Not a new topic...green pool???

Algae problems in swimming pool water.
Green (cloudy) water or slimy pool walls.
Black algae. Mustard algae. Pink or white pool mold.
whitelexus
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri 26 Jun, 2009 09:06

Not a new topic...green pool???

Postby whitelexus » Fri 26 Jun, 2009 11:39

Yes I am new and I have a few questions..I have read all I can and to be honest I am lost. My pool was never swimmable last year..long story but this is a new year. I opened it this year and spent 2 weeks cleaning out leaves, frogs the size of salad plates and a turtle..still there..laughing....I really think I have most of it....I made the mistake of going to the local pool place which could never get it opened last year so I gave up...why would I think they could this year...I dumped baking soda in for the alkalinity, PH was fine and the CYA showed 7PPM on their test??? I came home and shocked the crap out of it....turned blue and then I flocked it per list...it did nothing.....so I vacumed out the bottom on waste...lots of nasty stuff then added the stabilizer and now I have green water that will not hold chlorine.....I need to be filtering but I will loose the conditioner..someone please tell me what to do step by step....I am a very task oriented person...I love steps....PLEASE...
Sorry for the novel...
Liisa


Denali
Swimming Pool Superstar
Swimming Pool Superstar
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue 29 Apr, 2008 17:14

Not a new topic...green pool???

Postby Denali » Fri 26 Jun, 2009 13:45

whitelexus wrote:Yes I am new and I have a few questions..I have read all I can and to be honest I am lost. My pool was never swimmable last year..long story but this is a new year. I opened it this year and spent 2 weeks cleaning out leaves, frogs the size of salad plates and a turtle..still there..laughing....I really think I have most of it....I made the mistake of going to the local pool place which could never get it opened last year so I gave up...why would I think they could this year...I dumped baking soda in for the alkalinity, PH was fine and the CYA showed 7PPM on their test??? I came home and shocked the crap out of it....turned blue and then I flocked it per list...it did nothing.....so I vacumed out the bottom on waste...lots of nasty stuff then added the stabilizer and now I have green water that will not hold chlorine.....I need to be filtering but I will loose the conditioner..someone please tell me what to do step by step....I am a very task oriented person...I love steps....PLEASE...
Sorry for the novel...
Liisa


Hi,

Step 1: Let us know what type of pool you have and what size.
Step 2: List your equipment especially type of filter
Step 3: List all the numbers you have for the chemical balance of your pool.
Step 4: Relax. It may take some time to clear but it will clear once the chemical levels are brought to where they need to be.
whitelexus
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri 26 Jun, 2009 09:06

Not a new topic...green pool???

Postby whitelexus » Fri 26 Jun, 2009 15:32

Let us see....it is 18 x 36. Vinyl liner in gruond. I have a sand filter and a brand new Hayward pump. The numbers are as follows:
sat index: -0.52
total disolved: 250
FC 0
TC .2
CC .2
ph 7.6
CYA 7
alkalinity: 32
calcium hardness 191
That is all the read out says....I put in the conditioner a day ago and my pool is green green green and I hate to start throwing bleach in and it dissapear as fast as I put it in?? What do I do now???
Denali
Swimming Pool Superstar
Swimming Pool Superstar
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue 29 Apr, 2008 17:14

Not a new topic...green pool???

Postby Denali » Fri 26 Jun, 2009 16:36

whitelexus wrote:Let us see....it is 18 x 36. Vinyl liner in gruond. I have a sand filter and a brand new Hayward pump. The numbers are as follows:
sat index: -0.52
total disolved: 250
FC 0
TC .2
CC .2
ph 7.6
CYA 7
alkalinity: 32
calcium hardness 191
That is all the read out says....I put in the conditioner a day ago and my pool is green green green and I hate to start throwing bleach in and it dissapear as fast as I put it in?? What do I do now???


First thing I would do is raise your total alkalinity. Low TA can cause a green tint to the water.

Of course you need to raise your FC level. You can add the bleach at night until your CYA increases. If you don't get your FC level up and keep it there you will get algae growth so best not to wait. Use baking soda to get the TA up to about 80.
whitelexus
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri 26 Jun, 2009 09:06

Not a new topic...green pool???

Postby whitelexus » Fri 26 Jun, 2009 17:18

I should have added I have and am bringing the alkalinity up...it is almost to normal.....I put 10 gal bleach in and started the filter...
Denali
Swimming Pool Superstar
Swimming Pool Superstar
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue 29 Apr, 2008 17:14

Not a new topic...green pool???

Postby Denali » Fri 26 Jun, 2009 17:32

whitelexus wrote:I should have added I have and am bringing the alkalinity up...it is almost to normal.....I put 10 gal bleach in and started the filter...


Great, then you're doing the right stuff. One thing to keep in mind, when the pool starts to clear or turns a milky blue, you aren't done. You need to keep the chlorine level up until the water is clear. You can kill the algae with the chlorine but if the FC drops to 0 then the algae comes right back.

When your CYA level gets higher it will be easier to maintain a FC level. I would run the filter non stop until you are clear.
whitelexus
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri 26 Jun, 2009 09:06

Not a new topic...green pool???

Postby whitelexus » Fri 26 Jun, 2009 23:10

Laughing...I quit! I dumped bleach all evening and went to the house for a rest...in less than an hour it was all gone! So I think I will vaccum all day Saturday.....then maybe try again?? Is there anyway to get the stabilizer to take effect quicker???
Denali
Swimming Pool Superstar
Swimming Pool Superstar
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue 29 Apr, 2008 17:14

Not a new topic...green pool???

Postby Denali » Fri 26 Jun, 2009 23:28

whitelexus wrote:Laughing...I quit! I dumped bleach all evening and went to the house for a rest...in less than an hour it was all gone! So I think I will vaccum all day Saturday.....then maybe try again?? Is there anyway to get the stabilizer to take effect quicker???


Keep the filter running. Any change in how the pool looks?
whitelexus
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri 26 Jun, 2009 09:06

Not a new topic...green pool???

Postby whitelexus » Sat 27 Jun, 2009 09:46

Denali wrote:
whitelexus wrote:Laughing...I quit! I dumped bleach all evening and went to the house for a rest...in less than an hour it was all gone! So I think I will vaccum all day Saturday.....then maybe try again?? Is there anyway to get the stabilizer to take effect quicker???


Keep the filter running. Any change in how the pool looks?

Maybe a little??? I got up bright and early and am still getting some very fine dark debris from the deep end bottom...I will keep this up until all is gone...I am adding more stabilizer as well so maybe when I am done with this I will have enough in there???? I ordered a test kit..I hope one is as good and easy as the other??? Once Iget no more crap out I will start with the bleach..should I use any shock???
Denali
Swimming Pool Superstar
Swimming Pool Superstar
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue 29 Apr, 2008 17:14

Not a new topic...green pool???

Postby Denali » Sat 27 Jun, 2009 20:21

whitelexus wrote:
Denali wrote:
whitelexus wrote:Laughing...I quit! I dumped bleach all evening and went to the house for a rest...in less than an hour it was all gone! So I think I will vaccum all day Saturday.....then maybe try again?? Is there anyway to get the stabilizer to take effect quicker???


Keep the filter running. Any change in how the pool looks?

Maybe a little??? I got up bright and early and am still getting some very fine dark debris from the deep end bottom...I will keep this up until all is gone...I am adding more stabilizer as well so maybe when I am done with this I will have enough in there???? I ordered a test kit..I hope one is as good and easy as the other??? Once Iget no more crap out I will start with the bleach..should I use any shock???


There are lots of products sold as shock. Some are di-chlor, some cal hypo. Each will give you a blast of chlorine but also add other things to your pool. You can "shock" with chlorine or bleach. All it means is that you are raising the chlorine level in the pool way above normal to kill all the bad stuff.

It's easy to think, "I added a bunch of shock and chlorine and my pool isn't clear and the chlorine is gone. Is my pool possessed?" The truth is, when a pool gets really bad you have to raise the level of chlorine high and keep it high. It is used up fighting algae so you have to stay on top of it. How much you add and how high a level of FC you need to reach is dependent on your CYA level.

If you don't reach a high enough level or keep it at that high level long enough, the chlorine gets used up without killing off all the algae. And then the algae starts growing again.

If you are going to use a shock from the pool store, find out what it contains first so you know whether it's really something you want to add to your pool. For example, if your stabilizer level is where you want it and you add di-chlor, you are adding more stabilizer.

Vacuuming and getting all the debris and "crud" out of there is a good thing and sounds like you're doing that fine. Keep at it.

Return to “Pool Algae & Green Pool Water”

Who is online at the Pool Help Forum

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests