I'm so lost with this algae Crud! HELP!

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Waltheraustin

Active member
May 21, 2020
43
Clyde TX
SO this is the first time owning a pool. Started out the summer doing great never having any issues with chemical levels or anything really. The water always looked so crisp and clean, very clean! So we went on a trip for 3 days and came back to strips of algae on the bottom. I started with high chlorine levels (liquid bleach and hypo chlorine (dry stuff you mix with water)). It started looking better after running the filter 24 hours a day right before a 2 day trip (the very next weekend). I get home today and the water looks clear with less strips along the bottom. I got my intex vacuum and started it. I looked really promising as the areas where it went was clear. An hour after that i come back to a green pool where you can't see the bottom. The weekend after it started, i was applying chlorine heavily and running the skimmer, straight filter and vacuum. The chemical levels haven't looked bad this whole time. CYA is at 50 ppm so i have no idea what to do next. I have a foster girl bday party in a few days so is there anything other than what I was doing before the last trip i should be doing? I feel the last trip messed me up but after 5 days of straight chlorine and 24 filter action, it should be clean. At this point, i feel like emptying and starting over.

HELP! Please!
 
Some information to help the experts help you.
What are you testing with?
Add your pool information to you signature similar to mine. Settings/signature

“High” chlorine is a relative number, depending on your cya level. See chlorine/CYA chart link in my signature. Any FC below 4ppm for 50 cya is an opening for algae. If you don’t have a proper test kit the cya number is suspect.
See links in my signature to compare suggested kits. I prefer the TF100 with speed stir.
 
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Msch99 said:
Some information to help the experts help you.
What are you testing with?
Add your pool information to you signature similar to mine. Settings/signature

“High” chlorine is a relative number, depending on your cya level. See chlorine/CYA chart link in my signature. Any FC below 4ppm for 50 cya is an opening for algae. If you don’t have a proper test kit the cya number is suspect.
See links in my signature to compare suggested kits. I prefer the TF100 with speed stir.
Click to expand...

I admit that i didn't initially get the deluxe version of the testing kit but then bought a standalone kit just for CYA. Are you thinking the chlorine levels are low?

Thanks for the quick response!
 
You have to tell us what your test results are and how you got them for us to be able to know what to tell you. All we know is you have a CYA test and it is at 50 ppm. I do know that a properly chlorinated pool will not grow algae, so inadequate chlorine is probably the problem.
 
Tc is in the 5s, FC is hard because after adding 5 drops of 3 it's now purple so please let me know about that.
Cya 55ish
Ph is high around 8.2. it wasn't last week so that's a problem.
Total alkalinity is 110

Ph - just added 4 cups of muratic acid so i'll check those levels shortly
 
Last edited:
While you are waiting on your test kit, add 5 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine / plain bleach to your pool each evening with the pump running. This will replenish the FC lost each day to the sun and also inhibit any algae in the water from growing further.
 
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While waiting on test kit.
Read ABCs of pool water chemistry and How to slam. Both links in my signature. If you are a phone, turn sideways to see signature.

Also please add your pool information to your signature. This helps the experts and saves you typing the information for each thread.
Example: plaster pools require monitoring CSI while vinyl liners aren’t as particular. SWG pools are different somewhat too.
 
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I'm also using the jumbo tab from pool mate. I was using Leslie's before and ran out so I went to Amazon. That weekend that it happened we were gone a little longer than normal so I put in 2 or 3 tabs in the floater. I took all out but 1 when I got home thinking that it added CYA more than I thought but after testing cya, I don't think that was the issue.

So lost!

Appreciate the help folks!
 
mknauss said:
Trichlor, dichlor, or Cal Hypo?
Do you not have a Home Depot, Lowes, or some kind of farm store near you? All carry liquid chlorine.
Click to expand...
Cal hypo
Lowe's now has Clorox shock stuff. I didn't think that was advised. If there is something else that is carried by Lowe's please do let me know. Last time I was there, it looked like it had been robbed. I'm in a hotspot called Texas so that may be a factor.

Thanks!
 
Pool Essentials 10% at Walmart, sometimes Lowes also. At least around here.
Plain unscented household bleach works too if need be. Usually only 6% and have to use more of it though. Just make sure it doesn't have any additives like splash less, etc. Clorox brand generally has something added to every variation so not recommended.
Search the threads here for other suggestions. Some have bought from cleaning companies I think.
 

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