Will I have to shock daily to get rid of algae?

[duffmama]

My pool was left uncovered all winter and looked like a swamp, frogs and all. I've vacuumed, scooped and even used a leaf eater. So now my ph is 7.6 and I've add bleach about 5- 6 jugs two times this past week. The water is a lighter green than before I started, but not getting better. I thought I had gotten all the leaves and pinestraw out but I seem to be pushing around a couple of piles. Do I keep adding bleach everyday until I can see the floor of our pool? It's had to see if there is any debris left. :-)

[Charlie_R]

Yes, you will have to MAINTAIN a "shock level" of chlorine in your pool for as long as it takes to clear your pool.

Please read this thread (http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?9512-Green-Cloudy-Disgusting-Pool-You-have-ALGAE!!!) for how you can get started with this process.

Current pool balance numbers are important. If you don't have a Taylor K-2006, please order one. While you await it's arrival, go to your local Wal-mart and pick up the HTH 6-way test kit. Once you have a kit in hand, post your numbers here.

Here is a guide (http://poolsolutions.com/gd/best-guess-swimming-pool-chlorine-chart.html) for how high you will need to maintain your chlorine levels while you clear your pool of algae.

You will also need to be running your pump 24/7 to help clear the pool, along with daily brushing.

If I have forgotten anything here, I'm sure others will pop in to help.

[sunlove]

I had to do this last year & everything charlie said is true. Ben & the other folks here helped me tremendously. Go ahead and stock up on a ton of bleach, because you go through more than you think. I think Walmart has been selling "ultra concentrated" bleach that is 8% and that might be easier to handle the smaller bottles since you're going to need so much. I don't know what kind of pump/filter you have? But you will have to clean or backwash filter frequently during this process.

If you want to leave your pool open over the winter, you must spend a few minutes a week on maintanance, and it's easy breezy to get it swimmable in the spring ;) I left mine open this past winter, just added bleach weekly, kept ph in check and spent a few minutes dipping out trash with a long net, let pump run on timer for a few hrs a day and this kept pool crystal clear all & sanitary all winter. Good luck you'll start making some headway soon as long as your pump/filter are working properly.