HELP! Levels completely off & have bad algae

[Clkelsay]

This is our 2nd summer with our pool & last year we had zero issues! This year we've been gone a lot, the weather has been crazy hot, then super rainy and we have an absolute mess!

Our pool currently looks like a yucky green pond & I am ~this~ close to throwing in the towel & crying! I finally got the Taylor K-2006C kit & just tested my water. Here's what I got:
Free Chlorine: 0.05
Combined Chlorine: 0.05
PH: 7.0
Total Alkalinity: 5
Calcium Hardness: 70
CYA: 45

The salt reader in our setup is off, some days it says low salt, some days it says 1700. I'm not sure what the salt is, but we added 5 bags over the summer. Yes, I know I need to get a salt tester as well...

What can I do to turn my green pool into clear water?

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Follow the SLAM Process. You need lots more chlorine in the pool right now. Stock up on liquid chlorine, you'll need it for the SLAM.

It's not possible to measure 0.05 ppm of chlorine with the K2006 kit. Did you maybe mean 0.5? Are you sure about your other measurements? Your pH is low and your TA is super low.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Relax....breath... we can help you. You've come to the right place. Good getting a reliable trusted test kit.

To fix this issue go ahead and turn the salt water device off until you figure out what the salt level actually is. K-1766 is the tester you NEED.
Then go stock up on Liquid Chlorine. Start with about 10 gallons, and find the place with the best price. You'll most likely need more.
Lowes, Walmart, HD all carry Pool Essentials 10% Liquid Chlorine. You might also find your pool store sells bulk liquid chlorine but it varies.

You'll want to read the directions for a SLAM process. This is NOT a one dose deal. Just like when you treat strep throat it feels better after 3 days but you need to do the entire 10 day treatment to kill off the resistant algae.

Your CYA should be considered at 50ppm, as "halfways" don't really exist on this logarithmic scale.

Brushiing is also very important to disrupt any algae hiding under biofilm. That's like natures bandage over algae... you want it gone!

SLAM Process
FC/CYA Levels

Any questions??

 

[Mdragger88]

I think you may have some typos.
As Maddie mentioned, take a breath, your pool woes can totally be remedied
How many drops for the TA test before the color stopped changing?
Each drop counts as 10. So 5 drops = ta of 50.

 

[Clkelsay]

Follow the SLAM Process. You need lots more chlorine in the pool right now. Stock up on liquid chlorine, you'll need it for the SLAM.

It's not possible to measure 0.05 ppm of chlorine with the K2006 kit. Did you maybe mean 0.5? Are you sure about your other measurements? Your pH is low and your TA is super low.

Yep... I multiplied by .05 & not .5, so my chlorine is .5!

 

[Clkelsay]

I think you may have some typos.
As Maddie mentioned, take a breath, your pool woes can totally be remedied
How many drops for the TA test before the color stopped changing?
Each drop counts as 10. So 5 drops = ta of 50.

Yep... It was 5 drops for TA, so TA was 50 & chlorine was .5 (not .05!)

 

[Clkelsay]

Relax....breath... we can help you. You've come to the right place. Good getting a reliable trusted test kit.

To fix this issue go ahead and turn the salt water device off until you figure out what the salt level actually is. K-1766 is the tester you NEED.
Then go stock up on Liquid Chlorine. Start with about 10 gallons, and find the place with the best price. You'll most likely need more.
Lowes, Walmart, HD all carry Pool Essentials 10% Liquid Chlorine. You might also find your pool store sells bulk liquid chlorine but it varies.

You'll want to read the directions for a SLAM process. This is NOT a one dose deal. Just like when you treat strep throat it feels better after 3 days but you need to do the entire 10 day treatment to kill off the resistant algae.

Your CYA should be considered at 50ppm, as "halfways" don't really exist on this logarithmic scale.

Brushiing is also very important to disrupt any algae hiding under biofilm. That's like natures bandage over algae... you want it gone!

SLAM Process
FC/CYA Levels

Any questions??

Thanks! So, if I'm understanding correctly, I need to first get my pH up to between 7.2-7.5 (I can just use a pH upper for that or is there a better way??). Then according to the chart I need to bring my chlorine up to 20 (based on my CYA being at 50).
My question is, if I'm starting with 10 gallons of chlorine, do I pour it all in at once, give it a bit then test chlorine level? If not at 50, add more? Once I get it to 50 & am brushing/vacuuming/testing frequently, if it falls below 50 do I add more?

I appreciate all the help & feedback as this is all new to me!

 

[jdlangley1]

Most folks on TFP use aeration to raise PH naturally and it’s free. You can run water falls, etc. to help speed up the increase in PH.

I believe you mean 20 for your chlorine SLAM level. Other than raising to 20 instead of 50, looks like you got other steps down. Maintain that level of 20 until you have eliminated algae and can pass an overnight chlorine loss test.

 

[Clkelsay]

Most folks on TFP use aeration to raise PH naturally and it’s free. You can run water falls, etc. to help speed up the increase in PH.

I believe you mean 20 for your chlorine SLAM level. Other than raising to 20 instead of 50, looks like you got other steps down. Maintain that level of 20 until you have eliminated algae and can pass an overnight chlorine loss test.

You're correct, I meant 20

We do have a waterfall... will just running that help raise the PH?

 

[jdlangley1]

Waterfall will help raise PH. Following is from Pool School article under Pool Water Chemistry. Many pools will drift up towards higher PH over time. This is particularly true for fresh plaster (particularly in the first month and continuing for perhaps a year) or when TA is high and the water is being aerated (because of a spa, waterfall, fountain, SWG, rain, kids splashing in the pool, etc).

 

[Mdragger88]

Using PoolMath based on your pool’s volume, it looks like your initial chlorine dose to reach 20ppm will be 6.5 gallons of 10% liquid chlorine. You pour it in slowly infront of a running return. Roughly a Pencil sized stream. Brush the area so it mixes thoroughly & quickly, bleach is heavier than water so you don’t want it to sink & sit on your liner.
I kinda hold the jug in one hand & the brush in the other so I can brush & pour at the same time when doing large doses. Yes, You can do the full dose in one go. That’s the idea - reach slam level for your cya with the initial dose & maintain that fc level as often as possible until u meet ALL 3 end of slam criteria - however long that takes.
Maddie mentioned that you buy 10 gallons so you have enough on hand to do the initial dose & replenish it a time or two before needing to aquire more.
As mentioned above, your ph is ok. A little aeration will have it @ 7.2 in no time since your ta is 50 (not 5 lol )
You can begin slam immediately- the liquid chlorine will not lower your ph/ta any further because it is not acidic like the dichlor.
From here on out until slam is done you will just need to test fc & cc.

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, etc.)
*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.

 

[pjt]

I can just use a pH upper for that or is there a better way??

Don't add any chemicals to bring the pH up. It will drift up by itself. Aeration will speed up the process.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Right-o @Mdragger88 is right! I just meant to pick up enough from the market to have on hand. NOT to put in all at once <eeeeek!)

PoolMath is a phone App which can help you by telling you how many ounces of liquid chlorine will give you the desired amount of FC, based on what your current level of FC is.

I work on my laptop so actually use the older version of PoolMath... it just requires you to fill in your pool gallons at the top and then make the choices at the bottom ("TFP.com", "Bleach" and specify type of pool) In that older version the term "bleach" is interchangeable with "Liquid Chlorine". We don't say "bleach" anymore though as that product has changed so much in the past couple of years.

PoolMath

Discover the calculator behind the perfect pool, PoolMath. Dealing with pools has allowed TFP to become the original authors of the best calculator on the net.

www.troublefreepool.com

You'll give the pool an initial dose of Liquid Chlorine (per PoolMath) and then anytime an hour or so after you can re-test just your FC level and if its dropped <which is usually does> you redose again to get it up to that SLAM process level. As long as you can test and re-dose at *least* three times per day you're in the fight. The more often you can test and re-dose the faster this goes.

Maddie

 

[Clkelsay]

Using PoolMath based on your pool’s volume, it looks like your initial chlorine dose to reach 20ppm will be 6.5 gallons of 10% liquid chlorine. You pour it in slowly infront of a running return. Roughly a Pencil sized stream. Brush the area so it mixes thoroughly & quickly, bleach is heavier than water so you don’t want it to sink & sit on your liner.
I kinda hold the jug in one hand & the brush in the other so I can brush & pour at the same time when doing large doses. Yes, You can do the full dose in one go. That’s the idea - reach slam level for your cya with the initial dose & maintain that fc level as often as possible until u meet ALL 3 end of slam criteria - however long that takes.
Maddie mentioned that you buy 10 gallons so you have enough on hand to do the initial dose & replenish it a time or two before needing to aquire more.
As mentioned above, your ph is ok. A little aeration will have it @ 7.2 in no time since your ta is 50 (not 5 lol )
You can begin slam immediately- the liquid chlorine will not lower your ph/ta any further because it is not acidic like the dichlor.
From here on out until slam is done you will just need to test fc & cc.

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, etc.)
*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.

Thank you! This is super helpful!

 

[Clkelsay]

Right-o @Mdragger88 is right! I just meant to pick up enough from the market to have on hand. NOT to put in all at once <eeeeek!)

PoolMath is a phone App which can help you by telling you how many ounces of liquid chlorine will give you the desired amount of FC, based on what your current level of FC is.

I work on my laptop so actually use the older version of PoolMath... it just requires you to fill in your pool gallons at the top and then make the choices at the bottom ("TFP.com", "Bleach" and specify type of pool) In that older version the term "bleach" is interchangeable with "Liquid Chlorine". We don't say "bleach" anymore though as that product has changed so much in the past couple of years.

PoolMath

Discover the calculator behind the perfect pool, PoolMath. Dealing with pools has allowed TFP to become the original authors of the best calculator on the net.

www.troublefreepool.com

You'll give the pool an initial dose of Liquid Chlorine (per PoolMath) and then anytime an hour or so after you can re-test just your FC level and if its dropped <which is usually does> you redose again to get it up to that SLAM process level. As long as you can test and re-dose at *least* three times per day you're in the fight. The more often you can test and re-dose the faster this goes.

Maddie

Fingers crossed... just started the process...
Put in 6 gallons of 10% liquid chlorine (an hour ago), brushed pool & have waterfall running. I just tested & my chlorine is currently at 24. I'll test again around 5ish (& turn off the waterfall) & then one last time around 8p. I'll test first thing in the morning & adjust as needed. I'll also run the vac/brush the pool.
I really appreciate the detailed directions! I'm feeling hopeful that I can get back to having a pool vs having a pond!

 

[Newdude]

Hey C !!!

The name of the game is to M(aintain) the SLAM FC. The more effort you put in, the quicker it goes, no matter how bad it is. Aim for testing and adding every 2-3 hours at first. Tomorrow if you have anything to do, hit it just before you go and that will buy you the next couple hours away. Then hit it again as soon as you can, or in between errand A and kids game B.

Usually by day 2 the FC is holding longer buying you more time away. It's really not bad if you plan around your schedule.

 

[Clkelsay]

Hey C !!!

The name of the game is to M(aintain) the SLAM FC. The more effort you put in, the quicker it goes, no matter how bad it is. Aim for testing and adding every 2-3 hours at first. Tomorrow if you have anything to do, hit it just before you go and that will buy you the next couple hours away. Then hit it again as soon as you can, or in between errand A and kids game B.

Usually by day 2 the FC is holding longer buying you more time away. It's really not bad if you plan around your schedule.

Yep, started yesterday because I knew I'd be home all day today! I've had to add chlorine a few times today as it was well below 20 early this morning, closer around noon & 19.5 a few minutes ago. I've been checking every 3 hours during the day. Ready to do what I need to in order to clear up that water!

 

[Clkelsay]

I think I'm moving in the right direction... today is day 4. The water is more of a blue color (vs the yucky green) but it's still "thick" (as in I can't see the bottom). I feel like this is progress though!
I'm checking my water about 4-5 times a day. Adding chlorine (amounts per the pool math app), vacuuming once a day & brushing down the pool once a day. I've backwashed once as my PSI was almost 20 (my standard PSI is around 10-15, when they installed pool they told me to backwash if it got over 20). Anything else I should be doing or just keep plugging away??

 

[PoolStored]

Anything else I should be doing or just keep plugging away??

Nope, keep plugging. Every 3 hours is good. 2 and 1 are better and will make it go quicker. Note your pump pressure after you backwash. When it rises 25% from that baseline, backwash again. This too will help.