I have a vinyl lined above ground pool that holds about 23500 gallons with a sand filter. It was closed for the winter and since opened the water has been cloudy sometimes with a green tinge to it. I have spent hundreds on chlorine and other chemicals and cannot clear it up. We have scrubbed the pool and vacuumed several times. There is no debris. We have backwashed many, many times. These are my current readings fc 0.5, ph 7.2, ta 120, ch 250, cya 10. Last night I put in 4-182 oz bottles of 6% chlorine. This morning I am back at fc 0.5. I do this daily, after 2 hours the chlorine levels are a bit high, then within a few more hours the chlorine seems to be gone. What can I do? I had been using Granular 56 and Blast sold by the pool company until I found this site and 2 weeks ago began trying the bleach. But I'm still getting nowhere. My pool is less than a year old. I am hoping someone reading this site can help me!!! And I hope I have given all pertinent information.
Need Help - Cannot clear cloudy/green water
- Thread starter erivette
- Start date
Hi and Welcome 
How big is your pool? (Dimensions?)
You should put all your pool info in your signature, like mine. Go to User Control Panel, then Profile and then Edit Signature - you are allowed 5 lines of text.
How are you testing the water?
If your CYA is really 10, then that's a big part of the problem. You have two, really. You have algae that you can't defeat because you probably aren't using enough chlorine to kill it, and you have too low CYA so that most of your chlorine that you do add is being consumed by sunlight. I'm sure you are skeptical given the amounts of products you have already added but you will soon see what I mean (about not having enough chlorine.) Shocking is a process, not a one time event. People tend to think they dump in some chemicals and that should take care of it... but most of the time it doesn't and the algae just comes right back...it's a vicious circle. You have to get ahead of it, and lots of chlorine and POP (Pool Owner Patience) will do the trick. So off to Pool School for you!
Most of your questions can probably be answered by reading the articles in pool school (if you haven't done so already, I suggest you start there.) Then if you still have specific questions unanswered, post them here and we'll help.
We're here, and we'll help you get this figured out!
How big is your pool? (Dimensions?)
You should put all your pool info in your signature, like mine. Go to User Control Panel, then Profile and then Edit Signature - you are allowed 5 lines of text.
How are you testing the water?
If your CYA is really 10, then that's a big part of the problem. You have two, really. You have algae that you can't defeat because you probably aren't using enough chlorine to kill it, and you have too low CYA so that most of your chlorine that you do add is being consumed by sunlight. I'm sure you are skeptical given the amounts of products you have already added but you will soon see what I mean (about not having enough chlorine.) Shocking is a process, not a one time event. People tend to think they dump in some chemicals and that should take care of it... but most of the time it doesn't and the algae just comes right back...it's a vicious circle. You have to get ahead of it, and lots of chlorine and POP (Pool Owner Patience) will do the trick. So off to Pool School for you!
Most of your questions can probably be answered by reading the articles in pool school (if you haven't done so already, I suggest you start there.) Then if you still have specific questions unanswered, post them here and we'll help.
We're here, and we'll help you get this figured out!
I am using a test strip kit the pool company told me was the best they had. I have read the pool school. Can you tell me what I can use to raise the cya level? I can't even tell you how many pounds of 'Conditioner' (the name used by the local pool company) I have put in it and the level hasn't raised at all. The 'Conditioner' is large granules and they are next to impossible to dissolve.
Welcome to the forum.
YOur single biggest issue is you are not putting enough chlorine in your pool.
Under your current conditions, you need to bring your chlorine up to around 15-20ppm and (here's your biggest issue) you must then constantly keep replenishing the chlorine to bring it right back to 15-20ppm and keep it there until your water clears.
By constantly replenish, that means you might have to add chlorine as much as 3-4 times daily but your pool will not clear until you hold the chlorine @ 15-20ppm.
Two things consume chlorine......1)the organics that are in your pool and 2) sunlight. You can minimize the effect of sunlight by bringing your CYA up to around 40ppm but it will take a couple of days to get it there. Meanwhile, I would suggest you put almost all your chlorine dosages in when the sun is not shining on the pool. That will minimize the loss to the sun.
As FPM said, Pool School has all this info and you need to read and reread but saty focused on the fact that you need lots and lots more chlorine in your pool and it will clear.
YOur single biggest issue is you are not putting enough chlorine in your pool.
Under your current conditions, you need to bring your chlorine up to around 15-20ppm and (here's your biggest issue) you must then constantly keep replenishing the chlorine to bring it right back to 15-20ppm and keep it there until your water clears.
By constantly replenish, that means you might have to add chlorine as much as 3-4 times daily but your pool will not clear until you hold the chlorine @ 15-20ppm.
Two things consume chlorine......1)the organics that are in your pool and 2) sunlight. You can minimize the effect of sunlight by bringing your CYA up to around 40ppm but it will take a couple of days to get it there. Meanwhile, I would suggest you put almost all your chlorine dosages in when the sun is not shining on the pool. That will minimize the loss to the sun.
As FPM said, Pool School has all this info and you need to read and reread but saty focused on the fact that you need lots and lots more chlorine in your pool and it will clear.
This is the real problem. Test strips can be off significantly. If you have been adding conditioner and the strips still read 10 then the strips are wrong and you have no idea what your CYA level really is. Very high CYA levels can force you to use extremely high chlorine levels to get any effect at all.erivette said:
You need high quality test results, and test strips simply don't provide them. I strongly suggest you get a top quality test kit, such as the ones from TF Test Kits, see the link in my signature. The Taylor K-2006 kit is also good.
If you just put the stabilizer/conditioner in, it will take a good week for it to disolve and register too.
delfargo
0
you will also want to read jasonlion's "turning your green swamp into a sparkling oasis" stickie at the top of this forum. it is a VERY informative article. all the info you need is in there.
erivette said:
What I found was pretty simple:
- Make sure that the stabilizer (CYA) is at 40. The CYA can take a week to disolve.
- Add the chlorine (bleach) constantly during the day. Until the CYA is higher than 10 you'll loose over 50% of the chlorine in the first 3 hours of sunlight, and that's if there is any left after killing the algae.
-Keep the PH levels at 7.2 as chlorine works better at lower levels
-Brush
-You need a GOOD test kit, NOT the test strips. The $15 kit from Wal-Mart will get you started, but please (my recommendation from past experience) is the TF100 kit. It's simple and works. The test strips don't...
The next thing is POP, Pool Owners Patience. It takes time for the chlorine to zap the algae
but the key thing is that there has to be be chlorine to kill the algae that hasn't been burned off by the sun. I used 10 of the 178oz bottles of Wal-Mart 6% to start up my 24,000 gallon inground pool on 04/11/09. It took a week but that's not bad to get everything regulated... We were swimming in the pool last weekend and the pools only been opened up for 2 weeks. The family is happy and so am I 8) !
HELP!!! I didn't get to start the process when I originally sent this post because of the time you said to allow. I finally began the process on May 14. For 4 days I checked it every few hours and kept it at shock level, since I have gone back to work (3 days) I am checking morning/night. It has been vaccuumed, brushed, and backwashed many, many times. There is no debris in the pool. I have put in 75-182oz bottles of 6% chlorine. I am getting nowhere. The pool looks worse today than it did yesterday. Readings from this morning: fc 0.5, ph 7.2, ta 120, ch 250, cya 30. I feel like bulldozing it. Can someone help me? Or should I seriously consider draining and starting over???
DamianS
0
I was using the poolcalculator.com and it had me putting in 2 to 4 182oz bottles each time to keep it at 20. Oh, I have ordered the TF100 but it hasn't arrived. I've been using 3 different brands of test strips and taking samples to the pool store.
Was the CYA reading from this morning from strips or the pool store?
I know it can feel overwhelming, but we will get you thru this. Your TF100 is on the way and we will all very soon learn what is going on and help you clear your pool.
I know it can feel overwhelming, but we will get you thru this. Your TF100 is on the way and we will all very soon learn what is going on and help you clear your pool.
This morning it was from my strips. But last time at the pool store it was the same.
I know it seems like a lot of bleach, but apparently you had a lot of organics that were consuming it. Or there is something wrong with the bleach, or you may be missing some clues... so I have some questions.
Where are you buying the bleach/what brand is it? I don't know what brand of 6% comes in 182 oz jugs...In 2 years I've not seen any.
The large jugs at Wal-mart/or Clorox brand are 174 oz, the small jugs are 96 oz... Pool store chlorine is usually 10-12.% and sold in gallon (128oz) jugs.
So are you certain of the size of the jugs you added? Did you confirm them on the label, that they weren't 96 oz?
Were they from the dollar store, and are you sure they were 6% and not a lesser strength?
Did you ever test the FC AFTER adding the bleach, to make sure you reached shock level? This step is important. (And kinda hard to do without the FAS-DPD test.)
I suspect that despite what seems like alot of bleach to you, that shock level has not been consistently reached/held, despite your effort before returning to work, and there may be confusion on how much you needed to add and if you ever added enough to reach and hold shock level.
So let me know your thoughts on the questions I've asked. The shocking process is alot easier with the kit, so have some POP! You'll love it when it arrives.
Right now to raise your FC to 15 (if your CYA is really 30) that is your shock level...it will take 716 oz of 6% bleach.
That equates to 7.5 small jugs (96 oz)
or
a little over 4 large jugs (174 oz).
Where are you buying the bleach/what brand is it? I don't know what brand of 6% comes in 182 oz jugs...In 2 years I've not seen any.
The large jugs at Wal-mart/or Clorox brand are 174 oz, the small jugs are 96 oz... Pool store chlorine is usually 10-12.% and sold in gallon (128oz) jugs.
So are you certain of the size of the jugs you added? Did you confirm them on the label, that they weren't 96 oz?
Were they from the dollar store, and are you sure they were 6% and not a lesser strength?
Did you ever test the FC AFTER adding the bleach, to make sure you reached shock level? This step is important. (And kinda hard to do without the FAS-DPD test.)
I suspect that despite what seems like alot of bleach to you, that shock level has not been consistently reached/held, despite your effort before returning to work, and there may be confusion on how much you needed to add and if you ever added enough to reach and hold shock level.
So let me know your thoughts on the questions I've asked. The shocking process is alot easier with the kit, so have some POP!
You'll love it when it arrives.Right now to raise your FC to 15 (if your CYA is really 30) that is your shock level...it will take 716 oz of 6% bleach.
That equates to 7.5 small jugs (96 oz)
or
a little over 4 large jugs (174 oz).
I am buying Clorox, it is 1.42 gallons or 182 oz of 6% bleach. I just went and looked at them to confirm. I have bought out the shelves at Walmart and HEB. Yes, after about one hour I reach shock level (16-20), by about 3 or 4 hours I am back at 0-0.5. I, too, came up with the 4-182oz. bottles needed to reach shock level and that's what I put in when I'm at 0. After a few hours if it's not all the way back to 0 I use poolcalculator.com to decide what to put in, generally another 2 bottles at least. Monday morning I checked it before work, added chlorine, and could actually see the designs on the bottom of the pool (6:30am), when I got home (3:30pm) the entire pool looked yellowish green and I couldn't see anything, not even cloudy, just very odd water. I'm having a graduation party for my son on Sunday, 5/31, and need to have the pool fixed by then. Do I stand a chance??? Should I just drain it and refill???
HELP- Algae problem w/ time crunch - is draining the answer?
Please do not start a new thread for your pool issue. Threads merged.
I have another string going here and have been trying to clear my ugly algae pool. There is no debris and it's just an odd blue, yellowish-green, cloudy mess. I'm not having any luck at all. I have to have it ready to use by May 31 for my son's graduation party. I am seriously thinking of draining and refilling. I know I can only drain it down to 2 feet deep or I will mess up the vinyl liner. Will it be possible to get it clean? I will be able to get in and brush/scrub all surfaces, but the remaining water will still be a mess. Granted once refilled 2/3 of it will be clear water. But then what? I will still have 1/3 mess that will mix with it and I won't really be starting fresh. Is there a way to make this work???
Please do not start a new thread for your pool issue. Threads merged.
I have another string going here and have been trying to clear my ugly algae pool. There is no debris and it's just an odd blue, yellowish-green, cloudy mess. I'm not having any luck at all. I have to have it ready to use by May 31 for my son's graduation party. I am seriously thinking of draining and refilling. I know I can only drain it down to 2 feet deep or I will mess up the vinyl liner. Will it be possible to get it clean? I will be able to get in and brush/scrub all surfaces, but the remaining water will still be a mess. Granted once refilled 2/3 of it will be clear water. But then what? I will still have 1/3 mess that will mix with it and I won't really be starting fresh. Is there a way to make this work???