I've used HTH algaecide - do I need to drain my pool?

[Whattf]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum. I bought a house with a pool last year. After battling the pool chemistry for a year I enlisted help from a pool chemical service company (as I know how to clean out my cartridge filters, pump, and polaris 360, and skimmer baskets). I had been using HTH chlorine and algaecide yet I was still battling algae. After having him arrive for the first time this week he mentioned that the HTH algaecide is horrible for pool chemistry and recommended that I should drain my entire pool and start over. I'm looking for some recommendations to counter-act the negative affects of using their product.

Thanks!

[PoolDoc]

I don't know of any algaecides that are so bad you need to drain your pool. If you'll give me the exact algaecide name, I can verify that.

Do NOT drain your pool if it is vinyl or fiberglass; do NOT drain it if its concrete if the ground in your area is saturated with water from heavy rains.

DO consider checking with another pool service -- I can't be sure, till you give me the exact algaecide name, but this sounds like a scam to run up the bill on a new customer, before dumping them. HTH currently makes products that I'd never recommend . . . but I'm pretty doubtful that you need to drain the pool.

[Whattf]

It's HTH 3x concentrate Algae Guard. He mentioned that as a result of using it I had a lot of combined chlorine and no free chlorine. As a result he said that adding additional chlorine probably wouldn't be any use, also that it may take a month or so for my cloudy water to clear up.

My pool is an in-ground plaster pool.

[Whattf]

I tested my water this weekend at it's ammonia levels are at .5 PPM

[PoolDoc]

Assuming your ammonia test is valid, THEN

1. Use borax to raise the pH to near 8.0.

2. Add PLAIN 8.25% household bleach each evening at the rate of 1.5 gallons per 10K pool gallons. Continue until combined chlorine levels is less than 1 ppm. Postpone a dose anytime the free chlorine level is greater than 10 ppm

3. Order a Taylor K2006 (test kit page with links to Amazon in my signature block -- these kits can NOT be purchased locally!) ASAP. Report test results ASAP.

[Whattf]

I added 3 gallons of bleach and 2 pounds of shock my pool is ~50k gallons by my estimate. I ordered the kit and I will report back with the results.

[PoolDoc]

50K gallons is a HUGE residential pool, and very unusual. A 30 x 60 lap pool with 4' ends and a 5' center would be only 57K gallons; a 20 x 40 block wall pool with a 4' shallow end, 12' flat deep end, the break at 10' from the shallow end and a flat bottom straight wall deep end would be only about 45K gallons.

Please measure the pool's dimensions. It's hard to dose correctly, with incorrect volume calculations -- but about 30% of pool owners use seriously incorrect values.

[Whattf]

Please measure the pool's dimensions. It's hard to dose correctly, with incorrect volume calculations -- but about 30% of pool owners use seriously incorrect values.


So, you're right. I re-did some rough calculations today. My pool is two heptagons (7 sided) joined by a rectangle (it's a custom made pool). It's apparently roughly 2100 square feet so it's roughly 15.5k gallons. Still waiting on my kit.

[PoolDoc]

Glad you were able to clear that up. Keep us posted.

[Whattf]

I got my K-2006 kit. FC - 0; pH- 7.4 ; TA - 90 PPM; Cyanuric Acid < 30 PPM

[PoolDoc]

1. Add 1 gallon of bleach EVERY night, for now. Skip if the PM chlorine result is dark yellow (OTO) or more than 3 ppm (DPD-FAS).

2. If you have access to Sams Club, purchase (2) 24# paks of bagged dichlor. This will add BOTH chlorine and CYA, but since it's bagged, what you don't use this year, will last till next year without getting all stinky.

3. pH => OK; TA => possibly low, but don't fix it yet. CYA => low. Calcium => needs to be tested. Since you have a concrete pools, you DO need to worry about "water balance" or "saturation index", which is a composite calculation involving pH + temp + TA + CH. If you have heater, it needs to be managed even more carefully.

[Whattf]

1. Add 1 gallon of bleach EVERY night, for now. Skip if the PM chlorine result is dark yellow (OTO) or more than 3 ppm (DPD-FAS).

2. If you have access to Sams Club, purchase (2) 24# paks of bagged dichlor. This will add BOTH chlorine and CYA, but since it's bagged, what you don't use this year, will last till next year without getting all stinky.

3. pH => OK; TA => possibly low, but don't fix it yet. CYA => low. Calcium => needs to be tested. Since you have a concrete pools, you DO need to worry about "water balance" or "saturation index", which is a composite calculation involving pH + temp + TA + CH. If you have heater, it needs to be managed even more carefully.

I understand you want me to use dichlor to increase both CYA and Chlorine in my pool. However, I don't have a Sam's club membership. Is there an alternative you can recommend?

[PoolDoc]

Kem-Tek dichlor 2 lbs (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0030BEI40/poolbooks) @ Amazon => ~$6.50/lb (Jul 2013)
Kem-Tek dichlor 5 lbs (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0015UIOWK/poolbooks) @ Amazon => ~$4.50/lb (Jul 2013)
Kem-Tek dichlor 12 lbs (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0030BEHZ0/poolbooks) @ Amazon => ~$4.00/lb (Jul 2013)
Kem-Tek dichlor 22 lbs (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0030BEHZA/poolbooks) @ Amazon => ~$3.60/lb (Jul 2013)

Looks like they are out of stock on the 22#, so the 12# is the largest you can get.

Two other options:
+ I think you may be able to get a 1x trial membership at Sams -- call and ask.
+ Home Depot sometimes carries the KemTek brand. But, Kemtek now makes dichlor goop, too. So if you want to check out Home Depot, print the pictures from Amazon, and make sure what you buy is EXACTLY the same.

Hm-mh, Kem-Tek has updated some of it's labels, and I found a picture on Costco, so apparently Costco may carry this in some parts of the US, though not here. Anyhow, here's their current (Aug 2013) label:
http://images.costco.com/image/media/350-795076-847__1.jpg

If you decide to get dichlor from any other source, you probably want to post EXACT brand and product name here first: about 90% of the sold now is some sort of goop mixture.

[Whattf]

I've decided to drain the pool. I've been adding 1 gallon of Bleach 8% per night, and the pool guy has been adding 8 lbs of chlorine every friday. The FC reading is 0 every day.

[PoolDoc]

Suit yourself -- but since you have a K2006, you can figure out what's going on, if you care to do so. More specifically: if you are having sunny weather in Dallas, and have no stabilizer, you will NORMALLY lose 100% of your chlorine every day, regardless of how much you put in. In clear water, with CYA = 0, the half life of chlorine (1/2 of whatever is there, whether it's 100 ppm or 1 ppm) can be as little as 15 minutes!

That's also the situation you will be in, when you refill -- since your fill water will have no stabilizer. So, you may drain, refill, . . . . and then be right back EXACTLY where you are now.

I take it, you chose to not get any dichlor? And haven't added any CYA directly, either?