Our pool laid dormat for three years and it was pretty bad, but instead of draining and refilling, we have attempted to clear it up. We have tried everything, including what you have stated here. Our PH, FC, etc are all great,but still it's green and we cannot see the bottom. We even tried "Filter Aid" and "Floc". Nothing even happened. Now the guys that test my water just told me to drain it and start all over. We have a well and have to have water trucked in which is about $350. I would really like to avoid that. Any suggestions?
We have tried everything attempting to clear it up
- Thread starter poolgirl2011
- Start date
Re: Turning Your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis
I'm not an expert here, but before the pros reply to your post I can prepare you for the next stage.
"Filter Aid" and "Floc" don't kill algae, chlorine does. The bottom line is that you have to kill it faster than it grows back. Have you used enough chlorine? Did you shock and measure the FC level all the time and did you add chlorine when FC went down? You will be asked very specific questions and be prepared for accurate answers. I'm almost sure that you will be told that with enough chlorine you will be able to clear your pool.
poolgirl2011 said:
I'm not an expert here, but before the pros reply to your post I can prepare you for the next stage.
"Filter Aid" and "Floc" don't kill algae, chlorine does. The bottom line is that you have to kill it faster than it grows back. Have you used enough chlorine? Did you shock and measure the FC level all the time and did you add chlorine when FC went down? You will be asked very specific questions and be prepared for accurate answers. I'm almost sure that you will be told that with enough chlorine you will be able to clear your pool.
Have you scooped all the debris out of the pool?
What test kit are you using?
Post a full set of test results and how you got them.
What does the water look like right now?
What test kit are you using?
Post a full set of test results and how you got them.
What does the water look like right now?
I'm thinking the same thing, that something us under that water even though our tests look good. We have not kept the chlorine level up due to severe storms raging through the midwest almost everyday, but we do put more in as soon as we can and we vacuum to waste,etc. Tests from yesterday are below:
TDS: 900
Alkalinity 120
PH 7.2
FC 3+
TC 3+
Stabilizer 20
Phosphates 0
This is from the pool store based on a sample I took.
TDS: 900
Alkalinity 120
PH 7.2
FC 3+
TC 3+
Stabilizer 20
Phosphates 0
This is from the pool store based on a sample I took.
Buy your test kit first off! Make sure all the debris is out of the pool. Read pool school next. Start buying bleach!
We have a test kit and test almost hourly. All the debris is out and the pool is a green/gray color. We did try 10 gallons of bleach and nothing happened. We put 4 gallons of shock one day and then 8 the next and nothing happened. We've also used "Green To Blue" twice and still no change. Levels have stayed consistently high for days at a time and still nothing. I've had pools in the past and have never had one that just simply did not react to any chemical. The filter is working fine and the sand is brand new. I even used Phosphate Free "just in case".
poolgirl, can you post your full test results. Stay away from adding anything until then!
Are you testing for CC if so what is it? Have you plugged your numbers into the Pool Calculator?
I guess not because we do not have anything to test with. I bet it's high though. I'll test today and post.
Just the normal hth 3 way test kit. I usually take water to the pool place to get more information.
3+ for FC is about as accurate as saying you weigh more than 20 lbs. Shock levels are double-digit for CYA of 20, assuming that is correct, which it probably isn't, as pool stores are notorious for messing up that test in particular. You don't know if you've reached it, nor if you've been maintaining it. Second, every time you stop adding, the FC will drop, and the algae will resume multiplying. That means all the expensive chemicals you just dumped in were for nothing. You need to kill the algae faster than it can grow back, and keep killing it until it's all gone. There is no other way.
Despite the thread titlle, you haven't tried everything to clear it up. You haven't tried the TFP method. To do so requires an accurate test kit and consistency. You've already wasted more money than the price of a test kit. Order a kit and do it right.
Despite the thread titlle, you haven't tried everything to clear it up. You haven't tried the TFP method. To do so requires an accurate test kit and consistency. You've already wasted more money than the price of a test kit. Order a kit and do it right.
Good morning pool girl,
First let me say that I am far from being an expert, but I will share with you the only thing that cleared my pool. I bought the test kit, and used it to ensure I was keeping my water at shock level even after it was beyond blue but somewhat cloudy. You must test your water often, and by often I mean I was testing several times a day. You cannot believe how quickly your chlorine level drops from shock level to zilch, and no way to know without a test kit.
I am the biggest skeptic in the world about thinking someone just wants to profit from me by selling me something. I probably wouldn't have even considered ordering the test kit if I hadn't personally known someone who bought the kit two years ago. After more than a week of posting questions on here, reading pool school, and being torn between what the pool store was telling me and the advice I was getting here, I ordered the kit. Best thing I did in the whole process other than learning the basics from reading pool school and others' posts! I firmly believe I saved more than the cost of the kit by only buying products I need at grocery store prices.
I am a divorced kindergarten teacher living on a shoe string budget, and I took my pool from the greenest, murkiest water you can imagine to crystal clear with NO help and very little encouragement from my friends, kids, or neighbors. If I can do this, be encouraged that you can too.
Order your test kit.
Stock up on bleach.
Use that cya/chlorine chart in pool school to know your shock level.
Add bleach several times a day to keep it at shock level.
You also need to be scooping from the middle of the pool often to get every last leaf and twig out.
Good luck, and try not to get discouraged.
Cheryl
Kenton, TN
22500 AG vinyl liner. 1.5 hp filter
First let me say that I am far from being an expert, but I will share with you the only thing that cleared my pool. I bought the test kit, and used it to ensure I was keeping my water at shock level even after it was beyond blue but somewhat cloudy. You must test your water often, and by often I mean I was testing several times a day. You cannot believe how quickly your chlorine level drops from shock level to zilch, and no way to know without a test kit.
I am the biggest skeptic in the world about thinking someone just wants to profit from me by selling me something. I probably wouldn't have even considered ordering the test kit if I hadn't personally known someone who bought the kit two years ago. After more than a week of posting questions on here, reading pool school, and being torn between what the pool store was telling me and the advice I was getting here, I ordered the kit. Best thing I did in the whole process other than learning the basics from reading pool school and others' posts! I firmly believe I saved more than the cost of the kit by only buying products I need at grocery store prices.
I am a divorced kindergarten teacher living on a shoe string budget, and I took my pool from the greenest, murkiest water you can imagine to crystal clear with NO help and very little encouragement from my friends, kids, or neighbors. If I can do this, be encouraged that you can too.
Order your test kit.
Stock up on bleach.
Use that cya/chlorine chart in pool school to know your shock level.
Add bleach several times a day to keep it at shock level.
You also need to be scooping from the middle of the pool often to get every last leaf and twig out.
Good luck, and try not to get discouraged.
Cheryl
Kenton, TN
22500 AG vinyl liner. 1.5 hp filter
Also when you order the TF100, if you can swing it, get the speed stir. Since you will be shocking it will be a great help in getting accurate results
Even with all the reading I've done here, I found myself slacking off when trying to clear my swamp. The key is to maintain shock level, not just bring it up with huge doses of chlorine and see what happens. It must be kept at a certain level until the process is complete. It took me over 1 month to clear the blackest murkiest mess I've ever seen. A proper Test Kit is crucial.
This morning when I was vacuuming, there were prisms dancing all over my sparkly pool. It is a good morning. Hang in there!
This morning when I was vacuuming, there were prisms dancing all over my sparkly pool. It is a good morning. Hang in there!
I just checked CYA and could not even get a reading. Using the hth test, the black dot became smaller, but did not disappear.
With CYA/stabilizer very very low you lose nearly all of your chlorine to sunlight each day. It will be much simpler to solve the current problem with CYA around 30 to 35.
Which chlorine test does your kit have? It is much easier to shock the pool when you have the FAS-DPD chlorine test (powder turns the sample pink and drops eventually turn it clear again). That will allow you to reliably measure high FC levels and to tell when you have killed all of the algae.
Which chlorine test does your kit have? It is much easier to shock the pool when you have the FAS-DPD chlorine test (powder turns the sample pink and drops eventually turn it clear again). That will allow you to reliably measure high FC levels and to tell when you have killed all of the algae.