Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help!

[JesseWV]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

I already put the shock in before I read the post. LOL. Figures!

Can you check the ingredients so I'm not just assuming it's dichlor? How much did you put in so we can keep a running count of your CYA level? If you added 1.5lb your FC went up by 13 and CYA will go up by 11. CYA takes awhile to show up on the test that's why your latest tests didn't show an increase. If it has all been dichlor you should be around 30ppm CYA making your shock level now 12ppm FC instead of 10.

I am also going to see if I can get a basic test kit until we can get the better one. I just worry about my test strips!!

The basic 2/3-way test kit has OTO Chlorine/Bromine and Phenol Red pH drop tests. It can only measure total chlorine up to 5ppm which is too low to be of use to you. On the other hand the pH test in the basic kit is fine. The TF-100 includes a basic test kit mostly for the pH test. The strips can read up to 10ppm FC so they are really your only option until you can get a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006. Again, you just need to make sure the color on the FC test is a few shades darker than the 10ppm color to maintain your shock level. If you really want to, you can always dilute your pool water sample 50/50 with distilled water and multiply your test strip result by 2. In that case you'd want the strip to indicate 6 or above.

How long do I need to maintain the chlorine lvl above 10ppm? So if I do it tomorrow night after sundown, test it and then test it again early Wednesday morning and it's still above 10ppm, I'm ok, correct? If it drops, I need to repeat again on Wednesday night? I want to be sure I understand this correctly!

As long as it takes to not drop more than 1ppm over night. Make sure you SWG is off and set to stay off. Add the bleach, wait 30 minutes with the filter running. Then test with the strips to make sure the indicator is darker than 10. If it's not dark enough, add more bleach. It's better to go over than under. Once you get there let the filter run all night.

This part sucks but you'll have to test again right before sunrise. If the FC is still a few shades darker you passed the overnight free chlorine loss test and you're done. If not, try to read the strip FC level the best you can. Since the water will now be exposed to sun all day, I would hit it a little harder to account for UV loss and aim for 16ppm. Input the strip reading into the FC Now and 16 into FC Target on the PoolCalculator to figure out how much bleach to add.

 

[JesseWV]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

And how long after I put in the bleach do I need to wait to do the test? I know, so many questions! I just worry with having young kiddos swimming in the pool. I cringe when I look over at the neighbors and see all the green in their pool yet their kids are swimming! ICK!

The answer to that really depends on the state of your filter and the GPM flow rating of your pump. If it's a smaller filter I'd wait 30-45 minutes just to be sure you don't hit a high concentration area.

I know it sounds scary adding all these household chemicals like bleach and paint stripper but believe me those people swimming in the green pool are the ones really risking their health. If algae can grow, so can bacteria. Think of all the bacteria that live on humans. After it gets into the water it's free to reproduce. Once the water temperature starts rising it will increase and almost be like a large petri dish growing all sorts of bad stuff.

 

[DanielleW]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

I can't check the shock bag as it went into the trash. IT was called "clean shock" and it was different then what I had used on Saturday. It was in a blue and white wrapper, that probably doesn't help though.

The pool is definiately looking clearer, but still slightly cloudy. I have the SWG turned off and the filter still running continuously. I'm going to get some bleach today and we'll try out the test tonight/tomorrow and see where my readings are. Thanks for the help!

~danielle~

 

[Candi]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

Since you live out in the boonies, why not order the test kit online and have it delivered? It only took me about 2-3 days to get it. And the best part, I didn't use any gas

 

[JasonLion]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

Wait one hour after adding chlorine.

 

[DanielleW]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

I'm going to order it online, I just have to wait until payday

~danielle~

 

[DanielleW]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

I dumped the bleach in tonight. I'll check the results here in a bit to make sure they are high enough and then I'll force myself to get up early (did I mention I am NOT a morning person) to check it before sunrise! Is it ok to let the kiddos swim tomorrow afternoon? My son is going crazy b/c he sees a pool, but I haven't let him swim!

~danielle~

 

[JesseWV]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

I dumped the bleach in tonight. I'll check the results here in a bit to make sure they are high enough and then I'll force myself to get up early (did I mention I am NOT a morning person) to check it before sunrise! Is it ok to let the kiddos swim tomorrow afternoon? My son is going crazy b/c he sees a pool, but I haven't let him swim!

It's hard to say without readings. Strips are not very accurate but you can get the most out of them by following the directions to the tee and storing them properly.

Have a camera or your phone ready to take a picture of the strip held up to the color chart. Bright natural sunlight seems to work best. Most test strips instructions list the optimal time to take a reading so just snap the picture then. Then you can look at the reading all you want without the color changing and of course you can post it here.

The main thing we will want to see is whether your FC is high enough for sanitation, your TC is no more than 1 over your FC, and your pH is close to 7.5.

 

[DanielleW]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

The strips looked almost the same this morning. I would say it passed "the test". The water looks much clearer now too!

I'm going to let the filter run and then would it be ok to turn the SWG back on tomorrow?

~danielle~

 

[madwil]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

you can test after about an hour after adding bleach. also, the more frequently/consistently you can test and add bleach, the faster the process works- if your AM test is low, add bleach then, do same afternoon and evening.
Green is algae, and an indicator that not well sanitized; but most bacteria is killed before the algae, so can still be safe to swim; I grew up swimming in swamps and backwaters with lots worse than algae in them!
If your pool is clear, and not extreme on FC, it's safe to swim...

 

[DanielleW]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

The chlorine level is still pretty high, but it's been in the sunlight most of the morning/afternoon. I think they should be ok this evening for a little while. It's been almost a week.

Now that I think my cholorine is ok (will turn on SWG to run 4 hours a day starting tomorrow), My pH was 7.2 when I went to have it tested Monday but my alkalinity was still high. Should I let it sit a couple more days or start to work on bringing my alkalinity down? The muriatic acid will also drop my pH, correct? I DID put a gallon of muriatic acid in there Saturday (as per instructions from the pool store).

When balancing my pool levels, which lvls are most important to fix first? I need to focus on one at a time, is that correct?

~danielle~

 

[JasonLion]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

In most cases the most important thing is maintaing the correct FC level. After that PH, CYA, TA, CH, Salt, Borate in more or less that order. There are however some exceptions. If TA is way too low that is the first priority, and if PH is way out of range that is the second priority, then the list I gave before.

You can often work on more than one thing at a time, but it is simpler if you tackle one thing at a time.

A gallon of acid is a lot. You almost never want to add that much at one time. You really ought to get a PH reading. If it is too low, it should be brought up right away. PH out of range low can damage the pool.

 

[JesseWV]

Re: Pool turned green and they got pool stored, time to help

The chlorine level is still pretty high, but it's been in the sunlight most of the morning/afternoon. I think they should be ok this evening for a little while. It's been almost a week.

If you have CYA in there it's still safe at shock level.

Now that I think my cholorine is ok (will turn on SWG to run 4 hours a day starting tomorrow), My pH was 7.2 when I went to have it tested Monday but my alkalinity was still high. Should I let it sit a couple more days or start to work on bringing my alkalinity down? The muriatic acid will also drop my pH, correct? I DID put a gallon of muriatic acid in there Saturday (as per instructions from the pool store).

Yes. The acid will bring down your pH which you don't want to do. You can't add anymore MA until you get the pH back up. How well is the water being aerated? If you can't wait for aeration to do the trick pick up some 20 Mule Team Borax.