Algae Issues for Newbie to Pool and Forum

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C

coleson412

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Aug 24, 2016
14
Lodi, CA
Hey all, I'm new here to the forums and to pool care in general. I have been reading these forums and trying to incorporate tips but am frustrated with ongoing issues.

A bit of history. We purchased the house last fall as a short-sale. The pool was sparkling but the house was not ;) Being new to pools, we hired a pool guy. No problems until this summer early-July when the pool started turning cloudy and slightly green. It would clear up then come back before his next weekly visit. He used liquid chlorine and chem tabs in a floater. We would buy shock/floc chemicals to add in, just to have a fairly clear pool and be able to swim on the weekends. After a week when he didn't even show up, we decided to fire the pool guy and take care of the pool ourselves. Since then we continue to cycle between clear and green tinted water without being able to stay crystal clear.

I bought a Taylor K-2005 kit and discovered CYA levels were 120. We are on water restrictions but drained a quite a bit out of the pool late one night. CYA is now at 80. We are no longer using the tablets. Pool is in direct sun most of the day. Temps have been in the 90s. Currently the pump is running 24/7 and I've put in 8 gal of liquid chorine since yesterday to reduce the green bloom. I'm not sure what else to do. Been reading up on SLAM but not sure how to test higher levels of FC? Do I need special test? Any thoughts on what else I can do? I'm attaching a photo taken this afternoon. Thank you in advance.pool.jpg
 
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To clear up an active algae bloom with CYA at 80, you need to raise your FC to at least 32 and maintain it there until the water clears. Unfortunately, as you have discovered, your test kit is incapable of measuring FC up to that level. This is why we recommend either the K-2006 or the TF-100 test kits. Each of these kits contain a FAS/DPD chlorine test capable of measuring FC up to 50 ppm.

Order one of these kits and you should have it in a couple of days. Then for now, assume your current FC is 5 and add enough chlorine according to Pool Math to raise it to 32. Add a similar amount each day until your kit arrives. Then perform a SLAM as described here: Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
 
Thank you. I'm absorbing a lot of info but this seems harder than it should be. I thought pools were easy. Hoping once I get this process figured out it will be.
Since I already have the basic test kit, can I order this http://tftestkits.net/FAS-DPD-Chlorine-CC-s-test-p47.html? According to PoolMath, I need to add 4 gal 10% bleach to reach 32 FC. So continue at that amount per day until the test kit arrives, then test. At that point, if I pass the OCLT and the water is clear, then I would be done and back to maintenance levels?
 
I agree with Marian. I wouldn't add more than a gallon of 10% per day until we get some good test results.

Don't worry, once you get it under control it gets easy. 5 minutes or less per day, and later you can even skip checking every other day or so once you get a feel for how much chlorine your pool consumes each day.
 
Phew. Glad we cleared that up! Adding 4 gallons of 10% daily would not be wise. Stick with 1/2-3/4 gallons, brush 1-2 times a day, and have patience. We will help you have great water. Honest.

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Great! What's the eta on the kit?
 
Kit was shipped today, no updated tracking yet. Water looks a little clearer this morning. Pump is on. Hubby is home tomorrow, so we plan to do a deep clean of the sand filter as well. At this point, how long should I be running the cleaner each day?
 
The Polaris? I'd run it untill there are no more debris on the pool bottom if you can see. If you can't see bottom pull it up and see if it's still collecting debris. Run it till it quits picking up debris.

If you mean filter, I'd filter 24/7 now and through the SLAM.
 

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I wouldn't worry too much about what type of algae it is, mustard is pretty rare and after all the method to clean it up is the same, follow the slam, then if it is mustard you raise the FC to mustard level for 24 hours

I would brush the pool thoroughly and check out pool math at the top of the page
Good call to clean your sand filter
 
Good luck with your pool. My pool looked very similar to yours when I started the process.

One thing I did was vacuuming to waste while I was draining the pool. When I got to the point where I started putting water in again, I had no more floating algae at the bottom of the pool.

My FC level was only 4 when I started with the SLAM. I made sure I got the pH down to 7.2, then started with the SLAM. My CYA was only just over 50, so at least I had a lower SLAM target.

Maintaining the SLAM and running the pump/filter 24/7 allowed me to stop the SLAM process 2 days, 15 hours and 30 minutes after I started the SLAM.

Good luck and practice some POP. These forum members will help you through the process, they definitely helped me.
 
MarianParoo said:
Don't panic about mustard algae right now. Dead algae, fine dirt, fine pollen can all "puff" up like that until the filter clears it out. Does your Polaris catch any of it?
Click to expand...

The Polaris doesn't catch much, just seems to stir it up.

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Pool is clearing. Still cloudy, almost whitish water. I'm assuming that is dead algae still in the water. New test kit is "out for delivery" so I should have it in the morning. I'm curious what my FC levels really are.
 

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