snotty white stuff in my pool

[Ohio Canoe]

Pahurley,

Had the same problem for about a month. Spent a good amount of money at the pool store and still came back. The Pool Forum folks and the BBB method is what worked. Follow Pool Doc's directions to the letter and your pool will look better than it ever has. Sometimes I just sit and marvel at how crystal clear using only bleach and borax make my pool. Haven't been back to the pool store since I got my Taylor test kit.

Thanks again guys!!!

[PoolDoc]

i did power wash my cartridge today and soaked it in clorox, plus shocked the pool.

I'm sorry; that pretty much destroys cartridges. You need a new one. Get your EXACT filter make / model, and I'll try to help you find a Wilbur or Unicel replacement. Pleatco is pretty low quality. (Great marketing program, though!)

Use borax, to raise your pH:

+ We routinely recommend the use of 20 Mule Team borax INSTEAD of soda ash, for several reasons. It's cheaper than pH Plus (soda ash labeled for pools) but more importantly, it does not raise your alkalinity much, and does not combine with calcium to cloud your pool. The way to add is it is to pour it into your skimmer SLOWLY, while the pump is running. (How slowly? Slowly enough that it doesn't make a big pile in the bottom.)

Borax also can help control algae, but you have to add a LOT. It ends up costing around $50 per 10,000 gallons of pool water, for borax and muriatic acid, if you buy your borax at Walmart and your muriatic acid at Lowes. Soda ash is now frequently available at Walmart in the detergent section, at prices MUCH cheaper than the pool prices for the same chemical. If you ALSO need to raise your alkalinity, you can buy that instead. But if your alkalintiy is high enough, and you only need to raise your pH, it's better to use borax:[INDENT]20 Mule Team Borax @ Walmart