Still Algae - Totally Discouraged

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hrgdane

0
May 21, 2012
27
Kansas City, MO
So I've been treating for algae for some time now and the pool is just not clearing up. How long am I supposed to keep it at shock level before it will clear up?!?! I'm ready to just say forget it, cover it up and leave it forever. My kids are devastated because I can't get it clear for them.

My CYA is at 30 (I use the Tf-100 test kit). Been steadily shocking at 12. Have probably bought between 50-75 containers of bleach and its just a foggy bluish color. The green went away quickly, but the pretty cloudy blue remains. Have brushed, done backwashes, brushed some more, shocked some more and it still remains cloudy. Ph is at about 7.6 or so.

What else can I do???? I work during the week so I can't maintain it during the week at all. I only have Sat/Sun but I've been doing this for at least 2.5months now. Granted a large chunk of that was me trying to get the CYA level up, but now it's readable and it doesn't seem to make any difference that i check it every half hour-hour and re-add more bleach. Eventually the work week is back and it gets back to zero. I feel like all the money I've spent so far has been pointless.

I really need help.
 
You are missing something in the shock process. I do not know what that is (yet) but you are not doing something that you should be doing. Water is water and cloudy is cloudy so your pool has no "mystery" ailment. The Shock Process works over and over and over in thousands of pools. I am speaking harshly but I want you to understand that you can do this....your pool is the same as everyone's.

You must follow the shock process to the letter and if you skip something or DO NOT CONSTANTLY MAINTAIN ENOUGH FC, your pool will never clear.

Can you post a complete set of current test results from the TF-100?
 
hrgdane said:
So I've been treating for algae for some time now and the pool is just not clearing up. How long am I supposed to keep it at shock level before it will clear up?!?! I'm ready to just say forget it, cover it up and leave it forever. My kids are devastated because I can't get it clear for them.

My CYA is at 30 (I use the Tf-100 test kit). Been steadily shocking at 12. Have probably bought between 50-75 containers of bleach and its just a foggy bluish color. The green went away quickly, but the pretty cloudy blue remains. Have brushed, done backwashes, brushed some more, shocked some more and it still remains cloudy. Ph is at about 7.6 or so.

What else can I do???? I work during the week so I can't maintain it during the week at all. I only have Sat/Sun but I've been doing this for at least 2.5months now. Granted a large chunk of that was me trying to get the CYA level up, but now it's readable and it doesn't seem to make any difference that i check it every half hour-hour and re-add more bleach. Eventually the work week is back and it gets back to zero. I feel like all the money I've spent so far has been pointless.

I really need help.
Click to expand...
Reread the shock process article. You might have missed "If you have a sand filter, you can speed up the process of clearing up the water by adding a little DE to your filter. See Add DE to a Sand Filter for more information."

Have you done an overnight loss test? What is the CC level? Maybe you are done except for the filtering. I am a little concerned about "I work during the week so I can't maintain it during the week at all." Sorry to have to state the obvious, but a pool is like a pet. You have to feed it every day, even the days when you don't want to play with it.
 
Hi Hrgdane , I know it feels like this :brickwall: I just wanted to jump in a give you some encouragement. I took my cover off May 27th to a swamp. I received my test kit June 3rd. so I have been at it for a month. I am just now seeing the deep end. I too thought..is this ever going to clear . (blue cloud).. reverting back to wanting to dump anything in there that might work. ( I did cave and put in clarifier but it just made a slimy mess on top of the water... So far I've put in 80 gallons of 10% bleach. Yikes! The sand filter just takes forever!! Adding the DE helps!.

Also..I didn't consistently hold it a shock level after I was able to see the shallow end and I was holding chlorine better, my cc's were .o5..for several days I would let it my FC drop to swim. but the very least every single night I would bring it back up. I also didn't brush as I should have. So all in all It would have taken me less bleach and time if I had hit it harder.. maybe.. GOOD LUCK!!
 
To clarify, yes, I work during the week, but in morning and evenings, I've still been out there, just not every hour or half hour. I don't abandon it throughout the week, but its harder to maintain at shock level this way.

Filter pressure reads 5 psi. I have to admit I don't really look at that much. Is that ok?

Unfortunately I had to add some water this evening, so I imagine that will screw up some numbers, but I plan to test right after its done and add whatever is necessary and will test again in the morning.

FC = 14 (a bit too high but added bleach amt the pool calculator suggested)
PH = reading lower than last time I tested - 6.8 (added borax per pool calculator recommended amt)
CC = 1
CYA = 30
TA = 30 (pretty low, but haven't focused on this yet)

Tested FC at 5:00 pm and again at 7:15 pm. At 14 at 5pm, and at 7pm.
 

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Does your filter pressure ever seem to change much? If it is staying consistently at 5, then I would do a couple of things...

1. When was the last time you rinsed the sand in your filter? If it's not been done in awhile, it could be making channels and not collecting debris like it should. Sand doesn't work as fast as DE at clearing a pool, but does get the job done. It's relatively easy to do. Take off the top cover and rinse the sand with your garden hose. The dirty water should wash to the surface. Do be careful of the laterals (little fingers) at the bottom, they are somewhat fragile and can be broken.

2. Tap on the filter gauge to be sure it isn't stuck and is functioning properly. It's hard to know when to backwash when your pressure gauge isn't accurate.


Keep up with the addition of chlorine, you will get there! It can seem like a long process, especially when you don't have the time to devote to it to attack it more quickly. It can still be done, and you will be glad in the end that you did! Once you get it cleared it is easily managed.. and you will look forward to glancing out at your sparkling water. :)
 
Maybe try going a bit higher on the FC level in the early am ... Plus ten or fifteen percent over recommended shock level. This way you would stay ahead of the curve during the day and hopefully still above shock level when you get home.
 
I'm so glad I found this forum, because now I know I will never ever buy a sand filter.
Click to expand...
You know those aquariums you can visit where you see millions and millions of dollars worth of stunning saltwater fish? That water is cleaned by sand filters.

Here is my pool cleaned by a sand filter only...nothing added 9-y/o old sand that gets cleaned annually but will never be changed.[attachment=0:296vdekr]clearpoolauto1.JPG[/attachment:296vdekr]An adequate sand filter in a properly chlorinated pool will result in perfectly clear water.

That pool is left open and un-chlorinated most of the winter here in Raleigh so it is a bit swampy most Springs. I have water that looks just like the above usually 3-4 days from when I start the shock Process.....never longer that I can remember.

Why is that?

1. I follow the guidelines in the Shock Process very rigidly. I continually dose chlorine to keep my pool at shock value.

2. I brush as often as I can...stirring the algae and junk back up into the water so the chlorine can kill it and the filter can catch the dead junk.

3. I vacuum anytime I see visible evidence of debris on the pool floor.

4. I brush the sides of my pool.....brushing off organics and exposing them to the chlorinated water.

5. I have a VERY adequately sized sand filter that allows me to go a bit between backwashes, but I backwash religiously when the psi calls for it.

All simple stuff but I suggest that if you cannot clear your pool with a sand filter, you are very probably not following the procedures set out in Pool School

In fact, one of the things a sand filter does better than a DE or Cartridge filter is clear up a junky, nasty pool. The others clog up very quickly and you will be cleaning/backwashing much more frequently than if you were using a sand filter.

All three types of filters can keep your pool water sparkling, if you will manage your chemistry and your equipment properly.

It would be a big mistake to assume a sand filter is not up to the job
 

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So my FC this morning had dropped to 6, but it rained a bit last night, so I don't know how accurate that really is. :(

Should I just keep checking that to know the algae is all gone, then focus on our filter?

We bought our home with the filter already here and I have some concerns that we didn't add enough sand to it, so that might be part of our problem too. Is it a hard process to check this at this stage? Not sure how to go about determining enough is there. Would we have to empty out and start over, or can you tell where the sand needs to be just by looking at it? And then add to it?
 
Before you think about anything else, you should be out there adding more chlorine to your pool to get it back up to about 12 ppm. You should focus on chlorine first and foremost.

As your pool begins to clear, you can focus on getting other things back in order.

Again, my apologies for being very direct, but I know you can get your pool clear and we all want to help you do that.
 
You never answered the filter pressure questions:

Does your gauge go to zero when off?
How often are you backwashing?
What's your "clean" filter pressure?
What's your pressure right now?
If you stick your hand in front of a return, how strong does the flow feel?

I love my sand filter. No messing with DE and no scrubbing cartridges.
 
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