White film on top of pool

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C

chaycethedogs

0
Aug 12, 2011
6
I NEED HELP! I'm just going to explain the whole situation. Thank you for reading and PLEASE if you can help I would greatly appreciate it! I'm about to lose my mind!

I bought an 20'x48" Intex from Walmart. Only time the water was clear was when we first filled it. Went on vacation for a week 2 weeks ago and came back to a green pool. Followed aquachem.com on getting rid of the algea....but couldn't get rid of it. Got fed up with the Intex pump and went to the pool store 2 days ago and purchased a SandPRO sand filter/pump. I was so hopeful! Now the pool has a white film on top. It's coming thru the return valve like mad and foaming up. I've backwashed twice this morning and it really foams up coming out of the backwash hose! What is this? How do I get rid of it? Why isn't my sand filter fixing my pool water?????? I super shocked it last night thinking it would solve the problem....nope.
 
Without knowing more its a guess. Do you have a test kit? If not, its probably the best single thing you can purchase for your pool. We really need to know about the chlorine level, but other numbers are important too.

If I were to guess is your problem of foam/film is being caused by what you killed from shocking. Which by the way is a process, not a one time thing. Check out pool school, and post some test results when you can.
 
The foam could be dead algae or whatever; it could also be whatever Aquachem snake oils you added. Many algaecides foam up.

I'll echo brushpup: go read up in Pool School.

And I hate to tell you this, but you really need to spend more money and get a real test kit. Your pool may be small, but you or your kids can get just as sick from a small pool full of bacteria as a large pool full of bacteria. One trip to the urgent care for an ear infection costs more than a test kit.... Pool School has an article explaining test kits.
 
I have a test kit and I monitor the levels daily. I haven't let my kids in the pool with that film on top!!! Geesh! My levels are as follows:
total hardness 250
total chlorine 3
free chlorine 8
ph 7.3
total alkalinity 120
Stabilizer 40

The film on top just showed up after we installed the sand pump/filter. I've been reading thru the boards and searching online and I think it's all the algeacide I put in to kill the aglea that developed while we were on vacation...NOT WHILE MY KIDS WERE SWIMMING. This is our first pool and it's only been up a month or so. With everything I've read this morning on the algeacide I can't find a solution to the thin film on the top of the pool.
 
also I typed my original message very upset. Meant to say the algea looks gone. The pool is no longer green but it is a little hazy, I can see the bottom okay. It's the while film on top that has me concerned. It's coming back thru the pump and foaming up.
 
Take a breath, relax. We are here to help. Please repost your test results. Your TC and FC results seem off.

Also what test kit are you using.

What kind of sand did you put in the filter.

With enough chlorine and time any pool or foamy swamp can be crystal clear. The process can take alot of chlorine and time though. I would tell the kids to plan to be out of the pool for the next week while you are shocking it. If you want a quick fix drain, clean, refill and shock again. This would get your pool back in 2 to 3 days.
 
I am using aquachem test strips. I was so upset that poster was saying I was going to send my kids to Urgent Care. Sorry. I retested. The total chlorine and free chlorine look the same....3. The free chlorine was very dark on the test strip and it said 10 above it. I should have read the side. I was comparing colors and then typing in the numbers above the color if that makes any sense. Geesh. I sound like a loon! LOL!

The pool has 8000 gallons of water and I really want to clear it up. I bought Silica sand that the pool store sold me. I am using super shock in a bag I bought from walmart. I've gone thru the 5 bags that come in the box in 3 days. Last night I put 2 bags in but the white film hasn't changed.
 
chaycethedogs said:
I am using aquachem test strips.
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Test strips are not accurate....

I was so upset that poster was saying I was going to send my kids to Urgent Care. Sorry. I retested. The total chlorine and free chlorine look the same....3. The free chlorine was very dark on the test strip and it said 10 above it. I should have read the side. I was comparing colors and then typing in the numbers above the color if that makes any sense. Geesh. I sound like a loon! LOL!

The pool has 8000 gallons of water and I really want to clear it up. I bought Silica sand that the pool store sold me. I am using super shock in a bag I bought from walmart. I've gone thru the 5 bags that come in the box in 3 days. Last night I put 2 bags in but the white film hasn't changed.
Click to expand...
I suggest you switch to liquid chlorine. You can buy it at the pool store, home depot, lowes, or find bleach just about anywhere. The powder you're adding probably has Calcium, which can add to cloudiness. Bleach/liquid chlorine is about as pure as you're going to find and what we recommend you use to shock your pool.
 

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Well, technically he didn't say you were going to have to send your kids to urgent care, he was trying to illustrate a point that if your kids were to ever swim in deteriorated water and get an ear infection that the medical costs are more than a good test kit (unless you live in Canada where we are socialist and everything medical is "free".....and I pay a lot of taxes to help keep them "free".....except the things that aren't covered under the free gov't part, in which case we have to pay extra for....in which case I have private benefits which makes 80% of the non-free things, well, free....and means I only have to pay 20% extra for the free private things not covered by the gov't free things......but that's another story :lol: )

You need a good test kit (ie: Taylor K-2006), take a sample and post the results here - you 'll get help. Ultimately you need to just keep adding bleach (and clean the pool) until the outbreak is cleared and the levels come into balance, and then stay on top of things.
Keep plugging away, you'll get it cleared up!!

PS: Read thru the Pool School section if you haven't already.
 
I understand that trying to get the hang of a new pool is frustrating, and then you come here and when people start telling you that you've done the wrong thing, it's hard on you. Please believe everyone here wants to help you.

The foaming is most likely from the algaecide you added but without good numbers we're just guessing. If it is the algaecide, it will go away given enough chlorine and time. How much that is depends on a lot of other things. That's whay a good test kit is so important.

While deciding to get a good kit you can take a sample to a local pool store and get it tested. It's not reliable but it's better than strips. Don't buy anything but come back here and post your numbers.
 
cramar said:
(unless you live in Canada where we are socialist and everything medical is "free".....and I pay a lot of taxes to help keep them "free".....except the things that aren't covered under the free gov't part, in which case we have to pay extra for....in which case I have private benefits which makes 80% of the non-free things, well, free....and means I only have to pay 20% extra for the free private things not covered by the gov't free things......but that's another story :lol: )
Click to expand...

<off topic> Cramar, thanks for the chuckle. :lol: I couldn't help but laugh at the "straightforward" way you explained all of that!....LOL.
 
Thank you for your time. BBBbeliever I wasn't referring to you being rude...I knew you were trying to help that's why I had answered your questions. ;-)

I went to the pool store and they helped me. I should have just done that in the first place. I took a picture and some pool water with me. The thin layer of film seems to be algeacide and she showed me some de-foamer but told me to just keep my chlorine levels close to 4 and follow my regular cleaning routine and it should clear up in a week...maybe two. She said I would use maybe an ounce of the de-foamer and it wasn't worth the $10 and additional chemical in the pool. BTW my chlorine level is 5.
 
I did not take offence to anything you said just as I hope you were not offended by me. I am no expect by anymeans but I would be happy to share my experience with my AGP which has never been cloudy or green.

First, at the very least go to walmart and get an HTH 6 way drop based kit for less than $20. Balanced water is important and test stips will have your kids swimming in water with the PH out of range. This will increase the likelihood of swimmers ear. Once you compare the HTH kit to the strips you will see why we don't recommend the strips. The HTH kit is good for water balance it just will not measure chlorine above 5ppm.

Next, The Intex SWCG make pool maintance a breeze. You can leave your pool unattended as long as need be and will not have to go through the expense that you have incurred. The Intex SWCG can be found 50% off right now for $100 at walmart.com

Please read through pool school. There is no need to go to the pool store. If you follow the advice of the forum your pool will be clear and foam free quicker than listening to the pool store. Best of luck to you.
 
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