Hey guys, new pool installed this summer. Been fighting a problem for a few weeks now and finally think I have a stronghold on it. I have an algae issue and after dealing with the pool store/buying chemicals I don't need, I found this forum which has helped me tons. I have a TF100 test kit and magnetic stirer on order which should be here this week so until then I cant give accurate numbers of my pool chemistry. I have gone from teal colored water where I couldn't see the bottom or my feet to now cloudy water where I can see my feet at the bottom. I did floc it once and from reading here after, it is not really recommended. It did seem to help in getting a lot of the contamination out if the pool. I have a set of stairs which I removed after a week or so of dealing with this and not sure what the best way is to disinfect them before putting them back in. Also, I was making good headway and then put my solar cover back on and then had more issues. This makes me think my cover has algae of some kind growing in it. What is the best way to disinfect my cover as well? After reading in pool school and other threads I think this may have stemmed from using chlorine pucks with stabilizer in them but not really sure yet. Maybe boosted my CYA too much and didn't let my chlorine do it's job? Not sure. A little lost at this point. I will post good numbers when my test kit arrives. Sorry to be long winded but it's been a long few weeks and I don't have much time until I have to close the pool for the year.
Newbie with an issue
- Thread starter dfred15
- Start date
You are in the right place! Post your numbers and feel free to ask all the questions. It seems you have read a few threads to understand the test kit is necessary but read pool school tab to get up to speed on trouble free methods methods. This is a great forum and it absolutely works.
Until your test kit arrives, and with a pool that large I would suggest adding one gallon (or to be more accurate the "short 121 oz gallon") of liquid chlorine or plain unscented, non-thickened, non-Polymer Cloramax type bleach daily and brush well. This won't cure your pool's ills but it will go a long way in helping jump start things.
When your test kit arrives give us the numbers for:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
....and no more pucks!! (save 'em for vacation time)
Maddie
When your test kit arrives give us the numbers for:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
....and no more pucks!! (save 'em for vacation time)
Maddie
Thanks for the advice! When my kit arrives this week I will post good numbers. I've been backwashing daily during my cleaning process and it seems to get a lot of junk out. Even though the pool water doesn't look green any longer, the dirty water coming out of the backwash has green tinge to it. It was really dirty brown with a slight green color. I'm assuming this means I still have algae in the pool possibly? I added a gallon of liquid chlorine this morning as suggested above so my chlorine levels are pretty elevated at this point.
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Maddie, I have a gallon of Clorox I was wondering if I could use in my pool. It's plain beach which is unscented and says it has Cloromax technology but not sure about the non-thickened or non-polymer properties which you refer to above. The sodium hypochlorite concentration is 6.05% as compared to 12.5% in the liquid chlorine I've been using. Any input on this? Thanks!Until your test kit arrives, and with a pool that large I would suggest adding one gallon (or to be more accurate the "short 121 oz gallon") of liquid chlorine or plain unscented, non-thickened, non-Polymer Cloramax type bleach daily and brush well. This won't cure your pool's ills but it will go a long way in helping jump start things.
When your test kit arrives give us the numbers for:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
....and no more pucks!! (save 'em for vacation time)
Maddie
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I believe Germicidal Clorox is okay to use. Its really a stupid name for "bleach" since all bleach is by nature "germicidal".
Maddie
Maddie
My kit arrived today and I have my numbers after some experimenting with it. They are as follows:Until your test kit arrives, and with a pool that large I would suggest adding one gallon (or to be more accurate the "short 121 oz gallon") of liquid chlorine or plain unscented, non-thickened, non-Polymer Cloramax type bleach daily and brush well. This won't cure your pool's ills but it will go a long way in helping jump start things.
When your test kit arrives give us the numbers for:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
....and no more pucks!! (save 'em for vacation time)
Maddie
FC 12.5
CC 0.5
pH 7.6-7.8
TA 150
CH 250
CYA 60-65
I've been in the pool nightly vacuuming and scrubbing walls and floor. It's looking very clear and clean now. Looks like I need to lower my CYA and chlorine levels a bit. By looking at the chart for CYA and FC levels, my FC is a bit high still even with my elevated CYA level if I'm reading things correctly. I've been adding a bottle of liquid chlorine every night since my first post but didn't add any tonight after seeing these numbers. If I have time I will check the FC and CC in the morning to do an overnight chlorine loss test. Any advice is highly appreciated. Thank you!
At CAY of 70 (round up from 65) your SLAM FC level is 28. So 12 isn't even close.
Did you review the SLAM Process while you were waiting for your kit? You'll need to begin that officially now with testing and adding bleach to reach SLAM level (28ppm) as often as you can, but at least 3x a day. Then, once your water is crystal clear, perform the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test.
When we say crystal clear, it means you can tell which side of a nickel is when you toss it in the deep end.
There are 3 criteria for being finished with your SLAM. All three must be met.
Did you review the SLAM Process while you were waiting for your kit? You'll need to begin that officially now with testing and adding bleach to reach SLAM level (28ppm) as often as you can, but at least 3x a day. Then, once your water is crystal clear, perform the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test.
When we say crystal clear, it means you can tell which side of a nickel is when you toss it in the deep end.
There are 3 criteria for being finished with your SLAM. All three must be met.
- Clear water
- .5ppm CC or less
- Passing Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
Thank you for the reply. Yes I have been reading a lot on here and read the SLAM process. I wasn't comparing the FC to CYA level requirements for SLAM on the chart but for target and that's why I said I was on track with that. My pool is very clear. I have attached some pics. How much more clear do you need to be than this? It's clear enough I bet to do what you state above with a nickel (someone with good eyes at least). I performed an overnight chlorine loss test for the heck of it this morning and I've lost no chlorine since last night and my CC is 0.5 or less even. Do I really need to SLAM still you think? I'm not trying to sound like I'm questioning your advice. If I am I apologise. I just don't want to SLAM my pool if it's not really required. Thank you.
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OCLT is pretty definitive, IMO. (Assuming the other, more obvious criteria are good) If there's something in there, it will eat up your fc over night.
Yes, your water does look clear...yay! I would say perform the OCLT again tonight just to confirm that you pass. With your CCs at 0.5 that is acceptable. AND-you don't see any algae on the walls, etc. Right??
With kit in hand you can move on to cleaner, clear water now.
Maddie
With kit in hand you can move on to cleaner, clear water now.
Maddie
- Jul 21, 2013
- 54,387
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Cloromax Technology contains polymers which are not suitable for pool water. Do not use.
Regarding your cover- can you lay it out on a clean bit of driveway or someplace and using a mop scrub it with bleach water? Do both sides, rinse, repeat.
Oh no... have they added that darn Cloromax junk to that version of bleach now tooooo? I went thru past threads researching "Germicidal Clorox" and at that time it was viewed as acceptable. Darn. They are certainly making it hard to obtain simple plain bleach easily these days......
Yes, that is what I planned on doing this weekend. I also have a set of stairs that I removed during this process. I was going to do the same with them but they also fill with water when in the pool through small holes in the stairs. I was thinking of mixing up a concentrated solution of chlorine and water in a sprayer and spray it inside as best I can and tip the stairs around to get it coated real well inside trying to rinse out as best as possible. Any other ideas for this? Thank you.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 54,387
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I assume all Clorox bleach sold in the US is tainted with additives. Clorox does not want to sell a commodity plain bleach. Their value proposition to consumers is their bleach is better due to additives.
I just finished doing an OCLT from last night through this morning and didn't seem to lose any FC. Last night it was 11.5 and this morning the same. Pool is still clear. I think I have a hold on it again. My question now is, will your CYA level naturally drop over time if I just let it go without replacing any water? If so, how long does it normally take to drop? The reason I ask is because I am on well water and we haven't had a ton of rain lately so I don't want to stress my well any more than it has to. I could pay to have water hauled in like I did to fill the pool but it's so close to closing time for the season on the pool I feel like I'm wasting money paying for water. Would it be better to close the pool with my CYA level lower though, that is another question. Any advice?Yes, your water does look clear...yay! I would say perform the OCLT again tonight just to confirm that you pass. With your CCs at 0.5 that is acceptable. AND-you don't see any algae on the walls, etc. Right??
With kit in hand you can move on to cleaner, clear water now.
Maddie
CYA does drop, but painfully slow when you need it to! LIke maybe 5ppm/month. If you can hang with the higher chlorine requirements you may be surprised next spring when you open.
When you can, garner any free water (rain, snow, etc) as possible and let it help dilute the pool. You'll have to occassional drain a bit out of course, but the replacement water is CYA free!
Also remember our rule of thumb for opening&closing---> Open Early and Close Late! The cooler water (less than 60 degrees) helps you get the pool in line before algae wakes up.
Maddie
When you can, garner any free water (rain, snow, etc) as possible and let it help dilute the pool. You'll have to occassional drain a bit out of course, but the replacement water is CYA free!
Also remember our rule of thumb for opening&closing---> Open Early and Close Late! The cooler water (less than 60 degrees) helps you get the pool in line before algae wakes up.
Maddie