hELP! I can't keep algae away!

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Xtie1111

Xtie1111

0
Sep 10, 2013
18
Lowell, indiana
I'm a long time visitor, new member, and 1st time poster.i have learned more on this site than the pool store could ever teach me. So thank you for that.

15,000G, AG, hayward cartridge, not sure of the speed,6/1/12, 3" pucks, chlorinator

Th 250
Tc 10
FC 10
Ph7.2
Alk 80
Cya 100

We have had algae come back continuously all summer.. Last year pool was perfect. I opened a crystal clear beautiful pool this spring. took water sample to great escape and they had me add stabilizer. This year it's been cloudy, and algae returns constantly. A few days after treating it i will see piles of what looks like dirt clumped on the floor and BAM! its back! The water right now has a green cast to it and is cloudy. I'm exhausted with the maintenance on this thing. The end of the season is here and I just want to close it. So I have 2 questions. What am I doing wrong and how do I fix my pool? And I feel frustrated and just want to close it...what is the cheapest way given the circumstances? This pool is breaking my bank. Btw.. My pool store did not tell me that pucks raise cya, they tell me that cya has no relationship with chlorine, and they were telling me to use 2 gallons shock to bring my pool to shock levels.. I truly appreciate any help!
 
Welcome to TFP! :wave: First of all, STOP LISTENING TO THE POOL STORE. Lets remember why your pool is green in the first place. The cheapest way to take care of a pool is using bleach. Regular unscented household bleach. I use Walmart brand (8.25%). Stop using pucks. With a CYA of 100, a drain and fill is in order to get the CYA down. After that, start using bleach. Do you have a good test kit? The TF100 is the best thing I ever bought for my pool. It has saved my butt, and I feel in control of my pool because of the TF100. Pool stores are notorious for getting test wrong. Theres a reason why its free. I'm sure others will chime in with advise, so hang in there!
 
Xtie1111 said:
I'm a long time visitor, new member, and 1st time poster.i have learned more on this site than the pool store could ever teach me. So thank you for that.

This year it's been cloudy, and algae returns constantly. A few days after treating it i will see piles of what looks like dirt clumped on the floor and BAM! its back!
Click to expand...
I can tell you about question 1. That is how the pool stores stay in business. That is how they make there money. They say "shock" the pool and sell you some stuff. Thing is, what they sell you only adds to the problem. Mainly adding CYA when it's already high. Then it may or may not be enough to kill every thing in the water so it clears for a few days then comes back. $$$See the cycle here$$$. If you really want to learn how to save money and take control of your pool, then you have come to the right place. You will need a good test kit. It's an investment and this CAN NOT be done without one. The taylor K-2006 or TF-100 kit. They use the same testing chemicals but the TF-100 will give you more of the main test that you need out of the box. You will need to drain a good deal of water to get your CYA down to a manageable level. This might be where question 2 comes in. I don't close around here. We wear shorts in December most of the time :mrgreen: Re read pool school. Top of every page on TFP site. What you will find here not only teaches how to save on chemicals and not get pool stored, but how to learn your pools personality. They are all a little different and when you find that sweet spot your pool will sparkle and stay that way.
 
Welcome to TFP.

As you've no doubt learned from reading here, CYA certainly does have a relationship to chlorine.
You should have also learned that pool store testing and strips are terrible at giving good numbers.

To answer your questions.
1) What you're doing wrong is listening to the pool store and following their advice. That you have solved by coming here and reading Pool School. Follow the advice you find here and next year will be a dream.
2) What you can do to fix it is get a good test kit (The TF-100 is the best bang for your buck) and then get your water balanced according to the ABC's of Water Chemistry found in Pool School.

Since you're about to close I suggest that you drain water like you normally do and raise your FC to about 30 ppm and then close it.

The other option would be to get the test kit, balance the water (which will require some draining and refilling) and then SLAM it and close it according to Pool School and when you open it next year it'll be clean and in good shape.
 
Thank you so much.. I appreciate all of the help! I am ordering the test kit. With the price of water out here doubling after Labor Day I think I'm going to raise the FC and close it. Next year I will drain it and start clean.

I am done withe the 3" tabs, the chlorinator, and the bagged shock? This is the way to go right? I feel sick about the cost of the chlorinator and the new bucket of tablets sitting in my garage. ..And the cost of the refill next year... And not to forget the huge amount of $ I've spent at the pool store :cry:

I hope I'm on the right track. Wish I would have found you all before I bought my pool! Is there a point in ordering the test kit now or should I just wait on that until spring is near.. Do tests expire?
 
Welcome!

You may not have to do a total refill. Once your TF-100 arrives, you will be able to tell us more about your chemistry. So yes, order the test kit. Dave has the 18 month guarantee of freshness, so the kit chemicals will be good for next season and a bit beyond.

If your CYA tests over 100 with the TF-100, we can advise you further on how to find out exactly how high it is.

Don't throw away the tabs or shock powder yet. They may come in handy later, as they won't go bad in sealed containers (separate, of course!) for many years. You should be able to use them -- tabs for when you have to be away for a few days (but make sure you have room for the CYA), and if the powder is cal-hypo, you can also use that occasionally, if your CH isn't too high.

I assume you have already been reading Pool School, so you are already learning how to care for your pool in a manner the pool stores greatly dislike -- little money in it for them -- and will keep your pool in great condition.
 
One more question..should I leave the pool green and as is while I wait for test to arrive? Sould I do anything to it in the meantime? The pump is running and the chlorinator is running.. But it's a healthy green!

Thank you so much! I'm a little excited about all of this info! Thanks to each one of you who responded!
 
STOP adding CYA from the pucks!!!
Turn the chlorinator off and get the tablets out of the water.

You can add a 121oz bottle of 8.25% bleach everyday until your kit arrives ... that will add 5.3ppm of FC each day.
 

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Test arrived already! I'm not going to lie... I was intimidated!

We did toss in a gallon of 12% shock last night just because we had it..the pool is cloudy and very green.

FC 10.5
CC 1.5
TA 100
CYA 100
CH 170

With the chicago weather we are finished swimming for the season and would like to close it soon. Our water prices double after Labor Day so if possible I would like to wait until next spring to empty and refill. What are my options with these readings?

I did the chlorine test 2x... That was the only one I was iffy about.., the numbers don't look right... Thanks in advance to anyone w suggestions!
 
How did you get the CYA of 100ppm? It would be good to do that test again staring with 50/50 mix of tap water and pool water, then add reagent, then double the reading. You can pour the solution back and forth a few times to see if you are consistent. And you should do the test standing outside with your back to the sun and the tube at your waist.

The easiest option now is to close it up and deal with it in the spring.
Ideally, you would replace water now and get the CYA in range, then go through the SLAM Process to clear it up and then properly close it so you open to a clear pool: pool-school/winterizing%20and%20closing%20your%20above%20group%20pool
 
I followed the directions exactly for the cya level. I then added the mix to the tube until I couldn't see the dot.. It was 100. We had used the pucks and the bagged shock though since we got the pool and TGE pool store had me actually add stabilizer this year...
 
It is highly likely that your CYA is closer to 200 than 100. Follow Jason's advice and dilute until you have a reading closer to the top of the scale.

You can do partial drain/refills now, or leave the pool green and drain/refill in the spring.
 
I did the cya again it's the same. I know the test strips aren't accurate but I used one to compare the readings I got w the tf100. It gave me a cya of 150 now..a FC of 10 and cc of 10. Am I doing the tf100 correct? I did the chlorine test again w the tf and it was FC 10.5 and cc .5.. Could this be right? My pool looks like a swamp
Thank you so much I'm really trying to learn this and do it the tfp way
 
What do you mean you did the CYA test again? Did you start with 50/50 mix of pool and tap water? If so did it read 100, or did it read 50 and you doubled it?

Ignore the strips they are worthless and will just cause confusion.

You could very well have a FC of 10 and still be growing algae ... if your CYA is too high ... which it is.
Look at the FC/CYA Chart, if the CYA was only 100ppm (yours is higher), the minimum FC is 7ppm to prevent algae from starting and your would need to use almost 40ppm in the SLAM Process to clear the pool.

BUT, I think your CYA is way above 100ppm which makes the only real path forward to replace water to lower the CYA.
 
Thanks for your patience... I diluted it this time and came up with a 80 so doubled I have a cya of 160.

Ok.. Do I shock this to try to clear it before we close it? Leave it green and close as is since we need to drain next season anyway? And if I do close as is how bad will it get over the winter?
 
It is virtually impossible to SLAM and clear a pool when the CYA > 100ppm. So if you are not going to replace water now ... throw in the towel and close it up.

If you want to try, you need to maintain the FC level at a SLAM level around 40ppm until you pass the 3 criteria to stop ... this is going to take a lot of bleach.

Does not matter how bad it will be in the spring. You will just have to get the equipment running, test the CYA in the spring, replace water as needed, and the SLAM away.
 

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