New Pool Owner - Algae Issues

[kroth954]

Hi All! I recently purchased a home with an in-ground pool and have been trying to handle the maintenance myself up to this point. It was going smoothly for the first few weeks of the Summer until one bad rain storm about a month ago, since which time I can’t seem to keep the algae at bay. I listed below the weekly routine that I had been following from the previous owner along with some specs on the pool. I ordered a Taylor2006 testing kit that should be arriving tomorrow alone with Chlorox CYA. Up until now, I had only been using the test strips to figure out what to add and I’ve never added any CYA to the Pool since the color on the test strips for that category never seemed to match up.

I can report back tomorrow once I do a full testing on the water, but would love to hear any suggestions that might help get me ready for what I might need to do next.

Pool Specs
- 24,000 gallons
- Hayward Sand Filter
- Chlorinator

Weekly Routine
- brush all walls and floors
- clean skimmers
- run vaccuum
- backwash for 1-2 minutes
- add 4 chlorine pucks to the chlorinator
- add 4 capfuls of weekly Pool perfect liquid from Leslie’s

 

[ereilley]

The main thing is to test the water and report back the numbers. Use PoolMath to see where your levels are at and what needs to be adjusted. Careful with CYA, I use pucks as well and have to keep a close eye on it so it does not get too high. FC/CYA Levels

Honestly you don’t need perfect weekly. Follow
Pool Care Basics and you should be all set. Once you get your water results you may want to following the SLAM Process process to clear it up. Same thing happen to me earlier this year, chlorine dropped, rain storm came in, and green pool. It took about 4-5 days to clear with slamming.

 

[TinFoilHat]

Welcome to the forum! You can forget using the Leslies products and pucks and stay away from pool stores and their water testing. What you need is liquid chlorine and lots of it. We follow the TFP way which is chemically balancing your water so that the chlorine needed for sanitation remains at it's proper level. You can read through pool school at Pool School Focus on this The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship For now you need to put 5 ppm of chlorine into your pool daily until you can post the reading from your test kit then it will be SLAM time for you.

 

[kroth954]

Hi All, thanks so much for the quick feedback. I just completed my first testing and listed the results below. A few quick questions on testing with the Taylor K-2006:

• For the Free Chlorine, Total Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness tests, the final calculation is based on the drop during which the color changes from one shade to another. For measurement purposes, am I supposed to use the first drop in which the color seems to shift or do I keep dropping until there seems to be a full distinct change in color? i.e. for Free Chlorine it has to change from pink to colorless but I was finding that it was a gradual change over 3 or 4 drops until it was truly colorless vs just losing the pink tone. I just want to make sure I'm taking the measurements correctly
• Along those same lines, I found when using a 25 ML sample, I wasn't receiving the desired color change effect regardless of how many drops I used. I probably went through half the bottle of R-0871 in my first go-around waiting for it to be truly colorless but it was maintaining a slight amber hue. On the contrary, when I switched to the instructions for the 10ML sample, I saw a much more distinct change. Then again, that version doesn't seem to be as precise because the difference with each drop on the net measurement is much greater. Do you all find a major benefit to trying to work off the larger or smaller sample?

As for my results, please see below. I matched up against a test strip just to make sure I wasn't completely off with my first go-around. I seem to be fairly close with the exception of the CYA. In my testing, the circle disappeared before I even got to the first line (100) so I estimated it at around 110/120. But in the test strip, the color comes out as if I have close to 0 CYA in the pool. I'm not sure if I'm running the test wrong or the stick is just useless and I actually do have a lot of CYA in the pool already. Anyone have similar issues specifically when doing the CYA test?

Free Chlorine: 24.5ppm
pH: 7.2/7.3
Alkalinity: ~75
Hardness: 150
CYA: ~110? (see notes above)

Based on that and the pictures I shared yesterday, please let me know if I should follow the SLAM instructions or the best way to proceed in general. Thanks so much everyone. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the testing and just hoping I can get into a rhythm with that over time in terms of how to properly read the shifts in color in order to note the right calculations.

 

[kroth954]

Hi All, I just took some additional tests and the results are below. I'm still concerned whether I'm doing the CYA testing right. I tried multiple times and I'm still not even getting to the 100 line before the dot disappears. It does seem that I got a slightly lower number today than yesterday so maybe my CYA was just very high, but I haven't added CYA to the pool at all since opening it several months ago so is it possible for CYA to produce naturally without adding it in manually? Being that everyone recommends getting CYA below 70 before slamming, I just want to make sure I'm measuring that particular one correctly.

Free Chlorine: 21ppm
pH: 7.4
CYA: ~100/110 (see notes)

I've been brushing the pool every day and running the filter/pump 23 hours. I've also been backwashing every 2ish days since the green has been there. Looking forward to any advice/guidance!

Thanks so much.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

For the Free Chlorine, Total Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness tests, the final calculation is based on the drop during which the color changes from one shade to another

For these tests, continue dropping until there is no further color change. Don't count the drop that results in no change.

Along those same lines, I found when using a 25 ML sample, I wasn't receiving the desired color change effect regardless of how many drops I used. I probably went through half the bottle of R-0871 in my first go-around waiting for it to be truly colorless but it was maintaining a slight amber hue

The water doesn't necessarily have to be clear but it should not be pink. To save on reagents, use the 10 mL water sample. Use one scoop of powder, and multiply the number of drops by 0.5.

I seem to be fairly close with the exception of the CYA. In my testing, the circle disappeared before I even got to the first line (100) so I estimated it at around 110/120.

The result means your cya is well over 100 ppm. You should do a diluted test. In the following link, scroll down to cya testing and start at step 8 for the diluted test.

Extended Test Kit Directions Archives

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[kroth954]

Thank you! Just did the diluted version and it did confirm I’m likely around 120 for CYA. Based on that result and the other numbers I shared earlier, what’s my best next step?

will the CYA come down naturally or do I have to empty water from the pool and refill with the hose? Would hate to use too much water, but if that’s the only way to prep for the SLAM then it is what it is.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

CYA levels do fall over time, but too slowly to get you down into range. You should exchange approximately 2/3 of the volume to get CYA down to around 40 ppm. With a vinyl pool there are special precautions you need to take. Take a look at the article below for assistance.

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[sande005]

Just FYI - I was a multi-decade tab user. Tabs add CYA, and as I learned on this site, the higher the CYA, the more Cl you need. For a tab only user, that would be more tabs - which means more CYA (!) Until you get to a point, like yours, where the amount of Cl to add is just unsustainable, and the pool turns green.
Being where you are, like me, you lower the pool for the winter and depend on rain/snow/fresh water to fill it back up. So that can knock down the CYA level to something high, but better, in the spring. Then the cycle starts again. For me, the green would start around the 4th of July - and it would be a forever battle until I closed it in the fall. Knock it down by "shocking", and back it came a week or two later.
The alternative is to only use liquid chlorine. That gets you off the treadmill. Can be cheaper in the long run. But does require daily testing and adding, plus carting cases of jugs around. Then use the tabs as little as you can - usually for periods where you are gone and can't test/add.

The real solution is converting to a Salt Water Chlorine Generator. It is an expense, and a bit of a project to install. Start a new thread about that, if you want to explore what it would take to do the conversion later.
But it will make your pool life definitely Trouble Free. I went from several hours per week of pool care, to about 30-45 minutes. And in the $700 to $900 range in chems from the pool store, to $200-$300 - for the year. If you have a variable speed pump, it allows you to run it on very low 24/7, which lowers the electric bill by a huge amount - so an extra benefit.

 

[kroth954]

Yes this sounds like EXACTLY what has happened to me. Once a few big summer rains hit and the weather got hotter, I had to go through one or two big shock cycles and since then it seems like I’m in a constant battle with algae. My neighbor switched to liquid chlorine and his pool has been crystal clear all season so I’ll start by trying that (once I go through the water exchange to bring CYA down). If I end up finding it’s becoming a hassle then I’lldefinirely look into the chlorine generator.

 

[PoolStored]

My neighbor switched to liquid chlorine and his pool has been crystal clear all season so I’ll start by trying that (once I go through the water exchange to bring CYA down).

When you get your CYA down, then follow the SLAM process to clear the pool...Link-->SLAM Process

 

[kroth954]

Sounds good. One other note, I just noticed that the pressure on my filter shoots up to 60 when I’m draining water under the “waste” setting and the pressure appears to be so high that water is leaking through the top. This doesn’t happen on backwash or when the regular filter setting is on. Anyone else have that issue or know if that might be another problem?

 

[PoolStored]

Use backwash for now. Post a new thread in the right forum on the filter….

 

[kroth954]

Hi All, apologies if this is a little basic but I'm switching to liquid chlorine for the first time. I noticed on various threads that the standard operating procedure is to slowly pour the chlorine in front of a return jet in the deep end of the pool (at least 7 feet deep). My in-ground pool (24,400 gallons) has all 4 return jets in the shallow end (maybe 2-3 feet deep). 2 are facing each other on the bottom stair into the pool and the other two are both on the shallowmost wall facing out towards the deep end. What would you recommend in terms of the best place to pour the bleach?

I'm adding 1 gallon per night, which should equate to ~4ppm while I exchange water over the next day or two to get my CYA down before SLAMming.

 

[PoolStored]

just pour it slowly over a return and then brush...

 

[kroth954]

Hi All, so I spent Friday and Saturday trying to exchange water in my pool to bring the CYA down and I just tested and seem to be right around where I started (~120ppm). I'm not sure if my pool has a main drain at the bottom so what I have been doing is just putting the filter on backwash and dropping the water level down towards the bottom of the skimmers until I hear a gurgling sound and then shut off the filter and let the hose fill it back up before doing that process over and over again. I'm clearly doing something wrong and on the verge of calling a pool guy to just get me through the season but hopefully you guys can help me stay strong!

Is there a way to test to see if I have a main drain in the pool without risking any damage to the equipment? My ideal situation would be to drain it down about halfway according to the instructions related to vinyl lined pools on here and then just let the hose sit in there overnight to fill it up instead of me having to do the cycle above every few hours. I really don't want to go out and buy some expensive water pump to help pump the water out so I'm hoping you all have some better advice to how I can do this water exchange.

Thanks so much for everything thus far! Seeing this CYA number drop will be the most rewarding thing ever if I can get this figured out. In the meantime, I put the first gallon of liquid chlorine in last night which equates to about 4 ppm and will continue doing that each night until I can figure out the water exchange.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Trying to use the pool pump to drain a pool is not recommended. As you've discovered, once water drops below the skimmer the pump can run dry and you run the risk of burning up the pump. You've made some good decisions so far, so do the right thing and buy a submersible pump. It may seem like another expense, but I always look at new tools as an investment. You'll find use for the pump in the future.

I purchased a 1/3 HP Superior pump. There are lots of options out there for pumps, but I would stick with 1/3 HP or better. Some have found inexpensive submersible pumps at Harbor Freight Tools.

Use caution when draining your vinyl pool. From the Wiki article, "Vinyl liner pools should not be drained below leaving 12-18” of water in the shallow end. The liner can shift and get destroyed."

 

[kroth954]

Trying to use the pool pump to drain a pool is not recommended. As you've discovered, once water drops below the skimmer the pump can run dry and you run the risk of burning up the pump. You've made some good decisions so far, so do the right thing and buy a submersible pump. It may seem like another expense, but I always look at new tools as an investment. You'll find use for the pump in the future.

I purchased a 3/4 HP Superior pump. There are lots of options out there for pumps, but I would stick with 3/4 HP or better. Some have found inexpensive submersible pumps at Harbor Freight Tools.

Use caution when draining your vinyl pool. From the Wiki article, "Vinyl liner pools should not be drained below leaving 12-18” of water in the shallow end. The liner can shift and get destroyed."

Thank you! The pump link you shared only has 1/3, 1/2 and then jumps to 1hp. Safest bet is just to go with the full 1hp? I didn't see a 3/4 option.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Thank you! The pump link you shared only has 1/3, 1/2 and then jumps to 1hp. Safest bet is just to go with the full 1hp? I didn't see a 3/4 option.

My mistake...I meant to say search for a pump with at least 1/3 hp. I'll edit my original post.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

I just realized too, I actually have the 1/2 hp pump...sorry, having a rough day