Algae loves my pool

I wrote this post about what is in various products since this question of whether grocery/hardware store equivalents are really the same as pool store products comes up frequently from users new to these forums. Regular Clorox (Ultra in Canada) and off-brand Ultra bleaches are pretty much all 6% sodium hypochlorite, 4.7% sodium chloride salt and 88.7% water. Clorox has a very small amount of sodium polyacrylate in it as well (it is a mild metal sequestrant but as diluted in pools the amount is negligible).

Well when it rains it pours. I drained about 2/3 of my pool and is now filled back up and it rained a lot last night. Went to go turn the pump on and now that doesn't work. (My husband is real handy and he said it froze need a new one.) So I am headed to the pool store to go buy another one. OMG I hope nothing else goes wrong as they say things happen in threes. UGH!
I'll have my water tested and I'll stop at walmart and buy a bunch of bleach and whatever else (borax or baking soda) provided what the pH is. I'll report the numbers when I get back.
Thanks guys!

I would suggest getting an inground pump because they are usually easier to open. I have a pool the same size as yours and when I replaced mine, I bought a full-rated 1/2 hp inground pump for my AG pool and it has been fine. (Chose that one based on the recommendation of my fellow mod Poconos who is our resident pump expert.) Be cautioned --- the pool store will try and sell you a bigger pump than you need! They will probably also try and tell you that you can't use an inground pump on an AG pool and that it is NOT true. That's what I am doing!

I'm getting the same one I have which is the Hayward 1.5 hp. The store is matching amazons price. This pump has lasted me 8-10yrs. Can't really go wrong with a hayward. It is relatively easy to open to clean out the inner basket, if that is what you meant about opening easily. 1/2 hp isn't enough, I need 1 1/2hp for my AG and filter size. It seems to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Nothing like a good filtration system. I'll need it after what my water looks like now with all this rain, Light green, cloudy Dangnamit!!

Mix your bleach -- 1 gallon to a couple of gallons of water -- and add it NOW! Do NOT wait for the pump to be installed. You can pour bleach into the pool, walking it around the edges, and get pretty fair distribution. But do not let it turn into a slime pit while you're working on the pump. It's much, much easier to maintain it, now, than it will be to clean it up once it becomes a swamp.

Ben

It is your pool and certainly your decision but 1-1/2 hp is too big for this small of a pool. It isn't energy efficient and just overkill. I think you would find here on our forum that most of our pump experts would agree that you don't need that big of a pump. On pool pumps, it is definitely not a case of bigger is better. Like I mentioned, my pool is the same size as yours and 1/2 hp has been just fine. At any rate, it is your decision. Just offering an opinion for you.

How much did u pay for it? On my way to pool place now. What kind/brand is yours? What type filter do you have? Mine is a sand filter and takes 150lbs of sand. Hate to change when it has worked so well.

Here are my results.
FC 7
TC 7
pH 7.6
Hard 200
Alkalinity 200
CYA is still 80!!
I'm going to buy cal hypo to eliminate prob a little quicker then use bleach. What should I do about CYA still high?
I'm at store now.
Thanks.

It has been several years since I bought it and I can't remember how much I paid for it but it is a Hayward Super Pump 1/2 hp full-rated inground pump, single speed.. Probably paid around $200 or so I think but not sure. I have a 200 lb. sand filter. The problem with oversized pumps is they are so powerful that they force stuff right through the filter and don't do as well as they should at filtering the water. This is especially true if your filter isn't that big. Do what you feel comfortable with but you really can get by with a smaller pump. It will most likely help your filter to work better (and yours isn't that big) and it will save you on your electric bill. We often have people on here with algae problems who finally get the algae cleared up but can't get it to filter out and typically we find that they have pumps that are way too big and thus it is just forcing stuff through the filter back into the pool without filtering it.

The only thing to do to lower cya is to do a partial drain and refill. Or you can just run higher than normal chlorine levels. See the best guess chart (which is actually factual and not a guess) in my signature line below. Also, cal-hypo isn't going to clear the pool any faster than bleach will. But, it will raise your calcium hardness reading. You are still ok at 200 but calcium is not needed in a vinyl pool --- no matter what the pool store tells you.