Green is the new color, need to get rid of this stuff

[alfred]

Had the pool covered with a solor cover and the vs pump only on for four hours a days with a salt cell. Came home after being away for three weeks and uncovered part of the pool and spa and it looked loke some green stuff was taking over the pool. The prior weather was cooler and we were not using the pool now we wanted to use the pool and need to get rid of this stuff. Took the clear solar cover off and brushed down all the sides including the spa. Used 5 gallons of 8.2% bleach, (I do not think that was enough). Let it run for a couple of days, Cleaned out the filter. Brought the pH down to 7.4-7.2, TA 300, CYA 40-50, Hardness about 200. The chlorine was runnin low for the winter. Increased the run time on the pump to 9 hours at 2200 rpm. The pool temperture is about 78+, this morning 82.

Today checked the pH and it was up past 8.0. added 3/4 gallon acid 32% stuff from the pool store. (HD and Lowe's is only half as strong)
Hopefully it should bring the Ph back to 7.2-7.4. The pool store said that salt water pools does this to the pH levels, any truth in that?

I need to shock it again. How many gallons of bleach do I need to use and what strenght bleach. 8% or 10%

Attached are my green pictures before any corrections, green walls and bottom, but clear water.

Any help to control this is more than welcome.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Alfred, to get rid of algae you have to do more than just one-time large doses of chlorine. It needs to be the proper amount of chlorine to bring your FC up to a set level based on your CYA level. Anything less is a waste of chlorine and time because algae can still be reproducing even while some is killed off. Just like when you have strept throat and while you feel better after a couple of days of antibiotics, you need to take the full 10 day course to be assured it is gone.

Do you have the FAS-DPD test? It doesn't come in the K-2005 test kit, but you can buy it individually from TFTestkits.net for about $26. This is the *most important* test for getting rid of green because it will measure FC up to 50ppm as well as CCs.

How much bleach you need is dependent on your test results. Use PoolMath to guide you <found at the top of this page>

Please review these: ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry SLAM Process

Holler back with any other questions you have

 

[alfred]

I have a Taylor K-2005C test kit. There is something in this test kit on page 25 about subtracting one result from another. Would this do for the FAS-DPD and get the same result?

Since I am new at this I did not know that I had to keep the chlorine level up for several days. Going to try again and have a lot of back up bleach on hand. Will the pool bleach that walmart sells be ok. Their price per gallon is about a cheap as the discount grocery stores? and I think its 10%. At the present I have all the growth off most of the walls but have small patches on the shady sides of the pool and spa. The boss, my wife, says I need to kill or get rid of all the growth. Green is not the color of the pool.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

What you're thinking of doesn't still go up high enough to manage a SLAM procedure. I believe it is limited to 10ppm?

Yes, the SLAM is process of killing off the algae over time as it doesn't all just die in one fell swoop of high chlorine. Also important is to brush daily during the SLAM to get everything into circulation as well as disrupt any biofilm the algae made to protect it.

Walmart 10% is an excellent choice. Get the freshest you can and keep us posted.

 

[alfred]

Got 10 gallons of Walmart pool bleach, 10% at $2.50 per gallon. Poured in 5 gallons over a period of one hour. Going to run the VS pump at high speed for the next couple of hours and then turn down one speed level. I think my PPM might be about 30. Have the water going into the pool and the spa. Have the salt cell turned off. Will add another gallon in the morning. Will continue to run the VS pump at speed 3 24/7. Will also add another gallon of bleach at dusk. And then a gallon each day for the next two days. I hope that will kill all my growth in my pool and spa.

By pool math my pool and spa is 16,350 gallons. 5 gallons of bleach at 10% is 64 ounces of chlorine. so the math is 64/2068000 = x/1000000(I think)

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Pool math tells me that one 121 ounce jug of 10% LC will raise your FC by 5.8ppm.

Running so high also just means you lose more at a time. We don't advocate using more than what's needed.

Have you read the SLAM procedure yet?? SLAM Process

 

[alfred]

Ordered my FAS-DPD test kit this morning. I guess in the meantime it use the ancient and time tested method of detecting chlorine. The old smell test. If you can smell it, it must still be around and fairly strong. Since we do not plan on having a chlorine bath there will be no swimming for a few days until the levels come back down and the green stuff is eliminated.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Oh Alfred...you've got it backwards. If you can smell it that means there are contaminates in the water that the FC is overwhelmed trying to oxydize.
We all grew up with badly maintained public pools reeking of chlorine and *thought* that was a good sign...it was anything but!

A pool should not smell heavily of chlorine. It should smell clean.

 

[alfred]

Today is day five. my test kit arrived and the fas-dpd was at 5. Have not added any additional chlorine over the past two days. Today I have turned the pool pump system back to normal. All the green stuff that was hiding in areas that I did not scrub out looks like its gone. The pool look very inviting to jump in. Its crystal clear, the air temperture is perfect. A very good day for a dip. Hope I can keep it this way until we hit winter again. Thanks for all your help.