I have a 13000 gallon semi above ground hybrid pool and it was green for most of last season and now it is bright green again. I'm getting testing done tomorrow and I'll post the results. I spend $988 last year to resolve the issue!
New here, hoping for some solutions to a green pool.
- Thread starter jonpickles
- Start date
Welcome to TFP.
We have the SLAM Process to resolve a green pool.
It requires several commitments.
First - have your own test kit because you need to test every 4-5 hrs
See Test Kits Compared
Purchase liquid chlorine (Home Depot, Walmart) - need at least 10 gals to start.
Commit to following the SLAM process as it may take days or week or more depending on the starting point.
Post a picture of your pool
What type of filter do you have?
What type of pump do you have?
Please fill out your signature -- Create Your Signature - Further Reading
We have the SLAM Process to resolve a green pool.
It requires several commitments.
First - have your own test kit because you need to test every 4-5 hrs
See Test Kits Compared
Purchase liquid chlorine (Home Depot, Walmart) - need at least 10 gals to start.
Commit to following the SLAM process as it may take days or week or more depending on the starting point.
Post a picture of your pool
What type of filter do you have?
What type of pump do you have?
Please fill out your signature -- Create Your Signature - Further Reading
Welcome! See above link for getting your own test kit. The pool store testing is just designed to sell you $988 worth of stuff that doesn’t usually work.
In addition to the above, get the free PoolMath app for your phone. You enter your readings from your new test kit, and it does the work to tell you how much of what to add.
If you elect, you can pay the $8/yr charge to have it log all your past entries, so you can see how things are trending. That brings the bonus that if you use the same username for it, you can link to here - and we can see your history also. No typing or screenshots for you to do when posting, and easy for us to see what is going on.
Pools only go green due to not enough, or not consistently enough, chlorine (CL). CL gets used up by the sun, so has to be replenished very often. Not having enough may be due to scheduling issues - time to test and add on a very regular basis. Or it may be due to the products used. Chlorine Tablets are the big item here. They contain stabilizer (CYA) and are constantly adding it, along with CL. An appropriate amount of CYA is beneficial. Tabs are great as far as the schedule - one only needs to check periodically. But the CYA they add never goes away, and builds up. Most pool places never recognize that with more CYA in a pool, the greater amount of CL that needs to be added to keep the pool sanitary. They refer to "chlorine lock" or other terms, that is fiction, and advise a one time "shock" of a massive dose. Sometimes with products that appear to work, but add their own bad things (think bagged non-chlorine shocks). The "shock" may temporarily make the pool look better, as it kills some (but never all) of the algae present. The underlying problem is still there, and more CYA means needing more tablets - until the levels are impossible to maintain correctly. So the algae comes roaring back.
Here, we advocate dosing CL based on your specific CYA level, using products that do not add extra CYA. That means constant testing and adding. Likely daily or every other day. Or buying a device (Salt Water Chlorine Generator - SWCG) that will make and add CL consistently by itself, all the time. To defeat a green pool, we elevate the CL level for an extended time - days, or even weeks (for really, really bad cases), to ensure that ALL algae is killed.
Tabs have a place, and if schedules make it such that the frequent monitoring is impossible to do (and a SWCG is not a current option), then one has to accept the fact that there will have to be times where the pool has to be at least partially drained, to get rid of the high CYA level, and filled with fresh water.
If you elect, you can pay the $8/yr charge to have it log all your past entries, so you can see how things are trending. That brings the bonus that if you use the same username for it, you can link to here - and we can see your history also. No typing or screenshots for you to do when posting, and easy for us to see what is going on.
Pools only go green due to not enough, or not consistently enough, chlorine (CL). CL gets used up by the sun, so has to be replenished very often. Not having enough may be due to scheduling issues - time to test and add on a very regular basis. Or it may be due to the products used. Chlorine Tablets are the big item here. They contain stabilizer (CYA) and are constantly adding it, along with CL. An appropriate amount of CYA is beneficial. Tabs are great as far as the schedule - one only needs to check periodically. But the CYA they add never goes away, and builds up. Most pool places never recognize that with more CYA in a pool, the greater amount of CL that needs to be added to keep the pool sanitary. They refer to "chlorine lock" or other terms, that is fiction, and advise a one time "shock" of a massive dose. Sometimes with products that appear to work, but add their own bad things (think bagged non-chlorine shocks). The "shock" may temporarily make the pool look better, as it kills some (but never all) of the algae present. The underlying problem is still there, and more CYA means needing more tablets - until the levels are impossible to maintain correctly. So the algae comes roaring back.
Here, we advocate dosing CL based on your specific CYA level, using products that do not add extra CYA. That means constant testing and adding. Likely daily or every other day. Or buying a device (Salt Water Chlorine Generator - SWCG) that will make and add CL consistently by itself, all the time. To defeat a green pool, we elevate the CL level for an extended time - days, or even weeks (for really, really bad cases), to ensure that ALL algae is killed.
Tabs have a place, and if schedules make it such that the frequent monitoring is impossible to do (and a SWCG is not a current option), then one has to accept the fact that there will have to be times where the pool has to be at least partially drained, to get rid of the high CYA level, and filled with fresh water.