Help me see the bottom of my pool!

[jakek]

Been over a month and still SLAMing! Better, but still green. I brush the walls twice a day. Vaccuum at least 1x a week. I use PoolMath and dump Chlorine at least 2x a day.

No more algae chunks in filter and nothing comes out when I rake.

Latest numbers:

FC - 16.0
pH - 7.6 (just rained, usually it is 7.2)
CYA - 40

I have had my pump running 24/7! What the heck do I do?? Just bought the house and thinking of filling in the pool if it's going to be this much of a hassle.

 

[jakek]

Re: How do I get the air out of my pump?

Thanks! I FINALLY ended up priming the pump and got it going better. It slowly loses its prime and after a few hours, is half full of air again. Still can't figure it out though - I have an original post on opening the pool here if you have any ideas.

 

[#40Fan]

I am sure it is because you are only able to test and dose twice a day. Do you have anyone available that could just add chlorine for you between the times you are able to? They wouldn't even need to test FC, just add some LC. I am sure by now you have determined how much you need to add when you get the chance to test, so have someone add maybe 1/2 to 2/3 of what you normally do. Keep the FC up during the day.

 

[Costas > DownUnder]

I use PoolMath and dump Chlorine at least 2x a day.

In the initial stages of the battle against an algae breakout like yours - you will need to basically check the chlorine every 2 hrs or so.

2x a day will more than likely be ineffective for a large outbreak as algae will grow back real quick and you will never really get a jump ahead which is what you are currently experiencing.

For the first day or two you really need to be vigilant in maintaining the chlorine SLAM level and also with your brushing.

Do you have time over the weekend etc to start the attack? Otherwise you will need someone to add chlorine quite regularly to maintain the SLAM chlorine level throughout the day and somewhat over night as well.

Once you get over the initial hurdle it does become much easier.

Note that it takes a few days for the SLAM process providing you follow the process religiously. Remember that SLAM = Shock Level AND MAINTAIN. A lot of people forget or don't stick to the 'Maintain' part of the process correctly.

 

[Texas Splash]

Jakek, I went ahead and merged your pump thread with this one since it would appear it's relevant to your original thread and that very green pool. Good water circulation (24/7) is of course an important aspect of the SLAM Process, and the fact you didn't have it for a while is important for others to know who are trying to help.

As for the green, and that IS green, let's just re-cap what many others have mentioned earlier:
- With your last verified CYA of 40, you must do your best to maintain an FC of 16.
- If it's been a while since you checked pH, you might check that again only if/when the FC is below 10. So if it is right now, check/adjust pH then maintain that FC of 16.
- Are you on a well?
- Do you have a main drain?
- I suspect you have a pool light about 1-2 feet below the green waterline right? If so, that light needs to be removed and placed on the deck so chlorine can get behind it in the niche. Make sure to disconnect power to the light while it's out.
- It appears you have everything else out of the pool and on the decking (hand rails, ladder, etc) so that's good.
- Make sure to monitor your filter pressure gauge. When the pressure increases by 25% from the clean/baseline starting pressure, you have to rinse it.

Assuming you've scoured every inch of that bottom and there is nothing else remaining, it's all about maintaining the SLAM FC level so that you have the proper amount of chlorine in the water to kill the algae. You have to check often at first, then over time the bleach will take over, but the early stages are rough.

 

[jakek]

Thankfully, it's not AS green as before.

Updated pics

I don't have a light and am not on a well.

FC currently at 14. Will do my best to keep it at 16. I recently added just a bit more CYA a week or so ago because I was getting mixed results with the black dot test and couldn't determine that I was even over 20. I've noticed I get some algae clouds in a couple of spots. When I try and rake it, it's too fine to be caught in the net so I just stir it around. How do I clean that?

 

[SDor]

If your pool is still that green after SLAMing for over a month, then, maybe you need to change your approach a bit (or your chlorine is weak or your test results are wrong). If you're confident in your testing (fairly new reagents, careful measurement, etc), then I'd a) test for FC ~30 minutes after you add chlorine because maybe the chlorine is weak, b) add more chlorine than you have in the past. The only downside to raising your FC to 20 (for example, assuming the target is 16) is that you may be wasting some money if the 16 would have killed everything... but you've been at this for a month so 16 isn't killing everything. With a green pool like that, a FC of 20 will probably fairly quickly come down to 16 as the chlorine kills the algae and the sun burns off the chlorine. If you can't be there to monitor, you might even add double the normal chlorine so it will stay above 16 until you can check it again. The more algae there is to kill, the faster the chlorine level drops (this is why SLAM recommends checking every 2 hours in the beginning). The key to SLAMing is that you have to kill everything as fast as possible, and keep it dead. As long as there's live algae (i.e. green), it will multiply if given a chance (FC < 16 in your case), and you're right back to where you started (and all the chlorine you poured in before has been wasted). The FC must stay above 16 (assuming you've measured CYA correctly), as soon as it dips below, the algae starts winning again. When the pool is green like this, don't be afraid to overshoot FC 16 especially if you can't be there to monitor the pool. The chlorine will not go to waste (unless you let the FC drop below 16). Don't overshoot by habit because excess chlorine can bleach your liner, but a few days to get your pool going is definitely worth it. Your goal is a green-ish/grey, then blue-ish/grey, then clear water. The greener the water, the more the algae is winning.

 

[SDor]

This what you are looking to do: Keep FC above SLAM level and it should happen in a few days. I think I had to double the chlorine when I took these pictures because it was pre-TFP so I didn't know my CYA was high because I used tri-chlor pucks because I didn't know any better... so after a week at pool store SLAM level and the pool is still green (1st picture), they said "super shock" it, and it worked (but the logic they gave me didn't make sense - "you add extra chlorine to break down the chlorine so the chlorine works" - which led me to find TFP so this doesn't happen anymore).

 

[jimmythegreek]

as said by now you have an idea how much chlorine you are adding to get to FC16. Over shoot it by alot like if you are dosing 2 times a day add the normal amount and half more. DONT add anymore CYA if you are unsure, if you havent swapped alot of water in the pool it didnt go anywhere from 30-40 that you posted earlier, and dont waste your reagents in your kit, just test FC and if you suspect your PH is rising you can always lower it a bit. I had to slam a new pool install w green water and did my slam using pool math and no test kit and had clean water in 6 days but I dosed it 5-6 times a day the first 2-3 days. If its been this long you either have ur numbers wrong or you are missing days, just one missed day of slamming starts it ALL over again with a green pool.

How much chlorine have you gone thru so far in gallons and about how much chlorine are you adding daily?

 

[jakek]

A lot of chlorine. My CYA was closer to 30 so I wasn't using quite as much, but still usually 2 gallons a day at minimum. I'll plan to dump a gallon in the morning and test as often as I can.

 

[jakek]

Thanks to everyone who has helped so far. Overshooting my FC number is helping it clear. I'm maintaining it at 16 and often closer to 20.

Photo

 

[Spa Owner]

Has this pool been yours since new or did you recently move into the house with this pool?

Has it always been a problem to clear?

 

[igneous]

When I had my first pool and came back from vacation it looked green like yours, so I went to store and bought 8 gal. of bleach. Poured 3 in right away then 1 each day for the next 5 days and it was crystal clear on 6th day. Then I started doing my chem testing. I've had friends that will put minimal chems in to try a stop algae bloom, but I always go more to get water clear so I tell them to double shock it. Doing this will always raise pH, so get a couple gal. of muratic acid when you're out.

 

[jakek]

Thanks. I have gone through dozens of gallons of bleach! But I can finally see the bottom!!

FC is still right around 14-16. CC was 1 when I checked 2 days ago. I'm out of CYA reagent, but I assume it's still around 40 since I've only lost a couple of inches from evaporation.

I'll try the OCLT and see if I'm in the clear. How long do you typically wait to swim after shocking? It sounds like anything below your SLAM number?



Photo:
https://imgur.com/a/8vAkGAU

 

[igneous]

Wow, dozens? That's a case of bad bugs. Keep running the pump and sweeping (or using your cleaner) to pick up any particulate matter to filter. Check your pH and make sure it's not too high...if so add 1/3 to 1/2 gal of muratic acid and test a couple hrs. later. Keep pump running and it should be crystal clear. Do your full test panel to double check everything.

 

[Spa Owner]

Has this pool been yours since new or did you recently move into the house with this pool?

Has it always been a problem to clear?​

 

[jakek]

This is the first year as we just moved in. There was a mesh cover and a ton of leaves in it when we opened it. I also keep finding dog hair when I vacuum, which probably hasn't helped things.

 

[sktn77a]

Should be crystal clear by now if your chlorine is still in the teens and your filter is working? Don't go adding any more CYA until youve got everything clean and working (and even then, I'm not sure I would raise it any more).

 

[Spa Owner]

This is the first year as we just moved in. There was a mesh cover and a ton of leaves in it when we opened it. I also keep finding dog hair when I vacuum, which probably hasn't helped things.

Is the dog hair from your dog swimming in the pool or from previous?

Keep chlorine up, if not clear yet then look at increasing chlorine even more than usual.

I have previously seen a situation where there was a dead dog in the pool causing no end of chlorine demand.