Intro and first question

[NREAGAN]

Hello, I have been reading this forum for the past few months but i think now i really need help. I first wanted to say how great this is and so nice of the moderators/contributors to help others out.

I have a very green pool, we live in NJ and with the hurricane we were not running the filter for a few days and of course got TONS of rain water. Along with leaves it dumped we really didn't have much damage to pool. I tried to be proactive and up the chlorine before but i guess it wasn't enough. Also, i have been dealing with very low cya levels < 30 since the opening and used up my pucks from last year. I thought it would raise it enough without having to buy more stabilizer but i was wrong....so i bought a 25lb bucket of Dichlor granules from leslies. Now ,my latest test shows it is >90! I didn't realize it would go up that much. As we speak i am vacuuming to waste to try nd get some of the algae/ cya out.
I have a 16 x 32 IG vinyl about 24Kof water my latest numbers are as follows:

FC 5+
CC 0
ph 7.2
Alk 80
Cya 90+?
I have a drop test kit from leslies

I appreciate any info as i have been telling everyone about this site but with the way my pool looks i can't back it up...lol. I have to say that it seems i'm doing something wrong because this whole summer i haven't been able to keep water crystal clear...always seems dull if that make sense. This is the most chlorine that I have ever kept in the pool since we moves in this house ( 9 years ago) My kids are going crazy bc summer is almost done and i won't let them in this swamp. Thanks again for any replies :)
Natalie

[PoolDoc]

Hi Natalie;

Thanks for the subscription.

Regarding the your pool, you'll need a K2006 or other FAS-DPD test kit (and the K2006 is the least expensive one -- or you can get a K1515 if you already have a K2005 -- links to Amazon in my signature). The reason is, without an FAS-DPD chlorine test, you can't accurately measure the chlorine levels you need. Read through the "Best Guess" page, also linked in my signature for a full explanation.

I'm going to assume about 20K gallons, which is at the high end of what 16x32 vinyl pools with a deep end run, in terms of actual water.

Do this:
#1 - Go get a cheap OTO / phenol red testkit; you'll need it for testing till the K2006 arrives. It will allow you to test higher levels than 'guess-strips' or other kits.
#2 - Buy about 20 gallons of plain 6% household bleach AND 1 gallon of distilled (not spring or any other kind) water
#3 - Add 6 gallons of bleach as soon as you get it.
#4 - Make sure your pump is running 24/7 . . . and keep it that way for 5 days AFTER all algae is gone.
#5 - Test your chlorine the following AM. If the OTO results aren't dark orange-ish yellow -- add 5 more gallons. Check again that evening, and repeat as needed.
#6 - Maintain an orange-yellow chlorine level until EITHER the algae has been gone for 3 days, OR the K2006 arrives.
#7 - Once the K2006 arrives, test your chlorine and stabilizer levels. If the algae is ALL gone by then, use the normal chlorine levels from the "Best Guess" page. Otherwise, use the shock levels. If the algae has gotten worse, use the shock+ levels.
#8 - Do NOT attempt to adjust any other chemical levels EXCEPT pH, but ONLY if it gets lower than 7.0 or higher than 7.8.
#9 - Once you reach the orange-yellow OTO level, you MUST mix your pool water 50:50 with distilled water BEFORE trying to test the pH level. Your chlorine will be so high that it will tend to convert your phenol red to chlorophenol red which has a DIFFERENT set of colors at a DIFFERENT pH range. Distilled water will not change the pH much; spring water, bottled water or anything other than distilled water WILL mess up your pH reading.

[NREAGAN]

Thanks so much for your reply, i have 6 gallons here so ill add tonight. A few other questions that i thought of were, 1-Could the chlorine level be too high, what would happen? 2- Could my sand and 3- filter not be working properly? ( ive tried adding some DE to it) 3- should i put in algaecide? and 4- could it be iron or something in my water, it is a shade of green that i've never seen before and like i mentioned earlier, i have never kept so much chlorine in the pool in all the years i've lived here. Thanks again for getting back to me so quickly :)
Natalie

[PoolDoc]

#1 - High chlorine is hard on swimwear, but usually not people. A facility I serviced once accidentally maintained a kiddie pool -- filled with infants daily -- at 50+ ppm for 3 days and ZERO complaints! But for more details, read the Best Guess page.

#2 - Sand usually fails only by not being there, which happens when the pump is too big for the filter, and sand gets blown out during backwash.

#3 - If your sand is there, your filter is probably working. If you added DE, and it didn't blow back into the pool, your filter is working.

#4 - Iron can be green -- but ONLY if you added in a soluble form. This typically only happens when filling from a well OR from old, old water lines made of cast or ductile iron. Rain water, even in hurricanes, is iron free.

[NREAGAN]

Ok i have put in 7 gallons of bleach last night and today put in another 7 bottles of store bleach they are not a full gallon ...i figured it couldn't hurt. Pool is still soooo green. i am not even seeing any change when i pour in the chlorine. I have the kit from leslies but its manufactured by taylor...i think comparable to the one you sell? i couldn't find distilled water ( maybe bc of the huricane ) but is purified water the same? I do notice the algae on the steps and when i poured the bleach in it went away for a bit but is now back. I brushed and vacumed again today.
the most recent results are:

FC well over 5...it is a very deep purple color
CC i dont see it changing but not 100%
Ph is 7.8 maybe a touch higher
CYA is 90
Alk is i think a 80 but it didn't turn red like usual it was almost a orangey pink...
I have a vinyl liner...did you still need calcium?

Also, is the splash less bleach ok to use? ( i didn't, but we got some)
Again, i appreciate any insight.

[PoolDoc]

No splash-less bleach! Just the plain 6% no-scent no-additive stuff, please! (For your pool's sake)

And . . .
"Do this:
#1 - Go get a cheap OTO / phenol red testkit; you'll need it for testing till the K2006 arrives. It will allow you to test higher levels than 'guess-strips' or other kits."

Guess strips really, really don't count. Please.

Then, test the chlorine with the OTO, and the pH with the distilled dilution.

[BigDave]

Purified water is not the same as distilled especially for this use. ( I could be wrong on this - Ben is clearly the authority)
You're going to have some CC when fighting algae - don't worry about it.
Ben doesn't sell the kits but has taken the legwork out of sourcing them by recommending Amato Ind. through Amazon. Get the Taylor K-2006 as soon as you can (if you can) I find it MUCH eaisier to use / read.
Is the concentration listed on the bleach bottles? if not, presume it's less than 6%.
Don't use any special goo bleach - it just adds junk to the water you'll have to fix later.

[CarlD]

IF you have the Leslies "Total Pool Care DPD Test Kit" service test kit made by Taylor, it is the K-2005 Taylor kit in a Leslies box (I have one because I wanted to see what it was--and it was on sale). If so, as Ben says, you only need the K-1515 Taylor kit to make it the equivalent of the K-2006, and it's much cheaper that way.

You'll still need the OTO kit Ben told you to get, but even so you'll be saving money AND having all the same functions as the K-2006.

The K-1515 is a single test: the FAS-DPD chlorine test that is the gold standard for testing chlorine levels. The DPD test is NOT the same thing.

The K-1515 should be about $20, but the full K-2006 is $50 to $70 (the Leslies re-badged version is the "Chlorine FAS-DPD Service Test Kit" for $71, which is pricey, but it IS the K-2006 in a Leslies box, if you cannot get it elsewhere)

Carl

[NREAGAN]

OK...Got it now. Thank you both. With having four kids here along with their friends everyday they are sucking the smarts outta me...I'll get both kits and distilled water and let you kow how it goes.

I think i know the answer but still no algaecide? and i thought algae was "stuck" to the surfaces of the pool this really dissapates if you touch it...just curious. I definately have never had it this bad.

Thanks again,
Natalie

[PoolDoc]

What's called 'mustard algae' commonly behaves as you describe . . . and is quite chlorine resistant.

But, on vinyl or other slick surface pools, it's pretty easy to get rid of with high chlorine AND brushing.

[aylad]

I think i know the answer but still no algaecide?

No algaecide--there's only one here we recommend, and it's Polyquat 60--but it's a much better preventative than it is at killing existing algae. All other algaecides are only going to make your pool worse, not better. Just chlorine--and lots of it!

Janet

[NREAGAN]

So far so good....the water looks cloudy now but BLUE. I am keeping the oto test at orange and have ordered the k1515. ph is 7.5 using the distilled method.
I can see main drain if i actually concentrate...but my question is when would it be safe for kids to swim?
thanks!

[PoolDoc]

There are three issues here, that I see, with respect to safety:

#1 - Visibility.
Swimmers die all the time, when those watching lose track of them, and can't see them. This is the risk that cloudy water increases. You'll have to judge how much of a risk it is with your pool and your kids.

#2 - Sanitation.
With your chlorine at 'orange' and your algae dying or dead, you can consider your pool as sanitary 24 hours after all the algae died -- if you have ALSO brushed the pool, and stirred up and killed any pockets of algae and other stuff.

#3 - Excessive chlorine.
High chlorine is almost never high enough to be an actual DANGER, but it can be high enough to be irritating. Chlorine at 'orange' (15 - 30 ppm) is high enough to irritating to some people. My guess is, with your CYA that high, it won't be. But, you can let them swim for 15 minutes, and then take them out and see if there's any itchiness or irritation. (Kids often won't notice, while they are in the midst of having fun, so you do need to remove them from the pool, to check.) If there's no irritation after 15 minutes, try an hour.

But, I would recommend old or no swimsuits. Chlorine that high can damage swimwear, particularly women's fashion suits.

So . . . you judge.