ibmoore 2011 Intex with algae

[lbmoore]

I could use some more help this year. When we opened pool (15'x48" Intex above ground; 4400 gallons) it was of course green and gross. We added water to bring the level back up, bought a new sand filter & pump (1600 gph) and have been adding large amounts of bleach. We backwashed pumped everyday for first 5 days. Our water is no longer green but cloudy. You can see down to the second step on ladder, and nothing beyond.
I had to go into the city so I took a water sample to pool supply store and here are the results. I need to know what I need to add and how.

TDS: 500
CYA: not tested (don't know why they didnt test, BUT I havnt added any this year)
total chlorine: 0
Free Chlorine: 0.2
ph: 7.7
Total Alkalinity: 116
Total Hardness: 224

My pool sits in full sun from sun up until about 6pm.

Thanks in advance for your help.


I'm not sure what to do next. I have hth stabilizer & conditioner (96% cya-4% inert) on hand, bleach, & muriatic acid on hand. I didn't think the ph was out of limits but the girl at the store recommended me to lower it. I was wanting to add cya but not sure now. Our pool sits in full sun from sun up until around 6pm at night.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[Watermom]

Hi ibmoore. Glad to see you back on the forum this year! I started a new thread for you instead of tacking on to the end of your thread from last year. I also merged your two posts and snipped the duplicated information. Hopefully, we can help you get going with this pool!

First of all, you are right that your pH is fine at 7.7. Just leave it alone. Your TA and hardness are fine, although I wouldn't suggest using any cal-hypo for your chlorine source this year.

We really need a CYA reading to be able to accurately help you. You can't assume that it is 0 just because none has been added this year. Sometimes pools keep their CYA over the winter, so you really don't want to add more until we know that reading. For now, go back and ask them to test CYA but don't let them talk you into buying anything.

You really need to get a good test kit so you don't have to rely on anyone else to test your water. Plus, homeowners who use the kit we recommend get more accurate readings than pool stores typically. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C (same kit, larger bottle of some reagents). If you buy it through the Amazon link in my signature, the Pool Forum makes a little money on the sale which helps us keep this form online. Only buy if the seller is Amato Industries, however. Some other sellers are substituting the K-2005 which you do NOT want.

For now, this is what I suggest you do:

-- Go to Walmart and get a cheap OTO/Phenol Red kit (yellow and red drops)
-- Every evening, add 1/2 gallon of plain, unscented 6% bleach slowly to the skimmer while the pump is running being careful not to splash yourself or the liner.
-- If the tester shows very dark yellow when you test, only add 1 quart instead of half gallon.
-- Run your pump 24/7 and backwash when the pressure rises 5-10 psi over clean filter pressure
-- If you are able, you can test chlorine in the morning as well. Same instructions. If really dark yellow, only add a quart. If not, add half a gallon.

Get your CYA reading and post it here and also tell us how the pool is looking and we'll go from there.

Get a kit, get a kit, get a kit! It will make your life much easier and it will make it easier for us to be able to help you.

[lbmoore]

Watermom thanks for your help.

The only thing we put in our pool in the way of actual pool chemicals is cya, none has been added this year. We are trying to follow the BBB method. So bleach is all that has been added this year.

I found a pool store that is close to where I work and will get cya tested tomorrow. I'll be ordering a Taylor kit this week also. I have a 6 way hth dunk kit I've been using to test oto. Last night there was none. The water was looking alot clearer last night until I vacuumed, now it looks really dirty/a little green again! ~sigh~ After vacuuming I added (according to pool calculator) a gallon of bleach.

This morning the chlorine tested dark yellow. By this afternoon it will be gone though, and tonight I will add more. It seems to hold chlorine over night. It's just during the day when it is in full sun for 10 hours that I lose it since I dont have any/enough cya in it.

I have been running the pump 24/7, and backwashing when pressure is 6-7psi.

I'll post the pool store's results tomorrow.

[CarlD]

Yes, until we know if you have CYA or not we cannot tell of the chlorine is vanishing due to fighting algae or UV rays breaking it down. For the first, you need more chlorine. For the second, CYA.

Carl

[lbmoore]

The pool store I went to for testing wasnt very friendly at all! Also there printer was broke so here is what the gal wrote down.

Blank 0
FCI 0.52
TCI 0.13
Ph 7.7
CH 200
TA 40
CYA 5
Cop 0
Ir 0

I had added a gallon of bleach last night at 9pm. The water sample was taken at 7am this morning; if that makes any difference.

Thanks in advance for your help. I am really hoping to get this pool cleared up. Hubby is wanting to buy a bunch of chemicals and I don't know how long I can hold him off!

[Watermom]

Your time frame makes a big difference. That means that none of it was lost to the sun. It was all consumed fighting algae!

A gallon of bleach would add about 13.6ppm of cl to your pool. So, killing algae consumed the whole amount overnight. You need to be testing as many times per day as you can and each time, add enough bleach to get back up to about 10ppm. There is no such thing as testing and adding bleach too often when you have a green pool. Only doing it once per day isn't going to put a dent in it. The key to killing algae is to sustain the high cl reading. As many times per day as you can!

You can also go ahead and add some CYA. Go ahead and put a pound in an old sock and tie it in front of a return jet. Run the pump 24/7. Give it a squeeze every now and then to help it dissolve. That should add about 30ppm more of CYA. You can always add more later if you find that a CYA of 35 isn't high enough to allow you to make it through the day with a cl reading.

Were you able to order a kit?

Bleach, bleach and more bleach as often as you can. Don't let hubby add anything else. It WILL clear!

[lbmoore]

Thanks watermom!

I added the pound of CYA (using the sock method) on Tuesday, it was all dissolved by Wednesday. I've been adding bleach daily, twice a day. This morning when I used my dunk test it was VERY gold, so it's starting to hold chlorine overnight.

The pool is slowly clearing, there is no green, only cloudy. I'll be able to order a kit this week when I get paid and will post the results so we can go from there.

[Watermom]

Excellent news! You're gonna love the kit!