WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help!

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Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

Lots of us that add bleach manually do our FC testings and bleach additions every evening.

After you test and adjust back up to 7 to 9 ppm, you should not have to worry about falling below the 5ppm minimum for your CYA level. Next evening, retest and adjust back up to your 7 to 9 ppm.
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

I am home and my pool looks AWESOME! Thanks a bunch! I am having trouble convincing my husband to use the BBB method. We kept the floater filled with chlorine tabs last year and shocked once a week and didn't have any problems. With our CYA at 60 right now it looks like we could easily be using 3 of the (182 oz.) jugs of bleach every other day. For some reason I can't convince him that it's cheaper. All he sees is the daily maintenance and doesn't see how testing the FC/PH daily is going to fit into our schedule. I am vacuuming to waste 2x today and was thinking that may lower my CYA a little and therefore I would need less bleach. A friend of mine was having similar issues with her pool and so I loaned my test kit to her, temporarily, while she waits for hers to come in. She will most likely be posting on this site as well. Also, I did notice on the site that some people do use something to help prevent algae, even though it's not encouraged. Is that something that a lot of BBB users do?
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

If adding all those bottles of bleach to your pool doesn't seem attractive to you, you might consider installing a salt water chlorine generator and switching to a salt pool. Proper CYA for salt pools is 70-80, so you'd already be almost there. The salt systems are not horribly expensive, the salt is cheap, and the installation is pretty simple. The main thing you have to watch with a salt system is the pH level, but it should be simpler than your bleach additions.
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

Vacuuming to waste will slowly lower your CYA level, but that will not really reduce the amount of chlorine your pool "uses". Most pools see to only be consuming 1-3ppm FC per day. What are you seeing?

If you keep the appropriate FC level for you CYA, there is no need for anything else to prevent algae.

I am assuming your are referring to borates, which are optional and have additional properties. See so-you-want-to-add-borates-to-your-pool-why-and-how-t4921.html for more info.
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

I would say it's about 2.5-3 ppm per day chlorine usage. The place we got the pool from said they would void the warranty if we used a SWG. I am game to give this method a try all summer. Not sure what the appropriate methods of handling things are when we are gone for a few days and don't have anyone here to keep it up? I could see that being a problem. I told him I was concerned about using the tablets because I didn't want to raise my CYA level any higher than it already is.
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

If an SWG is not an option, you might consider a Liquidator, or a liquid chlorine injection pump. I installed one a couple of years ago, and it has made life much easier, it needs a little fine tuning near the ends of the swim season as water temperature is changing, but for the majority of the summer once it gets tuned in, I can go for weeks at a time without adjusting it (maybe fine tuning chlorine by hand after a swim party though), even then I try to make a point of testing the water every 2-3 days, to catch things before they get to be a problem.
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

Pool is still looking great! Our next issue is trying to figure out how to put our steps (with a fold up ladder) in the pool. We built a new deck and took the ladder part off of the steps, weighed them down with sand, and they still float up. My husband has always hated them and would like to look at other options. Do you have any suggestions?

On another note, like I told you previously, I loaned my test kit to my friend (4tigerspool) who is having problems with algae. It probably would've been better for her to put her post under this forum. She has it under "Just Getting Started". I appreciate those of you who have helped her there but I was hoping a few more of you could take her under your wing. I never waited more than 10 minutes for a response and I see she has been waiting a little while. I noticed in the rules it's not encouraged to move the same topic to another forum. Her title was "getting rid of algae". I've learned a lot but can't pinpoint for her if there is something else going on that's being missed. Thanks!
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

curlyfry22 said:
Our next issue is trying to figure out how to put our steps (with a fold up ladder) in the pool. Do you have any suggestions?
Click to expand...
I took 1.5" PVC tubes, filled them with concrete, and capped them. No sand to get dirty or spill, and they sit very nicely in the bottom of the ladder. (Sorry, not at home, so I can't post a picture)
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

Do you know what steps you have? There are a few tricks to weighting steps and if we know what you have we may be able to make some suggestions.

We have lumi-o steps and they stay in place pretty well.
 

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Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

[attachment=0:148l7kt8]IMG_1954.JPG[/attachment:148l7kt8]I am attaching a couple photos of our pool steps. The other issue that we had is the kids tend to jump off of the steps and the bottom of the first step in the front has a tendency to ware through (it's not all the way through) the pool liner. I went to a pool store to see what they had to protect the liner. I reluctantly purchased a 2x3 foot piece of padding of some kind that was ridiculously expensive. I paid over $60.00 for it. I plan to return it if I can come up with a better/less cost alternative. What do I need to do to get these steps to stay put? I tried to put about 50 pounds of sand on them and it didn't work.

I also have another question. This may sound silly but I was always told never to allow anyone in our pool with swimwear or anything else that has been in the lake, even if it has been washed. My kids were in the pool some before the algae was dead to help with cleaning and such. Do I need to be worried about them wearing stuff they had on while in our unclean pool? Could it create another algae bloom?
 

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Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

I too took pvc pipe, cut it about 4 inches more than the width of the steps, capped one end, filled from the other with sand and water. Once I had sand and water to the top, I used a tomato stake to poke all the way down the pipe to make sure all air was out. Then I capped that end. I made 3 of these and put them through the step holes, side to side with about an inch or two sticking out each side, the cap ridge stops it from shifting. They work like a charm. No more shifting or raising steps. If I get a chance I'll post a pic.
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

curlyfry22 said:
With our CYA at 60 right now it looks like we could easily be using 3 of the (182 oz.) jugs of bleach every other day.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I keep my FC at the higher end of the chart. For me that's usually around 7ppm. My pool is in FULL sun, I mean no shade what-so-ever! I rarely have to add more than 2-3 cups of bleach a day. I used to keep it around 4 but found that I had to add more bleach daily, something I didn't want to do. So for me 7 works great. Granted your pool is bigger and we don't know your usage yet but I don't think you'll be using 3 big jugs that often. It will take trial and error to see what's best for you and your pool. Try the higher end of your 'normal' and see how it goes.

Good luck!
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

There are many things you could try. One is to take a pipe that will fit through the holes in the steps and then get about a 4" pipe and reduce it to fit the one that will fit through the holes and fill it with sand or concrete and stick it through the step holes and put a cap on it to keep it secure. Another idea would be to get a piece of pipe that will fit through the holes fill it with concrete and then get (or make) some donut weights out of concrete that will slip over it and use several of those to weigh it down.

50 lbs isn't nearly enough to secure the steps. I'm sure I have 100# or more in ours, and I have them anchored to the top rail with 2-hole conduit clamps.

I wouldn't worry about the swimsuits. If you have any concerns about them just raise your FC to just above normal high and let them swim an afternoon.
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

Okay, I will touch on the steps later on, still working on those BUT, now still having issues with those water bugs!!!!

I think they call them backswimmers or something, they swim away from you but I can't get rid of them. My research shows they will bite you. From what I saw on the forum I decided to bring my pool to shock level to see if I could get rid of the little pests (that was Sunday night). They are still in my pool this morning. I did an OCLT. My FC last night was 9.5 and this morning it is 8.5. I never had these in my pool last year. This is frustrating. I read that someone said to pour about 1/2 a cup of DAWN dish soap by the jet and that it kills them dead but there was no feedback on it so I am not sure if it solves the problem.

All the bugs are just plain bad around our house this year. We are having someone spray inside and out of the house/yard today. Would spraying around the pool help? Is there something else I need to do? Everything looks good on my test results except, I think the PH looks borderline high. I wish the T-100 had a more accurate way to determine PH. It's difficult to tell the different shades of red apart. I think my PH is 7.8, my husband would say 7.6. Anyway, I want the little buggers out of my pool!
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

curlyfry22 said:
I think they call them backswimmers or something, they swim away from you but I can't get rid of them. My research shows they will bite you. From what I saw on the forum I decided to bring my pool to shock level to see if I could get rid of the little pests (that was Sunday night). They are still in my pool this morning. I did an OCLT. My FC last night was 9.5 and this morning it is 8.5. I never had these in my pool last year. This is frustrating. I read that someone said to pour about 1/2 a cup of DAWN dish soap by the jet and that it kills them dead but there was no feedback on it so I am not sure if it solves the problem.
Click to expand...


Backswimmers bite, boatmen do not. They both look about the same to me, so they all must go. The safest method I have found is just to scoop them out with a minnow net while I am in the pool. If you can get in the pool at night with a light on, they say they are drawn to the light and it makes them easy to catch.

I believe keeping your pool balanced with FC high enough actually kills their food source, but does not have any effect on them because they breathe air. So, they essentially die of starvation, not because the chlorine killed them.

If I think about it, next time I will bring a dish with some water and dawn in it and scoop them into it. Don't think I want to add it to my entire pool, but if it would kill them, it would ensure that they didn't fly/crawl right back in after I scooped them out.
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

OK, still very new to this BBB method and am trying to get in a routine of adding chlorine daily. I was not going to be able to tend to the pool for 2 days so I added bleach to bring it to the proper level and put some tri-chlor tabs in the floater to make sure my chlorine wouldn't drop too low. I am home this evening and here are my results:
FC 4
CC .5
TC 4.5
TA 120
CH 220
CYA 40
PH (somewhere between 7.5-7.8)

I know my pool is big but I feel like I am needing to add a lot of chlorine to keep it at the recommended 7ppm. It is pretty much in full sun from about 10-11AM until the sun sets. Another thing I am wondering is am I missing something in my test kit? Is there only one way to test the PH (with the daily chlorine/PH combo)? I find it very difficult to tell the difference between 7.5 and 7.8. I also would have judged the yellow on the daily chlorine test as 5 or higher but the individual test was 4. I would say I am adding at least a 182 oz. jug of bleach or more per day. I am just trying to get the hang of this and making sure there isn't something I am missing.

By the way, the friend I loaned the kit to, her pool is clear!!!! I noticed her CC's are 0. Is it bad to have CC's?
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

Yup, only 1 way to test the pH ... do the best you can. Ideally you want it more orange and not pink.

CC are the byproduct of FC breaking something down (bad stuff, the CC cause the smell) The FC also breaks down the CC. That is why in the shock process you always want the CC to be no more than 0.5. Having 0 CC is a good thing. Maybe review ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

Now your FC usage. For a 25k gallon pool, 182 oz of 6% should add 3.5ppm of FC. Typically pools use 2-3ppm of FC per day, so you are not really out of the norm given the amount of sun. Since you have so much sun, try bumping the CYA up to 50ppm and hopefully your daily usage will drop.

You can always do the OCLT at any FC level and make sure you do not loose more the 1ppm FC at night. If you do loose more, then you likely have a low level algae growth somewhere.
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

Another thing about the .5CC reading. Don't forget that this test has a .5 margine of error. If you test for .5 once or twice don't worry to much....as it maybe 0. If it really worries you run an OCLT to see what's going on.

I also agree with the comment above, try to add some stabilizer (test before you add) to raise the CYA to 50. All pools differ with what works best, so you'll need to play around some. Our pool loses around 2FC a day with a CYA level of 35ppm. Just depends on the sun.
 
Re: WATER IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!! Local pool store no help

My water has turned cloudy and murky on me so I am once again going through the shock process. I may have dissolved two 3inch tri-chlor tabs in my pool the last 2 days while I was gone. Should I assume they raised my CYA a little? My FC right now is 18. I didn't know if I should shoot more for the 20 FC level since my CYA may have raised a little? It's been recommended to bring my CYA up to 50. Should I go ahead and do that and then shock at a CYA level of 50? Not sure how much two tabs may have raised CYA or if it's not enough to consider?
 

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