Pool Still green after 20 gals of bleach...1st time post.

[Steve V]

We opened over 10,000 gal above ground pool last week in April. Any how this is our 2nd year with the house and pool. 1st year was great. Opened clear and used all summer with very little issues. One small algae prob that went away over nite with algaecide. Wife did all chemicals with test strips.

Closed pool and did not lower water level. Added nothing extra. Used cover that did not want anything underneath to prop it up. Here where the problems begin.. should've found this forum 1st and closed it the right way.Hose busted sometime over the winter and water went down to skimmer level. Fixed hose this spring opened pool...GREEN,...crap in it everywhere. Skimmed the bottom to rid leaves etc that went in when the cover came off.Tried pool store chemicals for 2 weeks got frustrated and broke. Found this forum and have been lurking since.

Trying the BBB method have added about 20 gals of bleach. I have got most of the trash off the bottom. Alky is good ph a little low..added borax...still a little low. Sunday nite added 5 gals of bleach. Still was at 10ppm on the stick in am. Also 16oz of stablizer,1 bag of shock and ph up. Monday nite added another 10 gals and have 12 ready for tonite.
Pool is a little better I could see bottom last nite before I brushed it and the sides.

I have a real test kit in route....the one the site recommends.

Tonite I am gonna try to vaccum on waste. Add some more bleach...8-10 gals or so. Test in am and add more before I go to work. I am guessing I will have to keep the cholrine high for 3-5 days to kill all the green stuff. Should I get a product called sink for the debris so I can vaccum it out?

Thanks for any and all adivse. It's getting hot in VA,wife is 6 mons pregnant with out 1st and we want to hang out in the pool.

[Watermom]

I hope i catch you before you add 8-10 gallons of bleach to your pool! That is WAY too much for a 10K pool. 8 gallons will take your chlorine up to 48ppm which can damage your liner. In a 10K pool, each quart of 6% bleach will add 1.5ppm of chlorine.

Any idea what your CYA (stabilizer) reading is? How about your pH level? What did you use for chlorine last season?

Do not use anything other than bleach right now and Borax if your pH is below 7.0. You cannot get an accurate pH reading when your chlorine is high, by the way. For now, until we know some actual testing numbers, just take your chlorine up to 12. Test as many times per day as you can, and each time add enough bleach to get back to 12. Run the pump 24/7 while you are trying to clear it up and clean your filter as needed. What type of filter do you have?

Repost with requested info and keep us posted how it is going. Hopefully you'll get your test kit soon! Welcome to the forum!

[PoolDoc]

Hi Steve;

As Watermom said, 48 ppm at one time is too much for a liner pool . . . but when you've got the green sludge, the total chlorine demand (before you're all cleaned up) can exceed 200ppm! So, by all means, vacuum and clean out all the sludge you can.

Don't add any more CYA, till the sludge and green is gone. Do test CYA as soon as you can -- that will tell you what your normal and maximum chlorine levels need to be.

Do add chlorine in the evening, when it can fight algae without being affected by sunlight.

Do NOT add any 'goop' - floc, clarifier, algaecides, enzymes, phosphate removers, etc.. They will only slow down the process, and in many cases they are NOT compatible with high levels of chlorine, but will INCREASE the amount of chlorine it takes for cleanup.

If your filter needs service or repair, get it done ASAP -- you can't clean up your pool with chemicals alone.

Ben

[Steve V]

Opps...this is going to be an expensive lesson for sure.

It's a sand filter and I backwash regularly.

PH is around 7.

We used 3in tablets last year. I did nothing when I closed it up last year...idoit.

vaccumed tonite,lots of gunk kept clogging the skimmer baskets. I got a lot out though. Water is a lighter green and murkey.

I will not add any more bleach.

Wifey is taking a sample to the pool store after work tommorrow.

[Watermom]

Don't let the pH drop below 7.0. Post readings tomorrow.

[madwil]

Where in VA are you? I'm in Gloucester, work in Yorktown...
and it did get hot (suddenly/finally)- spent last weekend outside (deck/pool work) started on a tan; yesterday burned up as was working outside about 1/2 day
I'm not used to 90 yet!!!!

[Steve V]

Little update. The wife did not make it to the pool store yesterday. And my test kit is not here yet. I did check water with test strips and both the chlorines are pegged. Alk was good PH a little low so added 1/2 box borax into the skimmer after a backwash. Very little debris in pool on surface or in water. Filter used get restricted in a few hours,ran allday yetserday and all lastnite with no probs.

Can almost see the bottom. Water is 84 degrees and we are ready to get in it.

Hopefully today will bring my kit and we'll see what pool says about water sample for stablizer.

[Steve V]

Madwil...In surry county,work in Williamsburg.

[madwil]

Cool- my pool was 86 yesterday evening; got home from work with a cold beer and a swim!
Good luck on your pool clearing up for Memorial Weekend!; I'll be using the big salt water pool to our east this weekend! camping at FT Story, going to the beach...

[Steve V]

Wife went to pool store. They could not figure out what was wrong with our water other than our phospates are extremely high,no other recs on pool chemicals. Asked her what color and she said it was green,they said we don't know what to tell you other than add phosphate balls in the skimmer. She bought 2 at $10.00 and I told her No we are not using them....shes know more chemistry than me and is mad at me now . Pool store said do not use bleach it will hurt your liner.

Anyway pool is still a mid to light green,not slimy or smelly does smell like chlorine. Total chlor off the chart,free chlorine pegged,alky ,ph ,cal all ok ph actually came up to middle of color chart after borax yesterday evening.

Our real test kit is still not here....dang it!!! maybe tommorrow.