Green Pool frustration!!! Newby trying to take control:)

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K

KGK

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Jun 16, 2013
51
Springfield MO
I want to learn how to manage my own pool. Sick of paying pool prices.

Water was clear for about a month and then clouded up. Live on a fairway and the course got careless with fertilizer. Pool wasnt registering FC. Pool company said that I had Nitrogen problems and recommended 25 pounds of shock to break it. I used 15 jugs of 96oz generic bleach. Pool cleared up right away and stayed that way for a week but now (one week later) is an emerald green. It has been getting worse rather than better for about a week.

I don't have the recommended test kit yet. Will buy one very soon. In the interim, I had my water tested yesterday. CYA 125 FC 8.1 PH and TA is slightly high too. I don't remember the numbers. I emptied 2.5' of water and refilled overnight. Today, test strip would indicate that my CYA is around 100 (don't know specifically until to tomorrow.) FC appears to be through the roof as does PH and TA. It looks worse now than this morning.

I will have it tested again tomorrow for specific numbers. When I woke up this morning, there was small pockets of algae(?) on the bottom. I am so tired of this. Any suggestions on what I should do in the interim?
 
Your steps to a clear pool

-order test kit NOW

-replace more water not really sure how much until test kit comes in. Just use best judgement until test kit comes in

-buy and pour in plain bleach every day. again use best judgement

-tell us what your numbers are when your test kits gets in.

Good luck! It does work!
 
Great! How's the water look? Your PH is high but i don't trust that number because of your Chlorine level. Problem is i don't trust that number either. How have you been adding chlorine over the past few days? .

Have you seen this? http://www.poolcalculator.com/

You need to keep chlorine in the water till you get your test kit, problem is we don't really know how much you have in it. We can make some WAG's and use the pool cal to figure how how much to add to raise it where it needs to be according to this chart.... pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock

You really need to shock with seeing the pockets of algae, problem is that will be impossible to do accurately until you can measure FC over 10 PPM.
 
I have been pouring bleach directly in the pool in front of the blower. I apologize... I don't totally understand how to use the Pool calculator. I did look at it. Do I need to fill in the goal part and then the actual number next to it? According to the Chlorine / CYA It looks like my goal FC is 5. Do I need to add any at this time based on my pool company's test showing FC at 6.26?
 

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I have studied the Pool Calc and have a better understanding. I will post accurate numbers when my kit arrives. In the interim, I used the pool company's test numbers to calculate an appropriate amount of shock in an effort to clear up the water and get rid of algae. I know its kind of a guess for now, and I will look for advise in an effort to learn and accomplish the BBB method.
 
So for your 24,000 gallon pool, with the results you have, pool cal shows an addition of 298 ounces of %8.25 is required to raise your pool to shock level. How many times can you get your water tested per day? I guess i would try to get water run it to the pool store, then come home and raise pool to shock level each night till you get your kit. Right now you know you are safe to pour in 3 gallons of 8.25%, but we won't know when that has dropped till you re-test.
 
To KILL that ugly green monster called algae. You keep it at shock level until you pass the OCLT (overnight chlorine loss test).

Kill and kill it good. It is SO worth it to do it right so you are not throwing money in for nothing.

Kim
 
KGK said:
In the interim, I used the pool company's test numbers to calculate an appropriate amount of shock in an effort to clear up the water and get rid of algae.
Click to expand...

KGK said:
Why do I keep it at shock level until I can test? Thanks,
Click to expand...

I thought you already wanted to do that....which is what i would want to do, which is to keep chlorine in the pool attacking the currently living growing algae until you can properly go through the shock process which involves testing many times per day and the ability to test chlorine levels up to your shock level of 16 (this requires the powder chlorine test).

You could certainly not add bleach to get you up to shock level, that might even be cheaper overall. Just depends on how soon you want your pool clear i guess.
 
Just a side note, if you take water to get tested and the FC is approaching or above 10 PPM your PH reading will be off. You could pick up some Muratic Acid to lower your PH. If the pool store tells you FC is less than 10 then you could try to get your PH down to say 7.5, it might not happen perfectly because your PH might be really higher than the reading they've already given you. Here is what pool school says about it...

Recommended Pool Chemicals
PH - Acidity/Alkalinity

Lowering PH

To lower PH you can use either muriatic acid or dry acid. Muriatic acid is less expensive, though it can be annoying to handle. It is best to use muriatic acid if you have a SWG. If you don't have a SWG, and handling muriatic acid bothers you, you can use dry acid.

Muriatic acid is sold by most hardware stores and some paint stores. The big box hardware stores, like Home Depot and Lowes, almost always have it, but they seem to put it in different departments from store to store. Sometimes it is outside in the garden department, sometimes in pool supplies, and sometimes in the paint department.

Muriatic acid is available in various strengths. The most common strength is called either 20° baume or 31.45%. 10° baume or 15.725% is easier to handle but you need twice as much and it is usually more expensive.

You should always wear eye protection when handling muriatic acid. You do not want to breathe muriatic acid fumes. If you spill any on your clothes it will cause damage. Muriatic acid may sting a bit if you get it on your skin, but won't normally cause any serious harm as long as you rinse it off right away.

Muriatic acid should be added to the pool by pouring slowly in front of a return jet with the pump running. You should pour slowly enough that pouring an entire jug takes more than two minutes. Leave the pump running for at least 30 minutes after adding muriatic acid.

Dry acid is sold by pool stores and the pool departments of some big box stores. Dry acid is sold under various names, including PH Down, PH Reducer, PH Decreaser, Lo-n-Slo, etc. Dry acid is best added by pre-dissolving it in a bucket of water and then pouring that slowly in front of a return.
 
I'm sorry to ask, but what benefit is the PH in relation to the FC? Is it that it buffers the affect of the chlorine and protects the equipment or does it help sustain chlorine levels? I see Walmart sells PH minus...I assume that is Dry acid. Is Muriatic acid better to use? Thanks again, I am learning so much!
 
I added the bleach to bring the pool to shock level. I only have test strips, so It shows FC through the roof, but the pool barely even smells like chlorine with no change in water color. Is there something in the pool that is eating the chlorine up in my attempt to kill the algae?
 

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