Is this algae or silt? How do I get rid of it?

[BPool5]

I have been messing with this pool every day this summer, my kids have only been in it 3 times. It’s always cloudy. I put in a bag of floc yesterday and the whole bottom of pool was brown like this. I have intex vac that just sucks it up and blows it back into pool. I have that super cheap vac that you hook the hose too and same thing. Saw YouTube videos where people attach microfiber mitt inside out, doesn’t work. Only thing that got rid of it was siphoning it out with hose. Got in pool fully clothed last night and very slowly sucked it up and it was all out. Pool looked great. I then added bag of shock and turned on pump and went to bed. This morning it’s awful again. I only have test strips, can’t afford $100 kit at the moment. My chlorine is showing very high. Stabilizer ok. PH and alkalinity normal range. Intex 5,000 gallon pool with upgraded pump.

 

[cowboycasey]

Hey there.. You can run your pool as a seasonal pool with no issue... I would start by emptying your pool and scrub it down and start over following this guide

Guide for Seasonal/Temporary Pools

Smaller seasonal pools can see just as much enjoyment as their larger counterparts. In this guide we'll show you how to maintain your temporary pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[BPool5]

Unfortunately there's no way my husband will go for emptying it and refilling. Last year my CYA went insanely high and my water was neon green. I drained and refilled 3 times, ruined my well and had to have that replaced. So expensive! In August I had a water truck come fill. This is it. If this water doesn't last the pool is gone. As it is my husband is not happy with how much time I waste every day trying to clean this pool. Unfortunately no community pool so this is all my kids have. I shouldn't own a pool.

 

[clambert1273]

Unfortunately there's no way my husband will go for emptying it and refilling. Last year my CYA went insanely high and my water was neon green. I drained and refilled 3 times, ruined my well and had to have that replaced. So expensive! In August I had a water truck come fill. This is it. If this water doesn't last the pool is gone. As it is my husband is not happy with how much time I waste every day trying to clean this pool. Unfortunately no community pool so this is all my kids have. I shouldn't own a pool.

You can run that pool just like a "big boy" pool, I did for years before having an inground but to do that you will need a good test kit Test Kits Compared so that the initial mess can get handled then the water stays great and takes just minutes a week to maintain just follow the philosophy here and it will be all good

ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
PoolMath
FC/CYA Levels
Recommended Levels

 

[cowboycasey]

well you came to the right place... You have to buy a good test kit if you want to take care of your pool.. Guess strips are the problem... You have spent a lot of money on everything else.. The kit is needed to take care of the pool, no way around it...

I wish there was a cheaper test kit but you need to accurately test PH, CYA and FC to do what we de here... It is costing you WAY more money buying stuff from the pool store like that floc that we NEVER recommend and who knows what else they have had you put in your pool...

These are the same kits just one says Taylor and the other does not

TF-100 Test Kit

tftestkits.net

Amazon.com : Taylor Service Complete Pool Water Test Kit K-2006C : Swimming Pool Liquid Test Kits : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com : Taylor Service Complete Pool Water Test Kit K-2006C : Swimming Pool Liquid Test Kits : Patio, Lawn & Garden

smile.amazon.com

 

[BPool5]

But is this a chemical issue? If I buy the test kit it's going to tell me what the issue is with my water so I can figure out what chemicals to add to clear this up? Don't I need to somehow physically remove this crud from the water?

I'd love to get a "real pool" and would have one in a heartbeat but my town does not allow above ground pools. This is why all I have is a $300 Intex pool because if the village finds out about it I have to immediately take it down or get fined. My yard is secluded enough that only neighbors know I have a pool. I don't want to invest a lot in pool or equipment knowing at any time I may not have a pool anymore. So far 3 summers and we've gotten away with it. Also can't have in ground as my septic field is in the way. My town has no pool and doesn't allow us to have above ground pool....things I wish I'd known before we moved here. UGH!!!

 

[clambert1273]

But is this a chemical issue? If I buy the test kit it's going to tell me what the issue is with my water so I can figure out what chemicals to add to clear this up? Don't I need to somehow physically remove this crud from the water?

I'd love to get a "real pool" and would have one in a heartbeat but my town does not allow above ground pools. This is why all I have is a $300 Intex pool because if the village finds out about it I have to immediately take it down or get fined. My yard is secluded enough that only neighbors know I have a pool. I don't want to invest a lot in pool or equipment knowing at any time I may not have a pool anymore. So far 3 summers and we've gotten away with it. Also can't have in ground as my septic field is in the way. My town has no pool and doesn't allow us to have above ground pool....things I wish I'd known before we moved here. UGH!!!

My guess it's a combo of both chemistry & filtration, mostly you will want to vacuum any sediment out of the pool & don't worry that it is a $300 pool as like I said most of us started that way the test kit will serve you well I carried mine after my intex pool every time we moved and still have it

 

[zea3]

How large is this pool? Flocc is the gift that keeps on giving. It will keep dropping stuff out of the water for a couple of days. Never use it again! Does your pool have a cartridge or a sand filter? How are you chlorinating the pool? You can get an inexpensive test kit that will let you test CYA, but you can only get a couple of tests out of it. Verify your identity

 

[BPool5]

Thank you Christina! Any ideas best way to remove sediment? My intex vac is useless. The one I hook the hose up to just shoots it back into the water. I thought I siphoned it out last night. That's the only thing I've done that didn't turn the water cloudy again immediately but somehow I have it back again today so maybe anything I did last night was useless?

 

[BPool5]

How large is this pool? Flocc is the gift that keeps on giving. It will keep dropping stuff out of the water for a couple of days. Never use it again! Does your pool have a cartridge or a sand filter? How are you chlorinating the pool?

Intex 5,000 gallon. B Cartridge. I have the floater with tablets and I've shocked so many times (that raises chlorine, right?)

 

[clambert1273]

Thank you Christina! Any ideas best way to remove sediment? My intex vac is useless. The one I hook the hose up to just shoots it back into the water. I thought I siphoned it out last night. That's the only thing I've done that didn't turn the water cloudy again immediately but somehow I have it back again today so maybe anything I did last night was useless?

See zea's questions above but there may be a vacuum option around for you but im assuming you have the dinky way undersized intex filter that came with the pool

 

[clambert1273]

Maybe something like this

Intex 28620EP Handheld Rechargeable Spa Pool Vacuum, Grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YF8MBS...abc_WP5YJQK65K1J6E0B0K8Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[zea3]

If you used a dry chlorine with dichlor/trichlor as the main ingredient it will raise the CYA. From now on only use liquid chlorine. Liquid chlorine can be 10% from the pool store or plain, unscented 6% bleach from the grocery store. I am assuming your CYA is high again. We can try and limp through the rest of this pool season without dumping water, then when pool season is over you can do small water exchanges to get the CYA back in range. I would recommend saving up for a good test kit and a robotic pool cleaner or the sand filter/pump combo.

 

[BPool5]

That's the intex vac I have. It's ok for picking up an occasional teeny tiny leaf but that's about it.

 

[BPool5]

Brought water sample to pool store today.....Yeah, I know the thoughts on that but it's my only option right now. Tests were all normal except chlorine is a bit high but they said not to worry about that. No advice on removing whatever is on the bottom of the pool. I've vac'd it about 5 times today, run the filter, every time I go out it's still full of this stuff. Ready to let my kids get in and take a box cutter to the side of it. At least they'll get some fun out of it. Right now it's nothing but an eye sore that is taking up so much of my time.

 

[Oly]

Many here have been in your situation, take heart and take charge.
The answer is to reread the first response to your origional post. Read the link provided about a Seasonal/Temporary pool and follow the directions. It's a safe guess that you have created this issue by adding too much stabilized chlorine.

 

[shayy_1988]

OMG this sounds so much like my issue right now. I am going on 5 days now of a cloudy seafoam green pool. Something is telling me that anything left in my pool is definitely dead because of how much shock/chlorine I put in it over the last few days. I am just having a hard time filtering/vacuuming all of the dead algae out. I scrub and vacuum and then after hours it has settled to the bottom again. I just upgraded my pump from the 1500 to the 2500 and I already see an improvement in water circulation but its near impossible for me to completely get the dead algae out. It was recommended for me to SLAM but I keep thinking the algae left at the bottom of my pool is dead its just a matter of getting it completely out. I feel as if i brush and vacuum it just circulates in the pool making the particles go all over. It is like never ending. I want to drain and refill but I also don't want to. lol

 

[cowboycasey]

those B cart filters are not even remotely the best and clog really fast... The sand filter is better, same amount of time but you just backwash and then start over.. you can also add DE to a sand filter but not a cart filter...

It is up to you, run the pool as seasonal or permanent, both ways work

 

[shayy_1988]

wellllll considering I JUST bought the 2500 pump less than 24 hours ago, I won't be purchasing a new pump until I absolutely need it. I will say, since the upgrade, the filter has already sucked up more in one day than the old pump did in 3 days lol.

 

[cowboycasey]

so you had a smaller pump, yes the bigger ones are better