Green Cloudy Pool

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C

cedougl

0
Aug 24, 2015
83
Petersburgh, NY
Hi, I am relatively new to the forum, and looking for advice on how to get a green pool back to sparkling. I have read the "Turning Your Green Swamp Back Into A Sparkling Oasis", and that prompted more questions.

The last pool store test measured our CYA at 34, which seems idea for SLAMing. Before reading any of this information, I have been attempting to raise the chlorine levels, to eliminate the algae. Not really knowing exactly what I am doing, over the last 48 hours, I have added 3 - 1 gallon treatments of liquid chlorine (calcium hypochlorite - not sure of the %). I added the second and third gallon, based on the fact that there was absolutely no change in the water color. It is still solid green, and cloudy.

Now, reading the information here, I am afraid I have raised my FC level way too high, to the point where I may hurt my liner.

Should I be vacuuming regularly during the process of adding chlorine? I do not currently own a FAS-DPD test kit to test CC, but that seems like something I need.

Any help or advice is certainly appreciated. My pool has been green for about two weeks now!

Thanks
Chuck
 
Hi Chuck. :calm: We can help. A few questions/comments:
- What is your pool capacity? Please add your pool info to your signature for later.
- Do you have a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006? It ALL starts with one of those testers. You absolutely cannot trust the pool stores tests - especially with CYA; see the TF-100 link in my sig to assist.
- Regular liquid bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is the right thing to use. Once you tell us your pool size and info, we can get more specific on quantities

More than likely you will need to SLAM via Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain. Read this now to be prepared and ask questions as needed.

- - - Updated - - -

For now, do NOT add anything to your water other than regular bleach. Once we know your pool size, we'll advise from there.
 
Thanks for the reply. I have a 27' round pool which is 4.5' deep. So, the volume is roughly 19,300 gallons. I am reading about SLAM as we speak. I do not currently have a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006 test kit. I will pick up some bleach on the way home today. Is there any certain percentage, I should be using?

Thanks,
Chuck
 
The bleach % should be on the label. Most grocery stores have the 8.25%, but in your area you may see 6 or 10% sometimes. They all work the same. Just look for the best value. When you go to use the Poolmath calculator to enter your data, make sure you change the bleach % block to the appropriate percentage. Until you get the right test kit though, we don't want you to pour bleach blindly and waste money or damage your liner. You can't do the SLAM without the right kit either. So for now, simply add about 1 gallon of bleach each evening and let it mix around real well with the pump on. This won't cure the green, but should help slow it down until your kit arrives. Once you get your kit, you'll know your exact CYA and FC levels which are KEY to doing the SLAM.
 
Thanks for the help so far. Is there any place I can pick up the kit locally, or can it only be ordered online? I would like to do more than slow it down over the next couple of days, if possible, since it has been two weeks now. I do have a standard test kit which shows chlorine readings by color, and shows rough ppm ranges. I know this is not as good as the other test kits, but can I base any decisions on that test? Using the PoolMath tool, I also know roughly how many ppm the FC level will be raised by adding one gallon of bleach, and I know my goal FC level to shock it to. Can I use a little guess work to get started, as mentioned in the article titled "Turning Your Green Swamp Back Into A Sparkling Oasis"?

Thanks
Chuck
 
The biggest part of what you are missing right now is the FAS-DPD (R-0870 powder & R-0871 drops) part of the kit. You can order that separately from the TF-100 site as well. You can call around and ask, but not too many stores (if any) will have it locally. It's the only way to test chlorine over 5ppm. If you ask a store clerk about testing over 5ppm, they'll look at you like you have 3 heads, but trust me (us), the Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart clearly states how FC and CYA work together - especially during a SLAM.

Keep in mind the TFTestkits.net can also expedite your order and get it to your really fast. Best to do that than adding bleach blindly that may not be needed. I know it's tough when you want to fix it NOW. I'm that way as well.
 
My understanding is that unless you're dumping it all in all at once, if there is still algae in your pool, most of the chlorine gets used up quickly killing the algae. If you are willing to wait for the kit (I wasn't), you'll be more accurate and lest wasteful of the chlorine.

If you aren't, adding small amounts throughout the day worked for me to kill algae while waiting for my kit to arrive.

But I don't have a liner I'm worried about bleaching. So you have to weigh "waiting 2-4 days to start cleaning up" vs. "risk to liner" and that's a CBA only you can make. If you have a short remaining swim season, that calculation is different then the beginning of the season.
 

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Chuck, just use the regular shock level for now. If we were to ever believe you actually had MA, then AFTER the regular SLAM is completed and all 3 criteria passed, only then do we increase the shock level to MA level for 24 hours. But that process is only for MA.
 

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