Green, cloudy and foamy is no way to go through life, son

[davidb]

My 20,000 gal inground pool is generally slow to clear but this year has been particularly bad. TC on a strip appeared high, but FC was 0, even after 3 x 1 lb bags of shock. After finding this site, I am now seeing progress - quit the shock and found 12% liquid hypochlorite at BJ's ($3/gal). 4 gallons x 2 days of this later, FC is measurable and I even see hints of clearing.

My question regards the persistant foaming - looks like laundry day. Should I worry about this now, or wait until pool clears and FC is stable?

[CarlD]

The foaming is probably from something else you through in. You'll need to keep your FC high until it's all gone.
Be sure to run your filter 24/7 and backwash whenever the pressure rises by, oh, say 5psi.

You'll need to get proper test #s. If you don't have a decent kit, take a sample to a pool store and ask them to test it. You don't need to buy anything...we'll give you our best advice when we see the results.
Is your pool vinyl or concrete?
What size pump and filter and what type of filter do you have?

I opened to green slime this season as well, and my pool is about as big as yours. I immediately dumped in 4 gallons of 12.5% LC all at once (I don't care if it bleaches my old and ugly liner). 24 hours later the water was cloudy, but blue. Then it was just a matter of filtering all the crud out.

Carl

[Watermom]

Did you add any type of algaecide? Many of them will cause foaming.

[davidb]

As of this moment: Total hardness 100; TC 5; FC 3; pH 6.8, Total alkalinity 120; CA 0.

I have not thrown in anything besides shock (solid and liquid). I had a pool service open the pool and I don't think they put in algaecide, but I will ask tomorrow.

Vinyl side pool, sand filter, sorry I don't know it or pump size.

I have cyanuric acid but I was going to wait until FC is stable before adding.

[Watermom]

Have you tested the CYA level yet? Don't add any until you do test. You don't want to take a chance on getting it too high. Without knowing it, we can't really advise you how high to take the chlorine. I guess for now, shock the chlorine up to about 15ppm and try and keep it there. Test as many times per day as you can and each time add enough bleach to get the cl back to 15. There is no such thing as testing and dosing too often when you are fighting algae. The more often you do it, the faster you'll clear it up. When you report the CYA level, we'll tweak the recommended shock level for your pool. In a 20K pool, each gallon of 12.5% chlorine will add about 6ppm of cl.

Add some 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry aisle at Walmart) slowly to the skimmer while the pump is running, breaking up any clumps. I'd start with a box. After 2 or 3 hours, retest pH and if it is still below 7.0, add another box. You need to get the pH above 7.0 ASAP. Readings below 7.0 are acidic and can damage your liner.

Carl recommended that you get a good testkit. We recommend the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C which is the same kit with larger quantities of some of the most used reagents. If you order it through the Amazon link in my signature below, the Pool Forum makes a little money on the sale to help keep the forum online. Only order if the seller is Amato Industries. Some other sellers are substituting the K-2005 which you do NOT want.

Your hardness is ok (you don't actually need calcium in a vinyl pool), your alk is ok. Good luck and keep us posted how things are going. My guess is that your pool service will tell you tomorrow that they did add some type of algaecide which is causing the foaming. Also, post that CYA level when you get it.

EDIT --- I just noticed that you said your CA is 0. I'm assuming that you meant that your CYA is 0. If that is correct, then go ahead and add some stabilizer, but put it in a sock in front of a return jet instead of adding it to the skimmer. You'll most likely be backwashing frequently, so if you add it to the skimmer, it will get backwashed out. Give the sock a little squeeze once in awhile to help it dissolve faster. Aim for an initial reading of about 30ppm. You can always add more later if needed, but hard to remove if you get too much in there.

[davidb]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Sorry, yes CYA is 0, not CA. I will do the sock trick, add Borax, and keep chlorine high.

Yep, pool service did add algaecide!

[True Blue]

Algaecide caused my pool to foam a couple of weeks ago, too. Mine is smaller (only 7600 gallons) and I spent hours trying to scoop out the foam. I finally gave up and within a couple of days of adding bleach to get the high Cl reading, the foam was gone.

For a while, though, I was really afraid that I was going to look out the window and see the pool overflowing with foam!

[Watermom]

Yep, pool service did add algaecide!

That's what I thought.

By the way, run the pump 24/7 while trying to clear the water and also while you are trying to dissolve the CYA. Good luck. Keep us posted.

[davidb]

So after a week of keeping FC high and running pump continuously, foaming problem has not returned and water is beginning to clear. But clearing is going s-l-o-w-l-y and pool appearance is still unappealing. Do clarifiers help, or do I just need to be patient?

TH 100, TC 5-10, FC 5-10, pH 7.2, TA 120, CYA 0 (now starting to add this)

[Watermom]

Is the pressure on your filter rising? Are you having to backwash? Try adding a little DE to your sand filter. Many of us do it, It may help you filter this out better. More about it here:

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=3742

Did you ever find out how big your pump is? Some AG pools have a pump that is too big and too powerful and it just forces stuff through the sand without actually filtering it out.

[davidb]

Filter pressure is steady. Pump is 3/4 HP, should be ok for 20,000 gal IG pool? The DE idea sounds great.

[CarlD]

You need to be patient. There's nothing that will speed it up. You've been fighting foaming from one "magic potion"--algaecide.

We rarely ever suggest that someone add anything beyond the B-B-B basics...bleach, borax, baking soda, muriatic acid and CYA(stabilizer). The two most common additions to the list are Dry Acid in lieu of Muriatic (safer and easier to use) and one algaecide: Polyquat (a type, not a brand).
If people have special problems, like metals, we may recommend something. But everything else? Throw it away!

Carl

[davidb]

This is just a belated follow-up to report success with pool problem. I found $3/gallon 12% bleach at BJ's (and see it now at Ocean State Job Lot) and have used it generously. Pool finally cleared and has stayed clear. I have tried to maintain CYA but sock approach is not keeping up. Just added DE to sand filter and the water sparkles, although this may be my imagination. So thanks for all the great advice that was both effective and economical.

Now I am trying to summon the courage to deal with the metal stains......

[Watermom]

I'm not sure I know what you mean by " I have tried to maintain CYA but sock approach is not keeping up." Once CYA is added, it pretty much stays in there all season. What is your volume and how much CYA have you added? Are you using any stabilized chlorine (Trichlor tabs or dichlor shock powder) and what is your CYA reading?

[davidb]

I have added about 8 lbs of CYA a pound at a time using the sock method for a 20,000 gal pool. I have seen (or thought I saw) an increase to a level of "30-50" using a color strip but then a reading of 0 several days later. Perhaps I am mis-reading the strip. I have used 2 lbs of dichlor shock powder only once when we went away for a weekend, otherwise it has all been bleach.

[Watermom]

Test strips are useless and unreliable. Around here, we refer to them as goofy strips. As we recommended to you back in an earlier post on 6/12, you need to get a good kit.

8 lbs. of CYA in 20,000 gallons would have added 50ppm. Do NOT add any more. Also do not use any more dichlor shock or trichlor tabs as they also contain CYA in them.