Massive algae bloom

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Take Charlie's, and Jason's advice. Keep the Bleach in and you won't have much trouble if any at all

No, just because you keep FC above 0 doesn't mean you can't get Algae, or if it does go low that you'll have to SLAM.

Letting FC fall below, or stay below target for CYA content too often or too long is what gets you in trouble.

Yes and it's a better approach too. You can establish your CYA level precisely, and then target
your FC for that. If you stay on it as you have, you will have plenty of FC.
But really, it isn't anything to be worried about approach/method wise. Worst case, if it seems
you need to SLAM after all, it will be super easy relative to most SLAMs.

As one old man used to say.......don't borrow trouble. :mrgreen:

You're doing fine. Keep the bleach in as advised, relax, and test as soon as the kit comes.
 
Jason, on the question of adding CYA, once the return starts flowing when the water level gets high enough, I have the sock and the CYA ready to deploy.

I'm sure on the label it must tell me how much to use to get to 20ppm, though it sounds like, since it's slow-dissolving, there may be a timing question here? One can put the sock in front of the return to get it dissolving but then at some point this process has to be stopped though I believe I read it can take up to a week for the CYA level to dissolve and be measurable?

I'm struggling a bit to know when to stop its infusion so I don't over shoot, because it was the high CYA level that caused the problem in the first place, so I'm a little gun-shy about how to control the level.

I have enough test strips, and these detect CYA, to last until the TF-100 arrives but I also want to make sure I have the details right. I've been CRAMing for SLAMing for a couple of days now but at some point until it's really "in there" (the brain), best to re-check and ask.
 
You need to learn to use the pool calculator (see link in my signature). That will tell you how many oz of the stabilizer you need to add 20-30ppm. Then only put that amount in the sock and let it all dissolve (squeezing the sock a few times on occasion will speed up the process). Then wait a week and test to verify the level (you should have the TF-100 by then).

How much water did you drain? If it was near 100%, then you would be fine to add 30ppm.
 
djbilo said:
Jason, on the question of adding CYA, once the return starts flowing when the water level gets high enough, I have the sock and the CYA ready to deploy.

I'm sure on the label it must tell me how much to use to get to 20ppm, though it sounds like, since it's slow-dissolving, there may be a timing question here? One can put the sock in front of the return to get it dissolving but then at some point this process has to be stopped though I believe I read it can take up to a week for the CYA level to dissolve and be measurable?

I'm struggling a bit to know when to stop its infusion so I don't over shoot, because it was the high CYA level that caused the problem in the first place, so I'm a little gun-shy about how to control the level.

I have enough test strips, and these detect CYA, to last until the TF-100 arrives but I also want to make sure I have the details right. I've been CRAMing for SLAMing for a couple of days now but at some point until it's really "in there" (the brain), best to re-check and ask.
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Take a look at the pool calculator. It will show you how much CYA to add for a given level and quantity of water. This is the keep good records part I mentioned earlier. Once you determine how much to add, you place that amount in the sock and let is dissolve. There is no guessing or waiting on the test required at first.

Shoot for 20 ppm and play with the pool calculator. Post what you think is the correct amount and we will tell you if you got it correct. That way we help you with the tool and you learn to trust your numbers.
 
jblizzle said:
You need to learn to use the pool calculator (see link in my signature). That will tell you how many oz of the stabilizer you need to add 20-30ppm. Then only put that amount in the sock and let it all dissolve (squeezing the sock a few times on occasion will speed up the process). Then wait a week and test to verify the level (you should have the TF-100 by then).

How much water did you drain? If it was near 100%, then you would be fine to add 30ppm.
Click to expand...

Jason, 100% drain. Problem is, in order to effectively use the pool calculator, I have to wait for the fill to complete to know, based on my flow volume calculation/estimate, to get a better idea of the gallon capacity of the pool since I have no records telling me, and honestly my calculus just ain't what it has to be in order to determine the volume of an odd shape and convert to liquid in gallons.

Now, if someone wants to post the formula for that with all the variables to measure...oh wait, the pool's filling - hard to measure when most of it's under water, I suppose. :)
 
The 16000 gallons you are guesstimating is enough to run numbers through the pool calc if you want to try it. I like a challenge if you want to post some dimensions. The pool calc also has a volume calculator if you don't want to do it the hard way.
 
You should be able to get a close enough estimate just based on ave width, length and ave depth. You have 16k in your signature, what is wrong with that? If you think the pool may actually be less, then just add enough CYA to get to 20ppm for a 16k pool.
 
Just for fun, I'll take some measurements of the perimeter of the pool with all its turns, and also give some depth measurements at various places and see how a precise calculation that way compares to my flow volume experiment. I just re-checked the flow and it's consistent on the lower side of my estimating.

That said, at this point my estimator says it has about 9500 gallons, no more than just over 10,000 so far.

16,000 is actually looking a bit high based on where it's filled to this point, but we'll see.
 
Sun's gone down. FC is about 3. Have not added liquid chlorine for a couple hours. Sure have stocked up on it though - enough to get through this and have some to help stabilize, but hopefully not so much that it degenerates before I have to use it.

The bleach at WalMart is $2.98/121 oz and is about 7.25%. The liquid chlorine (Kem-Tek) is about 10% at Lowe's and $3.68/gallon, which is what I was able to stock up on.

Water's looking good but there is an interesting amount of fine particulate debris floating (turned the pool light on to take a look). I'm not sure I could have seen the debris BA (Before Algae) given that we just did not realize how truly awful the water's clarity was when we bought the place.

Note to self: Put a condition in any future contract for a home with a pool that the seller replace the pool water right before closing, on their dime.
 

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Or test it yourself to make sure. :mrgreen:

You will always see something in a pool light, but you should be seeing more right now in your
situation.

I said it earlier today, but Bama Rambler turned me onto Dollar General Bleach and what I got yesterday was perfect. Here, it is .50 cheaper per gallon and that ain't bad. In the past we usually shy away from dollar store bleach, but this looks very promising. It's the same as Walmart or HEB stuff. My first test was dead on last night.
 
Ok, so....I'm trending a bit downward on pool water capacity - closer to 14K than 16K based on current level.

Anyway, for 14K gallons pool calculator says to add about 39-40 oz of CYA (39 oz by weight or 40 by volume) to go from 0 (present) to 20 ppm. it's 96% CYA.

That is going to be one big sock! Sanity check: Container says ideal is 20-25 ppm. poolcalculator using TFP settings says goal should be 30-50 ppm. The chart here on the site shows the proportions for each ppm level of CYA as well, including 20 ppm CYA.

Why would I want to go anywhere near a higher value? I realize that the higher the CYA the less chlorine used (and at that tipping point, the less effective it is too)

Wouldn't I want to start low (20 ppm) based on what I've been through? Poolcalculator's goal is throwing me, that's really the question.

Final question for this post: About how long would one say I have once the pool is full to be underway with the CYA and any other changes I need? Anyone have an idea of how much you can get by with over, say, a 3 day period with fresh, clean water when your availability to do certain things on an hour by hour basis is going to be very limited? Smarter to hit it with FC at shock level (based on the chart even though CYA won't be high enough yet) before leaving for a few hours?

I'm trying to make sure I have not missed asking something I should be, so if you think I have, let me know.

Again, thank you all for all the helpful tips in your posts. Much appreciated and we're hoping all will be ok. We just didn't expect the sudden money pit it became since last Thursday or Friday when all heck broke loose.
 
If it were me I would slam the "you know what" out of the pool right now. Bring it to a very high chlorine level and let the chlorine do its job over night and be done with it. With your low CYA level and it being a non liner pool you can get away with a higher chlorine level without worrying about to much. Then when you get your test kit you make sure its all gone. I say take advantage of the current circumstances and start enjoying your pool once again.
 
We do not recommend nuking the pool as Shane seems to be suggesting.

You can start dissolving the CYA now, tie the sock to a float or something. Once it is dissolving, and the CYA is active and SLAM the pool.

Higher CYA levels better protect the FC from the sun so you would actually lose less each day. But, when things go wrong, SLAM level is much higher and that becomes problematic. It is a balancing act.
 
I put my CYA in a sock and walked around the pool and squeezed the sock when I first put water in my pool. Got to be in the pool and got out of making dinner LOL "Sorry honey. TFP says I HAD to get the stuff in the pool."

What I do now to add CYA on an as needed basis is put it in a sock and let it hang in front of the return for a little while then I start squeezing it. You can see it coming out. I do that off and on through out the day.

I was like you with the HIGH CYA with my last pool. I find if VERY funny now that I am having a hard time keeping CYA up high enough. We have had a lot of rain so have been letting excess water out as needed. I find I am more comfortable with the lower end of the needed amount due to being so gun shy after my last pool experience.

You are not going to believe how cheap and easy it is to keep your pool up with TFP.
 
If it were me I would slam the "you know what" out of the pool right now. Bring it to a very high chlorine level and let the chlorine do its job over night and be done with it.
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I understand what Shane1 is saying.

However, as both jblizzle and brushpup posted above, that is not a good practice. TFP teaches to test and dose accurately and to get results that don't surprise you. "you know what" is not a value that can be used by most folks so we teach precision that can be used and understood by everyone.

Additionally, it is exceedingly rare that a pool can be cleared overnight. SLAM is a process that will clear any pool if the methods are followed correctly.
 
Pool refill complete (remember, I did a total drain/refill so SLAMing at this point is not as critical a priority for this hour, anyway).

The numbers (test strip version):

6:30 AM (Filling still underway)
TH: 0 (maybe 0+, could not really tell)
FC: 4
pH: 7.5
TA: 60-ish
CYA: 0

8 AM (fill complete, pump running, CYA in sock in leaf net in in front of skimmer)

TH: 0
FC: 4 (was 1, hit it with a gallon and mixed by pump for 20 minutes before checking on the way out to work)
pH: 7.2
TA: 80 (the lower TA #s on these test strips are hard to determine)
CYA: Still 0 (the sock, however, was somewhat warm)

I'm at the point where I can only monitor morning and night for 2 days due to extended family wedding plans. I believe it's stable enough to get me by until the TF-100 arrives.

Noted some "white powdery-looking" stuff coming from the floor drain after starting the pump this morning (that line isn't active - the skimmer plate is missing though I believe a supplier has located the right part for me). This, after I had flushed that pipe from up at the skimmer (fresh water from hose at the end of the draining cycle) with the pool empty, until it was clear, 4 times, and then shop-vac'd all remaining water/residue. Only thing I didn't do was take off the drain cover plate.

Seems more of whatever this is might have been lodged up there in the pipe, or down in the lower portion of the pipe below the drain before it turns upward, or something. It is stark white (no green), looks like bigger pieces than calcium residue, and when you poke at it with a brush on a long pole it doesn't seem to cloud up the water around the drain. I'll vaccuum it up Sunday when I have time. Not too concerned about it but curious as to what it is....it isn't dirt (too bleached), and the particle size is bigger than the calcium residue I scraped off.

It took 34 hours exactly (that's where I cut off the water, within half an inch of the normal level we keep it at) at 7.5 seconds per gallon (480 gallons/hour) to refill the pool. That comes out to 16320 gallons (close to my original guess), which I will use as the basis for my calculations until such time that I can recheck the numbers with the measurements I took of the pool and post for the mathematicians in the crowd to run a check. I also used http://www.poolandspachemicals.co.uk/volcalc.htm to check.

It came out fairly close (a bit higher) but I think my depth estimates for that calculator were off a bit. I made my own drawing and once I get better dimensions and depth readings I'll sanity check the water pressure method and probably take the average of the two numbers as my basis.

ONWARD! We are "pumped".
 

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I would only suggest you move the sock in front of a return jet in the pool. You can tie the sock with a piece of string, then tie that to something
like a skimmer pole or such thing as an anchor. Let it dangle there instead of the skimmer. Not critical, but better. Natural to feel a little heat in the sock when you squeeze it. You are more than close enough on the volume. In time, you can tweek it in the calculator if need be. You'll just have to get a feel for it over time with doses you make to the pool.
 

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