I live in the Midwest and this is my first full season owning and operating an inground pool. It's a relatively small pool, right at 15000 gallons and I have always managed, by luck I suppose, to have crystal clear water which has always been balanced chemically. About 1-2 weeks ago I noticed what appeared to be a fine brownish yellow sediment on the bottom and sides and a cloudy appearance to the water. I brushed the surfaces throughly but the problem returned almost immediately and the cloudiness has worsened, leading me to believe this may be an algea bloom. The pool parameters were as they had always been and the chemistry seemed balanced at
T 84°F
FC 3ppm
pH 7.6
Alkalinity 30*
*(always has been on low end)
I use a chlorinator with tablets to maintain the Chlorine level, which I learned may lead to less FC. I do not have a test kit to assess CYA levels and I have been told that this value varies widely, even by pool stores. I decided to shock the water with Pool Shock liquid chlorine after using a granulated pool shock which I discovered later has a stabilizer resulting in lower levels of free chlorine to adequately address the algea issue. The stabilized shock did nothing to address the cloudiness or return of the algea. I also raised the alkalinity with an alkalinity riser to be in line with that needed to also address the issue. The current readings are:
T 82°F
FC >10ppm
pH 7.6-7.8
TA 60-100
I am running the pump/filter 24-7 now to filter as much out as possible and circulate the water more adequately. I'm uncertain if a regular cartridge filter (which I recently cleaned) will even filter out algea this small. Once the silt settles a bit and it quits raining, I plan to do a through vacuuming to remove as much algea as possible without stirring up the water to much. I also ordered Yellow Out from Amazon and would like any feedback I can get on this product. Is there anthing I am missing. How long before I begin to see the water return to that crystal clear that I've grown used to? Thanks for any input or advice. I really could use any help I can get.
T 84°F
FC 3ppm
pH 7.6
Alkalinity 30*
*(always has been on low end)
I use a chlorinator with tablets to maintain the Chlorine level, which I learned may lead to less FC. I do not have a test kit to assess CYA levels and I have been told that this value varies widely, even by pool stores. I decided to shock the water with Pool Shock liquid chlorine after using a granulated pool shock which I discovered later has a stabilizer resulting in lower levels of free chlorine to adequately address the algea issue. The stabilized shock did nothing to address the cloudiness or return of the algea. I also raised the alkalinity with an alkalinity riser to be in line with that needed to also address the issue. The current readings are:
T 82°F
FC >10ppm
pH 7.6-7.8
TA 60-100
I am running the pump/filter 24-7 now to filter as much out as possible and circulate the water more adequately. I'm uncertain if a regular cartridge filter (which I recently cleaned) will even filter out algea this small. Once the silt settles a bit and it quits raining, I plan to do a through vacuuming to remove as much algea as possible without stirring up the water to much. I also ordered Yellow Out from Amazon and would like any feedback I can get on this product. Is there anthing I am missing. How long before I begin to see the water return to that crystal clear that I've grown used to? Thanks for any input or advice. I really could use any help I can get.
