HELP! Green pool after $250+

[Backglass]

Should we be vacuuming to waste or to filter?

If it's "thick, slimy, hairball like gunk", by all means send it to waste. There is no reason to filter mud!

[chem geek]

Though normally I would agree that a combination of a high level of chlorine plus constant filtering and possibly vacuum to waste or scooping of larger items and use of a skimmer sock will clear a pool, some pools don't even have a main drain (they only have a skimmer) so have very poor circulation. In these cases, using a floc such as OMNI Liquid Floc Plus is very effective at consolidating particles so that they fall to the bottom (with the pump turned off) and can then be vacuumed to waste (pump on, of course). Also, some people would rather spend money and have a problem cleared up quickly rather than wait. This is a personal choice and there is no one right answer.