cloudy green water

[desannie]

i have an above ground 8000 gallon pool that has cloudy green water. i have good chlorine levels, i believe, i have been aggressively been vacuuming it and scrubbing down the sides, although they have never felt slimy or slippery, but cannot get rid of the cloudy green water.

i am a first time pool owner and i am at a loss - please help!

[PoolDoc]

Hi Deannie;

I put this in the algae section, but I may have to move it -- cloudy green water is usually algae, but it can be metals.

I need more info than you've given me -- if you don't have any test kit, at a bare minimum get a cheap OTO / phenol red drops kit, and tell me what you find. Also, post your pool info in the pool chart below.

Meanwhile maintain a constant chlorine level. If it's algae, you need to add a BUNCH of chlorine, but if it's metals, that will make things worse.

Ben

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+ It's much easier to answer your questions, when we have the details about your pool in one place. We often 'waste' the first few posts back and forth collecting information. So, please complete our new Pool Chart form -- it takes about 30 seconds, but will save much more than that.
Pool Chart Entry Form (http://goo.gl/cNPUO)

+ Get a cheap OTO (yellow drops) / phenol test kit, or if available at YOUR Walmart (check availability (http://www.walmart.com/ip/HTH-6-Way-Test-Kit/17043668)), get the HTH 6-way DROPS test kit, which is compatible with the Taylor K2006. Test the pool as soon and you can, and post the results. If you get the 6-way kit, ALSO test the water you FILL the pool with, especially if it's a well, and post THOSE results as well. (The HTH is the best available kit you're likely to find locally, but it's not the K-2006. It can only provide rough measurements chlorine levels above 5 ppm, and it measures "TOTAL" hardness, rather than "CALCIUM" hardness, which is not ideal.)