Smelly pool.....algaecide stink

[kellysue]

Ok before I read much info on this site I added Linear quat based algaecides to my pool which now has a funky smell. I think the source of the algae problem was an old filter (basically my husband started the pool with last year's moldy nasty filter in it, granted I should of checked). There wasn't a lot and no smell prior to adding that algaecide. I have been shocking it and adding bleach for the past 3 days, still smells and I will find a little green algae in the skimmer basket, by little I mean like a quarter sized amount or less if I was to push it together. Other than that the water is crystal clear.

I am pool stupid and my husband is out of town. So I read I should hourly be adding liquid bleach to the pool. Is this what you would recommend.

here are the results from the hth test strips, yes this kit sucks and I need to get the good one recommended on here.


I added the cy.acid to balance the pool, it is only about 3000 gallons (cheapy intex), so I added a little under a lb of the cy acid but the test strip shows the bare min but those HCH test strips are horrible and I know that isn't right. I guess I'll swing by a pool place and have the water tested and see if theey can test for algae too.

I guess I am asking if I am doing the right stuff.

 

[kellysue]

PH 10/20
Ph 7.2
ta 0
hardness 200
cya shows 0-20, I was aiming for 20ppm when I added this but I guess according to this I need to aim for 30-50

 

[Bama Rambler]

Number one!!! Don't trust those strips. If you can't do any better right now, take a sample to the pool store and have them test your water.

If you used the Pool Calc to figure how much CYA to add then trust it. The only way it's going to be off is if you told it the pool was a different size than it really is.

Once you get the results post them and we can help you.

 

[frogabog]

Those strips told me I had 0ppm when I really had 20ppm. Then, when I added 20ppm of CYA, the strip hardly changed. So, while I had 40-45pm of CYA they still told me there was basically none in the pool.

I didn't break out the CYA test at first this year and went for the quick and sloppy dip strips test (HTH) just for an "idea" while I was opening the pool one afternoon. Overall, the CYA on those is so inaccurate it isn't funny, and quite misleading. I overshot the CYA by 10ppm this year and ended up at 40ppm (verified through real CYA tests). Doh!

If you put 20ppm into the pool, you can trust that you've got at least 20ppm. If you used ANY pucks or powdered shock last year, there's absolutely some CYA left over in the pool as well. So, let's imagine you're at 30ppm and call it good. Even if it's 20, it's good but I'd use the chlorine levels for 30ppm in the calculator because the difference is only 1ppm of reserve and if you're 1ppm over target/minimum and shock all the time that's just fine. Overkill by 1ppm hardly qualifies as overkill anyway.

The smell you're experiencing is likely algae, enhanced by the algaecide treatment that didn't really work. Bleach should take care of that when you're all done shocking.

Also, I think your calculations of volume are incorrect. I use 5300 gallons for my 15x48" Intex Metal frame pool, 3000 gallons is much too low. This would also mean that the CYA you added probably wasn't a full 20ppm worth as well and you very well may be missing the levels you're aiming for across the board which would mean you might not have actually hit shock level yet. Almost shock level can kill some algae, but it just grows back so you end up fighting the never ending battle.

 

[kellysue]

Frogabog- I only filled by pool a little over halfway b/c I have twin 4 year olds and didn't want the water to their chin. I just cut the old tubing out and moved it lower. But thanks for pointing it out. I went to the beach today and when I came back the smell wasn't too bad and the chlorine levels held to 3/6. but just dumped more straight store bleach in. Thanks!

 

[frogabog]

Ahhh... gotcha. How did you mount the skimmer that low?

You may want to put that in your sig so that those of us with the same pool who might run things through the calculator for you know to change our volume number.

You will have a better understanding once you get a good test kit. Those strips are only good for guessing.

 

[JasonLion]

You just need to wait the smell out. It can take up to a week for it to fully go away.