Need DESPERATE help! Pool non-swimmable and GREEN!

Hi! I am so happy I found this website. We bought a new house in February and we are now owners of a inground pool. When we opened it in May it looks great. It was actually pretty blue. Then it slowly turned cloudy now to swamp green. We have been taking samples to the pool store and have been following their directions and have spent WELL into $1,000 of dollars and our pool looks like a swamp. My husband is about to close this money pit! We had a big party on Memorial Day and it has gone downhill since then. I am sure part of the problem is us since we are new and learning. We have young children and we have not been able to use the pool now for 3 weeks nevermind inviting people over to use it.

Its about 28,000 gallons
Liner
Sand filter which we just changed yesterday.

Levels:
FC - 0.2
TC - 0.9
Combined Cholrine - 0.8
PH - 7.4
CYA - 50Total Alkalinity - 138
CH - 148

My plan for today is to SHOCK the heck out of it! I am going to dump 3 bags of powder turbo shock with 78% chlorine into the pool and 3 bags into the skimmer as suggested from the pool store. I also got 4lbs YellowRid to kill green and yellow algae. Let the filter run for 24 hours then vacumn and brush sides, stairs etc.

Can someone please reply asap to let me know this is the way to go? I want to do this soon so maybe we can actually use the pool this week.

Thank you so much for any input!

Patty

What is the ingredient in the shock? Dichlor? Cal-hypo? Don't add the YellowRid.

Welcome! I think we can help you clear this up! Please tell me that you did NOT fill from a well. We have had so many pools recently that were filled from a well and that brings a whole other set of problems!

Nope not well water.

Active Ingredient:
Calcium Hypochlorite - 78%
other - 22%
Min available chlorine - 75%

Poolife Turbo Shock - here it is:
[link removed by mod] so the post could be modded in faster.

I just brushed the sides and was going to do the rest. why should i not use the yellowrid? what should i do now?

Thank you!!

With a CYA of 50, you need to shock your pool up to about 15ppm and try and hold it there. You can use cal-hypo, although with a vinyl pool, you do not need calcium and large doses of it sometimes will cloud up your pool pretty good. I do not know how to gauge the amount of cal-hypo to use. Maybe the label will give you some indication. We typically just recommend that people just use plain, unscented household bleach for their source of chlorine. It is 6% sodium hypochlorite and will not cloud the water. If you ant to go that route, add 6 gallons slowly to the skimmer while the pump is running or slowly in front of a return jet being careful not to splash it on you or the liner.

At least twice per day, and more often than that is even better, test the chlorine and each time, add enough bleach to bring the cl back up to 15ppm. In a pool this size, each gallon (4 quarts) will add 2ppm, so use that to help you figure out how much to add.

Run the pump 24/7 and backwash anytime the filter pressure rises 5-10psi over your clean filter pressure.

Don't add the yellowrid. It will further complicate things and you do not need it. If it is unopened, see if the pool store will let you return it.

All you need to clear algae is sustained high cl levels.

You'll need a good test kit if you don't already have one. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C (same kit, larger bottle of some reagents). If you buy it through the Amazon link in my signature, the Pool Forum makes a little money on the sale which helps us keep this form online. Only buy if the seller is Amato Industries, however. Some other sellers are substituting the K-2005 which you do NOT want.

In the meantime, you can use a dilution method to test higher cl levels than your kit will be able to measure since you're going to be shocking up to 15ppm. More info about that can be found in the following link. It is a temporary aid until you can get a better kit.

How To Test Without a Good Kit

Hope this helps. Keep us posted how things are going and glad to hear you didn't fill from a well!!

I had already put in 3 bags of the shock around the boarder of the pool and 3 bags into the skimmer. I will test shortly to see where we at. Next I think I will try the bleach. I was told I do need calcium because over time things will start to damage. We do have a metal ladder and bolts sitting in the pool. Should I let the filter run for 24 hours, shut it off then vacumn tomorrow?

Thank you again for your help. I will keep you updated.

You do not need calcium in a vinyl pool. You can try shutting off overnight to see if anything is on the floor that can be vacuumed up but we typically say run 24/7 while trying to clear a pool.

If you choose to use cal-hypo, it appears that 26 oz by weight of 73% cal-hypo will raise 28K gallons by 5 ppm, so you can use that as a guide--but I agree with Watermom that bleach is a great way to go, because you can more precisely calculate your doseages and don't run into cloudy water problems with it.

Janet

Just tested the chlorine and its dropping to about a 2 so I just added another 6 bags of that powder. I need to go out this evening and get more to add tonight I think...?

Can you explain to me why I should get household bleach and not liquid shock?? Is it because its cheaper?

Do you think I should go ahead and keep adding chlorine until its steady at 15ppm?

Bleach may or may not be cheaper than liquid chlorine. You'll just have to check prices in your area. But, it is readily available; you can buy it everywhere. Most of us just use the generic Walmart bleach. The concern with lots of cal-hypo granular shock is it can cause cloudy water problems and also when the level gets too high, there is no way to reduce it other than to partially drain your pool. You don't have either of those concerns with bleach.

Yes. You need to maintain your chlorine level at 15 or you will never get rid of the algae. Take a look at the Best Guess chart in my signature below.

Just tested again and chlorine is at 2 and I added 12 bags today!!!!! I am heading to walmart to get bleach (probably the whole isle of it!). I noticed the ph is also going down. I will get 20 mule team borax but when should i add it and how much? Thanks!