Our pool has gone from crystal blue to green and cloudy. We have a 20k gallon, gunite pool with pebble finish and attached spa that was installed last year. We have had incredible pollen this past month in Massachusetts and I am not sure if the pool just couldn't handle it. It was opened by a professional and turned lovely, clear blue in just days. I have added salt a couple of times but now realize it is hard to get good salt readings without consistent temps above 70 degrees. Our numbers have been fine, just needing to add Acid periodically with the SWG. I added 2 1/2 gallons shock today and just completed a 24 hour boost. Started running the filter 24 hours a day. I'll check the numbers in the morning again. My question is, how do I know if this is algae or just the result of pollen? The filter was a mess after only three weeks when backwashed yesterday. I'll do it again tomorrow. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Algae or Pollen -- Green, Cloudy Water
- Thread starter kcejake
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!
A full set of water test results and a description of what the algae/pollen looks like would help us answer your question.
A full set of water test results and a description of what the algae/pollen looks like would help us answer your question.
I live in Florida but had the same problem when I first started taking care of the pool that came with out house. We have tons of Live Oak pollen from Feb-May, and I kept thinking that slight to moderate green haze was pollen from the trees, because I had a SWG and the chlorine levels seemed fine. Finally after prodding from folks on Pool Forum, many of which now live here, I bit the bullet and ran the chlorine level up high and kept it there along with filtering 24/7 and daily vacuuming. . About 5 days later, I had a nice sparkling pool, I became a believer and it's worked every time since.
Ok, here are my numbers as of this morning:
FC 2 ppm
CC .5
TC 2.5
pH 7.5
T/A 110
CH 29
CYA 500
I think I know what happened with the Chlorine. It was running very high (FC 9.5) and my salt was low, so I had lowered it on the SWG. Then, I added salt and had it off for 24 hours. Next day, back to 30% and had a full pool party with lots of kids. I am guessing I just need to get those chlorine levels up. Added four gallons of liquid shock between last night and today as well as an algecide this morning. Backwashed the filters again this morning. Calcium seems high. Pool is clear but green this morning. Any thoughts? Thanks!
FC 2 ppm
CC .5
TC 2.5
pH 7.5
T/A 110
CH 29
CYA 500
I think I know what happened with the Chlorine. It was running very high (FC 9.5) and my salt was low, so I had lowered it on the SWG. Then, I added salt and had it off for 24 hours. Next day, back to 30% and had a full pool party with lots of kids. I am guessing I just need to get those chlorine levels up. Added four gallons of liquid shock between last night and today as well as an algecide this morning. Backwashed the filters again this morning. Calcium seems high. Pool is clear but green this morning. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Is it possible that you switched the CYA and CH numbers? If CYA is really 500 then you have a serious problem. But if CH is 500 then CH is a little high but it isn't too difficult to deal with that.
Obviously a newbie here. CYA is 50; CH is 290. I multiplied the wrong one by 10. Is this better? The green is very clear now and seems lighter. FC was 9 ppm an hour after adding 1 1/2 gallons shock at 9:00 am this morning then 7.5 ppm when I tested almost three hours later. I added one more gallon of shock and will test again tonight. Am I on the right track?
Yes, you are on the right track.
With CYA at 50 you want to bring FC up to 16, and keep it there by testing and adding more chlorine as need, at least twice a day and up to once every hour. Keep that up till FC remains the same overnight.
CH at 290 is just fine.
With CYA at 50 you want to bring FC up to 16, and keep it there by testing and adding more chlorine as need, at least twice a day and up to once every hour. Keep that up till FC remains the same overnight.
CH at 290 is just fine.
I've been checking the FC every few hours. It was at 13 ppm and now is at 20 ppm. Turned the SWG down to 50% and will test in the next hour to check levels tonight versus tomorrow morning. I've brushed twice and the in-floor system and pump are running 24/7. The pool is perfectly clear but still green. Since we have white pebble finish it is easy to see. Is there anything else I should do at this point? Thanks again for all your help.
No. But be sure that you hold your FC over night. I may take a few more days for the filter to clear the water. :blah: I know that sounds like the pat answer, but thats all you'll need.
Hey kcejake and welcome to the forum! :lol:
While you are clearing your water you could read the stickey on “Water Balance Tips for a SWG†by Waterbear: http://www.troublefreepool.com/sticky.php?s=3663
It looks like your CYA and TA are outside recommended limits for a SWG.
While you are clearing your water you could read the stickey on “Water Balance Tips for a SWG†by Waterbear: http://www.troublefreepool.com/sticky.php?s=3663
It looks like your CYA and TA are outside recommended limits for a SWG.
It is rainy here this morning. Here are the latest numbers:
FC 14.5 (dropped from 17 last night)
CC .5
pH 7.8
CYA 30
I added 1/2 gallon liquid shock and 1 qt. acid this morning. Seems like I need to add some stabilizer to get the CYA up again. It does look less green today and still very clear. Maybe the rain is a blessing. I'll check chlorine throughout the day. Just had to order a refill for my kit!
FC 14.5 (dropped from 17 last night)
CC .5
pH 7.8
CYA 30
I added 1/2 gallon liquid shock and 1 qt. acid this morning. Seems like I need to add some stabilizer to get the CYA up again. It does look less green today and still very clear. Maybe the rain is a blessing. I'll check chlorine throughout the day. Just had to order a refill for my kit!
Seems like an algae may be gone, but still has a green tint to it. My numbers both last night and this morning were the same:
FC 16
CC .5
CYA 45
pH 7.5
I think I may have to break down and have the pool guy take a quick look. He thinks that when I added the solar fish it might have coated the filters and they need a power wash and soak. Since it is a new pool we don't have a second set yet so I can't test the theory. Guess I'll get on that next. Thank you so much for all of your help. This site is just wonderful. We are hoping to be swimming by this weekend when it turns 90!
FC 16
CC .5
CYA 45
pH 7.5
I think I may have to break down and have the pool guy take a quick look. He thinks that when I added the solar fish it might have coated the filters and they need a power wash and soak. Since it is a new pool we don't have a second set yet so I can't test the theory. Guess I'll get on that next. Thank you so much for all of your help. This site is just wonderful. We are hoping to be swimming by this weekend when it turns 90!