Crazy Cat Lady's Murky algae pool

[crazy cat lady]

Morning Pool people I'm not sure how to post as I haven't been on in awhile. Current problem is a mountain dew green pool that won't clear. I drained the pool and refilled this year because of the horrific winter, torn cover and 3 dead squirrels.

Pool was clear and cold filled with the hose this time no well its city water maybe a large city well not sure. Anyway I had to replace a pump part and while waiting a week for the part algae started. I tried to take the easy way out and started using HTH Ultra shock and pucks. I've used in the last month or so 10 bags of the shock and probably 10 pucks. I also used 5 bags of reg shock and swim when I couldn't find the ultra. Water cleared somewhat so I added clarifyer the concentrated one probably 1.5 quarts over the last 6 weeks and cheap algaeside 2 small bottles. I also added 4 lbs of cya after I filled the pool.

I'm on day 3 of the super shock. I've used 3 bottles of 121 oz 8.25 bleach, running the filter 24/7 and brushing daily. I'm also using the pool robot to get the bottom so I don't go in with the high levels. I've maintained a dark orange range with the bleach with my cheapo kit, ph is purple. Not mush color change after a half hour and overnight its dark yellow so I'm still losing some.

I have some strips and they read ph 8.4, chlorine 10, total alk is between 40-60, and cya is 30-50 on the strips. I gotta get a better kit. Do you think its too high cya? Or metals? from the other products? Should I add anything else besides bleach at this point? I just wanna swim already lol. Thanks

[Watermom]

Crazy Cat Lady, nice to see you back on the forum, but 'Mom' is gonna fuss at you a little. You've been around this forum since 2012. You know better than to use all this junk in your pool. Why did you use all those products?! :puzzle: You know we do not recommend all these things and that it makes it harder to clean up the mess than it would have been without them. I don't mean to sound harsh but..... if someone comes on here looking for advice but then doesn't take it and once again has a messed up pool as a result, then it is kinda wasting our time and yours as well. So, please, if you are going to be here asking for advice, follow it or please don't waste anybody's time. Ok. Nuff said. Mom's done with the lecture.

Order a Taylor K2006 or 2006C:> http://pool9.net/tk/

Get us some good numbers taken with a drops-based kit (no test strips).

For now, nothing but bleach. If your pH is above 7.8, then use some muriatic acid to lower it. Only test pH when your chlorine is 5 or lower. If chlorine is above that (or above 10ppm with a Taylor kit), you have to dilute the sample before you run the pH test. Use equal parts of pool water and distilled water and then test pH as normal. Also, please read the info at the following links:

http://pool9.net/muriatic/
http://pool9.net/cl-cya/

[crazy cat lady]

Sorry Water Mom I have been sick and the packets of shock were easier to handle at the time. I do know better though. I replied to the thread and got bounced off so not sure it posted. Anyway went to Wally World and got the 6 way test. The oto results this morning were back at 5-10 mid deep yellow this am so I added 121 oz of 8,25 , brushed the sides first, back washed and put the pool robot on 2 cycles. Tested a half hour later and I had a bright orange range.

Came home tonight tested again and cl was back at 5-10, Ph was 8.2,Cya was 30 black dot wouldn't go away until I was almost overflowing the tube,alk is 140, hardness is 410. I thought the cya was higher thats why I brought the level way up to orange. I'll order the Taylor test kit so I can get a better reading.

I added another 121 oz of 8.25 and brought it back up to orange. I bought skimmer socks and a de alternative from Leslie Pools, they gave me a free bottle to test my water thank you very much lol. Should I retest the ph diluted or just add the muratic acid? How much? Do I treat the elevated alk?

I'll get in tomorrow and vacuum to waste and put the socks on. I don't think the robot is getting it all its too fine and the robot kicks it all back into the water off the bottom. I've vacuumed real slow and was able to get alot out the other day. The bag for the robot is full with algae but I know it disturbs the water.

The water is clear in the test bottle so probably more stuff in the pool and floating. Let me know what you think of the de alternative I haven't opened the bag yet. I read on here to add some de to help the sand filter out but Leslie said it causes cancer so what do I know. Thanks

[Watermom]

Not knowing anything about the "alternative," I would not use it.

Retest your pH using dilution --- half pool water and half distilled. When your chlorine is above 5ppm with an OTO kit, you can get falsely high pH readings.

Here is a color chart to help you decipher the off the scale OTO readings that may help some:> http://pool9.net/oto-chart/
Aim to keep your chlorine in the dark yellow range and do order a K2006 kit ASAP.

Are those packets dichlor or cal-hypo? Either way, you should just use bleach for now.

Don't worry about the alk. Also, don't retest the CYA any more at this point. There is only enough reagent in that kit for a couple of the CYA tests and as long as you aren't adding any or using any dichlor or trichlor, it isn't going to change.

[crazy cat lady]

Watermom,

The shock I used is HTH Ultra its 56 % cal pro and is a 6 in one product has claryfier, water softener and anti scaling additives. I used 10 lbs . The store ran out of Ultra so I then used HTH Select also 56% cal pro no additives 5 lbs. The label calls for one lb per 10 k and I used 1.5 lbs per treatment so approx 10 treatments over approx 2 weeks as I was adding the shock every two days maybe three as the levels called for.

The ph I think is a false high as it was 7.4- 7.6 before the shock. I'll dilute and if still high I'll add the acid looks like I need 32oz per the link if I read that correctly.

The de alt is a cellulose fiber no chemicals listed you add 2 cups for 200 lbs of sand broadcast over the pool after backwashing until you get 1 lb increase on the gauge.

The water is clearing around the edges a few inches down and at an angle looks clearing in the other areas of the pool just murky green looking straight down. I think stuff is settling on the bottom and reflecting back up and some floating stuff that the filter can't grab too small. I'll vacuum to waste, add more water, put on the socks and either use the de alt if you say ok or replace it with regular de then add the acid and bring up the cl level again after I get out. Thanks

[Watermom]

I wouldn't use the Ultra 6-in one product at all. I also wouldn't use the HTH Select because your CH level is very high and you really don't want it any higher or you risk having issues because of it. I also wouldn't use the cellulose fiber. Stick with only bleach and if needed, Borax or muriatic acid. Nothing else. But, don't add any acid until you confirm your pH reading via dilution.

Keep the chlorine at shock level by using bleach. Glad to hear it is clearing some. Keep at it.

[crazy cat lady]

I haven't used the HTH since I started dosing with the bleach. I'm on day 3 bleach only. The ph was 7.8 with the dilution test so I'll check it again tomorrow if the cl level drops again and dilute again when I test and see what I get to confirm. If its still on the upper range I'll add the acid tomorrow. Vacuumed to waste added more water looking like a cloudy green color maybe with a grayish tinge now so its the fine stuff that has to filter out some more. Hope the level holds better tonight so I know I'm going in the right direction. Thanks

[BigDave]

I have used the cellulose fiber material and if you haven't, DON'T. Sorry for shouting.

It did nothing to help the filtration and it formed big clumps in my filter and doesn't backwash out. Many cellulose fiber clumps are still there years later. I remove the top of the filter when winterizing and remove chunks of that junk every season - it looks like a newspaper left in the driveway in a snowstorm and driven over for a week.

Leslie's told me that DE was illegal and that the cellulose fiber was the only alternative - This is not true.

[CarlD]

I have used the cellulose fiber material and if you haven't, DON'T. Sorry for shouting.

It did nothing to help the filtration and it formed big clumps in my filter and doesn't backwash out. Many cellulose fiber clumps are still there years later. I remove the top of the filter when winterizing and remove chunks of that junk every season - it looks like a newspaper left in the driveway in a snowstorm and driven over for a week.

Leslie's told me that DE was illegal and that the cellulose fiber was the only alternative - This is not true.

Whoa! Which Leslie's store was THAT???? I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. Best pool store I know of in NJ (that doesn't make it the best, just the best I know) is Sun Pools on Route 22 East in Green Brook. Their 5 gallon carboys of "12.5%" LC always test at 14%, and they can usually get any part you need, and probably have it in stock. Their private stock line of chems is a bit pricey but generally is as good a quality as you can get. I don't necessarily trust them, but I trust them more than any other store I've been in. Some of the Leslie's stores are OK, some only so-so (the one just a bit further East of Sun Pools is a so-so one).

[BigDave]

That's the one. The guy at the one in Springfield / Mountainside laughed when I told him what I'd been told. I like the guys at Sun as well.

[CarlD]

Is the Springfield one the one on Rt 22 near Sam Ash, Guitar Center and Harbor Freight? I've not been in it but past it several times but it's a schlepp to get there. The Parsippany store on 46 generally has more knowledgeable people as well.

[BigDave]

Yep, right next to Olive Garden. It's a little closer to me than Sun.

@crazy cat lady: Sorry for hijacking your thread.

[CarlD]

Sorry crazy cat lady...

Yeah, I used to work down in the rt 22 corridor and in Somerset, so I was always down there and know it really well, though it's a good, long distance away. Luckily, my commute was against traffic so the horrific 287 backups were (mostly) going the other way!