Green pool

[Andrewa]

I went to the pool store and below are the readings they gave me.. they told me to buy an algicide and shock/ chlorine( he split it with me) what do you think?


FC: 0
* TC: 0
* pH: 7.4
* TA: 80
* CH: 330
* CYA: 50
TDS: 1100
Phosphates: 100

After using it my pool went from bright green to a blue color but extreamly cloudy. its been 4 days should it be getting any clearer yet? thanks

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

If all of the algae is dead and your filter is working, it can still take a week, or occasionally longer, for the water to completely clear up. During that time you sould be able to see a visible improvement in the water each day.

Shocking is an ongoing process. You need to raise the FC level up to shock level and then keep it there for a while to kill all of the algae. You might want to read Shocking Your Pool at Pool School for details.

If the water has remained kind of blue and cloudy, then you might have a problem with the filter. If some of the green is coming back then you haven't used enough chlorine.

Have you been backwashing/cleaning your filter at all since you added the chlorine/shock?

Longer term, it would be a big help if you had your own test kit.

 

[Andrewa]

Ok, well I figured I had a problem with the filter bc the PSI was around 30+. My landlord gave me a new one but the guy at the pool store told me to make due with the old one... As soon as i put the new one on the PSI went to 10... I have had the new filter ( cartridge) on for 48 hrs but was not sure if i should be seeing more progress.

On a seperate note I could not see the bottom of the pool when I started treating and had no knowledge of what the previous owners left at the bottom of the pool. when I started the process I used a scoop net for leaves and did the best I could. yesterday i had an itch to hook the vacuum up and saw many more comming through the tube. Should I continue to try to get more leaves off the bottom or should i wait till i can see the bottom. Thanks for the quick resp...

 

[JasonLion]

You want to clean the cartridge any time the pressure goes up by around 6. If a new clean cartridge reads 10, then you ought to clean the cartridge when it goes up to 16.

You should be able to see some progress each day if you look closely. It is simplest to judge progress by looking at the water around the steps or the ladder. Given that you have muck on the bottom of the pool it is really really likely that you need more chlorine.

If the pool is really dirty, then it is worth scooping/vacuuming blind for a while. You won't be able to finish cleaning everything up until the water clears up, but you can speed up the clearing process by getting up what you can right now.

This whole process will be much simpler if you have a good test kit. I recommend a test kit from TF Test Kits, see the link in my signature. The Taylor K-2006 is also good. With a test kit you would be able to tell if you have killed all of the algae or not very easily.