New homeowners with GREEN pool :(

[mrsbanks]

Like you, I bought a house with a green pool (last july) and followed the directions on this site. Took only about a week to clear up - you can be confident in that the BBB method works well. Here's a before and after from my pool: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1486580...in/photostream

HOLY WOW!!!!!!! that is the exact color my pool was when we moved in 2 weeks ago! I should go take a picture and do that everyday to show the progress. It got to where it was a light sea green, but for some reason, after I added everything, it's back to a nasty green.

[Spensar]

Constant chlorine and patience, it will get clear! Been there, done that, and thank goodness for this forum.

One thing not mentioned, is that after your water clears, you will likely see "dust" on the bottom of the pool, which is dead algae. I like to deal with it by vacumming to waste on the filter. ie. You are taking water out of the pool and putting it straight down the drain instead of trying to filter out all the particles. This is practical in my area where spring rain keeps the water levels up, and city water is reasonable.

[mrsbanks]

Constant chlorine and patience, it will get clear! Been there, done that, and thank goodness for this forum.

One thing not mentioned, is that after your water clears, you will likely see "dust" on the bottom of the pool, which is dead algae. I like to deal with it by vacumming to waste on the filter. ie. You are taking water out of the pool and putting it straight down the drain instead of trying to filter out all the particles. This is practical in my area where spring rain keeps the water levels up, and city water is reasonable.

How do I vacuum to waste? Whenever I turn the waste valve on, the only thing that happens is a ton of water comes out.

[CarlD]

If you have a multivalve on your filter, there should be a "waste" setting. You vacuum by plugging into your skimmer and when the pump is on the water comes out there, full force, which is why you have to have it drain somewhere (that's what rollup backwash hoses are for).

Yeah you lose water but I'd plug my other drains and only use the one the vacuum is in to minimize water loss.

[madwil]

you should be turning off the pump while changing the valve for most models... and you shouldn't get a gush of water when you change the valve, I don't think.
1- turn off pump
2- attach vacuum
3- change valve to waste
4- turn on pump
5- vacuum til pressure increases (usually about 10 psi above clean filter, but do not exceed filter max!)
6- turn off pump
7- backwash filter/ clean or replace cartridge
8- change valve back to waste if still needing vacuum, and vacuum some more
9- if no more vacuuming, restore valve to filter mode
10- turn on pump

The more frequently you can test Cl, and add however much to get back to shock levels, the quicker it will clear- so keep adding Cl regularly until it holds Cl level over night!

[mrsbanks]

Ok, sorry I haven't updated, been crazy. My free chlorine level has been at the 20 mark now since yesterday. And it even rained real good yesterday. My PH is dropping to the low low mark. So I guess I need to add more Borax? It's looking a little better. Still green but getting better. Am I still doing everything right? I've been doing what y'all have said...except I've stopped adding bleach cuz it go so high. Is that right. Here's a before and now pic of my pool

[PoolDoc]

1. Yes, add borax, if your pH shows low. But, you might want to set some pool water out in a shallow glass bowl, in the sun, and test the pH at the end of the day. Hopefully, the chlorine will be low enough to get a valid pH reading. Worst case: adding too much borax won't hurt much.

2. Be sure to brush the pool carefully. You don't want to leave any undisturbed piles of algae. Free chlorine does NOT penetrate 'algae clumps' well.

3. Do what you can to help your filter. Or, consider filling to overflow, turning your pump off overnight, and vacuuming to waste (via siphon) in the AM -- to get the settled algae out.

Ben