Stuck with a greenish pool

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G

Gamommy6

Member
Jul 27, 2019
7
Georgia
Pool Size
10000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hi everyone.
We started opening the pool about two weeks ago. The first week wasn't as consistent due to work but this last week, we hit it pretty hard. We've vacuumed, brushed the walls, cleaned the filter and kept chlorine at 18-24ish every day all week. Yet we can't seem to get it completely clear. We're at a sage color and it's been that way all week and we're not really seeing any improvement. I'm running out of the supplies to test. Any advice?
Thanks

Cya is 40
PH is 7.2
Screenshot_20220429-081420_Gallery.jpg
 
The thing that affects the speed of clearing are 1) the frequency of testing/adding LC. If you can do it every 2 hours, it will go faster, 2) size and type of filter. Sand filters are the slowest to clear the pool.

Can't quite tell the type of filter you have.
 
PoolStored said:
The thing that affects the speed of clearing are 1) the frequency of testing/adding LC. If you can do it every 2 hours, it will go faster, 2) size and type of filter. Sand filters are the slowest to clear the pool.

Can't quite tell the type of filter you have.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the reply. It's a cartridge filter (waterway proclean plus cartridge filter is what the label on the pump says). We haven't added/checked every two hours, just morning /evening, so I'll try that way. Thank you.
 
BMerrill said:
Post the full set of test results.
Have you considered draining, cleaning the pool, and refilling.
Remove and clean the ladder as algae can be hidden under the steps.
Click to expand...

Results from my tests yesterday are below. I also went to a pool store to see what results they came up with and I'll post those also. I didn't add any chlorine at all since I was considering trying algecide, which is why FC is lower than slam level at the time of the test.
Cya 40
Ph 7.2
FC 10
TA 80
CH 40

Pool store has :
FC 10.8
TC 10.8
CC 0
Ph 6.9
Alkalinity 80
CH 39
Cya 35
Iron 0
Copper 0.2
Phosphate 374


I took the ladder out this morning and my current FC is at 34 (added chlorine every two hours yesterday). Didn't run any other tests. Cleaned filter. Vacuumed. Swept. Still looks the same.

I have thought about draining but I was hoping I wouldn't have to and that I'd get to the bottom of what's going on with it.
 
For a cya of 40 SLAM Process level fc is 16. More just wastes chlorine to the sun ☀️ & risks damage to your liner, equipment, & swimmers (a ppm or 2 above is ok)- & less doesn’t quite do the job. The key is frequency so you stay ahead of the proliferating algae not playing catch-up.
Algeacide will do NOTHING to eradicate this algae bloom. Chlorine is the answer.
Even the best Algeacide (polyquat 60) is a preventative & of little use at this stage of the game except some possibly causing more issues (foaming, adding metals- which will make your pool MORE green!)
When your filter pressure rises 20-25% over clean pressure it’s time to clean the filter.
 
Where did the copper come from? Have you added algeacides in the past or used chlorine products with the word “Blue” in them? The only way to remove copper is to replace water. It can give your water a green hue at high chlorine levels.
What is the clarity like? Can you take a closer pic looking down at the steps or with a pole in the water?
 
Mdragger88 said:
Where did the copper come from? Have you added algeacides in the past or used chlorine products with the word “Blue” in them? The only way to remove copper is to replace water. It can give your water a green hue at high chlorine levels.
What is the clarity like? Can you take a closer pic looking down at the steps or with a pole in the water?
Click to expand...

I used algecide a couple years ago when I closed the pool for the winter, but nothing this season and I'm not pretty sure nothing last season. The chlorine I've been using is the one from Ace hardware or the one from Walmart, both with 10% and they don't have blue written on them. The clarity is awful. I can see maybe a foot into it. I'll attach pics.
 

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Oh yeah- You’re still in the thick of slam so if after it’s clear, if it’s still a greenish hue - then you would deal with the possibility of copper. Keep at the SLAM Process & cleaning the filter as pressure rises, brushing or vacuuming every day.
How did the steps look? They are known to be algae factories. Be sure to flush out the rungs & steps & anywhere algae can hide with a 50/50 bleach mix. Many here have “modified” their steps to make them less of an ideal home for algae. Hopefully with those out & keeping w/ slam level you will turn the corner soon!
 

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Mdragger88 said:
Oh yeah- You’re still in the thick of slam so if after it’s clear, if it’s still a greenish hue - then you would deal with the possibility of copper. Keep at the SLAM Process & cleaning the filter as pressure rises, brushing or vacuuming every day.
How did the steps look? They are known to be algae factories. Be sure to flush out the rungs & steps & anywhere algae can hide with a 50/50 bleach mix. Many here have “modified” their steps to make them less of an ideal home for algae. Hopefully with those out & keeping w/ slam level you will turn the corner soon!
Click to expand...

I could feel the sliminess on the steps more than I could see it. There were a few areas that had some light brown on them but I didn't see the green like I thought I would. We've sprayed them down and they'll sit out till the pool gets clear.

So it's normal for it to still be looking like this after keeping FC up for 7 days already? (except 1 when it dropped to 10)?
 
Gamommy6 said:
I could feel the sliminess on the steps more than I could see it. There were a few areas that had some light brown on them but I didn't see the green like I thought I would. We've sprayed them down and they'll sit out till the pool gets clear.

So it's normal for it to still be looking like this after keeping FC up for 7 days already? (except 1 when it dropped to 10)?
Click to expand...
It is likely taking a while because of not testing & replenishing more frequently im the beginning. In the beginning of slam the fc drops very quickly so the water likely sat well below slam level for quite some time until you tested again if u were only doing it twice a day. Every hour below slam level fc algae wins.
As for the steps, I am not only referring to the outside - unless they are solid- they are likely filled with algae. While they are out you may wanna take efforts to make them easier to clean out. If they have sand in them find another sealed way to weigh them down.
I hang sealed concrete filled bleach jugs from mine & the little tube that is supposed to be filled with sand has vacuum sealed packs of sand in it instead. I also drilled lots of extra holes in them to allow for better flow so I wouldn’t have stagnant areas.
 
Mdragger88 said:
It is likely taking a while because of not testing & replenishing more frequently im the beginning. In the beginning of slam the fc drops very quickly so the water likely sat well below slam level for quite some time until you tested again if u were only doing it twice a day. Every hour below slam level fc algae wins.
As for the steps, I am not only referring to the outside - unless they are solid- they are likely filled with algae. While they are out you may wanna take efforts to make them easier to clean out. If they have sand in them find another sealed way to weigh them down.
I hang sealed concrete filled bleach jugs from mine & the little tube that is supposed to be filled with sand has vacuum sealed packs of sand in it instead. I also drilled lots of extra holes in them to allow for better flow so I wouldn’t have stagnant areas.
Click to expand...

OK, understood. Thank you for the explanation.

Ah the inside of the steps. Yeahhhhhh.. Last week while vacuuming, I lifted the stairs up so we could get under them. The top part (the curved handle) came lose so I pulled it off. There was green stuff all inside of the ladder and coming out of the the top opening. So I, ummmm, filled both sides with bleach 😳. It was really clear today when we dumped the water out. I'll do a search and see what others have done with the steps. We don't have ours filled with anything, just water.

Thanks for all your help. We'll keep doing what we've been doing this week, except I'll wait for my chlorine levels to drop down before I add any more. Hopefully we'll be able clear soon.
 
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The more often u replenish to slam level fc the faster the whole process goes. Once u get past the green stuff & are on to the moderately cloudy but blue phase the consumption usually slows down a bit & dosing can go to 2-3x’s a day.
If u are low on regeants order them now so u can finish strong.
While slamming you only need to test fc & cc - the ph test is invalid at fc levels above 10ppm. The other values won’t change much in a week or so, so don’t worry about those for now.
If you’re not already- for the fas/dpd test use a 10ml sample & every drop counts as .5
If u get in a bind & your new regeants have not yet arrived you can use a 5ml sample & every drop counts as 1 (never do this method for an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test) its not the most accurate but will help you conserve regeants in a pinch until reinforcements arrive.
Good luck! 🍀 SLAM ON!🤩
You got this 👍🏻
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Gamommy6 said:
Thanks for all your help. We'll keep doing what we've been doing this week, except I'll wait for my chlorine levels to drop down before I add any more. Hopefully we'll be able clear soon.
Click to expand...
Don't wait for your FC to drop! You're stalling yourself when you do this. SLAM = Shock Level AND Maintain. Maintain is the key word. When you allow the FC to drop, you're not maintaining. You're losing ground. This is why it's taken you so long to clear the pool.
 
For the OP - check it sooner than u think, with a cya of 40 the sun will consume fc quickly. Its not as linear of a loss as you would think- higher fc levels don’t stay around long & burn off at a higher rate. Especially with an active algae problem also consuming chlorine.
Example: I don’t have an algae issue & my pool is crystal clear-
3 mornings ago my fc was 18 w/cya 50
Today it’s 9.5 & I have been running my (very undersized) swg for the past 2 days! We have had very sunny, warm weather.
 
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