Please Help / Advise

[DavidD]

First, I think your CC level of 6 is suspect. I would definitely test it again.
Secondly, you should get your FC level higher than 2.5, say around 10 ppm, and hold it there for a couple of days (CC is the "poop" you mentioned previously, or also known as used up FC. Shocking will inturn get rid of it.). This will require shocking and I'd use plain ultra bleach. I'm not sure how many gallons it will take since you didn't say how many gallons your pool is. You will have to add it several times a day, brushing and vacuuming to waste at least once a day. You could also use Cal Hypo to shock but since you didn't post CH (calcium hardness) numbers it is not at the top of my recommendations since your CH level may be high from last years shocking.

Since your CYA is 0, I see nothing wrong with using the "pucks" after you get rid of the algae but keep a close eye on PH as they tend to lower it rather quickly. Don't use them now and empty your feader if you have one while using the bleach. You should also post your ALK numbers as well. Hold off putting any other chemicals/clarifiers in the water until this problem is resolved.

[meajma]

Thanks for your advise David.

I did shock it with a couple of bags last night after taking my readings.. so I'd imagine that my FC has gone up considerably. I'll check both again when I get off work.

I was curious about my ALK and so I think it tested around 120 or thereabouts. I'm not sure of the CH as I have not yet tested for that.

I'm working until 7PM today and also tomorrow, so I may not be able to do much for now, but after that I'll have a few days to focus all my attention on it. I'm running the pump 24/7 in the mean time.

Thanks again, it's much appreciated.

[DavidD]

ALK seems fine and unless your CH is way high (450 or above?) it should also be fine. The main point is that you should keep your FC up until the algae is gone. You can go ahead and get started by shocking again tonight if needed. Any idea how many gallons you have?

[meajma]

being a 16x32 with a 3' shallow end and an 8' deep end, I'd guestimate ~24000 gallons.. does that sound close..? I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in that ballpark.

[meajma]

I'll test my CH tonight as well and then post it.

Does it being too high result in cloudiness etc.. ?

[DavidD]

24k gallons could be right but I'd guess around 22k. Either way, one gallon of 6% bleach should raise your FC by ~2.5ppm. High CH can cause scaling but sometimes shocking with cal-hypo with high CH will cause cloudiness, however I'll bet your issues all stem from the algae.

[waterbear]

A couple of thoughts.....

If the DPD powder is black I would not trust the resuts....get a cheap OTO kit (turns yellow to test for TC) and check the level until Ben's kit arrives. IF the OTO shows high levels of TC around where you are testing now then you very well might have a huge chlorine demand going on right now becuase of the bacterial breakdown of the CYA. This is going to take a LOT of bleach or shock to eat up the 'poop'.

Check the third post in this thread for Ben's advice
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=1001

ALK of 120 is fine.

Your Calcium level is is only a concern if you have very hard fill water. Cal Hypo does add some calcium to your pool but not that much.
You might want to test the Calcium hardness just for peace of mind. If it is much above 400 then raising your pH to 7.8 might cause some cloudiness but as Ben said in the above thread your filter should take care of that. Once again for peace of mind, you might want to stick with just bleach to shock.

It might take some time and a lot of bleach to kill the algae and clear the pool but it will and you will be swimming soon.

Post a recent set of full test results and that will help to see just where you are now.