Left for a week+ for work, came back to green pool

[middlepen]

I was out of town for about ten days for work and while my wife tried her best to keep the pool stable, she did not quite manage :blah:

When I came back it was quite green so yesterday I used one of the bags of shock she had bought (yes she even bought stuff from Leslies!) and then used three more over the course of the day... I know this is alot of cholorine, I really just wanted the algae dead.

The pool is no longer green, but it is really cloudy to the point where I cannot even see the second step (about a foot down). I just did a test with the TF-100 and got the following results:

TA - 110
CYA - 50
Ph - ~8 --- I immediately added muriatic acid to bring it down
Cholorine - did not test since I know it will be off the charts
Salt - SWG says 3400

So what should I do to get the pool nice and clean like it was before? We are having a big party this Saturday and it has to be back to perfect for that, but I know that 5 days is a long time to get it back to shape, especially since the algae appears gone.

EDIT: Added that I put in muratic acid after seeing the high PH

 

[woodyp]

Well........the first thing you SHOUld'NT have done is try to lower the PH while you say your FC is off the charts. It will test high at FC over 10. Follow the SLAM process in pool school until you meet all 3 criteria. A one time whack of high FC won't get it done usually. Think process. Bleach is your friend. Bagged "shock"?........not so much! Run pump/filter 24/7 and backwash as needed to clear it of dead algae. See the chlorine/cya chart in pool school.

 

[middlepen]

Well........the first thing you SHOUld'NT have done is try to lower the PH while you say your FC is off the charts. It will test high at FC over 10. Follow the SLAM process in pool school until you meet all 3 criteria. A one time whack of high FC won't get it done usually. Think process. Bleach is your friend. Bagged "shock"?........not so much! Run pump/filter 24/7 and backwash as needed to clear it of dead algae. See the chlorine/cya chart in pool school.

Crud, didn't know that about PH. I will start the SLAM routine the right way now (no more bagged shock!) and see how that goes. Once SLAM is done the pool will be clear? Is there anything else normally needed to clear it up?

 

[danacc]

Slamming will result in a clear pool. Just follow the directions, and you'll get it all cleaned up.

 

[middlepen]

So this is probably a dumb question, but what happens to the chlorine after the last SLAM? From reading it seems like the idea is that the pool goes into a night at shock level, then you test to see if FC dropped by more than one, and if not and the pool is clear then you are done. But won't this mean the cholorine will still be really high and since no more algae is around it will stay there until the sun removes it?

BTW I just tested my pool and the FC was a few points higher than recommended shock level for my CYA level but pretty close (but I didn't test my CYA before shocking, but I know to do that next time). My CC was nothing though -- with the TF100 the solution stayed clear upon adding the second drops (I think R003 or similar).

 

[pwrstrk]

Your SLAM level FC will just drift down on its own.

 

[danacc]

Yes, in the morning you test to make sure you lost less than 1 ppm of FC, and you test for CC <0.5 ppm. If you pass, your FC will be at or near shock level. The sun will bring it down during the day. As soon as it dips below shock level for your CYA, it is safe to swim.

After that, just let the sun continue to lower FC into range, and then make sure it always stays above the minimum level for your CYA. It usually happens fairly quickly with outdoor pools; it can take a while for indoor pools where there is minimal UV.