I think the problem is algae

Jump to latest Follow Reply
C

Cherylr

0
Jun 1, 2011
33
Kenton, TN
Cheryl's posts merged for continuity. Lets keep all the cleanup posts in this topic.

Good morning,

HELP!

I hope no one else is as frustrated and disheartened as I am right now. My 30 ft. AG got in pretty bad shape late last fall (murky green and neglected), and the folks at the pool store recommended closing the pool and dealing with it when I reopened. I'm thinking that was a huge mistake. The guys opened my pool a couple weeks ago, and it started clearing, but before we were able to get in, the water turned into a swamp.

I took a sample last week, and I was instructed to use a product called swamp treat and four bags of shock. It was supposed to clear up overnight. Needless to say, it did not. I went back with a new sample two days ago, and I was instructed to add 12 pounds of sodium bicarbonate while running my pump on recirculate for one hour, then add a product called EZ Clor, recirculate one hour, then turn the pump off. Everything was supposed to settle to the bottom so I could
vacuum it out. The water is still green.

I learned about your site yesterday, and I read almost continuously all day. Now I feel like I know just enough to be dangerous. Took another sample in this morning:
FC. 0.05
TC. 0.12
CC. 0.07
TA. 123
pH. 7.5
CH. 77
CYA. 15
Saturated index. -0.5

The lady at the pool store GAVE me a bottle of sodium carbonate and told me to add 2.5 lbs with pump on recirculate. She also GAVE me 2lbs of turbo shock to add behind the sodium carbonate. In one hour i am supposed to add another bottle of EZ Clor Dropout with pump on recirculate for one hour then turn pump off again and let it settle for 24 hours. I looked for ingredients on the bottle of Dropout stuff, but none are listed. From what I read on this site, I think it is probably something y'all refer to as flocking.

I would be ready to close this pool forever if I did not see some light at the end of the tunnel because I think I can maintain using your BBB process if I can ever clear this swampy hurdle I have now.

Advice please.

Cheryl
Kenton, TN
21200 AG
Sand filter 1 year old
?? On pump and filtration (will look for info today)
 
Please read about the shock process in Pool School:
pool-school/shocking_your_pool

This is what you need to do. Don't let the pool store convince you that you can add a bag or bottle of some product and instantly have a sparkly clean pool. With your CH that low (if it's accurate, I don't have a lot of faith in pool store numbers), you can use Cal Hypo to go through the shock process if you don't want to use Clorox (or store brand 6% bleach).

I don't recommend using dichlor until you have an accurate CYA measurement. If 10 is correct, you can use it. If 10 is wrong though, you could end up with CYA levels that make it almost impossible to shock your pool.

So you understand, the shock process can take several days. When it's almost done, your water will be a milky color and you'll have to be patient and persistent until it completely clears. Even when the process is complete, it can still take a few days for your filter to get all the dead algae out.
 
After you read, shocking your pool in Pool School.

I would suggest you keep things VERY simple and use Clorox to clear your pool. It is the very finest thing you can use with the drawback of having to use A LOT of it.

As Rob said, don't chase your tail believing you can cure this pool in 24 hours. You can only cure it with knowledge, perseverance and CHLORINE.

Start in Pool School and, once you have read and digested the basic articles, you will recognize the need for you to take charge of your own testing so you will have some control....right now the pool store is simply selling you things....either because they don't know how to fix your pool or they don't care.....either one means you have to manage this task yourself.
 
I would like to add, and I am a novice. Duraleigh taught me the error of my ways, dont use a small hammer on this, head it with a sledgehammer. After he said this in one of my post I thought yeah right, but I had the bleach so I upped my game a bit and when I was suppose to put 16ppm in I went up to 20 ppm and it changed colors almost before my eyes. Now its still cloudy but I know now that the filter will do the rest just take Patience. Insert Guns and Roses song here. Anywhoo, listen to the folks on this site, they are awesome!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
I like your opening lines......
Good morning,

HELP!
Click to expand...
lol :lol: You got your help, too! Members are happy to help you thru the process of taking control of your pool.

You need to get a good test kit. I suggest the TF100 because the customer service is #1 and the kit has more bang for the buck. The Taylor 2006 is also good. .

You have come to the right place, welcome :wave:
 
Good morning again,

Well it seems to be a good one anyway. Since the pool store is furnishing the stuff to me at no cost, I went ahead and followed the directions they gave me with the mindset that all I had to lose was some sweat and a few more days of no swimming. This morning I can actually see the bottom of my pool, and whew! There's a lot of stuff to vacuum off the bottom. My question is: how can I start the vacuum process without stirring up the crud? Also, I found the main culprit - there is a big old pile of leaves in the middle. I want to scoop those out, but the chlorine level is 0 and I'm not about to get in the water. I will use my extension thingie and get what I can.

Or would you recommend getting the leaves out of the middle, forget vacuuming, use my "sledgehammer" bleach I bought yesterday and let the filter do the work for me?

Thank you to all who replied yesterday! I like y'all already.

Cheryl

21200 AG vinyl liner sand filter 1year old , millennium pump 1.5 hp .18 spl
 
the more solid stuff you get out, the less time and less chlorine it will take to clear! vacuuming is difficult- you have to move really slow to avoid stirring the crud up...
Get as much solid out you can with net/pole
Vacuum as much as you can
Hit with hammer (bleach)
POPP - pool owner patience and persistence!
keep hitting with hammer- the more frequently you can add bleach to maintain shock levels of chlorine, the faster it will clear!
Clean filter (backwash)as needed...but run 24/7!
 
Ok well...the whole making it sink to the bottom then vacuuming it all out sounds good in theory, BUT - I am exhausted plus I was losing so much water I am dreading my next water bill! There are still some brown leaves from a pin oak tree in the middle of the pool. I scooped for a long time on those, then got a contraption that hooked to my water hose and used it for a while.

Anyway long story...short version - I turned the filter back on, poured 9 gallons of bleach in, and I am heading to walmart for more bleach. My question is: do I need 50 gal or 100 gal? I am using my dad's truck, and he needs it back soon. I ordered the t100 test kit, and I have test strips. The strips say my pH is now high.

Also, I found some industrial bleach -16 percent 5gallons for $38. The great value -6percent was $2.20 fr 1gallon. According to my calculations, the great value is a better deal?

Thanks in advance for sharing your wealth of wisdom with me.

Cheryl

21200 AG Swamp sand filter 1year old 1.5 hp
 
Green water yesterday, blue water today

Hello again,

I am the chick with the green swamp who was told I could clear it up using the stuff that makes everything fall to the bottom of the pool. It fell, and I vacuumed for a long time today, but did not get it all. Durn, my water bill is going to be outrageous!

I ordered the t100 test kit today, and have been testing with the strips and the 3 way kit from walmart until my good kit arrives. After vacuuming for what seemed like forever today, I added 9 gallons of 6 percent bleach. The water has changed from murky green to very cloudy blue, and the strips show all levels to be ok. The 3 way kit also shows the chlorine level to be around 5. I realize now that I added too much bleach, and I will get pool store to do a water test in the morn to compare with my readings. Anything else I an do at this point?

Also, I fell for the pool frog last year. I have read your posts about their worthlessness. Do I need to have it removed or simply put no new cartridges in?

When I vacuum, do I always vacuum with the multipart dial on bypass to waste? I was dumping out water today faster than I could replace it with my water hose.

I appreciate the patient answers you all have given me. I am excited about keeping my pool in great condition once I ever get it whipped into shape from this algae issue.

Thanks, Cheryl

Kenton, TN
21200 AG vinyl liner, all 1 year old 1.5 hp
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Re: Green water yesterday, blue water today

Good for you on sticking to it.

Keep up with the vacuuming and until you know your true chlorine levels, I would keep the chlorine up a bit to try and maintain your ground w/the algae. Until you get your good test kit, it's hard to say what you're truly working with as far as numbers go. Do check out the pool calculator too that you can find in the pool school area.. it's a great tool! I use it all the time!

If you have large amounts of debris and algae it's fine to vacuum to waste. You can also allow your filter to catch the debris and then backwash as needed to remove it.... just pay attention to your pressure so you know when to backwash. It sounds like you have to pay for your water, so I would opt for the filter catching it if I were you. No reason to lose all your CYA too.

Post your test results when you get your test kit and people here are always eager to help.
 
Re: Green water yesterday, blue water today

Hi, welcome to TFP! You can leave the pool frog in place and just not put cartridges in it. As long as it doesn't leak I would leave it alone.
 
Re: Green water yesterday, blue water today

Hi Cheryl! :wave:

You can vacuum at regular filter setting if not sucking algae off the floor of pool (which you do want to bypass filter). I get occasional dust/dirt in my pool which I used to vacuum on regular filter setting (I now use a robotic cleaner and don't vacuum :party: ) My mustard algae problem earlier this year necessitated vacuuming to waste. Hope this helps.
 
Teeth, hair, and eyeballs

Update on my former swamp/murky blue water...I bit the bullet this evening and entered the water on a hope and a prayer that nothing entered any orifice on my body before i finished scoopin leaves off the middle of the floor. Turns out i was instead being eaten alive by something with teeth, air, and eyeballs. By the time i scooped them out of the water, they were ordinary twigs, but they sure had my ankles and feet scared while i couldn't see them. I think the neighbors were pretty entertained. Hehe

Ok, so the only reason I was brave (or foolish) enough to go in the water is because I've been keeping the chlorine level high the past 24 hours by adding bleach every couple hours or so. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new test kit. In the meantime, I am relying on my little 3 way kit from walmart and my pool store for results. The 3 way kit only measures fc to 5 ppm, so I've been adding bleach until my sample turns off the chart orange.

My questions
1. Do i wait until my good test kit arrives to start worrying about anything other than fc? My very limited understanding of the fc/cya relationship is that the lower the cya level the less chlorine it will take me to maintain shock level. Is that correct? So I want to keep the
cya level low until the water clears? I am backwashing 4 or 5 times a day and adding water with my hose.
2. I am 5' tall, and the side of my pool where my water is returned into the pool had to be built up in order to level my site. I am standing on my tip toes on a rickety chair I mashed into some mud to pour the bleach in. Have to change into work clothes to add bleach each time. How much longer will it take the powder stuff to clear the water? I will keep using the liquid if it makes alot of difference.

Results from pool store were:
Fc. 0.19
Tc. 0.24
Cc. 0.05
Ta. 169
Ph. 7.6
Ca. 80
Cya 11

I took a sample around 5 am before adding any beach. I don't want to burn my pool store bridge until my test kit arrives (they still want me to use the flocculant stuff). The last time I posted my cya of 10, someone who responded questioned whether that was correct. So it is either correct
or consistently incorrect.

Sorry this is lengthy - so many questions. All help is very much appreciated!

Cheryl
Kenton, TN
22500 AG vinyl sand filter 1.5 hp pump 1 year old
 
Re: Teeth, hair, and eyeballs

I would do what you're doing now. Keep the FC up and scoop everything you can out.

Once your kit arrives you can get a set of test results and then you'll know what needs to be done.

The problem with your current test is that you don't really know if you're hitting shock level with your FC. You're also not sure about your CYA level. Those are the two things you have to know to shock properly.
 
Re: Teeth, hair, and eyeballs

I scoured the bottom with my net until I couldn't come up with anything so I think most of it is off the bottom.

Do I lose prime on my pump every time I turn it off to move my multipart dial to backwash? The lid to the basket you all are saying to fill with water is incredibly hard to get off and back on again. In fact i simply could not get it off this morning. Any tricks?

I'm not sure if it's full of water, so I turned the pump off a few minutes ago to make sure I don't damage something if I haven't already. When the water is pushing out of the eyeball really strong, does that mean the pump is primed, or can air make that happen too?

I'm sorry. I told y'all I know just enough to be dangerous. I'm feeling a little defeated this morning.

Cheryl
Kenton TN

22500 AG sand filter 1.5 hp 1 year old
 
Getting all the debris out is a big step in the right direction.

Unless you have a leak the pump shouldn't lose prime. In fact, with an AGP you can't lose prime unless the pump is above the waterline which is rare.

If water is flowing out of the eyeball strongly and there's no bubbles in it then there's no problem.

Don't be disheartened, You've got the stuff out, you'll have a good test kit in a day or two, and you'll be done with this soon. I know it seems like you're spinning your wheels but you are making progress.
 
Re: I was frustrated but I am rapidly approaching ****** off

I was at work the day the pool folks closed my pool last fall, and I was at work the day they reopened this spring. I had forgotten about that huge bag of sand they recommended I use last year to weight my steps down. Since I still can't see the bottom of the pool, I almost tripped over it a couple hours ago. Held my nose, went under, and pulled out a bag filled with sand and watery muck and mire that was every shade of ugly - green, brown, yellow...no wonder my efforts have been so slow. Can hardly wait for my kit to arrive though - I honestly believe I am only hours away from having clear water. :party: :party:

While sweeping, I noticed some squishy soft dips on the pool floor near the edge where the filter and plumbing are installed. They were not there last summer. This is the side where the ground had to be built up about 18" in order to level the spot. Is this kind of settling normal, or do I need to get someone out here ASAP? Not sure what warranty is like, but it will be one year the end of this month.

Single mom here, and you all have helped me more than I can express. I know most of y'all have already forgotten more than I will ever know, but I know so much more about chemistry than I ever learned in college. Thank you, thank you.

Cheryl
Kenton, TN

22500 AG vinyl sand filter 1.5 hp
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply