What happens when you run out of money for pool chemicals

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Glock

Glock

0
Jun 3, 2012
866
Mesquite, Texas
It's been awhile since I have posted. Been going through some things. Who isn't though, right? lol Anyway, I got separated in December and divorced in June. I got to keep the house, the kid, and the pool. Sadly, she got my flat screen TV. Anyway... been getting used to the single income lifestyle and making some adjustments. So, I ran out of money for bleach a few weeks ago and got algae. At that point I decided to let it run wild until I got my budget straight and built up a good bleach supply to regain control and maintain it going forward on my new budget. I have 25 bottles of bleach now and will be getting another 25 in a few days. So, is this thread useless without pics? For your viewing pleasure...

Before:
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Now:

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Welcome to my cleanup thread. My daughter is vacuuming it right now. After that it will get a good daily scrubbing and then I will bring the chlorine up to shock levels and maintain it until its clean. Not my first algae outbreak but definitely the worst. I got one a few year ago so I know how to deal with it, this is more or less just a cool thing to watch over time, the cleanup. :cool:
 
Sorry for the disruptions in your life. Sometimes letting the pool go is the right answer.

At least you know the pool cleanup isn't as big a mess as it seems. Good luck with it!
 
Richard, That is exactly what I did. It just so happens that mere days before I let it go we vacuumed it. Most of what you see is just algae. We vacuumed yesterday but rustled up enough algae to make the bottom impossible to see. I ran the FC up to 20PPM and today almost 20 hours later it was back down to 1.5ppm. I just shocked it again. It does look better today. The water is still murky but it has a blueish white tinge to it. You can see the missed spots on the bottom from the vacuuming. My daughter is brushing it all up real good right now. A couple of pics. Its still got a long way to go. But I think by tomorrow I should be able to get a good scrub on the entire pool without losing visibility.

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What is the break-even point between the number of gallons of bleach you'd need versus the cost of 23K gallons of new, clean water? Seems around the same amount of time either way....it's gonna be at least a few days before you can be swimming again if you drain and fill versus the cleanup and SLAM process.

Seems like with all the threads I read about people needing to spend massive amounts of time and lots of money on bleach, no one asks the question or even considers a pool drain and refill. I know to fill my 17000+ gallon pool, I spent about $100 extra on my water bill......do you think you will exceed that in bottles of bleach?
 
To answer one of your questions, I remember my days like that. It may not be an option for you, but I got a roommate during the tough times. At the time I was 38 years old, and that might seem odd, but you do what you gotta do, know what I mean?
 
Augie56 said:
What is the break-even point between the number of gallons of bleach you'd need versus the cost of 23K gallons of new, clean water? Seems around the same amount of time either way....it's gonna be at least a few days before you can be swimming again if you drain and fill versus the cleanup and SLAM process.

Seems like with all the threads I read about people needing to spend massive amounts of time and lots of money on bleach, no one asks the question or even considers a pool drain and refill. I know to fill my 17000+ gallon pool, I spent about $100 extra on my water bill......do you think you will exceed that in bottles of bleach?
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You haven't read enough, then. Most of the swamp threads come in May or June, and that option has been suggested.

But a drain isn't always as simple as you think. If the pool has a vinyl liner, it shouldn't be completely emptied. The liner can wrinkle or shift. Above ground pools can have a wall bow inwards. Intex pools can shift off their supports. In ground pools can float up and break pipes if the water table is high. You have to leave some water in the pool. So there's always going to be at least a foot of green water to deal with, which will require lots of bleach anyway. Then there's the expense of adding new CYA. And if the water is high in TA, gallons of acid to lower that again.

And for a good many of us, operating under water restrictions, a drain isn't possible.
 
I have an update.

The water was mostly clear today. I have been brushing mostly from the outside of the pool until it cleared up enough to see the bottom. I did an OCLT and lost no PPM. It seems kind of odd that it would lose none when the water was still a little cloudy and there was still brown spots on the bottom that were missed. I checked it again tonight after sundown and its at 13.5 ppm. Will check again in the AM.

I do have an issue. It appears the algae may have become "attached" to my liner. There are brown stains on the liner that feel rough and the brush does not clean them no matter how hard I try. Its mostly in corners and hard to reach places. Is that normal? I would post a pic but it got cloudy on me today after I got in and gave it a real good scrubbing. There are even brown stains on the stairs. The "green" has disappeared completely. It's like all the algae is dead and turned brown. Most of the brown spot just clouded up and left clean liner where there was once brown.

Augie56, Richard is correct. A water change on mine (while possible) is not advised without extensive prep work. It is buried about 30" in the ground and the liner would indeed become an issue. I do not know about the walls but its not a chance I am willing to take. But, The bleach so far has cost about $120 but I still have 9 of the 47 bottles left. I think the fill cost me about $75. It holds 26300 gallons.

RobbieH,
I thought about that but for what I do for a living, its not a good idea. I would need someone I trust implicitly and even then, the stakes are high and possibly deadly for me and my daughter if I make a bad choice.
 

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Glock said:
RobbieH,
I thought about that but for what I do for a living, its not a good idea. I would need someone I trust implicitly and even then, the stakes are high and possibly deadly for me and my daughter if I make a bad choice.
Click to expand...

Both my roomies (one at a time, not two at the same time) were extremely good friends, not strangers.
 
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