Help // Oasis to Green

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caseyrichards

caseyrichards

Gold Supporter
Jul 14, 2021
56
Berkeley Lake, GA
Pool Size
25000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Well, after an entire summer of a sparkling oasis somehow this happened out of nowhere last week! One day perfect next day like this — I have no idea how it got away so fast.

I have already tried:

-Shocking every day to keep the chlorine high
-Vacuuming the bottom with the multiport set to waste (which really drained the pool water fast while I was doing that so I had to fill back up about 50% fresh from the hose when I was done — is that normal?)
-Backwashing and rinsing the sand filter
-Leave the pump running 24/7 (which I already do anyway)

Any thoughts how to fix this and FAST as we have people coming over tomorrow? Knowing you’ll probably ask for test levels I don’t currently have one of your kits so may need to run to Leslie’s today since I can’t wait for one to ship. Of all the ones they sell is there one model there I should get? Think I saw the K-2006 can go up much higher on PPM levels but please let me know.

Thanks friends!
 

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The Taylor K-2006C is what you need.. The K-2006 is much smaller and you will run out of stuff fast.. I doubt leslies will have one but you may get lucky.. :)
 
caseyrichards said:
Ok thanks. Any recommendations how to bring this back to life fast or no matter what I do is this going to take a long time to clear up?
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It’s hard to know without testing. Likely your FC fell too low and algae took hold. More FC is needed but without knowing your CYA, you don’t know how much FC is needed.
 
we have no idea just like you have no idea.. without knowing your exact numbers we are both lost... That is why we can not help with pool store numbers, they are always so far off we do not know where to start..
 
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caseyrichards said:
Fair. On my way to Leslie’s. In anticipation what chemicals would you suggest I buy while there?
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Absolutely none in terms of magic potions or others. Liquid chlorine (usually better price at Walmart, Home Depot etc) is the only solution to your issues.
 
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All algae outbreaks are the result of insufficient FC. Use the Pool Math app to determine how much liquid chlorine (plain laundry bleach will do) to raise your FC by 5 ppm per day. This is the best advice we can give without any accurate parameters.

Whatever you do, don't add anything recommended by Leslie's. They are probably going to try to sell you an algaecide (which does nothing for existing algae) or some kind of shock powder (which in addition to adding chlorine, also raises your CYA level). Too high CYA is likely to root of your problem if you've been using anything besides liquid chlorine to chlorinate your pool.
 
mknauss said:
Your WaterGuru thing is not a proper testing device. You were advised that in past posts. You need a proper test kit.
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I know that’s on me 😔 The company told me they are coming out with new cartridges for it that test all the parameters. So that’s nice. But yes I still need to do better with a regular test kit.
 
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You’re right Leslie’s didn’t have the kit. So I’ll order one of yours today. In the meantime I brought in a sample and this what they showed. They did sell me algaecide and alkalinity up and NoPhos (which I already had). I didn’t buy anything else. So I added those three things when I got home. I also keep brushing the pool and running the robot. Is this also a time to up the speed of my pump to max or still keep it low? Any other suggestions based on these numbers too would be great!
 

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That is the right test kit. Get the SpeedStir if possible. No coupon code unless you are a TFP supporter.

You should not have added any of what you bought. Those tests are not likely very accurate.
 
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mknauss said:
That is the right test kit. Get the SpeedStir if possible. No coupon code unless you are a TFP supporter.

You should not have added any of what you bought. Those tests are not likely very accurate.
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Just added my Gold support for all of your patience with me! I’ll grab the stirrer too.
 
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I purchased the larger bottle TF-Pro + XL + smart stir and I am very glad that I did. However, if you do not keep your pool open year round like we do in Houston, TX area, then you may not need the bigger bottles. Everyone seems to universally love having a smart-stir, so don't forget to add that to your order.

If your local Leslie's is using an AccuBlue tester (LaMotte SpinTest tester + Myron TDS meter is what Leslie's stores in our area use), then it will give you some pretty good numbers ASAP. And you do need something quick is sounds. LaMotte's SpinTest's Calcium Hardness test is not the best, but all the other numbers line up reasonably well on a regular basis with my TF-Pro test kit (Taylor reagents) and Apera Ph and TDS test results.

As others preach here, don't add any of pool store "problem solving" $$$ chemicals, but do get some 10 or 12% liquid chlorine on hand to clear your pool.

Good luck!
 
We just cross posted, so I see your now a Gold Supporter - great! They will send you a coupon that is good for some money off from your TFTestkits order if you have not completed that yet.
 
caseyrichards said:
I also keep brushing the pool and running the robot. Is this also a time to up the speed of my pump to max or still keep it low?
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Brushing is such a pain, so you can probably ignore that for now except for spots that your robot cannot reach. Definitely run your pump and robot 24/7 though if you're shooting for the best looking water in less than 24 hours. The robot will pick up any dead algae "dust" and keep it in suspension so that your filter can catch it. Maybe try running the pump where you are seeing about 10 psi (when you've just backwashed) would keep your water filtering pretty aggressively and not burn as much energy as running it at full speed.
 
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Ok just want to make sure I understand this correctly after using PoolMath. Today my free chlorine and total chlorine are both 15ppm. But according to SLAM for my pool size I need to start raising that all the way up to 42ppm?! And then it says once I get this under control and SLAM is over that moving forward the ideal level should stay at 12ppm. Isn’t that also very high? Always thought 1-4ppm is where that should be but maybe not?
 
Your CYA level of 106 is high (and could be higher based on your own tests) thus the FC level required is also much higher. Below is from Pool School regarding CYA/FC. Your Slam numbers are correct based on your presumed CYA level. Plug some hypothetical lower CYA numbers into PoolMath to see the difference.

CYA – Cyanuric Acid​

Cyanuric acid, often called stabilizer or conditioner, both protects FC from sunlight and lowers the effective strength of the FC (by holding some of the FC in reserve). The higher your CYA level, the more FC you need to use to get the same effect. It is important to know your CYA level so you can figure out what FC level to aim for. If you don’t have a SWG, CYA is typically kept between 30 and 60ppm. If you have a SWG, CYA is typically kept between 60 and 90ppm.
 
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If the TA is actually in the 50’s, you may have taken a good spot and introduced pH drift. You’ll then need to buy MA to correct for that..

The three things you bought were about the same as throwing that cash out the window on the highway! It did you that much good!
 

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