18 x 36 filled with algae

[shannon2014]

salt water pool 18x36 - cover all winter - after opening it pump died and pool sat open for a week with out water moving - had major green algea. FLOCed pool and have vacummed to waste - now what?? Was taking sample to pool store to see what they say and then use BBB to adjust as needed. I know I need to get my own testing kit and plan to today. Also need advice on that too.

[Watermom]

Let me start with your bottom question -- what test kit to get. That one is easy. Get a Taylor K2006 or 2006C (better buy). Not available locally, though. You can order it through the test kit link in my signature below.

For now, can you go to Walmart and pick up the 6-way drops-based test kit? (No test strips or 'guess strips' as we call them.) Test your pool and report your readings. While you are at Walmart, pick up several jugs of their plain, unscented bleach (generic Walmart bleach) and also a couple of boxes of 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry aisle.)

When you re-post with current water testing results, tell us what kind and size of pump and filter you have, what your volume is and what kind of pool this is. Also, tell us specifically what all you have added to the pool, meaning ingredients and not just product names.

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

[shannon2014]

in ground vinyl salt water sand filter pool 18x36. Pump is 3/4 HP with booster pump for pentair Here are my readings
ALK 180
Ph 8
Free Chl 10
HRD 0
CYA 60
It is telling me to buy ph down and calcium hardener. Help. Since I put floc in pool and vacuumed to waste I have not added anything

[Watermom]

What kind of kit did you use to get these readings or are they from a pool store? There is no reason to add calcium to a vinyl pool! Whenever a pool store tells you that, it has to make you suspicious that they don't really know what they are doing.

Your pH is a little high but not terribly so and depending on how they tested, it may not even be accurate since some kits cause falsely high pH readings whenever the chlorine level is above 5ppm.

Can you test your water yourself and give us your readings? (Test kit suggestions given in my previous post.)

[shannon2014]

I used to 6-1 kit you recommended. What about the alkalinity?

[Watermom]

Is your pool still green? Worry about getting it clear and then you can tweak your alk.

[shannon2014]

Low end is good. Deep end still murky. Going to floc it one more time. Last text it dropped a lot of algae

[shannon2014]

Think I have mustard algae. water is clear until I sweep affected areas - then turns into a brown cloud. What can I do? Used a clarifier last night and problem seems worse today. Waiting on my Taylo test kit to come. Afraid to go to pool store as I am sure they dont give me accurate test results for water sample

[Themadczar]

First of all, I would suggest no more pool store chemicals (floc, clarifier, etc.). Next get familiar with the "Best Guess" Chart in Watermom's signature. At 60ppm cya, 10 ppm of fc is too low to deal with algae. You need to be at +Shock levels and keep it there until 1) water is clear, 2) cc is 0.5 or less, and 3) you lose no more than 1ppm of fc between sundown and sunrise.