How much bleach?

[hscampos2002]

I have been reading the previous posts about algae (which we cannot get rid of this summer and last summer)... I have spent so much $$$ on pool products and find they do nothing to help. Read about bleach, but don't know how much to add to my 35,000 gallon in ground. Thanks for the help
hscampos2002

[Watermom]

Hi and welcome to the Pool Forum! Before we can help, we'll need a little more information.

Do you have a test kit? (Not test strips.) If not, you need a good one. The kit we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C (same kit, bigger bottles, better buy). You can get one from the Amazon link in my signature below. In the meantime, pick up a cheap OTO/Phenol Red kit (red and yellow drops.)

We need a current set of water testing results taken with a drops-based kit. Make sure that your CYA level is one number that you report. If you don't have a good kit, you can let a pool store test this for you. Make sure they do the 'disappearing dot' test and not test strips. Do NOT let them talk you into buying anything!

Tell us what kind of pool (vinyl, gunite, fiberglass) you have and also what chemicals you have used in the past -- ingredients, not product names. Post your numbers and someone can go from there.

[PoolDoc]

Assuming you have at least a little stabilizer in your pool, 5 gallons of 6% bleach -- about 10 ppm of chlorine in your pool -- each evening would be a reasonable addition, since you have algae. Get the OTO kit, and add the bleach every evening UNLESS your OTO kit is showing dark yellow in the evening. (If it does, skip that evening.)

But, you need good test results, like Watermom said, and you must (a) tell us what you have been using (exact brand and mfg names, plus quantities) and (b) tell us what chemicals you have left. Many 'pool chemicals' cause problems more often than they help, and your pool store may have already helped you create a witches brew in your pool.

Also, stop using ANYTHING but the bleach until we know more. One exception: if your pH is above 8 or below 7, we need to fix it. Otherwise, ONLY bleach.