Need help with Green Algea

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fsteve65

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Jun 24, 2011
125
Cape Girardeau, Mo
Have been battling green algae for about 3 weeks now i started shocking it and it started to clear but it seemed like my pump and filter that came with the pool just couldnt keep up so i ordered a Intex sand filter 16'' 2650 gph and installed it on Saturday. I have a Taylor K-2006 test kit but used the last of the Dpd powder today ordered more it is on the way so my levels from today are as follows.

TA 100
PH 7.2
OTO 7.5
FC 5,5
CC 2.0
CYA 40

I am using liquid chlorine 10% and have plenty on hand this afternoon i added 60 ozs to try and get the level to 16ppm..any advise for my swamp?

Thanks ....Steve
 

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Sounds like you have the right testing kit ... just need the powder.

Read pool-school/shocking_your_pool and Pool School if you have not already while waiting for your powder (although it seems like you know what you are doing at least a little by stating you are shooting for your shock level of 16 ppm.)

Remove any debris on the bottom of the pool and keep adding FC to stay at shock level and it will clear up.

3 weeks seems like a long time so either the FC was not as high as it should have been and/or the circulation and filtration was not working properly.
 
Usually there is a change in the shade of green to either a duller green or a gray color in a couple of hours, but making sure you killed all of the algae and clearing up the water can take days to almost two weeks, since the filter still needs to filter all the debris out of the water.

The best way to see how you are progressing is to do an overnight FC loss test. If you are still losing chlorine overnight then you haven't been adding enough chlorine. But if overnight loss is minimal and the water isn't improving day by day then there might be something wrong with your filter.
 
I would imagine that if you actually maintained 16ppm, some kind of change should be noted within a day or so... something (not clear of course, but not the same dark green you show in the image).

But maintaining shock level requires some vigilance and very frequent testing and adding chlorine. Algae like that will eat up chlorine quickly, so every hour or two you will have to add bleach to keep it at 16ppm. Eventually this should come to some kind of balance where less and less chlorine is lost over the hour or two that you wait, and at that point something should start to change that you can see. I've got a feeling that while you've been adding chlorine a lot lately, the scale is tipped towards the algae's side because as soon as some is killed, the chlorine level gets too low for too long and it just grows again. Kinda like a zombie... Remember... Rule #2 - Double Tap.

I read here that the sand filters aren't capable of filtering the smaller particles, and it could take longer to filter dead algae with that. We've had good luck with using an old 1000gph pump/filter as a secondary pump with the suction end weighted down to the bottom. I posted some pics recently here that shows the funky looking setup.

full-time-pumping-intex-t33543.html

Since you've still got the functional Intex filter, try adding that to the pool (doesn't have to be permanent, but right now it can't hurt) while you're waiting for it to clear. The paper filters actually perform better when they aren't brand new, some gunk on them seems to help catch particles that might otherwise pass through.
 
Got my test refills in today and boy were the pool store off this weekend here are my results.

CYA 70
CC 0
FC 14
PH 7.4
TA 210
CH 225
WATER TEMP 84
Borate 45

It is clear i can see the bottom but it is very slightly cloudy not quite sparkling like i would like . Could the alkalinity be making it slightly cloudy? It has passed the overnight chlorine test should i just give it some time or would you bring the chlorine back up to shock level?
 

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fsteve65 said:
Thanks Butterfly i will do just that i know you guys swim at shock level !...So reassure me i don't have to kick the kids out at a shock level of 28 for a 70 Cya?
Click to expand...
Generally, we say swimming is okay between minimum and below shock level for your CYA.

So, let it drop at least a little :)
 
There you go! Make the kids do cannon balls and whirl pools to slosh out some water and with a little vacuum to waste and some water refilling you'll be able to get your CYA down some, 40-50 range works really nice for my 15'X48".
I did also find that my pool likes the TA at 90, I did have mine up to 120 but I did have the PH swinging up all the time, now that I'm at 90 the pH stays right at 7.5 all the time. :goodjob:

Chuck
 
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