Intex Filter Question on Shocking Pool

[cricketmd]

Hi, sorry for the long read in advance. It seems I need some help. I’ve been doing everything the WRONG way feeling afraid to ask questions in here and bother anyone with me being a newbie unless its important (like my bees post last week). I cant afford the time or money to keep winging it and finding out after the fact I did something very wrong (AGAIN). I’ve been trying to learn all of this on the fly with lots of reading in here, google and youtube, it’s a lot to process in such a short time. I believe I have mustard algae (see attached pic). I need to SLAM shock my pool and it suggests here and other searches that I run my pump “24/7”. It’s an Intex (18 x 48” pool (currently being upgraded from 1500 to a 2500 gph filter)).

The Intex website does not recommend running the pump more than 8 hours a day. My other pump 1500 gph stops working after a few hours of recent and I’m getting algea (?) and all my chlorine is disappearing rapidly and algea is almost doubling per day. I have the 3” discs in several feeders, I’ve been shocking and I even added 2 gallons of chlorine the other day (6500 gallon pool) … all the CL is gone in less than 24 hours. How does one run their Intex pump 24/7 if its an Intex and they recommend no more than 8 hours? Does this mean I cant shock this properly and should refill the pool a yet a 3^rd time this year (due to other mistakes learned after the fact). I think its mustard algea although not really climbing up my vinyl walls. I will try to attach a picture. Although in the shade on this picture, the pool gets pretty much full sun. Its on other side of the pool too that’s in the sun. Thanks in advance for any advice. Basically how can you shock when you can only run filter 8 hours a day? I could possibly be dirt as my vacuum wasn't operating well on the 1500 gph, however its growing in size and I'm not getting in the pool. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[jblizzle]

I doubt it is mustard algae ... that is rarer than people think.

What are your test results and what test kit are you using to get them?

 

[cricketmd]

I doubt it is mustard algae ... that is rarer than people think.

What are your test results and what test kit are you using to get them?

Thanks! Good to hear! I'll take new results tonight after I leave work. I'm using the cheap 5 way kit. I cant afford a new one right now. I've spent $450 on the pool, $275.00 for water refills, 1200 in labor (to do pool set up twice), $290 for a ladder I don't have to be a gymnast to use $800.00 between bobcat and sand, and tons of toys and stuff. I'm broke right now. Oh yeah and $$ useless handvacumn and endless supply of D batteries $$ which just put the stuff back in the water. A new pump$$, etc... I've been doing everything wrong.

I had been taking a water sample to a pool place and they say water is perfect besides my limited tests. I thought it was algae and lady gave me yellow shock to followup with real shock after a brushing and everything got all out of whack. Chlorine after all the shocking and dumping 2 gallons of liquid bleach is zero. I think that's why I'm attracting the bees and the bats. I also have chlorine feeders with discs and no clorine. I use two kinds of strips and the 5 way test with the drops. Zero chlorine. Ph was low. TA (??) I think was 80. I don't remember it really and the Acid Demand I stopped after 30 drops and it not being cleared up. Don't quote me. That was memory based on a piece of paper I wrote this down on at home. Of which I'm leaving work for now. Thanks! I thought maybe dirt but its multiplying, its all around the bottom ring of the pool now. I'll be back on tonight with readings best I can before I add (at the very least) bleach or a shock. I will vacumn too pulling out my outtake water hose thing so its not going back in the pool. Thanks again. I'll hop on here before I do anything out there to my pool. I'm tired of doing everything wrong. :-( It has cost me a lot of money. Don't want to replace another $ filter pump.

 

[jblizzle]

Well, you need a good CYA number to know the proper FC level to be maintaining to prevent algae. See [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA].

Now that you have algae, you need to follow the SLAM Process process, and that requires the FAS-DPD chlorine test.

Test strips are worthless and there is no way to advise you based on numbers from strips.

All the chlorine disks are adding CYA which builds up and can required water replacement eventually.

Have you discovered Pool School yet? Start with these:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool

 

[jeffchap]

I have had more Intex pools than I can count over the years, and I've run the pumps as long as I wanted to, including 24 hrs/day at times. There's no harm in doing so.

The money you think you are saving by not buying a good test kit is going to cost you many times more in the long run. With accurate testing, you can avoid all the magic potions and just add what you pool needs, and have the clearest, most sparkly water you've ever seen.

You're going to do it eventually (or give up and take the pool down), so why not do it now before you waste any more money on quick fixes that aren't going to work.

 

[cricketmd]

I have had more Intex pools than I can count over the years, and I've run the pumps as long as I wanted to, including 24 hrs/day at times. There's no harm in doing so.

The money you think you are saving by not buying a good test kit is going to cost you many times more in the long run. With accurate testing, you can avoid all the magic potions and just add what you pool needs, and have the clearest, most sparkly water you've ever seen.

You're going to do it eventually (or give up and take the pool down), so why not do it now before you waste any more money on quick fixes that aren't going to work.

I'm so far in the hole on this paycheck its like having a used car that keeps breaking down, you are spending more money fixing it and parts but cant afford a new one. I'm a little stuck right now. Thanks for answering my question about running the filter too! I hope to be able to afford a newer kit, the one highlighted on a link in here for 70 so we are all talking the same language on the paycheck of the 1st.

 

[Pv2]

I wonder if you can manage to order just the CYA and FAS-DPD chlorine tests to get going on the slam? Probably your cheapo pH test is OK, but to do this process you are probably going to need to get a bunch of bleach/liquid chlorine too so if it isn't in the budget for another ten days, maybe just take a breath and let it go green. the good folks here can get you through it all. if you read around the site you will see pools that had so much junk in them, (including frogs!) that were still cleaned up in a couple of weeks. I have the same pool, you can probably get by with 10 gallons of bleach in it's worst case slam scenario. You HAVE to know the CYA value and it needs to be a real test, not strips - and pool stores are notoriously lousy at their testing. it would also be good to know the pH before you get going with the large quantities of bleach.

More experienced folks can help with deciding whether to try and hold it the best you can before you get the proper tests, or to wait, but it is your call on the money. just know there is the option to turn everything off and wait too. Of course it will be a bit more costly in time and bleach (and brushing/vacuuming) but if you just can't do it it is not the end of the world. The test kit will pay for itself in less than 2 trips to the pool store - trust me. It will be OK, don't panic.

Don't go back to the pool store, they will just keep selling you more garbage you probably don't need (and even worse junk that can make the whole situation worse) get ready to buy a good test kit, possibly some muriatic acid, baking soda and a fair amount of bleach or liquid chlorine (that you can get at the pool store if their prices are good, don't bother with any other chems from them!) don't buy anything except bleach and a the test kit until you know what you need, but be prepared to need a gallon or two of acid (10 or 15 dollars) and maybe some baking soda.

Oh, I am thinking maybe you read something wrong, I don't recall any limits to run time on intex pumps and I run mine 24 hours quite often. Heck their salt chlorine generator can go 24 hours on its boost cycle so the pump would have to be able to run that long.

 

[jeffchap]

You could pretty safely add 1/2 jug of bleach every day until you can get a test kit and keep it from getting much worse. It might even clear up some. It's shooting in the dark, but I think that would be cheaper in the long run than letting it go green then trying to recover from that.

 

[JannaLeAnn]

I buy gallon jugs of liquid pool chlorine at Atwoods - a farm supply store - here in Oklahoma. It has a higher % of chlorine than regular bleach, and it's consistently cheaper at that store. They are also consistently cheaper on pool salt. I had no idea they even carried it. So look around, you might find supplies are carried seasonally in unexpected places as loss leaders.

 

[Pool Amateur]

I have the 3” discs in several feeders,

In case you have not read that the 3" pucks are usually trichlor and add CYA to the pool as well as chlorine so I would remove them until you find out what your CYA level is. Basicly the only way to lower CYA is to replace water (partial drain). Now if you recently drained and refilled your CYA is probably low and needs to come up but that is a guess. You want to have at least 30 ppm of CYA or the sun will consume your chlorine. Too much CYA and you can not manage pool correctly, and have to have a higher FC level See CYA/FC chart in pool school. So without a proper test kit you are shooting in the dark and probably the best advice is jeffchap's above of "You could pretty safely add 1/2 jug of bleach every day until you can get a test kit and keep it from getting much worse. It might even clear up some. It's shooting in the dark, but I think that would be cheaper in the long run than letting it go green then trying to recover from that.". If you think pool stores testing is good get a sample put in 3 different bottles go to 3 different pool stores and see what you get. I did this and they were all different. I spent money to buy acid to lower my PH only to get my kit find out the store was wrong and had to go by borax to bring my PH back up. Talk about wasting money. The proper test kit will save you much more money than you have spent and will keep spending without it trying to trouble shoot the way you are. So again I would follow jeffchaps's advice until I had the kit. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but to tell you different would only continue to waste your money.

 

[Pool Amateur]

Also the TF-100 at TFTestkits.net is one of the 2 we recommend, the other is Taylor k-2006 but the TF-100 is better bang for your buck, both now and when you need refills.