It turned green on me!

[tim1]

I just got back after a little over a month to find the bottom of my pool green. I have not tested the water yeet but will do so after the sun comes up and will post results. I know the water was neglected and hope this will be an easy recovery. Is there any quick fix to kill the green and get the pool back to the pretty blue I had before? The pool is an 18 X 4 above ground with a swg. I am hoping that scubbing and soe technical support from you all will get me back on the right road.
Thanks.

 

[JohnT]

Is there any quick fix to kill the green and get the pool back to the pretty blue I had before?

Chlorine!

Defeating Algae

 

[tim1]

Test post results and the bleach it? I am hoping it will be that simple. This is my first year trying a SWG. Crossing my fingers it works.

 

[tim1]

Well I was hoping for a little more guidance. I got called away this morning and have not had a chance to do anything yet. Can anyone tell me about how much bleach to add to my pool and then how long I should run the filter and if I should run the SWG while adding the bleach???? Any help would mean alot to me.

 

[tim1]

So here I sit lost in the green growth. I just went out and tested for FC. The results are clear water with no change after 5 drops of R-0600. So I checked pool school and the recomended 2-3 ppm daily to maintain your pool. I cannot find anything that shows me how to calculate how much bleach to add to stop the algea and get my pool back on track. PLEASE HELP ME OUT HERE.

 

[Butterfly]

Hi Tim,

If you would like more specific help, like how to figure how much liquid chlorine/bleach you will need to reach shock level, we need to see the test results.

What test kit are you using?

Do you know how to use Jason's Pool Calculator?

ETA: Did you read the link that JohnT posted above for Defeating Algae? It contains links for instructions on "how to shock your pool" and "....turning your green swamp......into sparkling oasis". Positively great info here.

 

[svenpup]

JohnT already gave you a link to: pool-school/defeating_algae

Which references: pool-school/shocking_your_pool

Which references: pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock

 

[tim1]

OK then I will give you what I know. I am using a TF-100 test kit. the FC showed NO color change at all, the pH showed 7.5. Once I found NO FC and 7.5 ph I stopped the test and started trying to figure out how to get the FC back to normal readings. I have added a little over a gallon of bleach, slowly in front of the return water line. I just got done scrubbing the bottom of my pool and have the pump running in filter mode and the SWG turned on. My better half is threatening to get the Jeep out and run into the pool and then the green will be gone. So what do I do next? More salt? more bleach? run the SWG or dont run it. I AM REALLY LOST.

 

[tim1]

svenpup, I am hoping that I have read what JohnT refered to and I am trying to figure out where to go next. My last post shows what I have done up until now. I am trying to find out how to get a FC reading from my water. My TF-100 showed no FC at all. So do I just slowly add bleach or should I go buy a bunch of salt and start there?? I really have no idea what to do thats why I came here for help.

 

[tim1]

OK I am back. I went and set on the couch for a few minutes to try and settle down a bit. I keep reading Pool School and think I am doing the proper things, or at least hope I am. I hope nobody takes my comments to heart, I am just very frustrated and totally lost. My local pool store cannot tell me anything at all. I guess I am the only one around here that has a SWG and trying to figure out how to and when to do things. I am really thinking of just leaving the SWG running alnight and hope the bleach takes hold and kills everything in the bottom of this pool. Any and I mean ANY advice will be listened to and take and used to try and get this pool clean. I am sorry if I hurt or touched any nerves and hope everyones skin is as thick as mine.
Please offer suggestions and any help will be taken and tried......

 

[dmanb2b]

nope...not at all...thing start slowing down around here this time of the season. Don't run your SWG. What is your CYA level?

Based on that you need to raise your FC to shock level with bleach. One gallon will not do that. One gallon of 6% in a 8k gallon pool will only raise your FC by 4-5ppm. If your CYA is let's say 30-40 ppm you need to raise FC to around 15ppm...and so on. Refer to the CYA FC chart in pool school.

Once you are at shock level, test often and hold the FC at shock level until you are done shocking.

You are done shocking when

1) CC is 0.5 or lower;
2) An overnight FC loss test shows a loss of 1.0 ppm or less;
3) the water is clear.


Hope this helps

 

[tim1]

Dmanb............thank you very much this is some great advice and I am going out the door to turn off the SWG. How long should I run the pump and filter?? I sure hope that in a few days to a week I can get this thing under control. It stinks that I have only been in it 3 time in a year and a half but I do it for my better half............ Thank you SO much

 

[zea3]

Go ahead and post a full set of test results:
FC, CC, CYA, CH, TA, and pH

Your FC may truly be 0, even with the SWG on since you have a green pool. If there is no color change when you add the powder to the water in the vial, then go ahead and do the CC test on that sample.

Was your SWG not running while you where away?

Go ahead and turn the SWG off during the shock process. Once algae gets a hold the SWG cannot produce FC fast enough to keep up with the demand. We will take the information from your test results and enter that intoThe Pool Calculator to see what your shock level should be. Then we will know how much bleach to add. Run the pump and filter 24/7 until the shock process is completed.

 

[dmanb2b]

your filter should run 24/7, except for cleaning, while shocking and filtering dead algae.

 

[tim1]

That sounds like a plan to me. I just went out and turned everything off. We just got a very good rain and the pool is full to the rim. I guess tomorrow morning I will backwash the filter and then shut it off. I might even pick up a few more gallons of bleach just in case. What amount of time can I expect before I start to see results? Or how long do I wait before turning the filter back on?I might have to print this info for future problems.

 

[chem geek]

Shocking the pool with bleach or chlorinating liquid is not a one-time process. With algae growing in the pool it will consume a lot of chlorine so you need to hit it hard with a lot of bleach to get to shock level AND you need to keep adding bleach regularly whenever the Free Chlorine (FC) level drops -- even if that's just after a few hours. Initially, chlorine will get consumed quickly and you'll need to add chlorine more frequently to maintain the FC level for your CYA level.

Also, you never reported your CYA level so if that's very high then a partial drain/refill would be in order, otherwise it would take too much chlorine to get rid of the algae.

 

[tim1]

OK so here in a little bit I am going to get out there and start again. I might have to backwash to get the water level down to normal because of all the rain we got last night. I will then do a complete TF-100 test and post the results. I will turn the filter on without the SWG running and let it do its thing, if thats 24-7 so be it. I also intend to rescrub the entire pool to loosen the algea and allow the bleach to go to work on it.
I really thank you all for trying to get me back on the right path.

 

[duraleigh]

Good morning, Tim,

Just chiming in to offer some encouragement.....you'll get there.....stick with it.

YOur issue has been lack of chlorine. You are attacking that by getting adequate chlorine in the pool but you will have to add and re-add and re-add as the chlorine gets consumed from killing the algae. Knowing your CYA number helps everyone tell you just how MUCH chlorine you need.

While your killing the algae, you need to keep filtering and cleaning, filtering and cleaning, filtering and cleaning.

The whole thing is a process and, as mentioned before, is outlined in "How to Shock Your Pool" up in Pool School.

Keep asking questions and keep that chlorine in the pool. :lol: :lol:

 

[tim1]

I just got back from the chemistry testing.
FC 8
CC 2
TC 10
pH 7.5
T/A 180
CH 120 TEMP 82
I did the CYA test twice and the black dot never disappeared.

 

[tim_pool_newbie]

Hey Tim,

I'm sure other more experienced forum members may provide better guidance, but as a newbie I'll take a stab at this for you.

You clearly still have organics (algae) that need killing off, based on your CC level of 2. This means you need to SHOCK the pool - which as is constantly preached on this forum, is a process, not a product nor a finite timing of activities. You need to get your chlorine level WAY UP to somewhere around 24 or perhaps higher (depending upon CYA levels) and keep it at that level until an overnight chlorine loss test shows that you no longer have any chloramines. This could mean adding chlorine every hour if necessary to maintain that FC level, as it gets used up by sunlight and the algae it is fighting.

Can I ask what product you are using for chlorine? Are you adding household bleach or liquid chlorine, or some type of dichlor or trichlor product? The fact that you state the black dot never disappears on your CYA test would seem to indicate that your CYA level really is at zero, and therefore your chlorine is not stabilized in any way and is getting used up by sunlight faster than it can attack the algae. You need to get your CYA level up - I think to somewhere in the range of 30-60. You do this by adding stabilizer. Once you've gotten your CYA level up a bit, the chlorine you add won't dissipate so rapidly, and the shock process will have a better effect.

As for how much chlorine to be adding, based on your FC level of 8 and assuming a shock level of 24, and your 8,000 gallon volume, you need to add at least 2 gallons and 1 cup of 6% chlorine...and then keep it at that level - adding more chlorine as needed.


You can check my calculations and get additional calculations as you go through the shock process from the Pool Calculator, which is referenced on this forum in many places. Be sure to check out Pool School for additional info, especially on how to shock a pool.

Finally, in one of your earlier posts you were talking about turning off your pump/filter. As long as you are in the shocking process, your pump/filter needs to run 24/7 for 2 reasons - 1) to filter out the algae as it is being killed off, and 2) to circulate the chlorine you are adding. Never add chlorine without the pump running or the chlorine won't be able to circulate properly.

Hope this helps a bit, and hopefully the experts on this site will provide additional guidance and/or correct me if I'm wrong on anything I just advised you of.

Good luck!! Let us know how you make out.

Tim