Please Help Me!!

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Jeffchap, thanks again for the help. Here is the link to the pictures...
Album — Postimage.org
Let me know what you think after viewing in regards to my filter and using those vacuums. Also, the local pool/smoking shop said they are selling their Shock at 3.24 a gallon if you buy 4,8,12 etc or 3.64 singles. They are 14%. Am I better off buying that rather than paying 3 bucks for bleach? Just as an FYI the guy told me our pH was 7.4, our Alkalinity was 40, and we had NO chlorine... I am not planning on using them other than maybe to buy Chlorine/Shock, but thought I'd give you those numbers. I asked what my CYA was and he said "whats that" lol
It is a brand new shipment expected at noon today. If you do suggest doing that instead of bleach, would you still use 2 gallons of bleach a day until my kit arrives and wait to use any of the "shock" from them? Also, how much should I buy from them if you do think thats a better route?
 
Yeah, if you can get 14% chlorine for $3.24/gal, go for it! Just check the label and make sure that there's nothing but sodium hypochlorite in it. You're undoubtedly going to need at least 8 gal to clear things up, so you might as well pick up at least that much.

At that strength, just add a gallon per day for now. That's a decent looking pump and filter setup, so that's good. Better filtration will clear out the dead algae faster. Btw, go ahead and remove your ladder and anything else in the pool now. No sense in leaving algae anywhere to hide. Rinse it all off with a 50/50 mixture of chlorine and water and set it aside for now.

Can you post a pic of your water so I can get a better idea of what we are dealing with?
 
I'd offer my $0.02 but it is all covered already.

This may all seem like a bunch of work now but if you stick with this method you won't be one of the people complaining about how much work having a pool is. I was fortunate enough to find this place prior to actually owning my first pool and it has been smooth sailing.....I also started with zero knowledge BTW. Looking forward to your progress and "welcome".
 
I will post a picture of my water in a bit when I get home. There is nothing in the pool at all... I am going to make sure it is 14% and only the ingredients in which you mentioned. I will pick up 12 gallons to be safe.
Did you make anything of the 2 numbers I gave you for Alkalinity and pH? Also the fact he said I have zero chlorine? Also, should I be using either of those vacuum things or just do it by hand for now the best I can?
 
Those numbers might be right or they might be very wrong. The 0 chlorine bit was probably correct. Just a gallon a day like Jeff said until we get some good test numbers.

I would scoop with the leaf rake (net thing on the pole) as best you can until you get nothing. Are we talking a swamp here or a little cloudy?
 
Here are 2 pictures.... This is after two days of filter running 24/7 and 2 gallons of bleach each day...
Album — Postimage.org

Also, I am not getting much of anything with the leaf net. I Ocean Dream scrub tool seems to be doing a better job of cleaning the sides and bottom of the liner. Is it ok to use that? I will hold of on the vacuum tools
 
Oh wow, that doesn't look too bad at all. Your pH is perfect and I wouldn't even worry about the alkalinity at this time. That's something you deal with when you're bored and have nothing else to do.
 
Yes, keep doing what you are doing. Brushing at this point is of dubious value, as there's probably not enough chlorine in your water to do much good. Save your energy for when we begin your SLAM.
 
Jeff, just got back from the local place and the chlorine shock is 100% sodium hypochlorite. It was only 12.5% however the lady gave me 3 cases (12gallons) for $30.00. I go there all the time for my BBQ Smoking essentials. Just 2 more questions.... I am going to dump 1 gallon of the new stuff in the morning. Does it matter where/how I dump it? If I dont want to run the filter 24/7 at this point, when would be the best time to run it? Just worried my electrical bill may be through the roof? If you think it's important to run it 24hrs I will.
One thing that just popped in my head... Do I need to cover the pool if rain is in the forecast?
 

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You definitely want to run pump while you are adding chlorine, or at least mix it in the water with your brush.
 
I have a similar Hayward cartridge filter and pump. You want to save a few bucks on electric, run the pump after 5 pm until the am. Electric rates are cheaper during off peak hours.

Get your CYA between 30 to 50, starting at 30 if possible. Get your pH between 7.2 and 7.4 for the SLAM. Maintain shock levels of FC between 15-20 ppm.

Another thing I recommend to everyone as was suggested to me in the past by TFP members.

I triple filtrate with a skimmer sock my cartridge filtration system and a Duda diesel bag at 5 Micron on the return jet. Polishes the water and clears out the algae within 72 hours from a green to a hazy clear blue, then eventually crystal clear. I hose clamp the bag to a return jet and a 90-degree elbow. Because the bag filters so fine, it's going to load up quick almost every hour initially until water runs clear, none of it will probably load up every 12 hours with dead algae.

As previous users here have stated stick only with 6% 8% 10% or whatever percentage of bleach in the form of sodium hypochlorite. Don't forget to shoot your CYA for 30.
 
BRM12 said:
Jeff, just got back from the local place and the chlorine shock is 100% sodium hypochlorite. It was only 12.5% however the lady gave me 3 cases (12gallons) for $30.00. I go there all the time for my BBQ Smoking essentials. Just 2 more questions.... I am going to dump 1 gallon of the new stuff in the morning. Does it matter where/how I dump it? If I dont want to run the filter 24/7 at this point, when would be the best time to run it? Just worried my electrical bill may be through the roof? If you think it's important to run it 24hrs I will.
One thing that just popped in my head... Do I need to cover the pool if rain is in the forecast?
Click to expand...
Until we start SLAMming, you don't need to run the pump full time. I'd run it least an hour after you add chlorine, just to make sure it's fully mixed in. Beyond that, it's up to you.

12.5% is as strong as I've ever seen, so that's good stuff, especially if it's fresh. Be sure to store it out of the sun.

A little bit of rain has almost no impact on your pool, so no, I wouldn't bother to cover it. I don't even own a cover. Think about how deep your pool is, probably 48" or 54" deep. Even if you get an inch of rain, that's only 2% of what's already in your pool.
 
Jeff I will owe you a case of beer or 5 when this is all said and done! I apologize again for being nervous and asking so many questions. Is it ok at this point to add the gallon of chlorine at night time and run the pump through the night to save bucks like Robert said? Or is running it for just an hour after adding in the morning good enough/better?
Also, I am very confused as to what Robert is saying about triple filtration...is that something necessary at this time?
Last thing that I am perplexed with is my PSI reading on my filter. Its blowing water out into the pool for sure (I see the waves/bubbles) but my PSI indicator on the top never moves...even if I turn the filter off. Its looks somewhat calcified inside and there is some moisture inside it I think. I took a close up pic earlier in a thread. Is this something to be concerned about?
 
I know what that is! Bad gauge! I just replaced mine, it wasn’t falling back to zero when pump was off. Ordered it from tftestkits.net.

i wouldn’t worry about the triple filtration at this time. Just focus on mastering the basics!
 
BRM, Roberts idea of the triple filter is awesome but for now, I would wait, you can do that once the pool is clear and you ready to get the 5 micron stuff out... right now you are gonna be worried about everything that is over 20microns and there is a lot of it.

Sounds like you need a new pressure gauge for your filter so you know when to backwash, those are pretty cheap $10 bucks is what I paid this year when I replaced mine.

Probably just running for an hour is plenty just to mix up the chlorine, you don't want the chlorine to just settle where you dump it, so mixing it up is good, but the real work will be with a test kit in hand and other chems balanced and inline. The adding of the 1 gallon is to attempt to stunt the algae growth where it is until you can open that can of TFP and start kicking some butt.

- - - Updated - - -

jinx @ kellyfair
 
Sorry for the confusion. You can filter at 20 micron for now to get the bulk of the algae out. The new psi gauge should come with an o ring. Pick up some pool lube, or some clear silicone lube you can pickup at your big box store in the plumbing section. Comes in handy for sealing pump basket covers and psi gauges on the o ring gaskets. Vaseline will work in a pinch too but silicone is recommended so it doesn't rot out the rubber O-rings
 
Thanks guys! So will any pressure gauge work? If so do any big box stores carry them, such as Home Depot Lowes, or Menards?
Also I asked earlier about backwashing. My filter has 2 settings, one says waste and the other filter. I think it was Jeff that said I may not be able to backwash because most cartridge pumps dont have it. What is the waste for?
 
BRM12 said:
Thanks guys! So will any pressure gauge work? If so do any big box stores carry them, such as Home Depot Lowes, or Menards?
Also I asked earlier about backwashing. My filter has 2 settings, one says waste and the other filter. I think it was Jeff that said I may not be able to backwash because most cartridge pumps dont have it. What is the waste for?
Click to expand...

Waste will send everything to the ground. So when you vacuum and you know you got bad stuff, don't send it to your filter, just send it to waste.
 
BRM 12. What brand/type and model pump filtration system do you have?
Is it a Hayward? Polaris? Etc. Are you able to retrieve any model information by looking at the unit, or the pump impeller unit itself? Pictures please. What I was saying about the big box stores or the pool store is you can get silicone lube, or pool lube there. But the PSI gauge is something I would get specifically for you're brand make and model of filtration unit. Hayward for example, the psi gauge goes on the lid recessed and is specific to Hayward. Some psi gauges are the typical threaded screw in types that you may be able to find commercially available anywhere.
So it all depends on what make model etc... Pictures please.
 

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