Not sure what I'm doing wrong... Help!!!

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mamabear020305

mamabear020305

0
Jul 11, 2011
41
South Carolina
So, ever since I learned about the BBB method, I've been using it. LOVE IT.

However, this fall, I gave up too soon and didn't close the pool properly and over the winter it turned into our own personal backyard version of the Okeefenokee Swamp. :blah: :blah: :blah:

About three weeks ago, the weather started to warm up and I wanted to get a jump on turning it back to sparkly blue and get ready for swimming again. I determined that my CYA was really low, maybe 5-10??? couldn't get the black dot to disappear at all, even with the tube completely full, so I added the rec amt of stabilizer to get it to 30 and adjusted the pH to the slightly low end and started scooping out leaves, adding bleach, running the filter 24/7 and brushing and all that...

The pool turned brown to green and then green to gray and now is a partly cloudy blue color. I can clearly see the pattern on the shallow end of the pool even though the water is still cloudy and can see about 3/4 of the way down the sides in the deep end but the water seems a lot more "blue" in that part of the pool... I am pretty sure that 95% of the leaves are out of the pool as when I vac I am only getting a few each time. However, it seems like the pool hasn't changed much in the past week and I'm starting to get frustrated and wonder if I'm missing something.

I need to mention that we have had all day rain for the last 2 days and the same thing happened about a week ago... Also, I work full time, so even though I am sure that the chlorine is staying at shock level during the day (I test and add bleach before work and test again when I get home), I am not able to brush/vac it more than once a day. Maybe that's what's slowing me down? Is it something else?

I've been reading and reading and reading trying to find another thread with a similar problem and possible solution, but I keep seeing pools that are clearing up WAYYYYYY faster than mine and I'm running out of POP... I've spent so much $$ on bleach that it's getting ridiculous and so I thought I'd see what the experts thought...

Today's tests say:

CYA 20-25?? (the dot disappears right at the top of the tube) -- this needs to be higher, right?
pH 8.0 (higher because of shock level, right?)
FC 14 (pool calc says 12 is shock level for 20 CYA, so is this okay?)
TA 110 (too high, right?)

Any suggestions/advice/feedback is GREATLY appreciated!
THANKS SO MUCH!!!
 
Sand filters aren't super fast at clearing up a mess, so you might be in a position where you just need patience until the dead algae is gone. If you perform an OCLT pool-school/overnight_fc_test, you may find that your algae is dead and you can return to normal chlorine levels while the filter clears the remains.

Your pH reading will be inaccurate at high chlorine levels, so just wait on adjusting it. Your TA is fine unless you experience constant pH rise, so don't worry about it now either.
 
I added the stabilizer three weeks ago and then waited a week to retest and got 30... now, it is lower for some reason, which I can only guess is because of the tremendous amount of rain we have gotten lately (pool is draining out of the overflow drain on the side) as well as the many backwashes I have done in the process of removing the dead algae and other small debris.
 
I like the idea of the OCLT... I could do that tonight. Does the fact that we have gotten consistent rainfall since Friday evening and that it isn't expected to stop until Tuesday morning going to affect the results? Should I do it now or wait until Wednesday when the rain clears for a few days? I'm terrified of stopping too soon and it turning green on me...
 
Do NOT stop as you have not passed all three "tests" as seen by the fact your pool is not clear.

Here is some POP :cheers: for you (pool owner patience). It is not fun or easy but it can be done with time and bleach! :party:

HUGS!
Kim
 
Kimkats... thanks for your post.

After your reminder that I needed clear water to truly be finished with the shocking process, I decided against the OCLT because the water is far from clear.

I do see some serious improvement today... the rain that was supposed to be here all day turned out to be sunshine instead, so I got to thoroughly brush and vac the pool tonight... I backwashed after I used the vac and I am adding about 4lbs of stabilizer in socks in front of the skimmers. The PoolCalc says I need 6 lbs, but my socks won't hold that much at one time.

I am considering buying some DE or ZeoFiber but am not sure if I should... it makes me a little nervous to add it for some reason (probably because I feel like the dumbest pool owner EVER)

I'll keep trying to have POP even though if I am being honest, when I was at WallyWorld buying stabilizer today, I was REALLY tempted by the clarifier "quick fix in a bottle" but I kept hearing y'all voices in my head... LOL

Thanks for being such a great resource to people like me...
 
Don't be afraid to add DE. Don't bother adding ZeoFiber. We don't say "DO NOT USE Clarifier" We just say it isn't required...essential, etc. If you want to buy it, buy it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I wouldn't use it if the FC is not holding overnight.
 
I "fought" my husband about getting a new pool after we took down the old pool due to being "pool stored" to the point the liner went very bad due to HIGH CYA. All the pool store wanted to do was to sell me MORE.....

THEN I found TFP and am LOVING the pool! It is SO easy this way! and the money I have saved! WOW!

It is SO worth it! Hang in there!

Kim
 
UPDATE...

:rant: I am seeing a slow but steady improvement in the water clarity each day, but the pool is still requiring a lot of bleach to stay at shock level. Is that normal? :?: I'm using about 2-3 jugs of 8.25% Clorox from Sam's each day on average. I've dissolved the CYA, but I am not retesting the level until Monday since it will have been a week.

My TA is still 110 and my pH is still exactly the same color as the 8.0 on the color scale.

Is there anything I am doing wrong?

I've decided to bite the bullet and add DE to filter and plan on ordering some online tonight... can't seem to figure out where to buy it locally. Any ideas? Is there a certain brand or anything I should be aware of when ordering DE? :?:
 

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Vette said:
Im also wondering how DE is used in food?
Click to expand...

I was looking on Amazon for DE and saw the food grade DE - apparently some people ingest it :shock: . They say it helps with stomach issues, hair loss, all kinds of things. One guy adds it to his homemade toothpaste.
 
So, here we are EIGHT days later (from my original post) and although there has been some improvement in the clarity of my water, ie I can see the drains at the bottom of the deep end now, it still has a long way to go before it is "clear"...

My latest test results are:
FC 16
CC 0
CH 140
TA 120
pH 8.0
CYA 30

I haven't been able to find DE locally, and have ordered some online, it should be here by Monday, I hope.

I got some skimmer socks and put them on yesterday morning. This morning, I cleaned them off and they were NAST-AY. I am not sure exactly what they are catching and wanted to see what the experts thought. Here are pics of what they caught between 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. (11 hours)

Thoughts? I'm really getting frustrated.

THANKS!
 

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mamabear020305 said:
I am following the shocking directions... I've had the FC levels HIGH for almost a month now... it just seems like it's taking FOREVER...
Click to expand...
What color is the pool? Bluish? Greenish? Brownish? You can see the drain; can you see dark splotches where there may still be some leaves or something in there?

I find it bizarre that you can't find DE or one of the cellulose substitutes locally. But it doesn't matter now, since you've probably just ordered a ten year supply. I predict that filter is going to load up quick and the water will clear up very soon now. Keep an eye on the filter pressure and the flow from the returns.
 

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