Treating the pool for almost a month now, with little to no results.

[LeahEox]

I have a pool. It turned green after the pool company did not service it for a week.

After I noticed, I went to a pool supply store, took a water test, and bought some chemicals to treat it myself.

Week 1:
Added chlorine as needed (doing test strips or testing with them). With virtually no results for an entire week. They told me the chlorine was being consumed by the algae.

Week 2:
Did the water test at the pool supply store. They recommended yellow treatment, to run the filter 3 days straight, clean the pool filter once a day, brushed the pool, removed the leaves, cleaned the skimmer, and add more chlorine as needed (doing test strips or testing with them). Pool changed only a little, in various shades if green, but always green. They told me the algacide had killed all the chlorine, andd I just needed to be patient.

Week 3:
Went to the store again. They told me it was the phospates feeding the algae. Did a treatment for that with something called No Phos on the skimmer, brushed the pool, removed the leaves, cleaned the skimmer, and add more chlorine as needed (doing test strips or testing with them). After a couple days of that that the pool turned almost blue for one day. But the next day it was greeen again.

Curently (Week 4):
Went to the store again. They told me it was the stabilizer is low so the chlorine "burns off". They gave me a conditioner to add on a cloth, on the skimmer, brushed the pool, removed the leaves, cleaned the skimmer, and add more chlorine as needed (doing test strips or testing with them). After a couple days of that and the pool is still green.

I just don't know what else I can do at this point. Any ideas?

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
You need to follow the SLAM Process. To do that, you need a proper test kit, see Test Kits Compared. I suggest the TF-100 A proper test kit is needed to get the accurate water chemistry results needed to follow the TFP protocols.

While you are waiting on your test kit, add 5 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine / plain bleach to your pool each evening with the pump running. This will replenish the FC lost each day to the sun and also inhibit any algae in the water from growing further.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

 

[LeahEox]

Welcome to the forum!
You need to follow the SLAM Process. To do that, you need a proper test kit, see Test Kits Compared. I suggest the TF-100 A proper test kit is needed to get the accurate water chemistry results needed to follow the TFP protocols.

While you are waiting on your test kit, add 5 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine / plain bleach to your pool each evening with the pump running. This will replenish the FC lost each day to the sun and also inhibit any algae in the water from growing further.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

Reading!!

 

[aeh0603]

I just wanted to second what Marty said above, he is a true expert and won't steer you wrong. The SLAM process really does work. You found the right place if you are looking to take control of your pool and save money in the process. If you are willing to learn, there is a wealth of knowledge offered on this site and the folks here are happy to help you figure it all out (and we tend to really like the "green to clean" threads ).

You can do it! Just post back on this thread if you have any questions

 

[Flying Tivo]

I just don't know what else I can do at this point. Any ideas?

Stop going to the Pool Store and follow Marty's advice.

 

[Shirker]

They gave me a conditioner

If you have not already added this, please don't until you have gotten your test kit and give this forum a moment to go over the results.

 

[wireform]

Welcome, While you wait for the kit to arrive go out and get 12 gallons of bleach/chlorine because it's going to drink that stuff in the beginning and you won't want the FC dropping while you go to get some more. The main thing you'll be doing when the kit comes is do a full test to see water qualities before you go any further.

 

[LeahEox]

I have a pool and it has been green but kind of clear for the past 3 weeks. Chlorine levels are ok everytime. I cleaned the filter, and what I found is a greenish filter. What can I do?

 

[proavia]

Did you get your own testkit (TF-100 or K2006c)?
Post current test results from own testing
Follow the SLAM Process

 

[Demegrad9]

In your recent picture, you appear to have a chlorine floater in your pool. Are you still using chlorine pucks? If so, please stop immediately. You need to take the advice that has been given here and absolutely no other.

Buy a proper test kit (TF-100 or K2006c). No other test kit will work. Test strips are completely worthless no matter how expensive they are.

Once you can test the water you need to follow the SLAM process.

 

[zea3]

We need to see a full set of test results. Telling us chlorine is "ok" doesn't give us enough information to help you. You have live algae in the water which requires elevated levels of chlorine to kill. We won't know how much chlorine you need without a full set of test results. The amount of chlorine needed will depend on current chlorine levels and current CYA (stabilizer) levels.

We have given you some information to read near the beginning of your thread. You need to decide if you are going to follow the TFP method or keep doing what the pool store recommends. These methods are not interchangeable, you need to pick one and follow it. We believe if you stick with the TFP method you will have a clean sparkling pool. It will take time and work to get there, but once you are there it is easy to maintain. So far the only green the pool store has removed has come from your wallet, not your pool. I think its time you give the TFP method a try, and for the same amount of time you gave the pool store.

We recommend a high quality FAS/DPD based test kit such as a TF 100 from TF test kits.com or the Taylor K2006C which is available from many online retail stores. You will not find these kits in your average pool store. They run about $70, but they are an investment in the safety and quality of your pool water, and will last you a couple of pool seasons under normal conditions. You have probably already spent hundreds of dollars on one-time treatments that did nothing, from pool stores that gave you wrong information.

What was the wrong information from the pool store?
You had green water after using their treatment and they said the algae is dead, be patient. Anytime the water is cloudy-green you have live algae in the water. It turns grey when dead.

Algaecide doesn't kill an algae bloom. It is a weak preventative, not a treatment. It is the equivalent of using a squirt gun to put out a house fire. There's just not enough strength to do the job. We don't recommend routine use of algaecide because a properly chlorinated pool doesn't need it. In fact, if it is a copper based algaecide it may do more harm than good by staining pool surfaces.

Removing phosphates doesn't remove algae. Pool stores like to say phosphates are algae food, which is true, but it is not the reason you have algae. Anything organic in the water, leaves, pollen, swimmer waste, and other debris that lands in the water is also algae food. Chlorine kills algae. In a properly chlorinated pool it won't matter if you have high phosphate levels because there will be no algae to eat them.

Condition/stabilizer/CYA are all names for cyanuric acid, the chemical that is added to dichlor and trichlor dry chlorine products to shield the chlorine from the sun so it can oxidize organics before it burns off in the sun. CYA itself doesn't burn off the same way chlorine does. It builds up in the water until the chlorine is no longer effective. CYA burn off is extremely slow, like 2-3ppm per month in the summer. Each 8 ounce trichlor tablet adds 6ppm of CYA to a 10,000 gallon pool. 16 ounces (one bag) of dichlor adds 6ppm of CYA to a 10,000 gallon pool. If you use any dichlor or trichlor product you are adding CYA far faster than the rate of burn off. The only way to remove excess CYA is to drain the pool and replace with fresh water. Chlorine and CYA need to be kept in the correct ratio. This is why we recommend liquid chlorine instead of dry chlorine. Liquid chlorine does not contain CYA.

Sorry for the long post, but I felt like this is information you really need to read. We are ready to help you when you are ready to give us a try.

 

[Henry M]

Went through the same ordeal not too long ago. It wasn't until I followed the advice of those who contribute to this forum that the problem ceased. The Test Kit is extremely reliable; not unlike the suggestions made here. Best of luck!

 

[TomGallopavo]

I have a pool and it has been green but kind of clear for the past 3 weeks. Chlorine levels are ok everytime. I cleaned the filter, and what I found is a greenish filter. What can I do?

Haha my filter is way dirtier than that, hose it off and it will work great.