Very high Clorine and still algae

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Oasisdave2

Member
Apr 6, 2017
21
HEMET, Ca
Hello,

Hoping for some advice. After testing (I only have a 5-Way kit) my readings are

Chlorine - not sure but a very dark yellow
PH - 7.6
Alk - 130

On the kit I have to get free chlorine it says to look at the test again after a couple minutes and it's just an even darker yellow almost orange. Even with the high Chlorine I am getting a light green algae, not a heavy bloom but light which I'm assuming may be because the water is so cold. I don't have a CYA test but am thinking it might be super high causing the chlorine not to be effective? To chlorinated I've been using granules along with the tabs from Costco. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Agreed. It is impossible for us to give valid advice without a proper test kit as mentioned above. I suggest a TF-100 XL with Speedstir.

And yes, your CYA is likely high and causing FC to be ineffective at the levels you are maintaining.
 
OasisDave2, the advice given so far is spot on however it does involve doing more reading instead of a quick answer to your question.

In short the amount of chlorine you need to add to a pool to kill algae is directly related to the amount of CYA you have in your pool, it sounds like you already understand this but do not have a kit to directly test.

As you are most likely aware you will need to procure a test kit that can test CYA, you will also want a test kit that can test chlorine levels higher then 10, which is why the TF-100 kit mentioned above is recommended.

Once you know how much CYA you have you will need to refer to the CYA / CL chart to determine how high a level of CL is needed to be at shock level. PoolMath will tell you how much bleach to add to achieve this level.

In order to get rid of algae the CL level will need to be maintained at shock level until the algae is gone, the water is clear, and you do not lose more then 1 CL over night. You cannot elevate the CL level one time and get the job done. Please note that killing the algae as well as sunlight will reduce the amount of CL in the pool, which is why you need to test frequently and add more CL, once again pool math will tell you have much to add.

You should also brush the pool throughout the process to break the algae apart (remove the head) so that it is more effective.

Please note that the dead algae should be caught by you filter which will raise the pressure and will most likely need to be cleaned via backwash if you have the option.

There is a significant amount of more information and details that can be discussed but hopefully the suggested reading and the above summary will be enough to show you the path and help out.

We are always happy to help and ask questions, almost everyone here has been in your shoes at one time which has brought us here. If stick with it you will be answering other peoples questions in the future.

Please note that if you cannot wait for a test kit or cannot get one you can take a sample to the pool store and have them test, however the CYA test are one hardest to perform and easiest to get wrong. If you were to take the same sample to multiple stores the odds are that you would get a wide range of different numbers.
 
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Oasisdave2 said:
Thanks for all the replies! If the CYA is really high as I'm thinking it might be, the only way to lower it is to drain off some water correct?
Click to expand...
Correct.

Fill water doesn't contain CYA. The percentage of water to drain equals the percentage of desired CYA reduction. If you need to decrease CYA by 50%, you would drain/replace 50% of your water.

When you get your kit, also test the pool water for calcium (CH). You may find you need to drain more water to lower CH. Since fill water contains calcium, test your fill water also. Post results and you'll get some guidance on how to proceed.
 
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