Algae and cloudy water

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brasilmom

Well-known member
Jul 23, 2011
187
Brookfield, WI
Hello,
after waiting for the liner to be replaced (and still not replaced) we are treating the water. The water became a swamp and now it is taking a while. I use the TTf kit for testing. CYA is at 50 and FC is very high as we did a slam shock last night. It is hard to even notice any change this far. Still mostly light green and pump is running full time. Anything else I can do to speed the process of getting a clear water? Thanks
 
Texas Splash said:
What is your end goal with the liner? Are you still waiting for a replacement? If so, the timeline could determine if it's even worth treating the water and investing in the chlorine.
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The goal is to have replaced and we had a company lined up but apparently they are not very proficient in taking measurements and have been back 3 times to measure, so we are cancelling it and pushing the replacement until next year. I was able to repair the tear using marine tape. So, now I do not know how long it will take to clear the water, which is still green. So sad.
 
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Gotcha. Well, if water is cheap in your area, you could do a good water exchange before starting the SLAM Process. This assuming you aren't on a well which brings iron. If you don't wish to change some water, go right into the SLAM Process now. It takes some time but it works.
 
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Read through the
SLAM Process article. It is not a one time addition of chlorine.
It’s all about Maintaining shock/slam level for your cya (which is 20ppm in your case)
FC/CYA Levels
until you eradicate algae & prove it’s gone by passing all 3 end of slam criteria.

For a successful SLAM Process
you need to continue to MAINTAIN Slam level fc for your cya as often as possible (multiple times per day is best) until you meet ALL 3 end of slam criteria-

You are done when:

CC is 0.5 or lower;
You pass an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
AND
the water is clear.
(Crystal Clear w/no algae dead or alive)

*Check & scrub every nook & cranny where algae may hide (light niches, steps, drain covers, ladder handrails, skimmer throats/weirs, abandoned lines, autofill, overflow drains, etc.)
*If water can go there, algae can thrive there.
*Run slam level water through all water features & lines for at least a couple hours a day during the SLAM Process.
*Brush & or vac daily (this breaks up biofilms that algae uses to protect itself from chlorine)
*Backwash/clean filter when pressure rises 25%over clean pressure.

SLAM ON 👍🏻
 
Mdragger88 said:
Read through the
SLAM Process article. It is not a one time addition of chlorine.
It’s all about Maintaining shock/slam level for your cya (which is 20ppm in your case)
FC/CYA Levels
until you eradicate algae & prove it’s gone by passing all 3 end of slam criteria.

For a successful SLAM Process
you need to continue to MAINTAIN Slam level fc for your cya as often as possible (multiple times per day is best) until you meet ALL 3 end of slam criteria-

You are done when:

CC is 0.5 or lower;
You pass an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
AND
the water is clear.
(Crystal Clear w/no algae dead or alive)

*Check & scrub every nook & cranny where algae may hide (light niches, steps, drain covers, ladder handrails, skimmer throats/weirs, abandoned lines, autofill, overflow drains, etc.)
*If water can go there, algae can thrive there.
*Run slam level water through all water features & lines for at least a couple hours a day during the SLAM Process.
*Brush & or vac daily (this breaks up biofilms that algae uses to protect itself from chlorine)
*Backwash/clean filter when pressure rises 25%over clean pressure.

SLAM ON 👍🏻
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for this explanations and link. So, I will backwash the filter again tonight and take a reading on the chlorine to see how much more, if at all, I need to add. I believe there is a calculator somewhere in here to help me know what level I should keep until the water is clear. Thanks again.
 
brasilmom said:
Thank you so much for this explanations and link. So, I will backwash the filter again tonight and take a reading on the chlorine to see how much more, if at all, I need to add. I believe there is a calculator somewhere in here to help me know what level I should keep until the water is clear. Thanks again.
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PoolMath
 
You have a large pool. The amount of liquid chlorine you’ll need to clear your pool of algae depends upon your test kit, TF100. You’ll need to know your pool water chem levels before you begin. Are your reagent still good or have they expired? You’ll also need a source for chlorine, do you have some place nearby?

Good luck! As you know, come back a post any of your questions.
 
an1vrsy said:
You have a large pool. The amount of liquid chlorine you’ll need to clear your pool of algae depends upon your test kit, TF100. You’ll need to know your pool water chem levels before you begin. Are your reagent still good or have they expired? You’ll also need a source for chlorine, do you have some place nearby?

Good luck! As you know, come back a post any of your questions.
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Indeed it is a large pool. The pool had no chem essentially but I did add stabilizer yesterday and then chlorine after. Teh reagents are good and I can get chlorine near by. Would love a better price, but that is hard these days. I will take a reading later today and see if I need to add more chlorine before the evening. Thank you much
 

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Thank you all for the replies. The water is still rather green and no signs of improvement. The FC is at 23 at this hour and I need to add a bit more to get to the SLAM level of 24. The gauge on our pump must have frozen over winter and the dial is on the opposite side. Would this interfere at all with proper filter function? Should I add algicide? Thanks
 
No Algaecide- it is only a preventative at best, won’t really help if you already have an algae problem & many contain copper which you definitely don’t want in your water.
Keep with the liquid chlorine.
Get your gauge replaced.
They sell them at lowes or tftestkits fairly inexpensively.
It is important to know what your pressure is so you know when to backwash.
You should be backwashing when pressure rises 25% over clean pressure.
Otherwise it doesn’t affect filter operation.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
No Algaecide- it is only a preventative at best, won’t really help if you already have an algae problem & many contain copper which you definitely don’t want in your water.
Keep with the liquid chlorine.
Get your gauge replaced.
They sell them at lowes or tftestkits fairly inexpensively.
It is important to know what your pressure is so you know when to backwash.
You should be backwashing when pressure rises 25% over clean pressure.
Otherwise it doesn’t affect filter operation.
Click to expand...
Thank you. The gauge was replaced. I cannot believe how hard this has been. The water is not looking good at all. I was hoping to swim at least by Wednesday, but by the looks of it I find it hard to happen, sadly. I will stick with the liquid and need to add to maintain the shock level and keep the pump running.
 
brasilmom said:
I cannot believe how hard this has been. The water is not looking good at all.
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Keep in mind you just started the SLAM Process Friday. It's barely been 48 hours. It looks like you elected to not exchange any water, but a SLAM can take a good week or more to complete. You can still use the pool as long as you don't exceed the SLAM FC level, in your case I believe that's 24. I don't think you confirmed earlier, are you on a well? How about showing us a pic of your water? Also, your signature doesn't have a test kit listed. Which one are you using?

Continue to maintain that elevated FC level and follow all the steps on the SLAM Process and you should do fine. Try to be patient, it works.
 
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Texas Splash said:
Keep in mind you just started the SLAM Process Friday. It's barely been 48 hours. It looks like you elected to not exchange any water, but a SLAM can take a good week or more to complete. You can still use the pool as long as you don't exceed the SLAM FC level, in your case I believe that's 24. I don't think you confirmed earlier, are you on a well? How about showing us a pic of your water? Also, your signature doesn't have a test kit listed. Which one are you using?

Continue to maintain that elevated FC level and follow all the steps on the SLAM Process and you should do fine. Try to be patient, it works.
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Thank you. On top of all that, our pump decided to go. We are looking for replacement but also may just be the capacitor. Anyway, to answer your questions, We are not using well water, the kit I use is the TF-100, which is perfect. I will try post a pic later. But, the pump has not been running since yesterday afternoon, so it certainly id not helping. Oh well.
 
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Do you have a submersible pump you can use to help circulate the water in the meantime?
If you have a robotic cleaner you can run that too.
 
Thank you. The pump is back in order after we replaced the motor and the process started again last night. I am using the Pool Math app and got a reading this morning. CYA is at 42 and FC is at 29. Based on the app, the SLAM level is 17. I will take another reading in the afternoon and make any adjustment. I thought the SLAM level would be higher. Hopefully we will be able to get clear by the end of the week.
 
Always round up if between two lines on the cya test. You cannot extrapolate between the lines (if you notice, they are not equal distance apart).
Count your cya as 50 slam level is 20ppm
IMG_6713.jpeg
 
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Mdragger88 said:
Always round up if between two lines on the cya test. You cannot extrapolate between the lines (if you notice, they are not equal distance apart).
Count your cya as 50 slam level is 20ppm
View attachment 509670
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Thank you. I will adjust. It has been a cloudy day so the burn is not as bad, but I know the chlorine is being consumed. Taking a read in a bit and add of necessary.
 
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