Aqua green pool

My pool has been very clean and clear up until two weeks ago. I have taken samples into several pool stores and bought what they told me to buy.

Now my pool is aqua green and I cannot get it to clear up.

Please help!

I did run down to walmart and bought the hth 6-way test and here are the results.
PH 7.5
CL off the chart
BR off the chart
AK 160
HD 230
CA 120

Hi bjlind,

Unfortunately, "buying what they told me to buy" isn't a good idea at the pool store--they tell you to buy as many things as possible, because that's how they make money--and those things may or may not help fix your problem!!

These things will help us help you better:
1) Fill out the pool info chart here, Pool Chart Entry Form

2) Give us a list of what all you put into the pool (ingredients, NOT product names like "shock" or "algaecide"

3) Test for chlorine again, using the dilution method--dilute your pool water sample 1:1 with distilled water, mix well, and test from a sample of the mixture--then multiply your result x 2. Ignore the BR reading, unless you've added something with bromine to the pool. Unless you have done that, it's just a chlorine pool.

4). Is the water green/cloudy? green/clear? any metals in your fill water? What normal method of chlorination do you use?

Thanks for the reply

1) Pool chart is done.
2)i will tell you what was last, which was two days ago. i added 23lbs sodium hydrogen carbonate and 2 lbs of sodium bisulfate.
3)retest on the chlorine was 10 ppm.
4)The water is green/cloudy almost a aqua blue/green I cannot see the bottom. i do not know if i have metal in the city water. i have a inline chlorinator

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bjlind

i added 23lbs sodium hydrogen carbonate and 2 lbs of sodium bisulfate.

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Seriously? Did they tell you to do that? If so, stay far, far away from that store's recommendations in the future.

"Sodium hydrogen carbonate" is an old - but still legal - chemical name for baking soda, that BioLab/BioGuard and others use to conceal the fact that they are selling you baking soda, available in a purer form at Walmart for ~$0.50/lb! It's bad enough that you overpaid for it; what's worse is that you didn't need it, and will eventually have to remove it -- your TA was ALREADY too high!

If your test reading for CA (= cyanuric acid?) is from the HTH kit, and is really 120 ppm, then your problem is that you don't have NEARLY enough chlorine in the water. The Best Guess chart, linked in my blue signature bar, explains.

To fix the problem, do this:

1. Test your pH -- it's probably too high. If so, read the muriatic acid page in my signature, and then add acid till your read 7.0. (Don't worry, it will come back up on it's own!)
2. While you're adjusting the pH, add 2 gallons of PLAIN 6% bleach each evening to your pool. Don't worry about overdosing -- you'll go MUCH higher once the pH is fixed. Test your pH BEFORE you add the chlorine.
3. Once the pH is down, add 8 gallons of PLAIN 6% bleach in the evening.
4. Check pool color and test chlorine (not pH) in the morning, and report your results. (You should get an orange OTO reading.)
5. If the color has not changed by the following evening, repeat the 8 gallon dose.
6. Check again, and report your results.

IMPORTANT NOTE: These doses depend on a CYA level that is greater than 100. If you tested CYA any other way, besides the cloudy water test in the HTH 6-way drops test OR the Taylor K2006 . . . . do NOT use the 8 gallon doses.

Instead, fix the pH and tell us how you tested.

With a high CYA, you are going to have to run higher chlorine levels than the HTH 6-Way kit can measure since it only goes up to 5ppm. You'll need to order a Taylor K2006 or 2006C kit. (Test kit link in Ben's signature above.)

Thanks for the help!!!

I have been gone for the last week and my wife has been taking care of the pool. I gave her your instructions and she added 2 gals. each night and worked at getting the ph down. I told her to go to the pool store for muriatic acid and they did not have any. The pool people told her that using muriatic acid would eat holes in the linner. I was also a little worried about her handling this product. I told her to just buy what thet were selling which she did. She put in 10lbs of sodium bisulfate which did get the ph down to 7 last night. I returned home this morning and checked the ph and added 8 gals of bleach this morning account it was overcasat. I also vaced the pool and brushed the sides. Then I backed washed the sand filter. I did run some test this afternoon and here are the results:

chlorine very orange OTO reading
PH 7.2
TA 130 (i could not get the test to turn red just yellow after 13 drops??)
CYA 110


It is raining now but the pool looks a lot better!!! The water is blue and cloudy but not green anymore.

I do have a few questions
(1) How long will it take for the chlorine levels to drop after this prosess is done? (kids want in the pool)
(2) how much bleach will it take to maintain the pool after we are done?

I will test the chlorine and ph again tonight and post the results.

I am ording a test kit as we speak. Thanks for the advice!!

CL very orange almost brown( I did try a 25 part test and it was about 75 ppm)
Ph 7.8

Water is blue but still cloudy

This is 12 hours after second 8 gallon dose.

Don't add any more chlorine. Let it drop.

Don't add any clarifier, till it's below 20 ppm.

What is your stabilizer level?