From Dark Green to Swimming Blue in Just 3 Days

[Nod]

So this year, I have just been lazy. A lot of work with a little time to play hasn't helped in the situation. Anyhow, we went on vacation for a week. My DW suggested we throw a couple pucks in the pool, but upon my laziness, I just dumped a couple jugs of bleach in, thinking I could make it a week, and shock when I came back. You see, I have never had a full blown algae bloom in my 3 years of owning the pool, therefore I guess I just took it for granted. Well this past Sat. I came home to a nice dark green looking pool. Of course I was getting the "I told you so speech from my DW :blah: "I went to wal-mart and bought all of the household products I needed to get it balanced right and to battle the algae. After dropping about $60 on bleach, dry acid, CYA, & baking soda, I went home and ran my numbers:

PH 8.2+
TA 60
CYA 10
TC 0
Algae - Everywhere

So I dumped a bunch of bleach, didn't really care about the exact amounts. I knew 3 jugs would get it to about where it should be + some. I think I was somewhere in the 18-19ppm range once I checked again. I flipped the switch to the pump to let that simmer for awhile, came back poured another jug or 2 in, as well as added several pounds of dry acid and 5-6 lbs of CYA, & 5 lbs of NaHCO3. My dilemma was the DW had a party planned for Monday I figured there was no way that was going to happen. I left the pump running all night, frequently backwashing. I checked TC levels and added bleach as needed. The pool was still green on Sunday, but was showing signs of algae death.

By Sunday evening, it was a light green, and I told my wife it would take a miracle to be able to go swimming on Monday. Morning rolled around, and the pool was completely blue, but you couldn't see more than a foot below the surface. Now I had dead algae to deal with. I knew there was no more algae growth after nuking the pool for 2 days. My numbers suggested it too, when I didn't lose any chlorine overnight. At 6am my DW went to walmart and picked up some clarifier, which I have never used before. But after looking at it, its just a sticky, liquid plastic - so should clump the dead algae together to make it easier to filter. I put a little more in than it called for, and by 3pm, I had a halfway clear pool.

There was no way I was keeping a dozen kids out of that pool. My worry now was the pool had been nuked and chlorine levels were at shock levels, but after reading some posts on here, I realized it was ok especially since the temps were in the upper 90's. All in all it was a great day for everyone.

Oh yeah, by Tue. the pool was the clearest it has been all summer. My numbers looked perfect.

FC 4.5
CC 0
CYA 30
PH 7.5
TA 90
Algae - Dead and filtered

Thanks TFP folks and the Pool Calculator. I don't know where I would be without this site!

 

[benavidescj]

Nod, I am glad you took care of your pool problem, but I have to ask how we helped you? The way you handled your pool issue is not the way we teach here at TFP. You did the testing up front like you should but then you added bleach into the pool without knowing the amount to get you to the target. You do mention using the pool calculator, were you actually calculating the amounts of the different chemicals you needed and then adding those amounts? Did you test your chlorine levels as you were shocking? Also, we do not endorse adding a bunch of chemicals all at the same time and it looks like you were adding several different chemicals at the same time in three days.

I ask these questions because a new visitor might think that the way you cleaned up your pool is the way to do it. We teach consistency in testing on a 1 or 2 day cycle and accurate dosage of required chemicals. The addition of large amounts of chemicals all at once to adjust many different parameters is not advised and can be dangerous.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Carlos, you have a good point and you're right about not wanting to confuse people about the need to test and adjust.

However I read Nods post a different way. It sounds like he knew exactly what he was doing. That's the beauty of the BBB system of testing and knowing what you're doing. Once you "learn" your pool you gain a knowledge of how much of X chemical affects the pool. For instance, he knew that adding 2 jugs of bleach would raise his FC enough to be at, or a little above, shock level.

The only thing that I would question was the addition of the dry acid and he didn't state that he didn't wait the 30 minutes or so between chemical additions, he just didn't state that he did.

Having said that, You really need to test before adding anything to your pool which, in reading his first test results, it appears that he did.

 

[benavidescj]

My apologies then, I was just waking up this morning when I read the post and the engineer in me saw the phrase "didn't really care about exact amounts". Couple that with the clarifier that was added and the three day rush, I started worrying about a newbie reading the subject and thinking this is the way we normally do it here. I am a stickler for daily testing and accurate measuring of chemicals. I realize Nod was busy, but shows what can happen if you are not on top of the chemistry of your pool. I tend to automate and if I am out of town I tell my wife what to do and she is pretty good about checking levels and ensuring our investment is taken care of. Again, my apologies.

 

[Nod]

My apologies then, I was just waking up this morning when I read the post and the engineer in me saw the phrase "didn't really care about exact amounts". Couple that with the clarifier that was added and the three day rush, I started worrying about a newbie reading the subject and thinking this is the way we normally do it here. I am a stickler for daily testing and accurate measuring of chemicals. I realize Nod was busy, but shows what can happen if you are not on top of the chemistry of your pool. I tend to automate and if I am out of town I tell my wife what to do and she is pretty good about checking levels and ensuring our investment is taken care of. Again, my apologies.

Not a problem - I understand what you're saying. I was just throwing in my thanks. I know my pool pretty well and what it can handle. I am not sure if I waited a full 30 min between chemical additions, it was getting late, and I was tired - and normally I don't recommend clarifier either, but a lot of the reason that folks don't recommend clarifier, is the add'l cost and you are covering up the problem. I knew my problem was solved from the chlorine level holding. Yes the pool was clearing, but not fast enough for me. In fact, it would have cost me more to run the pump 24hrs/day for the next week over the $9 i spent on clarifier. Anyhow, the proof is in the pudding - My pool is super clean and sparkly.

You have all types of pool owners. Some are super sticklers about the chemicals, and others just due the minimum to keep the pool open. This year, I have been the latter.

As for new pool owners trying my method, I do not suggest that You have to know your pool. Its kind of like a great chef. He/She doesn't have to measure out every ingredient. They just know what is the right amt.

 

[dmanb2b]

yup...for the more experienced, you sort of start measuring bleach in gulps from the jug...OK, let's see 1FC...that'll be 4 gulps out of the bottle, etc. When I first discovered BBB and pool school, I was out in the yard measuring bleach in a beaker...not not really, but close enough with my dedicated measuring cup.

We do advocate frequent testing and knowing what's going on with your water, but in case where your shocking 5 even 10 ppm above shock level for a short period of time will not hurt things, but you do need to make sure you are above shock level. I would caution to be a little more precise when trying to adjust PH and make sure to allow at least 15-30 mins between dosing when adding different chemicals.

 

[dmanb2b]

Oh and apology not accepted since there is no reason to apologize...we're all here learning from each other