100 gal of Bleach - Pool still green!

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T

thebbxx

0
Mar 29, 2008
18
Granite Bay, CA
My pool hasn't been taken care of for over a year, and is green. After reading the advice here, I started attacking it with bleach two weeks ago.

All of my chemical readings are fine and my CYA is close to or at zero, so I am maintaining a FC level of around 15ppm(my kit maxes at 10) I clean the filter almost every day, and the chlorine levels stay high overnight. I have been losing chlorine during the day, and it's starting to get expensive. I see improvement but it's very gradual. I can see about two feet through the water and it is only improving by a few inches per week.
 
Welcome to the forum. Without a current set of test results for pH, Cl, Alk, CH and CYA, we can only make stabs at what the problem might be. Post those up along with the size and type of your pool and you'll get lot's of good help.

How long have you been trying to clear it?

If you have used 100 gal of bleach, you are doing something incorrectly.
 
If you truly don't have any CYA at all in the water, then if the days are sunny the chlorine will mostly get used up from breakdown by sunlight -- half the chlorine getting broken down every half-hour under direct noontime sun. You should have at least some CYA in the water and then need to maintain the chlorine level high -- not just adding it once in a while.

The fact that is most strange is the chlorine level holding overnight. If there is truly algae in the water, then the chlorine will drop overnight oxidizing it. Perhaps the pool is green due to copper in the water since copper, especially at higher pH, can precipitate and make the water look green. If the green got even more intense when you added the chlorine (which makes the pH rise), then that would confirm that the green is probably copper. If that's the case, then a metal sequestrant is the answer, though it opens up other questions as to where the copper came from in the first place.

Do you actually see algae or is the water just greenish in color? If the pool was let go for a year, I'd figure that algae was really there, but perhaps you've got two things going on. You should also use a leaf net to remove physical material from the pool since you want the chlorine fighting the algae and not wasting its efforts on oxidizing leaves, etc.

Richard
 
1 gallon of "Instant Pool Water Conditioner" (shown here) raises the CYA in 16,000 gallons by about 22 ppm. This product is 35-42% monosodium cyanurate monohydrate which is equivalent to 27-32% CYA so I figure it's the same stuff.

Mmmmm. Something is still strange here. Why don't you do a simple experiment. Take a bucket of pool water with as much of the green stuff as possible (so perhaps scooped near the bottom) and then add some bleach directly to that bucket of water (and keep the bucket of water out of the sun). If the green turns gray within an hour, then it's algae; if not, then it might be copper. Given that you see particles when you look closely and given that the pool was let go for year, it sure sounds more like algae, but I don't know why it doesn't respond to the chlorine.

What kind of test kit do you have? Are you using test strips? The reason I ask is that you quoted TH as with Total Hardness, but all the test kits we recommend test for CH or Calcium Hardness. I just wonder if the CYA test was correct and perhaps there is a very high CYA level. Do you know how the pool was maintained before the "bad" year of neglect? Were Trichlor pucks/tabs used as the sole source of chlorine in the past?

Richard
 
What do you use to test your water? I too am curious about the chlorine staying the same overnight. You could also try using a water clarifier (which combines smaller particles together to be filtered out) or floc (which coagulates small particles to be vacuumed). Definitely make sure there is no debris in the pool.
 
I'm pretty sure that the only thing used in the past was chlorine.

I just put in a container of Metal Free, just in case there are metals.

I am also going to try the bucket test when I get a chance but my fiance is getting angry with the amount of time I'm spending with the pool :cry:
 
I'm assuming that you are running your pump & filter 24/7 during this process. If not, you need to be. My only algae bloom required 6 days of constant filtering. Once perfectly clear, then you can back it down. Now's not the time to reduce the circulation.

CaryB
Go Canes!
 

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Green from copper in the water gives decidedly green but totally transparent water. The water is reported as very murky so while copper is not ruled out it is unlikely and in any case not the primary problem.

Murky water means either algae growing or the filter isn't working. Have you cleaned the filter recently? When fighting algae you typically need to clean the filter every one to three days. If it is algae I would expect a substantial accumulation of green or gray gunk in the filter. Even if it isn't algae murky water should result in something accumulating in the filter and regular filter cleaning will be required to clear the water.

Have you read my sticky on cleaning up major algae problems? There are lots of good pointers in there. Two in particular come to mind in this instance. First, good water testing is essential. If you get an accurate measure of the FC loss overnight we can tell if there is organic stuff in the water that the chlorine is fighting or not. Second, fighting algae requires a concentrated application of chlorine. Adding chlorine once a day isn't usually good enough. You need to hit the algae hard and frequently or it just grow back and you are back to where you started. Part of that is having some CYA in the water, even if only a little, so that you don't lose all of your chlorine to sunlight.
 
Draining and replacing the water is not usually a good idea. First, you have the risk of water table issues. A high water table can seriously damage an empty pool and it isn't always easy to confirm that the water table is low enough to avoid risk. Secondly, water costs are often higher than chlorine costs, sometimes far higher, particularly when chemicals required to balance the new water are included. Third, some people have problems with their water supply, such as metals or high TA, that will cause problems with new water.
 
JasonLion said:
Draining and replacing the water is not usually a good idea. First, you have the risk of water table issues. A high water table can seriously damage an empty pool and it isn't always easy to confirm that the water table is low enough to avoid risk. Secondly, water costs are often higher than chlorine costs, sometimes far higher, particularly when chemicals required to balance the new water are included. Third, some people have problems with their water supply, such as metals or high TA, that will cause problems with new water.
Click to expand...

Ok Jason. What if I said replaced 50% of the water with new. Water is not that expensive. $1.25 1,000 gal here in Arizona. I'm sure it is much lower where everyone else lives. I still thing some fresh water couldn't hurt this pool.
Filter cleaning is specially important every few days.

My 2 cents.
Iggy in the dry part of Arizona
 
If you don't completely drain the pool and clean the surface you won't even put a dent in the algae. The CYA and CH levels are reasonable, so no need to replace water.

Water is around $3 per 1,000 gallons here, $7 if you don't get the sewer fee removed because you are filling a pool (which is a pain). Some people need to have water trucked in and then it is far far more.
 
JasonLion said:
If you don't completely drain the pool and clean the surface you won't even put a dent in the algae. The CYA and CH levels are reasonable, so no need to replace water.

Water is around $3 per 1,000 gallons here, $7 if you don't get the sewer fee removed because you are filling a pool (which is a pain). Some people need to have water trucked in and then it is far far more.
Click to expand...

$3 a 1,000 gals. WOW that is highway robbery when I only pay $1.25 here in the desert. Something is wrong with this picture. I guess you are right about that nasty algae. If you don't get it all it keep coming back. I hope I never have to make that decision with my pool.
 
Hi there :) welcome!


Trying to follow what you have done so far...

The first post about the problem was on March 29 stating that you started addressing the problem two weeks ago. You posted a partial list of numbers. The CYA was initially registering at zero, last week you added some CYA. Most likely the chlorine that you added before the CYA was added was futile. If you minus the time it takes CYA to dissolve...you don't have a battle with this algae that has been going on very long. Less than a week. If you've got a bad algae problem I would be persistent and give the battle a good two weeks time (of bleach, filtering, vacuuming and testing, testing, testing) before losing hope. My guess is after this time you will have a renewed confidence.


This is if all the numbers are good. Get a GOOD set of numbers to start with another CYA reading (since the CYA is in question I would go to two different stores if you don't have a known good test kit). Get yourself a good test kit if you don't have one!!! Now...when you're in an algae fight...check your levels often! The more you check...the better. If you need more chlorine at any time...add it. With a bad algae problem I would check it at least five times a day (more if possible). You can beat it...just stick with it. If you would like...send me a sample of your green water in a 35mm film container and I'll take a few pictures of it with the microscope to see if it appears to be an algae problem.


Stick with it! BBB

dan
 
gonefishin said:
If you would like...send me a sample of your green water in a 35mm film container and I'll take a few pictures of it with the microscope to see if it appears to be an algae problem.


dan
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Dan, you're generous as always, but I'd say in a pool left for a year, with no care until last week, it's a pretty safe bet he's got algae. :lol:
 
SeanB said:
gonefishin said:
If you would like...send me a sample of your green water in a 35mm film container and I'll take a few pictures of it with the microscope to see if it appears to be an algae problem.


dan
Click to expand...


Dan, you're generous as always, but I'd say in a pool left for a year, with no care until last week, it's a pretty safe bet he's got algae. :lol:
Click to expand...


come'on! Doesn't everyone want to get their hands on as many different types of pool algae that they can? ...I can't be the only one :?: can I :? uh oh

:roll:

:(

:arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :wink: lol
 
swamppoolin6.jpg
 

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