Green Swamp-Not Improving !

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No just started using the bags of shock. Normally use bleach but nothing was happening so got the shock. I used 12 bags but I'm switching back to bleach on the advice of this forum. CYA 80 and FC 24 this morning so will add bleach now. One gallon or more?
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Please use Pool Math to figure out how much liquid bleach you need to add each time to reach your SLAM level based on your CYA. You will plug in all the current readings and what your target is and the calculator will tell you what to add. Please make sure you use 8.25% as your bleach (if that is what you have). If you wish, we can help you get started with Pool Math, but recommend highly you become comfortable in plugging in your figures. You may also want to create a little cheat sheet. For each gallon of 8.25%, you will increase your FC 5.25 ppm, assuming you have 15,700 gallons.

http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html
 
Dave2590 said:
Saturday morning...Still not improving. Can't help but think something else is wrong. Any ideas? Pool school suggested a partial water drain if CYA is higher than 80. Should I and if so how low should I go without the danger of the liner shrinking?
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You can't expect the pool to clear in a couple of days, it didn't turn green overnight.

Your pool will be easier to manage with lower CYA, and the only way to do that is with drains/refills. You will fill immediately after drain so risk to your liner will be minimal. If this was my pool I would do two 20% exchanges then measure CYA again.

In the meantime the name of the game is MAINTAIN, as in maintaining your SLAM FC, regardless of what you do with your CYA.

Please post some pictures of the pool as requested, it will give us a better understanding of your situation.

Dom
 
domct203 said:
You can't expect the pool to clear in a couple of days, it didn't turn green overnight.

Your pool will be easier to manage with lower CYA, and the only way to do that is with drains/refills. You will fill immediately after drain so risk to your liner will be minimal. If this was my pool I would do two 20% exchanges then measure CYA again.

In the meantime the name of the game is MAINTAIN, as in maintaining your SLAM FC, regardless of what you do with your CYA.

Please post some pictures of the pool as requested, it will give us a better understanding of your situation.

Dom
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Dom and Bob,

Not relevant but I am going thru a divorce and the wife took the only camera. I'm expecting a new one today via UPS. then I can take and post pictures. Pool water hasn't changed at all so I think I may try the drain and refill today or tomorrow. For all I know there is a critter in the bottom of the pool that I can't see !

Just backwashed an hour ago. Good pressure from the pump...no leaks etc.
 
I hate to say it, but without pictures, you really can't say if the pool is improving. The day to day change is subtle. You look at your pool off and on all day, so a 1% change goes unnoticed. If you were to go away for a few days, and somebody was testing and adding like they should, when you got back you would notice the difference.
 
Dave:

If you have a "smart phone", please take pictures and e-mail them to your computer. Download, rotate the picture (if necessary), and then upload in the Thread.

Depending on how green the pool is, you will not notice any type of improvement until about the 2nd week. This is assuming SLAM level is maintained properly, you are brushing daily, and backwashing as necessary. As mentioned, pictures will help. Please be patient and do not give up.
 
Well guys I have not posted because all my time has been used working on the pool and trying to finish a divorce. I had been maintaining FC at 31-32. I began noticing a slight lightening of water color. Finally I decided to follow DomCt203's advice and drain 20 % of the water, refill, test CYA and add bleach to reach the proper level. Got FC down to 60 from 80 so FC should be 24. Now I have a new problem. When I used my submersible pump to drain the 20% I wonder if it could have caused a breach in the liner. I just dropped the pump in and it sat on the bottom of the pool (liner). Suddenly the pool is losing water. I had it half way up the skimmer last night and when I woke up at 5am this morning it was actually BELOW the skimmer with the pump running ! I shut off the pump. What do I do now? I'm actually ready to get rid of the pool I bought new less than a year ago. If I need a new liner and pump plus installation of the above I'm not sure I want to do that. Plus I bought the darn thing for my wife who I recently discovered was cheating on me and is now gone.
 
Got FC down to 60 from 80 so FC should be 24.
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You mean that your CYA has been reduced from 80 to 60. Correct?

Now I have a new problem. When I used my submersible pump to drain the 20% I wonder if it could have caused a breach in the liner. I just dropped the pump in and it sat on the bottom of the pool (liner). Suddenly the pool is losing water. I had it half way up the skimmer last night and when I woke up at 5am this morning it was actually BELOW the skimmer with the pump running ! I shut off the pump. What do I do now? I'm actually ready to get rid of the pool I bought new less than a year ago. If I need a new liner and pump plus installation of the above I'm not sure I want to do that. Plus I bought the darn thing for my wife who I recently discovered was cheating on me and is now gone.
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Sorry to hear about your continued problems, but in time they will pass. You said that you had the pump running, and I am assuming you mean the filter and pump, not the submersible pump? I always recommend placing the pump on the plastic steps to avoid contact with the liner.

If indeed the pump cut the liner on the floor, (only thing I can think of), the rip will be exactly where you placed the pump. What you will need to do is go to that spot (go down with goggles) and locate the tear. Once you find the tear, this must be patched up. Hopefully you have the same liner and a repair kit.

One other thing you can do is to shut off the skimmer suction as you should be pulling air. Hopefully you have a main drain and you can continue your SLAM with the skimmers off. Wait another day and the water level should be at least another 6" below the current level. If this occurs, then you know the leak is not at the skimmer level, but below this and probably where you placed the pump. Please do not give up and keep us posted!
 

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Catanzaro said:
You mean that your CYA has been reduced from 80 to 60. Correct?



Sorry to hear about your continued problems, but in time they will pass. You said that you had the pump running, and I am assuming you mean the filter and pump, not the submersible pump? I always recommend placing the pump on the plastic steps to avoid contact with the liner.

If indeed the pump cut the liner on the floor, (only thing I can think of), the rip will be exactly where you placed the pump. What you will need to do is go to that spot (go down with goggles) and locate the tear. Once you find the tear, this must be patched up. Hopefully you have the same liner and a repair kit.

One other thing you can do is to shut off the skimmer suction as you should be pulling air. Hopefully you have a main drain and you can continue your SLAM with the skimmers off. Wait another day and the water level should be at least another 6" below the current level. If this occurs, then you know the leak is not at the skimmer level, but below this and probably where you placed the pump. Please do not give up and keep us posted!
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Yes I meant CYA was reduced to 60. Yes the filter and pool pump were running last night not the submersible. As soon as the water level got above the skimmer I started the pump. Put another 2 gallons of bleach in this morning. I wish I had hung the submersible pump suspended in the water as I did last time. However my handyman told me it was fine on the bottom. He has been known to be wrong before ! I'm inclined to try to find someone to find and patch the liner. I'm 66 years old and not eager to get in that slimy pool. What do you mean by the same liner? I can buy a repair kit right? Any suggestions? I do not have a main drain but if I do replace the liner I may have one plumbed in. I will wait a day and see where the water level goes. All I know it it took way, way too long to replace the 10 inches of water I drained. Trying not to give up but with all that is going on its just one more thing stressing me out.
 
It does take time to refill the water in the pool. Because of your situation, I would recommend calling someone in to find and fix the leak. Maybe you should not wait a another day, but a few hours. Mark the spot with some painters tape. Go 2" above the water line (where the area is dry) and place tape and mark 2". This way if you measure 3", you know that you lost 1" of water in a certain time frame.

Yes, you can purchase a repair kit. If you do, please make sure that you do not use the peel and stick thin ones. Try to find a good repair kit that has a thick patch (at least 25 mil).

On a last note (Giving up) is not an option here at TFP. Take care of the water leak and then we can get back to straightening out the Green Swamp! You will change the wording to "Completed", from "Not Improving". Keep us posted!
 
Update. Finally did find someone to come and fix the leak. Leak was really bad and it was a struggle keeping up with the water loss. Was running the hose 12 hours a day just to keep up. Leak was in the floor and patch appears to be holding. Water is blue and was clear to the bottom but algae has settled on the bottom due to having the pump off. Brushed the bottom and pool water is still blue but foggy. With all the bad water draining and clean water going in CYA dropped to zero. Put dry stabilizer in a sock in the skimmer yesterday. Trying to keep FC at 5. Anything else I should be doing? I need to remove the pump to bring it in for loud buzzing noise but don't want to do that until I get the water in balance.
 
Dave2590 said:
Update. Finally did find someone to come and fix the leak. Leak was really bad and it was a struggle keeping up with the water loss. Was running the hose 12 hours a day just to keep up. Leak was in the floor and patch appears to be holding. Water is blue and was clear to the bottom but algae has settled on the bottom due to having the pump off. Brushed the bottom and pool water is still blue but foggy. With all the bad water draining and clean water going in CYA dropped to zero. Put dry stabilizer in a sock in the skimmer yesterday. Trying to keep FC at 5. Anything else I should be doing? I need to remove the pump to bring it in for loud buzzing noise but don't want to do that until I get the water in balance.
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If you have visible algae you should be SLAMming.

What did you target for CYA level?

Dom
 
Dave2590 said:
Ph is fine. Trying to get CYA to 30-40, the pool school target. I am slamming.
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I'm confused, if you are SLAMming with a target CYA of 40ppm, why are you "trying to keep FC at 5"? You should be maintaining FC at 16ppm for CYA at 40ppm.

http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock

Dave2590 said:
Update. Finally did find someone to come and fix the leak. Leak was really bad and it was a struggle keeping up with the water loss. Was running the hose 12 hours a day just to keep up. Leak was in the floor and patch appears to be holding. Water is blue and was clear to the bottom but algae has settled on the bottom due to having the pump off. Brushed the bottom and pool water is still blue but foggy. With all the bad water draining and clean water going in CYA dropped to zero. Put dry stabilizer in a sock in the skimmer yesterday. Trying to keep FC at 5. Anything else I should be doing? I need to remove the pump to bring it in for loud buzzing noise but don't want to do that until I get the water in balance.
Click to expand...

Dom
 

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