cloudy water, think i have mustard algae

[mikeikb]

what's the best way to stabilize my 70,000 litres (18,500 us gallons) concrete pool, it's cloudy and i have a mustard looking algae (note completely out of control) . i shocked it, tossed in a half bottle of concentrated banish, and 3 clarifying tablets in the basket. I back washed first. i also up the the chlorine, and reduced the ph it was showing 8.1, and had the robot cleaner in for 3 hours. i have not vacuumed the pool with the filter. am i doing anything wrong? the wife got a party with all her girls this weekend got to get things in shape.

[PoolDoc]

I've got to leave in a few minutes, so'll I'll be brief, and return to this later:

1. Read the muriatic acid guide, linked in my blue signature box. Lower your pH to below 8.0.
2. ALSO, get 15+ gallons of PLAIN 6% household bleach. Put 4 gallons in ASAP.
3. STOP using the pool store goop.
4. Check and see (I don't know) if the HTH 6-way drops kit is available in Canada at Walmart. If so, get one. If not, get a cheap OTO/phenol red kit.
5. If you can, get this kit: http://piscines-apollo.com/cubecart/test-kits/k-2006.html It costs 2x as much in Canada as in the US, but I can't fix that. It is NOT the retailer's fault.
6. Complete the pool chart:

Pool Chart Entry Form (http://goo.gl/cNPUO)

[Spensar]

mikeikb,

In Ottawa I can't find generic 6% bleach. Walmart switched to 4% and the other no names are 3% to 4%. The best deal I have found is at Canadian Tire, where they sell a 5 litre jug of Aquarius Liquid Chlorine for $4.69. It is 10.8% sodium hypochlorite, same stuff my pool stores sell for $7 to $9. CTC also carries Purox for a buck more, but it's the same stuff, you are paying for the branding. Just note that sodium hypochlorite is bleach, the only difference between it and "pool chlorine" is the concentration - less jugs to haul at 10.8% vs. 6%.

Ben is indicating 4 US gallons at 6%, which would result in adding about 13 ppm.
According to bleachcalc, you will need 8.4 litres @ 10.8% to achieve that for 70,000 litres. 2 jugs of Aquaris will give you a bit over 15 ppm, which would be fine.

Our local Walmart does not carry the HTH 6 way kit. Worth checking the Walmart in your region, though we don't even have the OTO in stock now as they are clearing out the summer stuff. You may to go to a pool store for the OTO kit. At that level of chlorine, the test should be showing dark yellow if not brown, which is fine.

The bleachcalculator is here:

http://www.poolforum.com/zxq/BleachCalc262.exe

[PoolDoc]

The best deal I have found is at Canadian Tire, where they sell a 5 litre jug of Aquarius Liquid Chlorine for $4.69. It is 10.8% sodium hypochlorite, same stuff my pool stores sell for $7 to $9.[/url]

Just be careful -- 10% bleach stored at over 80 degrees F for over a week is no longer 10% bleach. If it's stored over 90 degrees, it may not even be 6% bleach!

[Spensar]

Just be careful -- 10% bleach stored at over 80 degrees F for over a week is no longer 10% bleach. If it's stored over 90 degrees, it may not even be 6% bleach!

Good point, thanks. Hate to think how hot it got in my pool shed this summer during the heatwave.

[mikeikb]

Thanks for your reply's the pool is looking much better chlorine is a bit high, but i am refilling with fresh water after vacuuming all the dead algae with the filter in the waste position.

thanks very much for all the tips to save some $ at Canadian tire.

[Spensar]

Is the algae all dead now? If not, best to keep the chlorine up until it is gone or it will bounce back.

[mikeikb]

we are all good now and yes i have kept the the chlorine levels up. thanks pool forum!