Help with Pool!

[Rachel Ashton]

We have a 27 foot above ground pool. It has gotten very green. The ph is is not registering and the akalinity is not registering either (using test strips) but we shocked it with super blue power shock and chlorine is still high. Pool very green still after 2 days and running filter 24 hours. We have added ph increaser but ph still not registering. Can someone offer some advice?

[chem geek]

You can learn how to defeat algae (IF you have algae) by reading this article in the Pool School, but you should really get a good test kit since test strips are not very reliable. Either get the Taylor K-2006 kit at a good online price here or the TF100 test kit from tftestkits(dot)com here with the latter kit having 36% more volume of reagents so is comparably priced "per test".

If your pH and TA are not registering, then it is possible for your pH to be very low, perhaps from using Trichlor pucks/tabs without adjusting for pH over time. If the water is very acidic, then a copper heat exchanger in a gas heater could corrode causing the water to turn green from the copper. If a good drop-based TA test turns red immediately, then the pH is 4.5 or lower which would be VERY low -- a pH test would show up as very yellow.

Richard