Could copper causing pool to green up?

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Cheaptric

Cheaptric

0
Jun 14, 2013
7
Mckinney, Texas.
Pool Size
15000
Surface
Plaster
I've been trying to get my pool to clear up after coming back from vacation. I've shocked it a few times and backwashed filter 3 times. The pool went from chucky green to just green. I was maintaining FC at about 10ppm but it never cleared up. Current readings are as follows with the test kit that i have.

FC=5ppm
Ph==7.2
CYA=30

The sales person said that phosphates were good but that maybe I had copper issue. I've never had a problem of going from Green to Light blue in less than 24 hours but it's been 3 days and I haven't had any luck. I just bought 12 jugs of 121oz 8.25% bleach and I'm planning on taking it to 20ppm. Should I wait til night time or go ahead and start right now even though outside temp is 95 degrees? Could I really have a copper problem that i'm fighting? Basically is there anything else I need to check before I start wasting more money on chlorine?
 
Did they test for copper?

Have you been using algaecides or "mineral sanitizers"? That's usually where the copper comes from.

You might just have a tough strain of algae. Shock level is 13 for your pool, if the CYA level is to be trusted. You never hit that. It needs to get that high and stay there, possibly for several days. That can take a lot of chlorine bleach.

The good news is, if you get your own test kit and follow our method, your pool may never get algae again and you will never have to go to the pool store except to buy odd bits of hardware.
 
I can't see the bottom of the pool because it's green so it's hard to say if its crystal clear green. I've never used an algaecide or mineral sanitizers so i'm hoping it's just a algae problem. The lady at Leslie's pool said my copper reading was .6 which I have no idea what that means to me or how to adjust it. She suggested flocc and vacuum it out to see if it would work. My thoughts were that it was just algae since i've never had a problem with copper in the 8 years i've owned the pool. Then again i've never had this much problem with the algae. So what would you all suggest I try next. Raise FC levels and see it goes away or treat for a copper problem, in which case what would be the best way to approach that.
 
If copper really is 0.6 you have a problem, however pool store testing is remarkably unreliable so who knows.

If the water was crystal clear green you could read the lettering on a quarter sitting on the bottom of the deep end, it would just be green. If you can't see the bottom it is almost certainly algae.

Raise FC to shock level and give the chlorine and the filter time to work.
 
Cheaptric said:
Can you have too much FC? What are the effects besides more dissolved solids?
Click to expand...
If you go waaaay over shock level, you might bleach the liner, and you'll waste chlorine.

Chlorine loss to UV light is a percentage -I recall something like 45%, but don't quote me on that - so if you jack it to 30, you'll lose 12 just to sunlight. Whereas if you only go to 12, then you only lose about 5. It can add up quick!

It's sort of like taking antibiotics from the doctor. You take them twice a day for a week or so, until they're gone. You don't take them all at once. You're after the steady kill.
 
I do have a test kit but its old, didn't know how reliable it was. I was able to get the R-0013 for CYA testing today but haven't been able to find the powder and the R-0871 reagent locally. May have to order it but won't be here in time for me to use while trying to get the pool to clear up. I raised the FC to 24ppm per the calculator and then tested it with the old test kit and it was correct. I will see how this works.
 

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My pool finally changed color from a green to a bluish green. I've gone thru 12 jugs of bleach trying to maintain at least 15ppm of free chlorine. Guess I will need to make another trip for bleach. Still have not been able to find the reagent I need for testing.
 
Pool is now more of a light blue but but not clear. Should I use some floc to help it clear up? Should I keep dumping bleach into it till its clear? Try adding DE to the sand filter? This is taking way too long. Thank you everyone for all your help.
 
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