Can you help a newbie?

[Hlk82]

Hi all,

Found this forum last year but didn't transfer over to this way of treating a pool because my pool was fine. But, after the trouble we've had this year, I remembered this forum and am hoping you can help.

So, we ended up with a green mess in early May when we decided to open our pool and went to the pool store and bought back to blue. It was great because the water was clear and all the crud went to the bottom. We were vacuuming to waste and the pool was almost clean until one of our hoses pooped off and drained a third of the pool... So we had to refill which took time and the water turned green again. Anyway, we used the back to blue again and vacuuming to waste didn't go so well because it takes forever for our pool to refill with the water used to to vacuum. So, anyway, the water turns a milky green, I go to the pool store who tells me to fix my ph and add some algaecide, which I do, and there is no difference. We shock hard again and still no difference. Obviously something is going on because my pool is still a milky green despite it being two days from the hard shock and filtering non stop, and I'm tired of spending money at the pool store for no change in the water, plus it takes a half hour to get there every time I go! So, I remembered this forum and used my test kit I bought last year and here are my numbers, with the caveat that this was my first time testing so they could be a little off, but I doubt by much.

FC - 7
TC -9
PH - 7.5
CH -60
TA - 240
CYA - 20

I can tell already that my cya is a little low and my alkalinity is high.

Can you help me get on the right track to fixing things? We would really like to swim as the weather has gotten hot and it sucks having a pool we can't use!

My pool is a 30 foot above ground, about 20,000 gallons I think, vinyl liner with a 1.5 hp Hayworth sand filter.

Thanks.

 

[pooldv]

On the TA. Be sure to wipe the tip of the dropper, per the instructions in the test kit. Static can reduce the drop size giving a false high result. Also, hold the bottle vertically and let the drop fully form.

This is how we recommend killing algae, Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

 

[Hlk82]

I did wipe the dropper. But I will try it again when I go back outside.

How do I raise my cya? It says that slamming isn't recommended when it is at 20.

I am totally new to this so I can use any help I can get.

Thanks.

 

[Richard320]

The test kit uses powder and drops to test FC & CC, yes? If so, no problem. A SLAM Process will fix you up.

Drop the pH to 7.2 with acid. Give the pool a quick brush to get it mixed. Raise the FC to 10 (That's shock level for 20 CYA). Brush the parts you missed after the acid. Now go fumble around to get the CYA to 30. If you have any dichlor "shock" or trichlor pucks left from your past life as a pool store sucker, they can be used. Otherwise, use straight CYA stabilizer. Post back if you want to use the powders and I'll walk you through that.

Anyway... as soon as you've added whatever substance to raise CYA to 30, your new shock level is 12. So check the FC after an hour or two and raise FC to 12. Brush and vacuum, even if you have to do it blind. You want that haze to get sucked through the filter.

Somewhere in there, study the SLAM Process article and do what it says. It'll be pretty much the same as what I just typed, but it also tells you when to know it's time to stop. And don't neglect the pool ladder. Algae can lurk inside and beneath the steps.

 

[Hlk82]

I do have tabs left so I can throw them in now. How many should I use, and once I put them in, that means my shock level is 12 right?

Also, where is the best place to get liquid chlorine?

 

[Richard320]

I do have tabs left so I can throw them in now. How many should I use, and once I put them in, that means my shock level is 12 right?

Also, where is the best place to get liquid chlorine?

6 pucks will add 10 CYA to a 20,000 gallon pool. If you break them up a little, they'll dissolve faster. Don't forget, they'll also add FC, a real advantage during a SLAM. When they're about halfway melted, then consider 12 the new number. Don't just drop them in the pool. Either leave them in the skimmer with the pump on 24/7 or use a floater if you don't have a tab feeder.

Chlorine is best bought where it's cheapest. Scroll through and see if any of these store names sound familiar 2016 bleach prices

 

[Hlk82]

Ok, so we started slamming yesterday afternoon after fixing ph. We put the pucks in at that time as well. FC last night was 11.5 so I left it alone. Cc were still 3.

This morning FC is 16.5 and cc is .5. The water looks exactly the same as when we started. I'm assuming the FC went up because of the pucks, as they are over halfway dissolved. My psi on my filter barely budged, but I backwashed anyway because it has been three days since I backwashed. Is there anything else I need to do? Was hoping for some difference so I could show my husband this is the way to go, but instead it looks just like it did after we followed the pool store recommendations. He's impatient and doesnt believe things he reads on the Internet. Ha. Should I try and fine some pool grade de to add to the filter to help it?

Thanks.

 

[Richard320]

Ok, so we started slamming yesterday afternoon after fixing ph. We put the pucks in at that time as well. FC last night was 11.5 so I left it alone. Cc were still 3.

This morning FC is 16.5 and cc is .5. The water looks exactly the same as when we started. I'm assuming the FC went up because of the pucks, as they are over halfway dissolved. My psi on my filter barely budged, but I backwashed anyway because it has been three days since I backwashed. Is there anything else I need to do? Was hoping for some difference so I could show my husband this is the way to go, but instead it looks just like it did after we followed the pool store recommendations. He's impatient and doesnt believe things he reads on the Internet. Ha. Should I try and fine some pool grade de to add to the filter to help it?

Thanks.

DE may help. Backwashing too frequently doesn't really help. A sand filter actually works better when a little dirty. You know the pressure when it's just been backwashed. Hold off on doing it again until it climbs 25%.

Anything you can do to improve circulation to send more floating debris to the filter also helps. Brush. Point a return down to the deep end. Set the vacuum down deep but upside down or on its side to act as a darin so as the stuff settles or gets brushed that way it gets sucked up and whisked away.

That pool didn't get the way it did overnight. If your husband thinks anything will get it clean overnight, he's nuts. You couldn't even drain and refill the thing since your first post in this thread!

 

[Hlk82]

Just checked again and FC was 15 and CC was still .5. No difference in pool clarity or psi. Not sure we will be able to get any DE this weekend because of the holiday so I guess we just sit tight and let the filter clean. Trying to be patient, but we want to swim!

 

[AimeeH]

It may not be the same in Ohio but here, our local Lowes sells pool de in the pool section.

Oh and what else can you do? Brush brush. Have a beverage and brush some more. The more the algae is stirred up and off surfaces, the more it is exposed to the chlorine.

 

[kimkats]

Something else you can do is take a picture looking down at your steps each day. THAT will show you the progress each day that your eyes cannot see. The color will be changing then the clarity. The pics will allow you to see if.

Kim:cat:

 

[Hlk82]

Thanks, we tried our lowes and they don't carry it. They don't even seem to have a pool section. ��

We also haven't put our stairs in yet since we had such bad algae initially. We didn't want to have something else to clean. We are planning to build a deck around the pool this summer hopefully.

I think I feel like the particles are so small that our filter isn't picking them up. I might just be wrong and impatient though!

 

[kimkats]

Do you know anyone with a pool? They might have some DE.

Km:cat:

 

[Hlk82]

All the people we know with pools have sand filters.

I'll be able to go to the pool store Tuesday if I need to, so more patience for me.

FC was 13.5 when I checked this evening and cc still .5. still no change in the water at all. Greenish blue and cloudy. I'm a bit worried that we really messed up when we flocked the pool and didn't get all that crud out before filtering again. :-/

Guess I'll see what the morning brings!

 

[Hlk82]

This morning the FC was 13 and cc was 0. Psi was up to 16 from 15 on the filter. No change in water at all. I thought I'd see some change in the water by now as it has been over 36 hours since I started slamming. I can see all the little particles swirling around in the water.

 

[Hlk82]

So, I've passed the oclt and my cc is less then .05, but my pool is still really cloudy, and full of dead algae, despite the filter running constantly for the last week and a half. We've decided to use cellulose powder to help the filter, but I'm a bit confused with how much to add. The directions on the bag say to add 8 cups and let the filter run for 24 hours....but I added 1 cup to start to see what it would do and within an hour my psi was up to 20 from 15 and water from the return was almost nil. I backwashed and the water that came out wasn't really all that dirty. I added another cup with the same results. Is this what I should do, or should I follow the instructions on the bag? If I were to follow the instructions on the bag, I'm a bit concerned I'd have to backwash within 5 minutes....

Also, we raised our cya to ~30 using pucks at the beginning of the SLAM, but I'm wondering if we should go higher? Our pool is in direct sunlight all day, and we seem to be losing about 5 of chlorine some days, and I think this is a little much, right?

Thanks.

 

[Richard320]

Stay with one cup of powder. Maybe even less. Just enough to move the gauge on your filter 1 psi. The directionbs on the bag are for a DE filter or something. Just follow the directions in pool school.

You've no doubt lost some CYA with the water you've replaced by backwashing. Test it. If it's not showing, then it's 20 or less and you can bump it up. Just remember that if CYA goes to 40, shock level goes to 16.