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Thread: Open pool and green algae on the bottom

  1. #1
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    Default Open pool and green algae on the bottom

    Going into my 3rd year of having an in ground pool. Pool company opens pool and by the way the same company who closed the pool last October and what do we have, green algae on the bottom and sides of the pool.

    In ground vinyl pool
    25,000 gallons
    salt generator (at open not enough salt in water to produce chlorine)

    They tell me to vacuum to waste, but prior to doing this they turn on the filter and everything is starting to move around. I started adding water to keep the water level as high as possible and started vacuuming to waste. Immediately you could see the difference in the shallow end. Unfortunately trying to vacuum from outside the pool isn't as easy as it seems and time consuming. Before I get half way done the deep end was not visible and the shallow end was getting very murky. Plus even though I was adding water the water level was to low to continue so I stopped vacuuming. Also the pool company told me to hold off adding the initial chemicals until I finished vacuuming to waste, which I did. So the water level gets high enough to start vacuuming again, but now the water is so murky I can't see the bottom at all.

    At this point I add all chemicals that they left for me. Couple bags of shock and bottle of algaecide. We call the pool company up and ***** that since they closed the pool there must be something they did wrong for this to happen. Of course they didn't see it that way and told me they close every pool the same way with the same chemicals. I openly laughed and said there is your problem. Shouldn't you test the water and use what is needed to keep the water fresh? Needless to say if I owed a pool company I would so many of these clowns out of business, but I'm off topic right now.

    So they tell me to continue running the filter and come in and bring a water test. I did and purchased 20lbs of alkalinity+, 6 bags of chlorine shock, 6 bags of super shock (non-chlorine shock?) and a bottle of algaecide 60. Plus I still have 3 chlorine tablets left around that I added.

    48 hour later I still have the same looking pea soup pool.

    Now 2 years after they finished construction and had a tarp and air bags covering the pool they opened it up to a little bit of algae that seemed to balloon out of control quickly. Another pool guy by the name of Mike from a different pool company, who I trust had me add a bottle of "something" to the pool. He said the pool will get worst before it will get better and told us the green will turn to a horrible brown color within a day. Sure enough it did, but within a few days algae was dead and we were on our way to a nice looking pool.

    What was the stuff that he had me add?
    How can get rid of this green algae?
    Please help....

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Open pool and green algae on the bottom

    1. Buy 20 gallons of PLAIN 8% store brand bleach; add 10 gallons this evening.
    2. While at the store, get a cheap OTO/phenol drops kit. Test the pool before adding the bleach.
    3. Put the pump on circulate, instead of filter.
    4. Post your pool dimensions, your pump make/model, your filter make/model, and your test results.
    5. Test again in the AM, and post results.
    6. Order a K2006 test kit (3/4 oz 'A' version or 2 oz 'C' version) from Amazon -- kit links page in my blue signature block.
    7. Expect to add 10 gallon doses 2 - 3 more times -- but we'll know more once we have your PM and then AM OTO test results.

    8. Do NOT add any other pool goop! Bleach for now; muriatic acid or borax later if we find your pH is seriously out of range. Otherwise NOTHING!

    9. If you've overlooked mentioning that copper algaecides have been added . . . cut the bleach doses back to 3 gallons, and tell us EXACTLY what has been added.

    Good luck!

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