Bringing an old forgotten pool back to life

[xmarvin88x]

I bought a house back in April with an older pool. The pool was abandoned for 3-4 years. I have been a lurker of TFP the entire time during its restoration. Now im here to seek some guidance.

About the pool:
-Concrete Kidney Bean
-2 returns, 1 skimmer, 1 drain
-13,000-14,000 gallons
-Avg temp 85F
-Pentair VS (3000rpm 8-10am / 2000rpm 10am-8pm / 3000rpm 8pm-10pm)
-Hayward Sand filter
-No equipment in the pool. (concrete stairs / above water hand rail)

Pools environment:
-Charleston, SC (Hot, HUMID, Thunderstorms about every other day)
-Neighbors Oak tree drops leaves in it all day long
-Full sun 1pm-8pm

Maintenance:
-Brush 2 times a day (am/pm)
-Vacuum Daily (am)
-Backwash biweekly

Chemistry:
-CYA = 45-50
-ALK = 110
-Hardness = 200
-PH 7.6-7.8 (constantly battling rising PH) (I drop it to 7.4 & it will last a day tops)(I recently learned to lower my ALK so will not raise it so high next time)
-CHL = 7.0/4.0 (I raise it to 7ppm every single night) (I lose about 3ppm daily) (I raised to 7ppm to combat the algae growth, for the most part has been effective)

So, I have successfully SLAMed my pool 4-5 times (usually after going out of town) so removing algae is not an issue. It's keeping it from starting I am struggling with. I religiously test/monitor/adjust to the above ranges. The pool remains balanced 24/7 as long as we are home.

We had some heavy rain on Sunday & this morning when I went out to the pool it looked normal crystal clear. But when I brushed the walls & floor green clouds came up. This seems to be a reoccurring theme of clear pool & algae growth on the bottom.

My thoughts / Questions:
- Is my pool chemistry best for its environment?
-Is my circulation is insufficient? (there are noticeable dead spots)
-How can I improve circulation without digging up concrete & installing return lines?
-Are my jets positioned in the best direction for the pool?
-Is my sand filter the root cause due to poor filtration? (should I upgrade?)
-would a salt water conversion be more efficient?
-Is there an instance where maybe an old outdated pool is just too inefficient for chlorine alone to keep it clear?
-Is it just the amount of rain the pool has been getting? Should I be shocking it after every thunderstorm?

See attached photos!
(The photo with the arrows shows the direction of the jets. The arrows being the return jets)
All & any advice appreciated! Thanks.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

You do not have a filtration or circulation problem causing your algae problems.

You are running your FC too low. A FC of 4 is the minimum for CYA 50 and if you find the FC at 4 it is probably dipping below 4 at times.

Run your FC between 6 at a minimum and 9-10 if you continue to use liquid chlorine.

Or install a SWG that will let you run a more consistent FC level of 6-8 24/7.

Do you confirm the strength of the liquid chlorine you use?

Do you test your FC level 30 minutes after adding it?

What test kit are you using?

Please create your signature with details of your pool and equipment.

 

[xmarvin88x]

Liquid 12.5%
k-2006

Yes I test 30min after adjusting chlorine. It's possible it does dip below 4 especially if it rains. I adjust to 7ppm every night. So I will try this week to up it to around 9ppm.