Algae is not going away

[Mutso5]

Opened my pool last week and seem to have a persistent algae problem.

Have an above ground pool that is 13,500 gallons. No debris on the bottom and water is clear with a slight green tint. I have super shocked the pool and the chlorine is in the high range. Gave the bottom of the pool a good brushing but the green tint is there and the brushing is not making a dent.

I added some algaecide yesterday and see only the slightest bit improvement. However brushing is not doing anything. I added another dose of algaecide today and am wondering if I am doing anything wrong or am on the right track.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!

Algaecides are not very effective at removing algae, more so add insurance to prevent it. You need to follow the SLAM process described in Pool School and that requires one of the recommended test kits and not trusting the testing done at pool stores.

 

[Richard320]

Welcome!

We can help you clear out that green monster for the last time, but only if you're willing to learn and invest in a proper test kit. I suggest you start reading pool school (button on the upper right of every page) until you feel like

What you need is a SLAM. That means maintaining a high chlorine level for an extended period of time - not a one-time megadose.

Here's a couple visuals that compare the pool store shock method with our SLAM method.



In reality, the second one will stay blue the whole season, but it's pretty boring that way.

 

[Mutso5]

Thanks for the quick replies. I won't be able to purchase the better water testing kit until at least next week but feel comfortable with the SLAM process otherwise. I added a lot of shock to the pool after opening it and will now begin a regime with some bleach so I can kill off this algae. Will keep you posted should I need more guidance.

 

[jblizzle]

What is your CYA level? Without knowing it you have no idea what FC level you need to reach.

What "shock" are you using? It could be adding more stabilizer and making your problems worse.

How much Pool School have you read? Start with these:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool

 

[Mutso5]

Thanks again, I have read those sections of pool school over too. For shock I had used the Power Powder Plus. In total over the course of a week I have likely put in about 10 lbs. I also have two floaters in the pool each with 3 chlorine tabs.

I have not put in any CYA as of yet and for testing have only used some Strips that I had. I took the water to be tested at Leslie's but the person told me that since my chlorine was so high it was throwing off all the other readings as false positives.

The water went from a dark green were I could not see the bottom. Yesterday it looked like a giant glass of mountain dew and today is more of a blue/green and I can see through to the bottom. Have the green tint from the algae on the bottom/walls. Scrubbing has not removed any of this yet. Today I am starting to see some small spots at the bottom were the algae has disappeared.

Since I can't get proper self testing kit that is suggested until next week and can't count on Leslie's to give me a good reading, I am kind of flying blind, which I suppose is not good. Since progress is being made though I was thinking of just getting 4-6 gallons of good bleach to just put in the pool and see if that helps loosen this algae while I wait on getting the proper testing materials.

 

[jblizzle]

The PPP shock is cal-hypo so that is adding a lot of calcium to your pool and also may contribute to clouding the water.
Every tablet you use is adding 2.5ppm of CYA to your pool and lowering the pH. So you CYA is not zero and could be very high if you have been using a lot of tablets for a long time.

We never recommend blindly adding chemicals. We recommend testing your FC level and using PoolMath to determine how much you should add to reach a certain goal.

Without a CYA number, you have no FC goal so no idea how much bleach to even add. For reference, one 121oz bottle of 8.25% bleach will add about 5.9ppm of FC to your pool, but again, no idea how many you need to add until you have test numbers.