Cloudy with dead algae

Hello! We are in the process of opening our pool. We drained it completely and cleaned out the leaves (because we did not cover it when we closed it). We have refilled it and added clorox and have the chlorine tabs in the dispenser floating around. Our water is blue (FINALLY!) but we have a lot of clumpy dead algae floating around in there. We had a little bit of pool first aid and we used that in hopes of eating up that dead algae, but we still have stuff floating on the top. We vacuumed it a bit today and some of the dead algae was going through the filter and back into the pool. So we then vacuumed it on the waste setting to suck out the dead algae, but we still have some in there. Any ideas???? Also, the water is a bit cloudy, but no green at all. The pump is running as we speak.

Hello, and welcome to the forum!!

When cleaning up a mess, remember that the chlorine that you put into the pool will kill the algae, but it is the filter or manual skimming that will remove it from the pool. What size pool is this, and what type of filter do you have? (sand, cartridge, etc). What size (HP) is your pump? I ask this because many ABG pools have pumps that are too large for the filters, and will push stuff through the filter and back into the pool. Depending on whether this is the case, and what type of filter you have, there may be some other things you can do to make it work more efficiently. Have you backwashed or cleaned the filter since you started this process?

In the meantime, if you have dead algae on the pool floor, vac to waste is the quickest way to get it out. If you vac it to the filter, and it's going through, then you're not making any headway. If it's on the surface, you can skim it with the net....otherwise, you might try a skimmer sock (that's just one brand but they're sold under different names) that is basically a fine mesh bag that fits over the INSIDE of the skimmer basket to help catch some of the larger stuff before it gets into the filter. You can also try brushing it up to send as much of it as possible through the filter to see if it will at least catch some.

If you could post a set of test results, taken with a drop-based kit, we might be able to help at least keep more algae from becoming a problem while you work out how to get the older, dead stuff out.

Thank you very much for supporting this forum with your subscription!!

Our pool is a 27' round above ground with a sand filter. The pump is 1.5HP. Here is the test kit results we just did, although we are not using the kit(s) that you recommend, we are finishing out the drop kit that came with the pool.

PH 7.2
Chlorine 3.0
BR 5.6

We have backwashed it and the water coming out is milky looking, so it is clearly catching some of the dead algae. Additionally, we have replaced the sand in the pump as of yesterday, so we know that the pump itself should be relatively clean.

Thank you so much for your help! Any suggestions and ideas are MUCH appreciated :) We cannot wait to get in our pool again

We really need to know your CYA level to be able to help much since needed chlorine levels are based on the CYA reading. Take a look at the Best Guess Chlorine Chart in my signature below for more about that.

I'd go ahead and buy the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C. You need it to be able to test the CYA. You'll still be able to use your current OTO kit, too. I actually use my OTO/Phenol Red kit most days and just use my K-2006 every few weeks or so. The OTO kit is just fine for every day quick chlorine and pH checks, but when you are fighting getting your water clear, you need the better kit.

Your 1.5hp pump is pretty big for your pool. That may be part of the problem. Your pump may just be shooting stuff through too quickly for the filter to catch it. I have a 27ft AG with 54" walls with a volume around 19,300 gallons or so. I have a full-rated 1/2 hp inground pump on my pool and it is plenty powerful enough.

Do you have a gauge on your filter? Did you get a clean filter reading after you backwashed? The gauge will let you know when you need to backwash -- whenever you see an 8-10psi rise over your clean filter pressure.

(By the way -- you can ignore the bromine reading. You have a chlorine pool -- thus, no bromine.