At my wit's end

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J

JMKane

0
Jul 24, 2014
4
Clifton Springs, NY
Help! My pool is green! It was cloudy for about 2 weeks and the pool guys had me putting all sorts of stuff in it to no avail. Then I had to go away on a family emergency. When I got back it was green. That was 2 weeks ago. I've spent countless dollars at the pool store and they even came out. I realized I was just throwing good money after bad.

I've read everything about slamming the pool to get rid of the algae but I can't figure out how much chlorine or bleach to put in.

I started with 4 gallons of liquid chlorine. Then the next day added 10 gallons of household bleach. Last night I put in 6 bags of super shock. I'm back washing regularly and even have an extra pump & filter running. I can smell chlorine when I'm back washing and when I'm close to the pool. When I tested last night both the pH & FC were off the chart (I have the standard $8 test kit).

I'd really like to use my pool this summer!

27' round above ground, 5' in the middle, approx. 26K gallons, Hayward P Flow II pump (1.0 hp), Sta Rite Crystal Flow Sand Filter T-170BP-1, Flow Rate: 24 GPM
 
JMKane, I know you feel like you are doing a lot of right things, However without using a good test kit to see where your water really is it is like trying to drive blindfolded. We know if we turn the wheel the car will go in that direction but we can certainly go too far really quickly or we can just run it off of the road. You really need to get some good test results to help determine which way to go. to do this you will need a Good test kit with FAS/DPD. I personally use the TF-100XL with the speedstir. You could get by with the the TF-100 OR the Taylor K-2006.
However until we truly know what your CYA, FC is and where your pH is it is like the driving blindfolded.
Please read Pool School and Chem 101 and also read about ALL the success stories of slaying the Green Monster!!! You can win this battle and Gain the Knowledge of how to take care of your own Pool.
 
Ok - I went to the pool store today to have the water tested. The CYA is at 50, FC at 14 & the pH is at 8.2. How much bleach or liquid chlorine do I need for my pool to slam it?

It's 27' round above ground, 5' in the middle, approx. 18 K gallons, Hayward P Flow II pump (1.0 hp), Sta Rite Crystal Flow Sand Filter T-170BP-1, Flow Rate: 24 GPM
 
You need to know, pool store testing of cya is often terribly off. For example, they were telling me mine was 40 for months until I got my own test kit and found it to actually be over 350. Additionally, as you've found, their primary goal is to sell you expensive chemicals, most of which you don't need at all, or are double-or more - what you'd paid for the essentially the same thing at Walmart. I.e. baking soda for increasing TA, 20 mule team borax to increase pH. Stabilizer to increase cya. Common 8.25% bleach for FC. Get yourself one of the recommended test kits and save yourself a lot of money.
 
First you need to drop the pH. Once you start to SLAM and raise the FC you won't be able to accurately read the pH so you need to adjust it before.

18K gallons and you are at 8.2, might be higher as that is the upper limit of the test. You want to add 40 oz or a little more depending on the acids strength. You can use pool math to figure it out and post what you are going to add here just to check your numbers. - - > http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

I get mine at Menards but homedepot, fleetfarm, hardware store, .... http://www.menards.com/main/paint/c.../sunnyside-muriatic-acid/p-1479906-c-5651.htm
 

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As timerguy said, pool test results are not trustworthy. I certainly do not trust them. The TFP method can get your pool cleared and prevent further problems at a lower cost than other methods, but it does require some learning and understanding pool chemistry. It seems very overwhelming at first but I assure you it is very simple as you start to use it.

First: a proper test kit is key. I have a link in my signature to the place I got mine. The TF-100 and K-2006 are the only ones with all of the necessary tests.

Second: Do some reading. There are a lot of suggestions that will be thrown your way. Acronyms, terms, stuff that may look like Greek right now. So here are a couple of pages that will help you get started understanding what we are talking about.
ABC's of Pool Chemistry
SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
Defeating Algae
 
For a CYA level of 50 your FC target for SLAM would be 20 per the table - - > http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock

You do need to have a proper FAS-DPD kit to accurately test your water. You should consider getting the TF-100 http://tftestkits.net/splash-page.html or the K-2006 http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Complete-FAS-DPD-Water-K-2006/dp/B0002IXIIG
I like the TF-100 myself and the handy little Speedstir. They are a bit expensive but if you think of the gas you save not going to the pool store and the savings from not buying the 20-40 dollar bottle of "try this" every couple days it pays for itself pretty quickly. That and it's so much more accurate doing it your self as you care more about your pool than they do. That's just the simple truth of it.
 
And you'll be needing at least 10 or 20 gallons of bleach or liquid pool shock (bleach) starting out. Some pool stores sell it and some even have reusable/refillable 2.5/5 gal containers. I usually pick up three cases of four gallons each at a time from fleetfarm. They carry liquid pool shock at 12.5% for 9.99 per the four gallons.
Bleach is difficult as it comes in different sizes and strengths. All you care about is what you are paying for the bleach per oz, the rest of it is pretty much water. Here is a calculator that tells you how much $$ per oz if you put in bottle size in oz, strength of the bleach % and it's cost. - - > http://poncatechsquad.com/Dan/Chlorine/
Bleach from Walmart Clorox or Walmart Great Value, Aldi, Menards, Hardware store ...
 
The green is gone! YAY! But it's still cloudy - do I continue to add the liquid chlorine or bleach? I did the pool math & it suggested about 55 oz of Muriatic Acid which I did. I also added 10 bags of super shock that I had.

I have the TF-50 Test Kit on order but I'd like to keep going and get the pool water clear & sparkling. I'm excited to not be chained to the pool store anymore!!
 

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I'm glad to hear you are taking control of your pool!!

The TF-50 you ordered only has sufficient reagent for about 3 CYA tests, but you will need a true CYA number to complete your SLAM. Read the directions and ask questions if you don;t understand before you waste any of the reagent.

I would suggest sticking to liquid chlorine until you get the CYA number. Each puck and bag of shock is raising the CYA in your pool. Higher CYA = more chlorine you need to kill algae.

To follow the pool care methods taught here you need to arm yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to care for your pool.

The tools are not limited to the brushes, vacuum hoses and other stuff you use around the pool, but include the most important item - one of the test kit you have on order! Here at TFP we are going to ask for photos so we can see the condition of the water and are going to ask for a full set of test results.

The knowledge is condensed in the Pool School link at the top of every page. It is a great community here, but we do ask that you read and try to understand the information being taught. Questions are always welcome and folks will try to direct you and teach you the methods. We want you to be the boss, not having to ask others what you should do to keep it sparkly clear.

So, welcome to TFP!!
 
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