green pool..see details

[spacechimp]

I've done some reading in here and i have a basic dropper test kit.
PH 7.4
Alk 100
CYA 55 using the disappearing dot method it has
35k gallon pool

pool is green and can't see the bottom. So i bought 12 gallons of bleach and put in 6 gallons all at once and even threw in a bag of extra chlorine shock i had. Did that at night and let pump run through night. Added 4 more gallons of bleach in the morning even though there was NO change in pool color at all. I don't really have a way to test pool chlorine after it's over 5ppm. But I have to imagine it's quite high. i have chlorine pucks in the pump basket.
I vacuumed the bottom today with pump to waste, backwashed filter and let it run some more. I just flat out have not got the results that some people are posting in here. 0% change.

???

[PoolDoc]

35K gallon pool is about 1/3 of a million pounds. 10 gallons of bleach would be about 15 ppm in your pool. ((1,000,000/350,000) x (10 x 0.51))
A really bad algae infestation can eat that for breakfast and be ready for lunch a few hours later!.

Use an OTO drops kit to test. Add bleach, 10 gallons at a time in the EVENING, till you get to dark orange OR the algae dies.

Run your pump/filter 24/7.

Do NOT add other chemicals including clarifiers -- they are not stable with chlorine at those levels.

Do add a dose of acid -- whatever it usually takes to lower your pH a notch -- but no more. Your pH tests will ALSO not be accurate at the chlorine levels you need to go to.

If your pool has a really bad algae load -- and it sounds like it does -- think in terms of 50+ gallons before you're done. If you want to finish quick AND you have a concrete pool, you can go ahead that in all at once. It's a lot of bleach, but cheaper than algaecide, and faster. BUT, none of your pool tests will be valid till levels drop below 15 ppm (~ orange with OTO)

********* Do NOT do this if your pool is vinyl ************

The colored print on vinyl sheeting used in pool varies in susceptibility to bleaching. If you're unlucky, you may have sheet that will bleach at the 25 ppm you're headed toward. If you're lucky, you might have liner sheeting that will withstand 50 ppm. But 50 gallons of bleach in your pool all might briefly reach 75 ppm, and I'd be surprised if you didn't noticeably lose color.

PoolDoc

[aylad]

Hi, spacechimp,

Welcome to the forum!! What type of pool do you have (liner, gunite, fiberglass?) and what type of filtering system (sand, DE?) Also, what is your normal means of chlorination? (Need chemical names, not brand names).

In a pool your size, with a CYA of 55, you're going to need to get your chlorine level up to 20 to attain "shock level". When you added 6 gallons of bleach, it only increased your chlorine to about 10, and with the algae, it didn't stay there long. You're going to need to add 12 gallons of 6% bleach to attain the 20 ppm mark, and then HOLD IT THERE by testing and adding as much bleach as you need to get back up over 20 ppm. You need to do this at least 2-3 times a day, but the more frequently you test and add chlorine, the faster your pool will clear. In a pool your size, each 2 1/2 quarts of bleach will raise your chlorine by 1 ppm, so you can use that as a guide when figuring out how much more you need to add each time to get up to 20 ppm. You need to hold this level until 1)the water clears up, 2) your CC (combined chlorine) is 0, and 3)you're not losing any chlorine when testing the pool at sundown and again at sunup. When those three conditions are met, you're done shocking--you can let the chlorine drift back down but never less than 5 ppm--with your CYA at 55, you're going to have to maintain your chlorine at 5-10 ppm to keep the algae away.

Keep your filter running 24/7 while this is clearing up, cleaning the filter as your pressure indicates, and brush the pool at least once daily.

You can read here on how to force your test kit to read the higher chlorine levels :
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=10073

However, you'll find it much easier to control your pool if you'll invest in a good comprehensive test kit. We like the Taylor K-2006, which you can find here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002IXIIG?ie=UTF8&tag=poolbooks&linkCode=as2&camp%20=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0002IXIIG"><b>Ta%20ylor%20Complete%20FAS-DPD%20Pool%20Water%20Test%20Kit%20K-2006</b

Janet

Edit: Ben is fast this morning!! But I spent time typing it out, so I'm leaving it...... :)

[spacechimp]

Excellent info
i have a liner, sand filter and use the Leslie pool 3" chlorine tabs in the filter basket.
It's all doughboy stuff.

I'll go ahead and get that boosted, watch that stuff die.

anybody hear about 'KLEEN POOL' for avoiding algae?

[aylad]

Looked at the site, can't see anywhere that tells me what Kleen Pool actually is--but I will tell you that if you maintain adequate chlorine levels, you won't have algae. The only algaecide we recommend here is Polyquat 60, usually in cases where the pools are being closed for the winter, metals are present in the water, etc...but in the vast majority of cases, if you'll just keep your chlorine where it needs to be, you don't need to add any other algae preventative.

Janet