Green pool, advice from local pool store?

[kelemvor]

You need to get your pool to shock level and keep it there until you don't lose more than 1ppm FC overnight. I like my pool store guys because I think they've given me good advice in the past (they have told me the exact same things I've read on this forum), but I really question adding CYA before shocking as well as throwing Sodium Bromide (mustard eliminator) into your chlorine based pool. Getting mustard eliminator back out of your pool once you add it can be real tough from what I've read. I'd avoid that stuff like the plague, personally.

At 15ppm CYA you need to reach 12ppm or higher FC to shock the pool. In 34k gallons you'll need about 7 gallons of regular 6% bleach to get there. Most folks find grocery store bleach cheapest, but my local pool store sells 10.5% for less overall (about half the price) than I can find 6% bleach for, so I use that. If you use 10.5% you only need 4 gallons.

Also, you might really want to consider getting a good test kit and testing the water yourself. It's probably the best investment a pool owner can make, especially when fighting algae like this. The Taylor K-2006 is the kit to get, and this site has links to order it here: http://poolsolutions.com/testkit-order-links.html. You can order it elsewhere, just make sure not to get the K-2005 by mistake.

The numbers I gave you above were based on the "best guess chlorine chart" (to figure out your target FC given your CYA of 15) and the pool calculator (to figure out how much to add given your water volume).

[kelemvor]

Whoops, I see waterbear already answered and I missed it. Take his advice over mine!

[Darrenmv]

Thanks for all of the advice so far. Let me say I DID NOT ADD the Sodium Bromide. I was waiting for advice from the forum here before I added anything other than straight bleach. Let me know ASAP if your advice changes based on the fact that I DID NOT add the Sodium Bromide.

1. Salt cell SmartPure Sanitizer II - Blue Haven.
2. Control panel is Goldline Controls PL-P-4-X288.
3. Pool store tested the salt level the first time I went in on the 27th, but not 2nd time on the 6th. Salt level on the 27th was 3900ppm. Too high I am sure. I added because my control panel said salt was too low, and like an idiot I added salt without doing a manual test of the salt level.
4. Mustard Eliminator they gave me is 99% Sodium Bromide. I did NOT put any in. I will be returning it along with the clarifier they sold me.
5. I have my own test kit. So I can also test the water myself, no problem. Kit I have is Taylor K-1005 iCare Residential Pool & Spa Test Kit.

Thanks for your help. Looking forward to additional recommendations.

Darren

[BigDave]

You can add a Taylor K-1515 FAS-DPD kit to your K-2005 and get accurate chlorine measurements at high chlorine levels. You'll have every thing in the K-2006 plus the color match DPD chlorine test.

[Darrenmv]

Please confirm. I still should put 10 gallons of 6% chlorine in my pool (take chlorine level to 20ppm and keep it there?) even though I did not put the Sodium Bromide in the pool? Or can I use less since I did not use the Sodium Bromide?

Thanks,
Darren

[PoolDoc]

20 ppm is fine, if you have a concrete pool.

If you have a vinyl pool, I'd recommend trying 6 gallons at a time first, given that your stabilizer level is so low.

Also, brush the pool after adding the chlorine, and then use an OTO / phenol red kit to check your chlorine, in the AM. If it's below 5 ppm, add more.

IMPORTANT: when the chlorine is above 10 ppm, you can NOT test with a K2005: not chlorine, and not pH! With the K2006 or the K1515, you can test chlorine to 50 ppm accurately, but pH testing is still limited to 10 ppm. There's a work around, but you should not need it yet.

The cheap OTO kit can't test pH above 5 ppm chlorine, but the OTO will go to 50 ppm or more. It's not very precise, but it's very dependable.

With your low stabilizer, the algae killing range is dark yellow to orangish-yellow (~10 - 20 ppm)

[Darrenmv]

6% Chlorine Bleach is $2.98 for 1.42 gallons.
Calcium Hpyochlorite 68% is $16.99 for 5lbs at local pool store.

My pool salt level right now is testing too high (3900+). Not a big deal at the moment since my salt cell is broken and it's supposed to rain for 3 straight days.

I need to take my pool to shock level, my CYA is 15ppm.

My pool is gunite and my hardness level is testing at 180ppm.

Should I go for the bleach or the Calcium Hypochlorite? And how much will I need to get it up to shock level? My chlorine level right now is less than 2ppm.

Thanks,
Darren

[waterbear]

You can add a Taylor K-1515 FAS-DPD kit to your K-2005 and get accurate chlorine measurements at high chlorine levels. You'll have every thing in the K-2006 plus the color match DPD chlorine test.

His kit is a k-1005, NOT A k-2005. It is a different and less expensive Taylor kit. While it is a serviceable DPD test kit it is not as good as a K-2005 or K-2006.

20 ppm is fine, if you have a concrete pool.

Ben, his first post said 34k gallon gunite!