newbie trying to get rid of algea

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racerboy6996

racerboy6996

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LifeTime Supporter
Aug 23, 2010
103
Albemarle, NC
Before finding this forum I knew I had algae & I was told I needed to add CYA because what chlorine my SWG was producing was just being destroyed by the sun. Well I had found this forum but didnt realize how much I needed to read.

My pool is in the sun at least 10hrs a day.

Tuesday night I added about 4 cups of CYA (this is how much my friend told me to add)to a sock & hung it over the side of pool right in front of the return jet. Then I added 3 gallons of bleach. The CYA was dissolved by yesterday morning. I obviously still had algae. Not a lot but a couple small spots & one strip of algae on one of the wrinkles in the bottom of the pool.

I have been brushing the pool every morning.

Tonight my TF100 test kit showed up. Let me say anyone that questions the cost of this kit needs to see the size of this thing. It is definitely worth the money.

Anyway my test results are as follows -
FC 19.5
CC 2
TC 21.5
PH 7.5
T/A 60
CYA 35
Temp 80

Since the pool is a SWG do I need to raise the CYA to 60 & then raise the FC to shock level (24 according to the chart)? Or since I just added the CYA a couple days ago do I need to wait a couple more days to see if the CYA needs more time to completely register?

If I need to wait do I need to raise the FC to 24 and maintain it there until I know what the CYA really is?

Also it looks like my T/A is a little low. Do I just let this go until I get the algae clear?

I will check the levels of everything in the morning & see where they are.

Thank you for your help.
 
You need to give that CYA at least a week to register fully on the test.

Your pH is suspect, because the FC is so high. Ignore it, and TA, for now.

Assume the CYA is up to the strength it should be, based on the amount you added. Pool Calculator can tell you what that should be, down near the bottom, where it says "Effects of Adding Chemicals." Be sure to enter the correct gallonage at the top.

Then raise FC up to shock and keep it there. Crank up the SWG or add bleach, the source doesn't matter. Just get it up there and keep it up there by testing and replenishing often. This Pool School Article will help. This thread too.

Once the shock process is through, worry about the rest.
 
Bleach or the stronger pool store version is your best bet for shocking at this point - your SWG is not going to be able to produce it at the speed you need to reach shock level. Once there you can use the SWG to maintain shock level if you like. Just remember to turn the SWG off when you proceed with the overnight loss test.

The rest of Richard's advice is spot-on! :)
 
thanks for the info.
Algae was back when I woke up.
This morning FC is 21, CC is 1. I used the pool calculator & added the amount of bleach it said to bring FC up to 24.
Do I need to run my SWG longer than normal to keep it at shock level?
Right now I have it running for 5hrs a day.
 
racerboy6996 said:
thanks for the info.
Algae was back when I woke up.
This morning FC is 21, CC is 1. I used the pool calculator & added the amount of bleach it said to bring FC up to 24.
Do I need to run my SWG longer than normal to keep it at shock level?
Right now I have it running for 5hrs a day.
Click to expand...
Test the FC again in an hour. If the level's holding, you're okay. If not, run the SWG more. Or just dump in some more bleach. SWG's aren't really made for shocking. The key is to kill the algae faster than it can reproduce. You have to keep the chlorine level above shock level the whole time. If it dips below, the algae can start growing again, and you've wasted all the chlorine you've added so far.

Be sure to brush the pool to break up the film. Also, run anything that has water in it - booster pump, slide, whatever. There could be algae hiding in there. Any toys that go in the pool, vacuum head, brushes, toss them in too.
 
the FC has been holding for 2 days. CC is at .5
I did the overnight test last night with no loss.
I still show algae in the bottom. It is everywhere that I have a wrinkle & it was up against the sides of the pool brushes that I had laying in the bottom of the pool while shocking the pool.
The water is very clear & nothing feels slimy. My liner actually squeeks whenever i run my finger on it.
Is it possible that my pump just isnt getting all the junk out?
The only vacuum that came with this pool is a "leaf vac". The kind that you put a garden hose on & it sucks the leaves up into a bag. I dont think the holes in the bags are small enough to collect dirt & ick..
What should I do at this point?
 
racerboy6996 said:
the FC has been holding for 2 days. CC is at .5
I did the overnight test last night with no loss.
I still show algae in the bottom. It is everywhere that I have a wrinkle & it was up against the sides of the pool brushes that I had laying in the bottom of the pool while shocking the pool.
The water is very clear & nothing feels slimy. My liner actually squeeks whenever i run my finger on it.
Is it possible that my pump just isnt getting all the junk out?
The only vacuum that came with this pool is a "leaf vac". The kind that you put a garden hose on & it sucks the leaves up into a bag. I dont think the holes in the bags are small enough to collect dirt & ick..
What should I do at this point?
Click to expand...
Buy a better vacuum.

And I'd keep the chlorine level up until all that stuff is gone. You do have the SWG off when doing the overnight test, right? Just checking.
 
Intex pumps and filters take longer to clean up a green pool. If you are using the cartridge filter then you will need a couple of spares that you can pop in while you are cleaning up the other one. You will need to rotate the filters every few hours until the algae is gone.
 
i just bought a better vacuum. I will start swapping out the filters every couple hours.
Yes the SWG is off when I do the overnight test.

The person we bought the pool from had not cleaned it for a couple days before he drained it & we picked it up.
Not knowing any better we didnt really do any cleaning when we put it up other than wiping it out a little.

I havent ever had any real slime or anything. This is another reason I was asking if this could just be left over "junk" not being filtered out. The water has always been clear.

I appreciate all of the advice & I will start using the new vacuum as well as swapping out the filters in addition to brushing a couple times every day.
 
I have not had the SWG on since 7pm yesterday. The FC has only dropped 3 points since this morning & CC is still holding at .5
I know I was told the CYA would not read accurate for at least a week but it has been holding steady at 40 for a couple days now.

Off to vacuum. Thanks again for all the help
 

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Everything is great now thanks to everyone on this forum. The only issue I currently have is some sediment/dirt that I am having trouble getting vacuumed up thanks to the under powered pump. But other than that the pool water is very clear & the pool is literally squeaky clean.
 
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