I've finally gotten the parts and am home and repairing my pool that froze last month. As you can imagine, now that it's in the 70s and 80s here the pool is very very green, like a stagnant pond. Any special things I need to do to recover it? Should I drain it and start over? I've never worked on such a disgusting pool mess!
Drain very green pool?
- Thread starter spthomas
- Start date
Its your call, Steve. If water is cheap, and you don't have high ground water, sure you can drain and refill. That will still require some attention for the algae but obviously faster than treating the water you currently have. We can do that too!
Do you have a proper test kit?? You know, one of the ones we endorse?? That's necessary. Can you give us current test results??
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Salt
Access to a lot of liquid chlorine?
SLAM Process
How do you want to proceed?
Maddie
Do you have a proper test kit?? You know, one of the ones we endorse?? That's necessary. Can you give us current test results??
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Salt
Access to a lot of liquid chlorine?
SLAM Process
How do you want to proceed?
Maddie
clduncan
Bronze Supporter
I neglected my pool a year or two back and followed the SLAM process it works for sure. Easy and cheap
Is it greener than mine was a couple weeks ago? 3 days of SLAM and filter and it was clear. Check out the before and after pics in poat #4 in the thread below.
Thread 'Should I just throw these filters away?' Should I just throw these filters away?
Thread 'Should I just throw these filters away?' Should I just throw these filters away?
- May 20, 2020
- 1,001
- Pool Size
- 13600
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Solaxx (Saltron) Reliant / Purechlor R5
Unless water is super cheap and your water table is low (so no risk of floating the pool), I’d just scoop out all the solid debris with a leaf rake/skimmer net and then follow the SLAM process.
I’ve watched as much worse looking pools were brought back from disaster.
You just want to try to get the solids out so all the chlorine you’re adding doesn’t get wasted attacking that.
I’ve watched as much worse looking pools were brought back from disaster.
You just want to try to get the solids out so all the chlorine you’re adding doesn’t get wasted attacking that.
I have chlorine and can slam the pool. So that's what I'll do. After I find enough parts and fittings to make it all work again!
In my neck of the woods,I drain a green pool to 12” of the bottom of shallow end, refill with fresh, circulate then do it again, after second refill it’s 4-6 gallons of 12% chlorine and bobs your uncle.
I don't think it ever makes sense to spend $100 on chlorine, if you can just spend $50 bucks on new water...
Thanks,
Jim R.
Thanks,
Jim R.
FYI, here's an update on my previously frozen pool.
I'm 14 gallons of 10% chlorine in, brushing 2-3 times a day, vacuuming and backwashing every day or so, and now it's not green, it's sort of blue. And most all of the cloudiness in the pool is white. There is still solid debris at the bottom of the pool, but I can't see the bottom of the pool, so I just use the net and vacuum blindly and try to get what I can.
The plumbing was working enough that I could pump water TO the spa, then it comes over the waterfall to the pool, and the skimmers and drain take it out and back to the filter. I just now got enough parts to try to put the manifold back together and run the cleaner, but of course the cleaner is busted too!
I was amazed that 2 gal of chlorine a day was still going to 0 ppm in about 8 hours, so I went to adding 3 gal a day and it's getting better. But that algae was eating up the chlorine for sure!
I'm 14 gallons of 10% chlorine in, brushing 2-3 times a day, vacuuming and backwashing every day or so, and now it's not green, it's sort of blue. And most all of the cloudiness in the pool is white. There is still solid debris at the bottom of the pool, but I can't see the bottom of the pool, so I just use the net and vacuum blindly and try to get what I can.
The plumbing was working enough that I could pump water TO the spa, then it comes over the waterfall to the pool, and the skimmers and drain take it out and back to the filter. I just now got enough parts to try to put the manifold back together and run the cleaner, but of course the cleaner is busted too!
I was amazed that 2 gal of chlorine a day was still going to 0 ppm in about 8 hours, so I went to adding 3 gal a day and it's getting better. But that algae was eating up the chlorine for sure!
Last edited:
- May 3, 2014
- 58,745
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Have read and are you following the SLAM Process?
- Jun 23, 2012
- 1,053
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Liquid Chlorine
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hi Steve! 
Sounds like you're on the right track. Just listen to the experts here and you'll have blue water in no time. The best thing you can do for yourself, your new pool equipment and your swamp is to buy a TFT-100 pool kit. I just finished the "slam" after getting my parts in. Good luck!
Sounds like you're on the right track. Just listen to the experts here and you'll have blue water in no time. The best thing you can do for yourself, your new pool equipment and your swamp is to buy a TFT-100 pool kit. I just finished the "slam" after getting my parts in. Good luck!Well it's getting better the last couple of days. The water is blue-ish, but it's not clear with a lot of white cloudiness in it. I can ALMOST see the bottom today, so every day is better.
I did find a couple of issues. First off, there was a lot of debris in the bottom that I hadn't found since I can't see the bottom. Larger leaves that are too big for the vacuum head when I vacuum I guess. So with the water getting a little clearer I can see dark shadows on the bottom and so I got most of them I think. The other issue was with backwashing. As I vacuumed, at least 2 or 3 times I had to stop because the filter stopped up and water flow went to nothing. So I'd stop, backwash, and start again. Then I'd add water every day and go again. Well, by all the backwashing I washed out my stabilizer! It had been just right when I started, but by about a week in it was really low. So that's why I was using so much chlorine. So that should be ok by tomorrow. I'm adding about 1 to 1-1/2 gallon per day now, and the overnight chlorine test two days ago was using 4 ppm, and last night it was 2 ppm. So nearly ready to add salt and start up the system normally again I think.
I did make a small mistake. PH was very high, so I added acid. As I was adding, I sort of forgot I was adding acid and not chlorine, so I added 1/2 gallon before I caught myself. Now PH is 6.9 or so. Maybe I could add borax to bring it up, or just ignore it for now?
I did find a couple of issues. First off, there was a lot of debris in the bottom that I hadn't found since I can't see the bottom. Larger leaves that are too big for the vacuum head when I vacuum I guess. So with the water getting a little clearer I can see dark shadows on the bottom and so I got most of them I think. The other issue was with backwashing. As I vacuumed, at least 2 or 3 times I had to stop because the filter stopped up and water flow went to nothing. So I'd stop, backwash, and start again. Then I'd add water every day and go again. Well, by all the backwashing I washed out my stabilizer! It had been just right when I started, but by about a week in it was really low. So that's why I was using so much chlorine. So that should be ok by tomorrow. I'm adding about 1 to 1-1/2 gallon per day now, and the overnight chlorine test two days ago was using 4 ppm, and last night it was 2 ppm. So nearly ready to add salt and start up the system normally again I think.
I did make a small mistake. PH was very high, so I added acid. As I was adding, I sort of forgot I was adding acid and not chlorine, so I added 1/2 gallon before I caught myself. Now PH is 6.9 or so. Maybe I could add borax to bring it up, or just ignore it for now?
Well, we may be nearing the end. I can see the bottom today, and it's pretty clear now. Plus, my overnight test only lost 1ppm last night. I'll try it one more time today to be sure. I did see, now that it's all visible, that the black algae I've dealt with for the last 2 years seems to still be clinging on, so I need to manually attack that and may keep slamming another day or so to get rid of that.
Brush vigorously and keep the SLAM going for a few more days. You have nothing to gain by ending too soon and everything to lose when it all comes back in 3 weeks.
With all you’ve been through it would SUCK to have to start over. Keep your foot on the algae’s throat. Finish it.
Search out any potential hiding spots. Weir doors, hollow ladders, water features, etc.
Deep clean your filter at completion to ensure it’s all gone for good.
You’re doing great and you got this.
With all you’ve been through it would SUCK to have to start over. Keep your foot on the algae’s throat. Finish it.
Search out any potential hiding spots. Weir doors, hollow ladders, water features, etc.
Deep clean your filter at completion to ensure it’s all gone for good.
You’re doing great and you got this.
Now that its clear enough to see, I find the black algae I've fought for 2 years is still there. And I'm losing 2ppm chlorine overnight, so I'm still slamming.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,745
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Black Algae
This guide provides a step by step procedure for eliminating black algae in your concrete or gunite pool. Read full post here.
www.troublefreepool.com
I started that yesterday with the steel brush and elbow grease. It's mostly in the crease between steps and on the outer edges of the steps. There's also some around the pool water returns. Now I can see it I'll stay on it until it's all gone.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,745
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Great. Remember that once the SLAM passes you should maintain your FC at a higher than normal level while eliminating the black algae.