to guide us on chemical dosages. I am afraid you are going to continue to have problems after this round of "treatment" from Leslie's is completed.

We recommend a good quality FAS/DPD test kit. It will allow you to test the parameters needed to conduct a slam. We use chlorine levels that are usually above 5ppm, which is the top limit for most test kits. Keeping a pool clean and clear of algae depends on maintaining the correct FC/CYA ratio. Do you have a recent set of test results you can post? It will help us advise you on what you should do next.

The Green to Clean/Yellow Out Leslie's recommends contains ammonia. The ammonia might kill the algae, but it will positively increase the chlorine demand in your pool until it is oxidized out of the water.
Here are a couple of articles to read ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry, FC/CYA Levels, Test Kits Compared. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

 

[frogabog]

As @zea3 noted, you need to read about and follow the SLAM Process. This means liquid chlorine/bleach, and lots of it.

You will need a good test kit. See Test Kits Compared. We recommend the TF-100 with the XL option or the TaylorK-2006c for pools that are in need of SLAMming.

For the moment, you could add enough bleach to bring your pool up to 5ppm FC every day till you get your kit. Use PoolMath to figure out how much bleach to add. Without knowing your CYA level however, it's difficult to know if you even have CYA. It doesn't appear they gave you any test results at all, although we wouldn't trust them anyway.

Perhaps some videos in addition to the above mentioned reading will help you.

 

[smenzel]

Thank you for the information. I have ordered a recommended test kit. I have put 5 gallons of bleach in the meantime. Should I do more or wait and test again? It was at 3.4 FC. Also, do I keep it filtering or backwash? I have just kept the filter on 24/7 at this point.

As @zea3 noted, you need to read about and follow the SLAM Process. This means liquid chlorine/bleach, and lots of it.

You will need a good test kit. See Test Kits Compared. We recommend the TF-100 with the XL option or the TaylorK-2006c for pools that are in need of SLAMming.

For the moment, you could add enough bleach to bring your pool up to 5ppm FC every day till you get your kit. Use PoolMath to figure out how much bleach to add. Without knowing your CYA level however, it's difficult to know if you even have CYA. It doesn't appear they gave you any test results at all, although we wouldn't trust them anyway.

Perhaps some videos in addition to the above mentioned reading will help you.

 

[smenzel]

Ah I see. Test again till it reaches 5ppm. Got it.

As @zea3 noted, you need to read about and follow the SLAM Process. This means liquid chlorine/bleach, and lots of it.

You will need a good test kit. See Test Kits Compared. We recommend the TF-100 with the XL option or the TaylorK-2006c for pools that are in need of SLAMming.

For the moment, you could add enough bleach to bring your pool up to 5ppm FC every day till you get your kit. Use PoolMath to figure out how much bleach to add. Without knowing your CYA level however, it's difficult to know if you even have CYA. It doesn't appear they gave you any test results at all, although we wouldn't trust them anyway.

Perhaps some videos in addition to the above mentioned reading will help you.

Ah I see.

 

[frogabog]

Keep your filter running 24/7 now, and when you're able to officially start the SLAM Process. Once the algae actually dies, you have to filter it out.

Keeping it at 5ppm right now doesn't do a whole lot, but it will help you with a little head start once your kit arrives.

 

[smenzel]

Ok got my test kit in and am ready to SLAM.

CYA: less than 30
pH: 7.0
Base Demand: 3 drops
TA: 90 ppm

 

[Casey]

SLAM away. Remember to maintain the SLAM level consistently throughout the day.

 

[smenzel]

I have been SLAMming since Tuesday. Today is Sunday. When will I start to see clear water? It definitely looks better but still green/cloudy. How do I know when to stop slamming? I've been maintaining my cya/FC slam amount consistently and brushing.

 

[mknauss]

Read the SLAM Process article. In the article, the three criteria for a successful SLAM are detailed. The first is crystal clear water.

Can you give us some updated test results? How often are you testing and adding LC? How often are you brushing? Is the pump on 24/7?

 

[smenzel]

Yes, the pump is on 24/7. Testing FC every 4-6 hours and adding bleach as needed to maintain slam chlorine level. Brush once a day, I did notice today that there was a noticeable darker area seen in the water (hadn't been able to see anything but green so far so maybe it is getting clearer) and got the net and found more pine straw/leaves. The pool had layers of pine straw and leaves when we took off the cover for the first time. It has been unused for a year.

So i worked on it for a long time getting everything I could out of there. Hoping this helps get it where it needs to be.

Read the SLAM Process

Can you give us some updated test results? How often are you testing and adding LC? How often are you brushing? Is the pump on 24/7?

 

[Flying Tivo]

For the slam you can use the 5ml test sample and 1 scoop of powder, that will save you some reagent. Each drop is 1 ppm of FC. No need to test for anything else during slam.

 

[mknauss]

found more pine straw/leaves

As long as you have solid organic material in the pool, the process of the SLAM will be extended. The chlorine is working on breaking down those organics. Once all that is removed, then the SLAM will go much quicker.

 

[smenzel]

How long can the slam process last? I just feel like I'm doing everything I'm supposed to and not getting anywhere. The water looks a little better, but not much in comparison.

 

[borjis]

A slam can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks.
All depends on how bad it was to begin with as well as keeping the shock level up.

Green to clean is usually a few weeks.
You are making progress, just stay on top of it.

 

[smenzel]

Ok so I'm able to see a bit more today. I can actually see the sides of the pool deeper down and actually see the algae (black, slimy) We really scrubbed hard at it and was able to see it come off where as before we just blindly scrubbed.

So my question is... Is it unsafe to actually get it in the pool to do this? There is no deck around it so it is difficult to really get a good angle. Currently using a ladder.

Just curious if that's advisable at all at this point. Thanks.

 

[mknauss]

You can get in. We warn against swimming if you cannot see the bottom. If getting in to scrub, I suggest you have someone out of the pool keep an eye on the person in the pool to be sure they do not get into trouble.

 

[smenzel]

So I can see the bottom of the pool now but the water is just cloudy. It hasn't really been green for awhile now that I think of it...just cloudy. We've maintained the chlorine levels for over three weeks now. So we're just dealing with cloudy water. Anything else I can do?

You can get in. We warn against swimming if you cannot see the bottom. If getting in to scrub, I suggest you have someone out of the pool keep an eye on the person in the pool to be sure they do not get into trouble.

 

[duraleigh]

Anything else I can do?

You are likely already doing these things....
Backwash/clean your filter as necessary
run the pump 24/7
Brush when you can (once daily is plenty)
Run your robot or manually vacuum

You are in the "cleaning up" stage. You should see daily improvement if you are keeping your FC up and following all these procedures.