pool is cloudy/greenish..HELP

[Jdsmitty10]

Hello,
I have been using bleach to chlorinate all summer with no issues.. now in the past week we have had some rain storms and some cloudy/greenish colored water. What Do I do to clear this up? I just replaced the filter a couple days ago in hopes of clearing up the water, that has not helped..

levels as of right now are:
FC: 1-2
PH: 7.5
TA: 80
TH: 100
CYA: 30

Should I shock? If so, how do I do that with bleach? double my dose? get algecide?

it is a 3500 gallon Intex ultra frame pool.

thank you for your help

Jon

 

[linen]

Should I shock? If so, how do I do that with bleach? double my dose? get algecide?

No to the algaecide, we typically don't recommend it, and it is not helpful while your are fighting an algae outbreak.

You need to do the shocking process. To figure how much chlorine you will need to add (multiple times), use poolcalculator.com.

 

[3pfilms]

You also are low on your chlorine, which is probably why you got an algae bloom.
See this link for recommended levels:
pool-school/recommended_levels

I keep my pool at the upper end of the FC for my CYA level, haven't had a problem yet

 

[Jdsmitty10]

Thanks for the responses.. So how do I determine a shock level for a pool my size? Sorry I am new at this...

 

[linen]

I would use poolcalculator.com. Here is a tutorial: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/pool_calculator

 

[Jdsmitty10]

And do I keep my pump running? Or turn it off so the algae can sink to the bottom?

 

[jblizzle]

Keep it running to circulate your chlorine ... the filter should eventually catch everything. What filter do you have?

 

[Jdsmitty10]

I would use poolcalculator.com. Here is a tutorial: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/pool_calculator

I use that but how do I figure out a shock level? Is there an area to do that? I use te calculator to figure out how much bleach to add but that's about the extent of it.. Sorry for my noobness...

 

[linen]

As jbliz said, keep your pump running.

By the way, I get 13 ppm FC shock level from poolcalculator.com for your 30 ppm cya level. That becomes your target in the poolcalculator FC section while shocking (assuming you are not adding/removing cya).

 

[Jdsmitty10]

It's just te "Krystal clear" pump that comes with the pool with a type a paper filter

 

[linen]

Those intex cartridge filters are not great (bad actually) at clearing a pool. You may want to consider dumping the water and starting fresh if your water is good (no metals, or high CH, or high TA, etc.) and cheap, and if you have a good place to drain the old water.

How did you get your test numbers? If you are thinking about the fresh water approach, you may want to do a Overnight Chlorine Loss Test (OCLT) before deciding.

 

[jblizzle]

I had the same thought about replacing the water, given the small paper filter.

 

[linen]

I think I will contradict myself here...the water did not look too bad, it is probably worth trying the shock process first, then if it doesn't clear quickly, then consider the full water replacement.

 

[Jdsmitty10]

I see the shock level area now. So I repeat the high dosage of bleach until it clears up? Is it better to cover the pool or not? On the refilling of the pool. It cost 65 to have water trucked in. I have a well but worry I would run it dry filling a pool up. Plus my water has sulfur in it(filter out to the house)which I doubt is good to put into the pool...

 

[jblizzle]

The process is to test the FC and then use the calculator to tell you how much you need to add to get back to the shock level. If you are doing this as often as you should, the FC should not have dropped very much. Although at the start it may drop faster than you expect.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[MoreSparkle]

When you get ready to do the clean up, consider a slow siphon to vahero waste the bottom and a better cartridge filter for final cleaning, the ones that look like dryer sheets will not help... I am very happy with the unicel 4607, ESP how well it washes up. IMO you will need to let it settle for a few hours before vacing to waste. I concocted a variety of mechanical means to fix my post-vacation punishment. ... Pm me if you want to know more.... (you can find a couple of my before and after pix somewhere here, search under my UN).

Sand filters are very popular for a reason, but if you can't/don't want to add a new expense right now (for us, we only have one more month of swim time left, not sure about you?)..... You can make your system work, but it will take a bit more time/work.... This may have already been asked and answered.... If its cloudy, you would have to assume algae, but is there any issue w/copper?

Good luck...

The reason I ask, is because last year, before I knew better I had my neighbor help me recover from the annual post vacation trauma (can't wait til next summer's vacation so I can return triumphantly to a clean pool!!!! :lol: ) ...she suggested algaecide and it must have had copper... I think I remember using a bunch and even though the water eventually looked crystal clear, it was this odd, almost pretty in a weird - wizard of oz- emerald city green ..... So if your water gets "clear" but stays green.... Maybe something to think about (then again, maybe not!)

Just thinking out loud....

 

[Jdsmitty10]

I was actually looking into a unicel filter. Woke up this
Morning to a much bluer pool. Still some cloudiness but
Most of the green is gone! Hosed out my green filter and hoping for it to clear up now. Tested for chlorine and it's still up in the higher level shock amounts and it's a cloudy day so that's probably a good thing right? Since the chlorine won't burn off as quick... Oh and I only have a month of swim time left too here in Pa...

Big difference since shocking 12hrs ago:

 

[MoreSparkle]

Looks a lot better!!! Keep shocking following the directions in pool school, fill in your specs when you get a chance...will help the pros here help you ...pool-school/read_before_you_post

Be prepared to filter, rinse, repeat.... Brush, brush, brush to disrupt the biofilm... Esp Nooks and crannys... Not sure if these pools have as many seams as mine... Found some nasty little flecks of algae in the seams just below my air ring.... Water has been too low, so chlorine was not effectively getting where needed, found dirt in the bottom and sidewall seams.... Even though everything else was good, crisp water, good FC levels, trouble was lurking waiting for a FC drop.... A pointy toothbrush is my new friend.... Scrub up your tools/ toys with bleach water and get a decent test kit so you will know for sure you are done shocking.... You will still be able to use it next year

 

[reagan]

Your pool looks exactly like mine did last week. (I'm in NE Ohio, so I have a feeling we may have been sharing weather patterns). Looks like shocking is working! I'm sure someone has suggested it... have you done the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test (OCLT)? That was a huge help for me to figure out whether or not something was eating my chlorine.

 

[Jdsmitty10]

Your pool looks exactly like mine did last week. (I'm in NE Ohio, so I have a feeling we may have been sharing weather patterns). Looks like shocking is working! I'm sure someone has suggested it... have you done the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test (OCLT)? That was a huge help for me to figure out whether or not something was eating my chlorine.

I will have to check out that overnight test.. I have tested a couple times today and it is still at shok level from last nights treatment.. Does that mean te chlorine is "done" fighting the algae? Or that the sun just didn't burn much off? I ran out of bleach so I just put what I had left in today and hope its cleared up tomorrow..