Newbie w/ very GREEN pool - HELP!!!

[BigDave]

I agree with dmanb2b, your CYA may be well above 100, can you try diluting your pool water 1 to 1 with distilled (maybe even tap) and test the dilute sample for CYA, if it's still 100, dilute 2 to 1 etc. until you get a reading within the range of the test. The accuracy of this testing will be lower but you'll have a target for the partial drain / refill you'll need. There are some postings on this forum that describe using a plastic membrane to fill while draining without risking the integrity of your pool or wasting fill water.

[gettinthesplash]

It's starting to clear up! Can faintly see the bottom and it's changing to blue.

[aylad]

Good work!! Keep that chlorine up above your shock level, keep the filter running, and clean/backwash it as your pressure indicates. Sometimes it takes awhile, that's why one of the most important ingredients is POPP (Pool owner patience and persistence)!

Hang in there...

Janet

[gettinthesplash]

It's definitely blue now!! Am I right that I need to keep it at shock level until the ppm doesn't drop over night? not even 1 ppm? and CC at 0? anything else? To others dealing with algae and high CYA, definitely replace water if you don't have lots of patience and want to go swimming ASAP. According to my testing, my CYA has dropped to 60. The only "replacement" I did was backwashing and adding water to keep pool full, plus rain. Lately we've been keeping the FC @ 30 - 35 ppm. Even with diluting I could never get my CYA to test more than 100, but it sure seems like it could have been. I've been really busy and away some days so didn't always keep real close tabs on my FC levels and it dipped some. I'm sure that attributed to how long it's taking to clear it up. Feels pretty good to see progress!! Thanks everybody for your help! I really appreciate this forum.

[aylad]

Glad to hear you're getting some results!! You're right--maintain your shock level until the CC is zero, the water is clear, and you're not losing more than 1 ppm of chlorine when testing at sundown and in the morning before the sun hits the pool. When you reach that stage, and let the chlorine drift down, remember that with a CYA of 60 you're still going to have to maintain a minimum chlorine level of 5-10. I would try to keep it around 7-8 just to be on the safe side and give yourself a little wiggle room in case of a rainy day or forgotten dose of chlorine.

Good job!

Janet

[gettinthesplash]

My pool is clear!!!! What a beautiful sight!!! Now I can see my lil' shark at work. Need to check tonight/tomorrow morning to see if my FC is holding. CC is at 0. Problem is will it be warm enough to go swimming once its ready? Oh well, at least it's CLEAN and I know alot better what I'm doing and next year will be different.

[BigDave]

I'm so happy for you! Way to go!

[aylad]

Problem is will it be warm enough to go swimming once its ready?

It would be if you lived down here--my water temp has finally hit a low 88 degrees!!

Good job on clearing up your pool. It'll be so easy for you next year!!
Janet

[Watermom]

After all that work clearing the pool, ya gotta at least jump in for a few minutes!

[gettinthesplash]

It got really warm again and I want to go for a swim. My problem, I haven't yet gotten it to not drop more than 1 ppm overnight. Every day it accumulates brown dirt on the bottom that is very easy to sweep up. Is that dead algae it's still killing or dirt blowing in? What's the damage of just letting the chlorine drop so maybe we can get in another time before we close it up? Monday night it only dropped 2 ppm, last night 3 ppm. And I'm occasionally reading a trace of CC. I love to stand beside my pool and enjoy the gorgeous sight of crystal clear, beautiful water!!!! Can't get enough of it. Thanks again everybody!! So glad I found you!