Filter does not seem to filter out dead white algea

[ChronicZA]

Hi Everyone

I just purchased a house with a huge pool that was not maintained for more than a year, the pool was totaly covered in green algea and filthy.
I have shock treated it numerous times and brushed the floor clean and finaly got the water looking better but now i have all this dead white algea floating in the water causing it to be very murky , so murky that you cannot see the creepy on the bottom of the pool.
I have taken water samples in for testing and purchased the recommended products but they do not help remove the white particles.

When the pump is on filter you can actualy see the white particles shooting out the water jet into the pool, this tells me the filter is not catching the tiny white particles like it should.

The filter is a sand filter , my next step is to change the sand but if that doesnt work i would like to know what else i can try?, I am on the verge of completely draining my pool , all 100 000 litres of it.

Please any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[JohnT]

Your main problem is listening to what the pool store tells you and trusting their testing. Their testing is almost always unreliable and their chemistry advice is generally borderline insane.

What you have is the dead remains of the algae you killed. It can be difficult to clear. Give us an idea how long you've been trying to clear it and post a complete set of test results and information about your pool and equipment.

 

[BoDarville]

ChronicZA:

Trust your own testing over the pool store's. Focus on properly performing the shock process (using bleach or liquid chlorine & nothing else) and run the OCLT (see links in my sig). Also, do not test pH until the shock process is complete and FC levels have returned to the normal target range for your CYA.

Once you have passed the OCLT and you still have the dead white algae in the water, you can use ZeoFiber or FiberClear as an aid to your sand filter. These are cellulose-based (e.g., paper-based) products that filter down to a lower micron level (similar to DE) than sand alone. Follow the dosing instructions on the package and be sure to check your filter pressure frequently after adding the product as it will likely spike up quickly. Backwash as needed and reapply until the dead algae is removed. At that point, you can choose whether to continue using the product.

I use it during the height of the swim season as an aid to my sand filter to provide that extra little bit of clarity that is apparent under the lights when swimming after dark.

 

[Smykowski]

Sand filters take longer. A week or more to filter that much dead algae would be reasonable.

Sent from my Exhibit II using Tapatalk.

 

[jblizzle]

Before you resort to anything extreme, you could open up the sand filter and check that the sand is not clumpy. There is also a cleaning of the sand that is a good idea about once a year where you just gently move a hose down and around the sand and let any gunk flow out the top of the filter. This will help ensure that the sand bed is nice and uniform.

And as was stated before, sand is the lowest filter to clear algae from the pool ... easiest to clean, but slowest to clear. Using a little DE or the fiber could help, but verify the sand is clean and not clumped first.

 

[ChronicZA]

Hi guys and thank you for the response,

Sorry i have not had a chance to test the water myself , my local stores dont have decent testers to sell. For now i will have to stick to the pool shop's tests. The first thing i did was shock the Crud out of the water but i used HTH super shock packs , I did this three times, that really improved alot and turned the water from dark green to a very light blue/white, It was after that i started cleaning the floor by vacuum brush, After cleaning the layer of dead leaves/grey algea of the floor i was left with a unclear milky water full of tiny particles floating that my filter couldnt seem to remove.

So two days ago i removed all the silica filter sand and replaced it with a Zeolyte filter sand, its called clinobrite , south africa's equivilent to zeobrite. This had no immediate effect but after two days i can see a slight improvement but the water is still very murky, I found a product called HTH Xtreme flocc and added that this morning, it sounds like it could work but lets see. I have a feeling its going to take time to filter the water properly.

I will get water tests done and post the results as soon as i can.

To give you a better idea of what im working with so long here are some specifications of my pool.
specs:

capacity: (L)15m x (W)4m x (D)1.5m = 90 000L
finish : Marbelite
Pump : 1.1Kw
filter : Sand filter , capacity 4 bags.
Filter media : Clonibrite ( Zeolyte)
vacuum : Barracuda G3

Regards

 

[BoDarville]

ChronicZA:

...i used HTH super shock packs...

Many of the HTH shock packs include chlorine in the form of calcium hypochlorite. This will give the pool water a white murky appearance for up to several days. It's just a normal side effect of cal-hypo.

As others have stated, I would recommend getting a good test kit such as those recommended on this forum and learning how to do the tests. Being located outside of the US, there is the possibility that there may be shipping restrictions on some kits. If that's the case, I would check out other online options if you have difficulty finding a kit locally. Make sure you get a FAS-DPD titration test for chlorine testing which will test FC and CC.

Going forward, I would recommend using plain liquid bleach or liquid chlorine (which is bleach with a higher % of the active ingredient sodium hypochlorite) as the chlorine source.

 

[RobbieH]

Using those shock products can cause real havoc with your water chemistry too. Can you please post the complete set of test results you have from the store?

 

[ChronicZA]

Hey , Ok finaly i have some test results to share.

Free Chlorine : 0.67
Total Chlorine : 0.23
PH : 7.4
Alkalinity : 69
Cyanuric Acid : 37
Copper 1 : 0.30
Copper 2 : 0.08
Iron : 0.04

This test was done by my local pool store, apparently its a 9 level test if that makes sense.

As far as my pool goes the Flocculant did improve the water slightly and i can see a thing white cloud of dust floating on the bottom of the pool , just need to vacuum it up.

 

[Richard320]

Hey , Ok finaly i have some test results to share.

Free Chlorine : 0.67
Total Chlorine : 0.23
PH : 7.4
Alkalinity : 69
Cyanuric Acid : 37
Copper 1 : 0.30
Copper 2 : 0.08
Iron : 0.04

This test was done by my local pool store, apparently its a 9 level test if that makes sense.

As far as my pool goes the Flocculant did improve the water slightly and i can see a thing white cloud of dust floating on the bottom of the pool , just need to vacuum it up.

Assuming the results are correct - which is unlikely since free chlorine is more than total chlorine - your FC level is too low for your CYA level. You're barely keeping up with the algae growth. It's reproducing and getting killed off constantly, so you'll never get it all filtered out.

I advise you to go to and study up on the shock process. It is not a one-time megadose of chlorine, nor a miracle powder you buy in a bucket at the pool store.

 

[ChronicZA]

I was given a pack of alum powder and it worked wonders , the next day the water on top was clear and all the white particles have settled on the bottom of the pool making a thick white cloud. At last i can actualy see the floor of my pool, I tried vacuuming it up with a roller vacuum attachment but this just seemed to kick up the dust and make the water cloudy again so ive decided to resort to more extreme measures, tomorow im going to bring in a 4" slurry pump and dredge the sludge out, il probably loose 50% of my water but at least i know i will get the Crud out the pool as the suction of the 4" pump wont give the sludge any time to disperse.

 

[duraleigh]

But then it will only come right back as you have inadequate chlorine in your pool to keep the water clear.