Milky blue water

[Micahe22]

We put 30 pounds of shock in our pool 2 days ago, the water has turned into a milky teal color and has not changed. Help!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! You still have algae and those "shocks" won't fix it. You should use TFP's SLAM Process to fix it once and for all. To perform the SLAM Process properly, you need a good at-home test kit to maintain specific levels accurately. See our FC/CYA Levels. We recommend the TF-100 (link in my signature) or Taylor K-2006C. It makes a world of difference. Let us know if you have any questions.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Ohmy!! You put 30 pounds of *what* into your pool? What was the chemical make up of this??
What did you base that dose on?
Did you do any prior testing?
How about any testing afterwards to determine how much chlorine that put in your water?

Our method of pool care is to only add what the pool needs, and nothing else. Your pool liner may be bleached out from the addition of so much mystery product? And we use our own reliable test kit to tell us what our pool needs.

Please review a full things-
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Recommended Levels
SLAM Process
FC/CYA Levels



We really are happy to help you, but you have to do it "our way" or the "pool store way" and they don't work interchangeably.

Maddie

 

[Flying Tivo]

We put 30 pounds of shock i

 

[Micahe22]

Ohmy!! You put 30 pounds of *what* into your pool? What was the chemical make up of this??
What did you base that dose on?
Did you do any prior testing?
How about any testing afterwards to determine how much chlorine that put in your water?

Our method of pool care is to only add what the pool needs, and nothing else. Your pool liner may be bleached out from the addition of so much mystery product? And we use our own reliable test kit to tell us what our pool needs.

Please review a full things-
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Recommended Levels
SLAM Process
FC/CYA Levels



We really are happy to help you, but you have to do it "our way" or the "pool store way" and they don't work interchangeably.

Maddie

The pool store advised us to dump the entire bucket of shock in. We had taken a sample to the store. Our chlorine is now 8. CYA is 147, down from 161. We have been advised to drain some water, and refill with fresh. What are your thoughts?

 

[PoolStored]

Hey, welcome to TFP!!!

I was in the same place last year. Pool Store took me for over $1500. People here helped me and we can help you get your pool back without spending a ton of $$ at the pool store. Some inspiration: How Clear is TFP Clear? Let's See (Pics Please).

First, get a good test kit. Test Kits Compared Order one NOW. Seriously consider the smart stir. It changed my life.

Second, download PoolMath

Third, go get some good liquid chlorine.

Fourth, add 5ppm of liquid chlorine a day until you get your test kit. PoolMath will help you figure out how much to add to add 5ppm a day. This will keep the algae at bay.

Not much else to do until you get your test kit. Without it, or using pool store testing may do more harm or cause other issues. Ask us how we know.

When you get your test kit, come back with your results and we will help you recover your pool, posthaste!!!

While we don't trust pool store testing, IF your CYA is that high, we will help you replace some of your water to get that number down. Have you been using pucks to chlorinate?

 

[Orion7319]

30 pounds??? I dumped in 20 pounds once when we first bought our house with a green pool and I had already realized the liner was shot and we had to replace it anyway. Pool went from green to blue in a matter of minutes. If you have a sand filter it will take all that dead algae weeks to clear out. Good news is you probably succeeded in killing all that algae in one go! With a high CYA your going to need to replace a lot of water anyway, and at this point it’s the only thing you really can do. Don’t drain down to more then a foot of water in the shallow end at a time or else you will damage your liner. There are ways to exchange the water.

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Soooo...30 pounds of some product called "shock" either added about 15 pounds of CYA or Calcium to your pool along with about 15 pounds of chlorine. Its not pure chlorine, and if its calcium in it that can cloud up your pool. If it was CYA you've raised your bar as to how much straight chlorine it will take to clear your pool.

I would drain the pool by half, either at one time if you don't go below a foot or two in the shallow end, or in two smaller drains and refills. This will help lower that CYA or calcium number. (By the way, vinyl liners don't ever need calcium themselves)

Then go buy jugs of pure Liquid Chlorine. You can find that in Walmart's pool section, or in Lowes/HD. Buy about 10 jugs. You'll use this to chlorinate while you're clearing that blue fog.

You *must* get that test kit! It is an Investment that will repay you time and again. I promise. Use PoolMath, fill in your pool size and that you've got a vinyl pool and such and it can tell you how much chlorine to add to your pool.

At this point I would say one jug per day until you get your test kit. Run your filter 24/7 and keep us updated. Okay?

Maddie

 

[Micahe22]

Hey, welcome to TFP!!!

I was in the same place last year. Pool Store took me for over $1500. People here helped me and we can help you get your pool back without spending a ton of $$ at the pool store. Some inspiration: How Clear is TFP Clear? Let's See (Pics Please).

First, get a good test kit. Test Kits Compared Order one NOW. Seriously consider the smart stir. It changed my life.

Second, download PoolMath

Third, go get some good liquid chlorine.

Fourth, add 5ppm of liquid chlorine a day until you get your test kit. PoolMath will help you figure out how much to add to add 5ppm a day. This will keep the algae at bay.

Not much else to do until you get your test kit. Without it, or using pool store testing may do more harm or cause other issues. Ask us how we know.

When you get your test kit, come back with your results and we will help you recover your pool, posthaste!!!

While we don't trust pool store testing, IF your CYA is that high, we will help you replace some of your water to get that number down. Have you been using pucks to chlorinate?

We had a pool company come out last Saturday and open our pool. Then put 3 chlorine tabs in skimmer and ten pounds of shock. Tuesday, we took sample to pool store, were advised to use baking soda and then an entire bucket of shock. Our CYA came down from 161 to 147, and our chlorine level is now 8. We drained about 5 inches from the pool, and are adding fresh water.

2 questions, Should we be vacuuming? Should I add liquid chlorine, beings that our chlorine level is 8?

 

[Micahe22]

Soooo...30 pounds of some product called "shock" either added about 15 pounds of CYA or Calcium to your pool along with about 15 pounds of chlorine. Its not pure chlorine, and if its calcium in it that can cloud up your pool. If it was CYA you've raised your bar as to how much straight chlorine it will take to clear your pool.

I would drain the pool by half, either at one time if you don't go below a foot or two in the shallow end, or in two smaller drains and refills. This will help lower that CYA or calcium number. (By the way, vinyl liners don't ever need calcium themselves)

Then go buy jugs of pure Liquid Chlorine. You can find that in Walmart's pool section, or in Lowes/HD. Buy about 10 jugs. You'll use this to chlorinate while you're clearing that blue fog.

You *must* get that test kit! It is an Investment that will repay you time and again. I promise. Use PoolMath, fill in your pool size and that you've got a vinyl pool and such and it can tell you how much chlorine to add to your pool.

At this point I would say one jug per day until you get your test kit. Run your filter 24/7 and keep us updated. Okay?

Maddie

So I keep adding chlorine, even though our current level is 8?

 

[PoolStored]

Hey! Sure, go ahead and vacuum. I would also backwash your sand filter. When you start it up again, note the pressure. Say it is 20. When it rises 25% (in this case to 25), backwash again. Anytime it gets to +25% backwash again. This will help you filter.

Yes, go get some liquid chlorine. Your pool will use FC daily due to the sun etc. With an ASSUMED high CYA level, you should likely keep your FC higher to stave of algae. As I indicated, best thing to do is order the test kit NOW. Download POOLMATH and use it to figure out how much Liquid Chlorine to add 5ppm to your pool daily until you get your test kit. (I just ran your pool numbers and it comes out to about a gallon of Liquid Chlorine a day.)

Don't add anything else to the pool until you get your kit. We don't want to make it worse.

 

[Texas Splash]

Then put 3 chlorine tabs in skimmer and ten pounds of shock. Tuesday, we took sample to pool store, were advised to use baking soda and then an entire bucket of shock. Our CYA came down from 161 to 147, and our chlorine level is now 8.

Sorry to say none of that will help. Some very bad advice was given to you. You already have a high CYA and then put tabs in the water that increase CYA? Tabs should never go in the skimmer as they are acidic. Tabs, when used (rarely) should go in a floater. If you have tabs in there now, remove them right away. Stick to liquid chlorine.

So I keep adding chlorine, even though our current level is 8?

Take a look at the FC/CYA Levels, specifically the SLAM tab. Find your CYA. See what FC level you "should" maintain to kill algae. You're nowhere close. Aa FC of 8 is nothing. But none of this matters until you get a proper test kit noted above and post those numbers. We cannot coach you through algae to clear water without those proper test results. For now, simple add 1 gallon of liquid chlorine each day.

 

[PoolStored]

So I keep adding chlorine, even though our current level is 8?

Yup. Read this: FC/CYA Levels

Essentially, tabs add CYA. CYA protects your FC against the sun. At very high levels of CYA, you need to have very high levels of FC in your pool to continue to sanitize. With a CYA level of 100, your FC needs to be 11-13 to keep algae at bay.

Right now, we suspect you have high levels of CYA, but at pool store testing is notoriously wrong. If your CYA is actually 150, you will need to replace 2/3rds of your pool water. Since the testing is wrong, before spending the time and the money on a replacement, let's get a good test of your CYA and go from there.

Take the tabs out of the skimmer. Don't add anything but LC for now.

We got you!

 

[Micahe22]

Yup. Read this: FC/CYA Levels

Essentially, tabs add CYA. CYA protects your FC against the sun. At very high levels of CYA, you need to have very high levels of FC in your pool to continue to sanitize. With a CYA level of 100, your FC needs to be 11-13 to keep algae at bay.

Right now, we suspect you have high levels of CYA, but at pool store testing is notoriously wrong. If your CYA is actually 150, you will need to replace 2/3rds of your pool water. Since the testing is wrong, before spending the time and the money on a replacement, let's get a good test of your CYA and go from there.

Take the tabs out of the skimmer. Don't add anything but LC for now.

We got you!

We drained about 2 feet of water. Looks better but still not clear. These are our results as of today.

 

[Micahe22]

So, our water has improved over the last few days, but still not clear. We drained about 2 feet of water, due to our high CYA levels. What should we do now?

 

[PoolStored]

Hey! Good job on the replacement!

Go back to my post #6, that is what’s next. Did you get your kit ordered? Did you download pool math?

 

[Oly]

Short videos.