Patience!



Ok first I'll answer questions.
I use a TF100 TEST KIT----easily the best purchase I have made for my pool :)
I said buffer I meant stabilizer. For cya.
I have never used any algaecides.

So I decided to let my fc drop back down to normal. So I have not monitored the pool today. We went outside a little bit ago and this is what we saw. It's foamed up like when we first brought the fc up to slam lvl. My filter pressure has risen by 6. Thats more than in the last couple of days. So nothing was happening at slam levels but at lower levels something is appearing to happen. I'll see what happens lol.
 
If you are letting the FC level drop and if you then lower the pH and it gets less green, then the color is likely to be metals in the water. As you pointed out earlier, if it was algae, it would tend to go from green to cloudy white since chlorine would bleach out the chlorophyll in the algae.

Since your filter pressure is rising, it's catching something so that's good and may help to clear the pool further at least to the point of a clear green at which point you'll need to handle the metals. Not sure how they got into the pool though. If you've got a blue vinyl liner then the water could be yellow with iron and look green (yellow+blue=green).
 
Sigh I admit defeat. I do not understand this pool at all.
I lost 1fc overnight the last two nights. I lost 4fc in 24 hours until my last test last night. Today however things changed drastically. I lost 16 fc in 5 hours. The pool foamed up for 3-4 hours but looks normal now. The filter pressure rose by 6 during that time. I changed filters after the foaming stopped and pressure has not risen any since. Pool looks the same.
Test results: FC=6
CC=2.5
BORATES=30
CYA=30
TA=100
CH=40
PH=7.2
Everything has changed while slamming. So the fc and ph is down and the pool is still green. Does this rule out metals?
I lost 25 cya while slamming is that normal?
Why would chlorine use sharply increase for 3-4 hours and then stop?
Have I lost my mind?
 
That is truly strange to have the chlorine demand shoot up briefly and then stop. It's also strange for the CYA to drop so quickly. I know you said you scooped and vacuumed everything out before starting with the SLAM, but it's behaving as if there's a lot of something for chlorine to react with in there. Very high chlorine levels at very high pH can degrade CYA faster, but this is truly strange.
 

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I am fixing to take a sample to be tested for metals. I really hate going to the pool store. My local pool store is worse than going to a shady used car lot.

I am certain there is nothing in the pool. We have been getting in everyday to vac and brush. Even though the last couple of days the wall and floor doesn't feel like there's anything on it to brush. If I lived in town I would be paranoid that a neighbor was sabotaging my pool. LOL
cc is down to 1.5 and fc lost 1 overnight again.
 
My wife took a sample to the pool store. We live an hour from the pool store. So it was probably an hour and a half before it was tested. Seems to me this could effect the readings. but anyhow.
my results store results
fc 3 .64
cc 2 1.5
tc 5 2.14
ph 7.2 7.1
ta 100 9
ch 40 0
cya 30 16
pool store only readings. copper, iron, manganese, nitrates, tds, phosphates, salt----all 0
saturation index -2
Endure 0

None of their results match mine. I know some of their results are wrong!! I know my salt is not 0. I have a swg and added 180 pounds of salt last week.
If I know some of their results are wrong how can I trust the rest?
I feel I'm no better off than before their tests. lol
They recommend:
Add salt to manufacturer's recommended levels.
add 10 lbs. poolife alkalinity plus
wait 24 hors with pump running
test ph and adjust with ph increaser or decreaser to 7.2 to 7.6
add 29.25 lbs. poolife calcium plus over a 24 hour period.
add 2 lbs. poolife stabalizer and conditioner slowly into skimmer
add 6 lbs. shock with poolife rapid shock
add 1 qrt. algacide poolife super algaebomb 60 followed by 5.25 oz. added weekly
Sigh I need to go think on this a bit :(
 
I hate to say it, but since this hasn't been figured out, water replacement may be the only option, at least partially to get things to the point of some stability. We've seen many, many awful pool openings including pools neglected for years and nothing has been as "stuck" as this one.

[EDIT] On the other hand, this thread shows a nasty pool that took somewhat over 2 weeks to get cleared up. So maybe we both just need a little more patience with this. [END-EDIT]
 
If I wasn't on a well I would just drain and refill. But I'm scared pull that much water out of my well at one time. When we filled it, we had the water trucked in. But that cost $500 and the water looked like it had been sucked out of a lake lol.
I'm debating trying either algaecide, or sequestrate. What could it hurt?
 
If I wasn't on a well I would just drain and refill. But I'm scared pull that much water out of my well at one time. When we filled it, we had the water trucked in. But that cost $500 and the water looked like it had been sucked out of a lake lol.
I'm debating trying either algaecide, or sequestrate. What could it hurt?

I would stay the course. With the results you are seeing SOMETHING is being consumed by the CL, it is entirely possible that it is a biological agent other than algae.
 
I have to say this still seems like two unrelated problems at the same time -- an algae problem being fixed by an almost-finished SLAM plus something like a metal problem (or something else that can colour the water without being algae).

There was some discussion earlier to determine whether the (hypothetical) metal problem was iron (yellow, plus blue pool liner makes green) or copper (green IIRC)... my impression was that the water was green based on the pics of plastic steps that I assumed to be white when out of the water (is that correct ?).

Is it worth doing something like :

- pick up a cheap white bucket if you don't have one
- pick up some recommended sequestrant for copper
- combine pool water with a recommended amount of sequestrant in white bucket and see what happens

??
 
If you dump some pool water in a white bucket the water is green not yellow. I'm currently losing around 4fc a day. Losing 1 fc overnight. This is about normal for me. We should said what the heck and are enjoying our green pool. lol As the kids said "it's cleaner than the lake".

Besides the color everything seems great now. No smell, no slimy walls or floor, no visible algae on the white steps or skimmer. I know we had algae but now I don't think we do. cc is 1 fc loss is 1 overnight. Like I said everything appears great except green water lol.
 

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