Me Vs Algea

[razzbones]

Second season of fighting algae.
The algae issue seems out of control, pool is green at deep end, cant see bottom drain. Shallow end has thin algae silt on bottom that we keep vacuuming but it comes right back, water is a little cloudy. Chemicals are balanced, according to the test kit, chlorine is actually a little high. We've tried algeacides with no result and wonder if as a last resort we should try the copper sulfate to get rid of the green. I'm ready to get a backhoe and fill this pool in.
Is it also possible that the green may be caused by lots of rain we've had in the past couple weeks? Just occurred to me, maybe that might play a part it this.
The more I read about the copper sulfate, the worse it sounds now.
Later: all the green silt is suspended in the water now.
Thanks

[razzbones]

Pool supply guy says it's metals and sold me 3 bottles of product to get rid of it. We'll see if it works. Thanks for the help.
2 days and $75 later, still green.

[razzbones]

Day 4. Levels are a little off, although the pool people tell me to ignore that.
Now I'm supposed to Flox the pool. Take filter cartridge out, add Clean Sweep, leave filter off for 3 hours and in 48 hours vacuum to waste, while filling pool from hose. The pool will then be crystal clear.
If this sounds confusing, it is.
Update in 2 days.

[free info]

First thing if it was a metals problem & green you would see the bottom fine as the water would be clear but green so metal remover is wrong. Second invest in a bigger filter as if you only have a 90sq-ft cartridge for 25,000 gals you need to clean that filter once a month at least depending on usage. A 300sq ft filter would have four cartridges in it and would help.
How many hours a day are you running the pool? It should be in heat 8 hrs a day normal and when green 24/7 until clear when shocking the pool and cleaning the filter twice a day.
Go clean your filter, start running your pump 24/7 and find out what your readings are? The two biggest ones to clear this up fast are chlorine & conditoner the rest can be fixed after clearing the pool. Your conditioner should be 40ppm if its 50ppm your still ok but if higher drain some water and refill to lower it. When shocking you should add enough chlorine to go 3 times the normal amount until pool is clear. Do not use powdered shock as it will be harder to clean your filter with clacium chunks all over use liquide chlorine.
I know your upset so for a fast fix after doing the above go by a half gal of Algatec pour it in and you will be clear within 24 hrs or sooner. Once clear keep the chlorine at shock level for 3 days and clean the filter as needed. After this you need to dial in your chemical readings and make sure your salt cell is working correct.
Know with a salt cell you have to run your pool sometimes even longer than 8hrs a day depending on its output of chlorine as it has to run to make chlorine. Make sure you clean your cell about every 4 months and know cells have a 8,000 hour life.

[razzbones]

Thanks for the info. I had no idea the filter was insufficient, i would have thought the pool guy would have told me and tried to sell me a larger one. I do have a couple Unicel cartridges so I can alternate while cleaning them. The salt generator is new this season. Anyway, at the moment I am still vaccuuming the green glop that formed from the Clean Sweep and the water is looking better. It should be crystal clean in time to close the pool. Last season we ran the pump 24/7, this year it goes off automatically around 8pm and back on between 7 and 8am, so the power bill isn't a killer. Maybe that's where the issue came from in the first place. I appreciate the info, and hope that these directions will help with keeping the pool clear. Thanks again.

[chem geek]

Chemicals are balanced, according to the test kit, chlorine is actually a little high.

This means absolutely nothing at all. The Free Chlorine (FC) level means nothing by itself since the active chlorine level that actually kills/prevents algae also depends on the Cyanuric Acid (CYA) level -- specifically, the FC/CYA ratio. If you are using test strips, they are next to worthless. Get yourself a proper test kit (see Test Kits Compared for two good ones) and then SLAM - Shock Level and Maintain your pool. See also Defeating Algae.

If your CYA level is higher than 60 ppm, you should consider doing a partial drain/refill to lower it before going through the SLAM process so that you will use less chlorine.

[razzbones]

I don't use strips, I have a Pentair kit. I'm wondering if I should ditch the salt water generator and get a sand filter...

[FREE INFO]

Know you need to add liquid chlorine to shock the pool as a salt system will not add enough to get to shock level. Also a sand filter is the last thing you want go with a bigger cartridge filter 300 for 400 sq ft and they are easy to clean.