Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty please!

[ambernricketts]

I put up an Intex 22'x52" pool in July. I also purchased an Intex Salt water filter and sand pump combo. I have not have any major issues with it until now. I went out of town for a week and it is HULK green right now.

I have what the water is testing. I am not sure what steps to do first. If anyone would be willing to help me I would appreciate it. I figure we have one more month of swimming and really wanted to be able to get that month in.

FAC = 0
TAC= 0
Salt= 3200
CH= 70
CYA= 0
TA= 120
pH= 8
Acid= 6
Copper= 0
Iron= 0

All I was told at the pool store is to put in dry acid and a stabilizer.

 

[Rick H]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

Hi, you can get off to a good start by reading Pool School (top right of screen) and start the SLAM process, along with a good test kit. I am sure others will chime in with additional advice.

 

[Charlie_R]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

First thing is you need your own test kit. Pool stores are notorious for inaccurate test results.

http://tftestkits.net/ will get you the best value for either the TF-100 or K-2006.

Next is a bit of reading so you will have an understanding of what your pool needs, and the best ways to feed it. Pool School link in the upper right of this page.

Please add your pool info and location to your signature and profile, so we can give appropriate advice, as it does change for different parts of the country/world.

You need to go to the laundry section of your favorite store, and pick up 5-10 gallons of plain household bleach, non scented, no splashless, not outdoor. Label should read sodium hypochlorite x.xx%, inert ingredients remainder for 100%.

Pour 1 gallon in as soon as you get home, in front of the running return (where the water goes back into your pool) slowly, so it mixes as you pour.

Then look in pool school for the CYA/chlorine chart, and see where your chlorine level should be for SLAM (Shock Level And Maintain) and be prepared to add a gallon or so more to your pool.

While you are out, stop by Walmart and pick up an HTH 6-way pool test kit. This will get you by until your TF-100 or K-2006 arrives.

http://www.poolcalculator.com/ will help you to know how much stabilizer to hang in a sock in front of your return to bring your CYA level up to about 30.

This should get you started to bringing your pool back to clear and swimmable.

As Rick H said, the experts will be along shortly to add to what your need.

 

[zea3]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

Hi, welcome to TFP! You need to do the slam process on your pool. Correct the pH by using dry acid or muriatic acid to lower to pH to 7.2-7.5, and add enough stabilizer/cya to reach 20 ppm before starting the slam. You will need several gallons of liquid chlorine either from the pool store or plain, unscented 8.25% bleach from the grocery store. You can use the Pool calculator to determine how much bleach you need to reach slam level.

In order to test the water for the slam process you should buy a high quality FAS/DPD test kit such as the Taylor K2006 or the TF100. This will allow you to test the higher levels of chlorine needed to complete the slam process.

Was the pump off while you were away or did it stop working? If the pump still works but the SWG is bad then you will need to decide if you want to replace it or chlorinate manually once the slam is complete.

 

[Isaac-1]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

I agree with what the others have said, but will go on to say that you should consider the TF-100 with the XL option as to get a situation like yours cleared up, particularly the first time your doing it, you will find you are doing a lot of testing to see where you are in the process. I would also ask if you have ever added stabilizer or stabilized dry chlorine products to your pool, it is highly unusual for CYA to disappear out of a clean running pool, although it does sometimes vanish from swamp like conditions?

 

[ambernricketts]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

I am wondering if the pool will be completely out swimming time by the time I wait for one of these test kit to come in the mail. Is it being suggested tht I wait until I have one of these to start the process?

I am in southeast Texas. Pool is in full open sun. I sat the pool up at the beginning of July. I have added 4lbs of stabilizer already. The man at the pool place was shocked to hear it gone as well. I don't have a skimmer and it was tied onto the ladder on the other side of the pool from the intake and output.

This morning I moved the ladder and put the socks on it again at the output. He said that could have been the issue. Not sure.

Just went to the grocery store and got 8 gallons of bleach.

So right now should I do the dry acid? Or bleach?

We were away exactly a week. It was running 6 hours a day. There was a bit of algae when we left, like a couple patches on the wall but I got in and scrubbed it and threw in 2 packs of shock.

 

[Isaac-1]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

Lower the pH with acid first first, timing is an issue with the holiday weekend, etc. so it would likely take a week to get a good FAS-DPD test in, you can try starting without it, but will likely be very wasteful on bleach, and you also run the risk of over doing the chlorine dosing potentially bleaching out your liner and damaging the seals in your pump, etc.

 

[ambernricketts]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

I do have a Basic Poolcare DPD Test Kit. Will this work or do I need the FAS-DPD? Can this at least get me started?

 

[ambernricketts]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

This is what the calculator is telling me. On the Chlorine is seems really low the amount to pour in. Did I do something wrong?

 

[Charlie_R]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

Your goal on the chlorine is set way too low for killing algae.

Assume you have 30 ppm CYA, and set your goal to 12 ppm chlorine. That would be the minimum for killing the algae in your pool. With a normal (up to 5 ppm chlorine) OTO test, this will show up as orange to red-orange. Not very accurate, but if you can keep it orange until you get your TF-100, it will at least be staying a bit ahead of the algae growth.

As outlined in the SLAM process, you will need to test and add bleach as often as you can with a minimum time between tests of 1 hour. If you can test every hour, that is best. Keep your pump running 24/7 while trying to clear your pool.

I suspect that you will be buying a lot more bleach over the next week or so.

You may still have a couple of weeks of swim season left, depending on where you are at.

In the upper left corner of the screen is the User Control Panel link. That is where you can enter your pool info to your signature, and also add your location to your profile. Doing this will help us help you.

 

[ambernricketts]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

Your goal on the chlorine is set way too low for killing algae.

Assume you have 30 ppm CYA, and set your goal to 12 ppm chlorine. That would be the minimum for killing the algae in your pool. With a normal (up to 5 ppm chlorine) OTO test, this will show up as orange to red-orange. Not very accurate, but if you can keep it orange until you get your TF-100, it will at least be staying a bit ahead of the algae growth.

As outlined in the SLAM process, you will need to test and add bleach as often as you can with a minimum time between tests of 1 hour. If you can test every hour, that is best. Keep your pump running 24/7 while trying to clear your pool.

I suspect that you will be buying a lot more bleach over the next week or so.

You may still have a couple of weeks of swim season left, depending on where you are at.

In the upper left corner of the screen is the User Control Panel link. That is where you can enter your pool info to your signature, and also add your location to your profile. Doing this will help us help you.

Thanks, location and pool/filter info added to my sig. So this is what I have done so far. I put the stabilizer in the socks in front of the return. I've added the acid. I put in one gallon of the chlorine in front of the return. Brushed the pool, of course I can't see but I brushed it.

 

[Charlie_R]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

Southeast Texas.....You probably have another good month and then some of swim season. Thanks for adding the info!

SLAMming your pool may take up a couple of those weeks, if you follow the slam process very closely.

Your DPD test will likely bleach out at the levels you need to keep our pool at while in the SLAM process.

Brushing your pool daily even though you cannot see is still needed while clearing the algae. It keeps the biofilm broken up and maximizes the algae/bleach contact.

Looking at the pool calculator, another 200 oz of bleach would be a good idea. Since we are essentially flying blind here, with what you described as Hulk green, in about 3 hours, you should be safe in adding another jug or even two. I doubt that it will take your FC level too high. Don't overdo it though.

 

[ambernricketts]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

Thank you. I will add another jug in a bit. By the way what is an OTO test? Here is the color of the pool, yuck. I used this strip and this is what showed after putting in the stabilizer, the acid, and 2 jugs of chlorine. I also used the other test pictured but it did not read that anything was in it, it was still clear.

I will run to the store this evening and get a 6 way test kit for the time being if what I have is not sufficient.

 

[Charlie_R]

Re: Pool is Hulk Green, Have Water Analysis, Help Pretty ple

Your FC level is high enough that it is bleaching out the DPD test. You probably do have some FC in the pool, above what that test can read. You really do need to order the TF-100, with the XL option. But until you receive it, the 6-way will have to do.

The OTO kit is the yellow drops for chlorine testing, included in the 6-way.

With those guess strips, you need to show the blue color, but as I've said, they are not in any way good enough for what you will be doing.

The difference between the DPD kit you have and the FAS-DPD kit you need is with yours, you are limited to 5 ppm FC, with that showing in a shade of pink. The FAS-DPD test can go as high as 50 ppm with accuracy of .5 ppm, shown by a change of color from pink to clear. It also has an additional reagent that will allow you to test for CC (combined chlorine) an essential part of the SLAM process.

Have you made time to read up on this in Pool School? The relevant sections are:

pool-school/defeating_algae

pool-school/shocking_your_pool

pool-school/overnight_fc_test