Little stringy things all in the pool.

[Mom22]

Good morning. I am very glad to have found this site!

I have a 15 ft round above ground Intex pool (48 inches high). There are little stringy things all in it. I shocked it a few days ago, and have a flippen frog that was recommended to me by my local pool store. Also, I don't think the pool pump is very good. I have had this pool up for almost 3 weeks, and maybe the filter needs to be changed. I am afraid I am confused about what products to buy and how and when to test. I would like to know how to fix and maintain my pool.

Thank you kindly.

[BigDave]

Could you tell us more about the stringy things? I had whuit stringy things when I had my intex donut that upon close inspection were grass clippings that made it into the pool then were partially consumed by the chlorine.

Do you know your chlorine and stabilizer levels? Is the frog the only chlorine source?

[Mom22]

Those stringy things are more beige colored, and they are gluey textured. They stick to the skimmer and I can't throw them out. The only chlorine is from the frog. It is almost all the way flipped so I need to replace it. I did shock it a few days ago. On the test kit the ph level is less than 6.8. My test kit only shows a range of 6.8 to 8.2, and the color showing up is a little lighter than the 6.8. Th chlorine level must be too low, because the range is 0.3 to 3.0, and my color is showing up lighter than the 0.3 range.

[BigDave]

pH 6.8 or less is a problem in the "FIX IT NOW" category. It will damage plastic and metal. Go to Wall Mart or the grocery store and buy at least two boxes of 20 Mule Team Borax (in the laundry aisle). While you're there, pick up a few bottle of plain, unscented, bleach. If you go to Wall Mart, see if they have the HTH 6-way drops based testkit (pool section), if they do, buy one.

Go get the Borax ASAP.

Pour 1/4 to 1/2 box slowly in the pool and stir it up as best as you can with a surface skimmer or paddle or wahtever you have. Add a cup of bleach as well. Run the pump and let it mix for an hour or two then test pH and chlorine again.

If pH is below 7.4, repeat the Borax application. If chlorine is below 2 repeat bleach application.

Let us know what's happening.

[Watermom]

The only chlorine is from the frog.
Dave, did you catch this ugly four letter word?

[BigDave]

Yes, but, pH < 6.8 is more important for now. I thought "flippen frog" was just about right.

[Watermom]

Agreed! ;)

[JV1980]

I've got those beige / pink stringy things too. What are they?? And how come the 12 jugs of bleach that I've used over the last few days hasn't wiped them out?

[BigDave]

My guess, biofilm colonies.

[Mom22]

Hello, I have put the borax and bleach in twice now, last night and a few hours ago. My ph is at a 7.6 and my chlorine looks slightly darker than 3.0. I couldn't get the other test kit yet, because they only had test strips at walmart. All I have right now is the jed 2 drop kit. Thank you for helping me.

[BigDave]

Good, glad the pH is in range.

We're going to need a CYA level to proceed. You probably have some CYA from the Filppin' Frog (and metals too). I just have no idea how much. The Wall Mart HTH 6-way drops kit has a CYA test, but, the kit we prefer is the Taylor K-2006 (NOT available in stores). You can find it the testkits page here: http://pool9.net/tk/ (http://pool9.net/tk/). If you purchase through that page, the forum gets some coin to keep the lights on.

It's especially important for small pools to have accurate testing because with relatively small amount of water compared to the usage they get, they get out of hand quick.

Before we go much farther, is draining / refilling the pool an option?

Have you purchased replacement chlorine cartridges for the Flippin' Frog? Don't, if you haven't.

As a trial user, you'll have to copy the URL then paste it into your browser after you log out of the forum.

Here's another URL: http://pool9.net/cl-cya/ (http://pool9.net/cl-cya/) to copy and paste that describes the basis for the method of pool care we teach here.

[PoolDoc]

. . . membership upgraded.

JED OTO / phenol red drops kit? That's good.

Add chlorine till you are DARK yellow, even orange tinted yellow. If it IS biofilm related, that may likely clear things up. If it's something else, like cottonwood seeds, then it will help but not clear it up.

Is there any plant near the pool that dropping fuzz or seeds or such? (I looked up your address in order to process your registration, and you've got a LOT of different kinds of trees near by. We see quite a bit of tree-related pool problems, from pine rosin, to cotton wood seeds, to pine needles in impellers, to falling bugs and caterpillars!)

[Mom22]

There are crepe myrtles, pine, dogwood, mulberry, and all kinds of trees surrounding. All of that stringy stuff is just sitting on the bottom of the pool unless I stir it up. I was thinking of getting a hose and trying to siphon it out. I will put that bleach in just to be safe. Thank you.

[PoolDoc]

There are crepe myrtles, pine, dogwood, mulberry, and all kinds of trees surrounding.

ARRG-G-H! Glad I'm not maintaining that pool! I *hate* "crap myrtles": they poop in pools about 350 days per year! Blossoms, seeds, leaves, twigs: they are ALWAYS shedding something. Worst pool plant, EVER!

Read this page on cleaning Intex pools: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php/24535

[Watermom]

I, on the other hand, LOVE my crepe myrtles! They are beautiful. But, mine are in the front yard away from my pool! ;)

[PoolDoc]

Trust me, if they sneak around to the back, and take up residence near your pool . . . you'll come to hate them, too!

[Mom22]

I was looking at pictures on the web, and I think that I have white water mold. The stuff definitely looks like shredded up tissue. I think I need to drain the pool. My pool water doesn't seem to move much so I probably need to change to a sand type system. Also, I was thinking about buying that krystal clear salt water system. I hope the mold is killed off by this bleach.

[PoolDoc]

With a 15' Intex, draining is a good option if it's not too expensive.

However you need to remember that water mold, or other heavy biofilms are likely throughout your pool, and won't be gone, once you drain and refill. So:

1. Clean the cartridge and cartridge filter case carefully. If you are using Intex cartridges which are supposed to be discarded, this would be a good time to purchase a pair of Unicel replacements. The Super Simple Recipe page covers the details: http://pool9.net/ssr/

2. Chlorinating while you fill can be tricky -- you won't have stabilizer in the water, and the volume is constantly changing. An alternative is to dump an overdose of polyquat into the water. Unlike chlorine or other algae chemicals, an overdose of polyquat is not a problem: http://pool9.net/polyquat/

3. Once you have the pool operating, keep the chlorine HIGH. If you have a K2006, maintain a chlorine level that is 20% of your CYA level for at least 2 weeks after you see no trace of the water mold. (IE, if your CYA is 20, your FC should be 4; CYA=50 => FC= 10 ppm)

[BigDave]

I'd like to add to PoolDoc's advice. Be sure to brush the pool as often as you can while trying to get rid of the biofilm (white water mold) especially after drain/refill. The outside of the colony is chlorine resistant; if you can break it up and get the chlorine to the inside, it will help. Likewise, the stuff will hide in the hard to reach places like inside the hoses. I wouldn't guess at how to physically clean those convoluted hoses, I'd replace them if possible.

[Mom22]

Okay, I am ordering things right away, and I will also replace the hoses. Thank you so much. I appreciate all the advice. There is a lot more to a pool than I thought, but it is so worth it.