New Pool full of GREEN ALGAE?!?!

[anesci80]

For starters, I am a new pool owner. I do not know what I am doing. I do not have a test kit, I know I need one. I thought this was going to be easy, I put up a little AG for my kids with a SWG. No big deal, righ?? Problem. I have algae. I live in the desert, it gets over 100 degrees for the majority of the day. I NEED HELP!!! What do I do to get rid of the algae in the meantime while I am getting my test kit? Do I need to drain my pool and start over, or can I become a good pool owner and fix it with a little work? Any advice is welcome : )

PS* I don't have any kind of test results - because I don't have a test kit yet - execpt that I know the water is green.

 

[dattia]

Have you put anything in your pool yet? I'm not familiar with the workings of an SWG, but it seems as though it is not producing enough FC to keep your pool clear. You can empty your pool, but it is like the same thing will happen again. You can start shocking your pool with bleach, but a test kit is a must have item. Here is a good article to get you headed in the right direction.

pool-school/temporary_pool_guide

 

[anesci80]

Thanks for the info. I just ordered the TF100 tesk kit with the salt test and the XL option. I think I'm going to drain and scrub the pool and start from scratch.

 

[heatmisr]

Draining the pool does not guarantee that the problem won't come back. You want to read Pool School, more specifically, how to shock your pool.

The most important thing is to get your FC levels up to shock level. Since you don't have any test results, we can't say how much bleach needs to be added.

Go to the pool store and come back here and post the results. Then we can get you started going down the right path.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Draining and scrubbing with a weak bleach solution is probably the quickest way to clear it up. Depending on your water costs, it ay not be the cheapest.

When refilling be sure to add chlorine to the water as soon as you get the pump running. Add enough to get to 3 ppm. The Pool Calc will tell you how much to add. You can add the salt anytime after it's full. You'll also need some CYA (stabilizer, cyanuric acid).

 

[anesci80]

I've been trying to use the pool calculator. I really don't understand it. I put in my gallons and filled out the bottom part, but nothing changes on the calculator. I've emailed for help using it but haven't gotten a response.

 

[heatmisr]

You fill in your gallons and then you fill in the current level and target level for whatever you are trying to adjust. Then hit the calculate button.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Once you fill out the size at the top and the setup at the bottom you then put your current test results in the 'now' column and the desired outcome in the 'target' column. as you enter the numbers the calculations should update. If they don't there's a Calculate button at the top that you can click. If you'll notice, once you enter all the 'now' numbers, there will be a range of "goal" numbers above the entered numbers. You can use those to determine what the "target" should be. I shoot for the middle but others shoot for the top of the range. I wouldn't use the bottom numbers.

 

[anonapersona]

You can take a water sample to a pool store and get a free test, but remember that could be worth what you pay for it.

How long has the pool been filled? What have you put into it, total, so far? If nothing at all, we know that it is at 0 CYA and 0 FC. Some In Las Vegas may be able to supply generalized numbers for the rest, like TA and CH. You could use 0 for "now" values for FC and CYA on the calculator.

If you have added an assortment of shocks and tabs and algaecides, it is more complicated.

 

[anesci80]

Thanks to all for the information on how to use the calculator. It is making sense to me now. I have just one question...how do I determine what my "targets" are? Thanks again for everyone who provided advice, it's giving me hope that I can get this right one day : )

 

[Johnny B]

Toward the bottom, blue box, Suggested FC Levels, read the one tha says shock if tah is what you are doing

 

[anesci80]

I see, Thanks!

 

[supertune]

Hi anesci80, Welcome to TFP!
If water replacement is not too expensive, drain and refill is the best option IMO, mainly because of the almost inadequate 637R pump/filter using the 'A' cartridge filter as they don't work very well trying to clean up after a messy algae bloom.
As you can see in my sig below, I have the same pool and came with the same pump/filter, but without the SWG.
I live in Fl. so same exact problems, and I got 'Pool Stored' all of last year. (every week at the store with them telling me I need to do this, spend $$, then the next week do that, spend more $$, bla.bla,bla)
Found this forum :-D and have learned so much as to WHY I had all the problems I did.
You must have a good test kit to be able test your own water.
You have to be the boss, and with a kit like the TF-100 you can know what your pool needs and then use the pool school directions and the pool will behave!
Do not use or buy or put in anything in the pool that you don't know what it would do, like the pool store was having me do.
I did get my pool cleared up from the TFP way (using BBB) and working, but the filter just never quite got it sparkly as I wanted, so I did a upgrade to a sand filter system (I bought it used off of Craigslist and overhauled with it and installed it all myself to save some $ and best of all I learned all about my equipment in the process). Go read some of my posts to see what I did.
It will seem very overwhelming most of the time. But time will overcome that and with all of the support here, WE want you to win over that pool!
Our pool is so perfect... it screams at us to go swimming every minute of the day!

I now suffer from Sparklepoolitlis!

Chuck

 

[anesci80]

Thanks for the info Chuck! A sand filter is the next thing on my list. I am draining the pool as we speak. Hopefully it will be empty by morning so I can get started on the right track this time. My TF100 test kit gets delivered tomorrow too so I'm prepared to be the boss of the pool!! Got some bleach and some borax on hand as well. I will check out your posts and I will update after I get some fresh water into the pool. Hopefully - with all the advice that everyone has shared - I will have a trouble free pool too : )

 

[anesci80]

So here is an update:

We drained to pool, cleaned it out and refilled it. I am following the guidelines from Beginners Guide to seasonal/temporary pools. I am on day one of the first four days. I have made friends with my TF100 and I am understanding how this whole process works. However, I am a little unsure about how to transition to a SWG. Any one have any advice, or should I just follow the Water Balance for SWG guidelines??

 

[Bama Rambler]

Since you have an swcg, I would veer from the steps a little. Go ahead and add the salt if you haven't already. If you already have the Dichlor go ahead and keep using it for the next couple of days. You need to buy a jug of stabilizer because swg's take more than manually chlorinated pools.
You'll probably need another 2 lbs after the dichlor, maybe more. Once you've added the salt and it's had 24 hours to dissolve and mix you can turn on the swcg. Once your swcg is running, test your CYA again and add as much as you need to bring it to about 60 ppm.

Then all there is to do is test and adjust the rest of the parameters as needed. Test and adjust FC and pH daily.

 

[hawkeye]

swg cant produce enough chlorine to clear pool up while doing this process once you get pool cleared up you will turn swg back on and adjust it until it is making enough to keep pool at proper level....

 

[anesci80]

Test results after day one:

pH - 7.5
FC - 0
CYA - 0

I could not find dichlor at the store, I found hth shock-n-swim (calcium hypochlorite). Is this stuff right or wrong?

 

[frogabog]

Did you find the stabilizer/conditioner (CYA)?

The HTH shock n swim does not have CYA, so it won't work exactly like dichlor would. You can use it but you will need to calculate all the CYA your pool needs from stabilizer alone. Personally I'd do it that way in the first place.

You can also use bleach for chlorine. Both for daily, boosting, and for shocking. Chlorine is chlorine... is chlorine.

 

[anesci80]

I did get the stabilizer and added that in about 15 minutes ago, into the skimmer basket with the pump running, like the instructions said. Should I check the levels in the morning or wait until the end of the day to test again? I've been using bleach as my main source of chlorine, but I have a SWG that isn't hooked up yet. I'm on day 2 of the beginner's guide to temp pools guidelines but another person said to add the salt now and let it dissolve for 24 hours and then start up the SWG...I' starting to get confused again :s