Green again and having a tough time clearing it

[NicInNC]

My numbers:
FC: 6
PH: 7.6
TA: 50
CYA: 45

I have been putting 8+ jugs in it daily and the chlorine has been holding well for the past 3 days, so what's the problem (I added another 8 jugs last night)? I've put over 40 jugs in since opening 2 weeks ago! The first couple of days, I had the chlorine up to 20 the first two days after opening. I don't have my ladder or anything in and I've been vacuuming and brushing constantly also. The pool was a dark green and is now a lighter green. There was algae all around the skimmer but that's been gone for days. I also added some DE to the skimmer twice but that didn't help much. Can I afford for my CYA to go up because I'm seriously thinking about getting some bags of shock. I'm tired of lugging all these bleach bottles out to the pool. I'm using Tandil bleach from Aldi's and I'm beginning to wonder if the stuff is weak.

 

[benavidescj]

Have you done an overnight FC test? The shock level for you CYA is 18ppm. You need to hold it there till you pass the overnight FC test.

 

[JasonLion]

The first thing to keep in mind is that a sand filter can take some time to filter everything out, at least several days, often a week, occasionally more. You should be running the pump 24/7 and keeping an eye on the filter pressure, backwashing every couple of days even if the pressure doesn't go up. If the filter is working and the algae is mostly (or all) dead, you should see a visible improvement in the water each day. If you haven't been seeing an improvement each day then something might be wrong with the filter.

You could raise CYA just a little bit, but a better idea would be to get a CH measurement and see if you can afford to raise the CH level instead. Cal-hypo is easy to carry and raises CH. A vinyl liner pool doesn't mind low CH levels, but high CH levels can be a problem in any pool.

 

[duraleigh]

Hey, Nic,

and the chlorine has been holding well for the past 3 days

I'm not sure what you mean by that. If your chlorine has been at shock level of 18ppm and staying there, then you shouldn't be adding any more chlorine to it.

However, based on your FC consumption, it sounds like you had a LOT of nasty stuff in there and you simply are not holding the FC HIGH ENOUGH and LONG ENOUGH for it to do it's job.

If you suspect the bleach, stop using it and get name brand bleach at a store like Walmart where there is a fast turnover so you know it's fresh.

I still suspect the issue is simply not enough chlorine. How often are you having to backwash/clean your filter? That's an indicator that you still have a lot of organics in the pool.

 

[loughps]

If you know you're keep your chlorine at shock level and you're brushing and vacuuming, you may just need some patience. I go through the same thing with my pool every spring. It takes --forever-- (it seems) for it to finally clear, but it does and then it stays that way. Just for a frame of reference, it's taken a minimum of four weeks for mine to get clear the last two years. Hopefully yours is less than that, but if you know your filter is working and you're keeping it at shock level and brushing and vacuuming and your other numbers are in line, it WILL clear.

I know it's not really any consolation, but I want you to know you're not alone (I'm only at one week and 38 gallons of bleach so far, so I'm not expecting much for a while, but based on past experiance, I know it's working...)

-- Pete

 

[NicInNC]

Thanks y'all! The chlorine isn't changing overnight. I'm seeing a bit of improvement as it was dark green and now it's a lighter green, but I feel like things should be changing faster. I'm not having to backwash much at all. I've been backwashing 2-4 times a day even though the pressure is fine and the water is no longer filthy in the glass thing on the filter when I backwash. I bought 8 jugs of clorox brand bleach at the store tonight and put all 8 in just a bit ago so I'm anxious to see what my numbers are in the morning.

I've never checked my CH. I thought someone once said on this forum that it didn't matter in a vinyl liner pool. I'll check it tomorrow.

 

[JasonLion]

You shouldn't backwash quite that much. If the pressure isn't going up then backwashing once every other day is plenty. A sand filter actually filters better if you let it get some debris in it.

 

[Johnny B]

I've put over 40 jugs in since opening 2 weeks ago!
What was the water temp when you opened?
Next year, be sure to try & open BEFORE the water temp gets 60F, say open at 55F, just too hard to prevent algae otherwise

.

 

[NicInNC]

HUGE improvement this morning!!! Temp outside is 39 degrees so that helped cool the pool down and I'm guessing the 8 jugs of clorox i put in helped. The pool is now more of a cloudy blue color with only a hint of green. YAY!

 

[duraleigh]

Now that you know what you needed was chlorine, you need to stay with what works.......keep chlorine in the pool.

Are you testing? What ppm does 8jugs of Clorox give you?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Sounds like you haven't been shocking correctly. That's why it's taken so much bleach to clear it. From your description, you've been dumping 6 gallons of bleach in your pool once a day. If that's the case you haven't been adding it correctly. You should add enough to bring your FC to shock level for your cya and then test and add as often as every hour to bring it back to shock level. With just dumping 6 gallons in once a day you're allowing it to get used up and the algae to go back to growing before adding more. So it 's the two steps forward and one step back scenario. Eventually you get there but it's going to take you a lot longer.

I'm glad it's looking better, but you should still test, add enough to get to shock level, wait an hour, test again, and if it's still at shock level test in another hour, if it's not add more and wait an hour.

 

[madwil]

What Bama said- 2 steps forward, 1 step back...
sounds like you're almost there, just keep with it another few days!