When to admit defeat and start over?

[SpacemanSpiff]

Hi all.
We're on our 2nd season with an 18'x48" Intex 'baloon type' AGP that got away from us over the winter and opened very badly. Lots of algae.

Before I go into details about what all chemicals we've thrown in and what our measurements are [or lack thereof], I have to question whether it's even worth it.

We've been at this for over 4 weeks and have spent more money on filters, supplies and chemicals than the $47.00 it would cost to simply drain, clean and refill, not to mention not being able to actually use the thing.

By haphazardly following advice from this site, we've managed to kill off most of the algae to the point the water was mostly clear, with just some greenish/brown dust piles on the bottom. The 'debris vacuum' the pool comes with is worthless on that, so I picked up a 1½" hose and vacuum head, and hooked it straight to the Intex pump/filter. It vacs up a little, but we quickly lose suction. I don't think the Intex pump is strong enough to draw through 25' of hose.

In the process of vacuuming from inside the pool, we stirred up all the bottom dust and made the water cloudy again. We also noticed that quite a bit of the dust was flowing right through the filter and back into the water.

So, the question at this stage is, should we keep on keepin' on, or drain the thing and start over? And should we buy a bigger pump? [such as http://smile.amazon.com/Swim-Time-NE...=1&*entries*=0 ]
The Intex pump seems to do the job as long as the algae is under control, but if it does get out of control, it fails miserably.

[Watermom]

If you can, it will be faster to dump it and start over. Then, with your freshly filled pool, you can use our Super Simple Start-up Recipe to get the chemistry started on the right foot. http://pool9.net/sspool-info/

Those little pools are actually harder to deal with than a big pool at times. It is critical that you not let algae have a chance to get started because, as you have found out, it is extremely difficult to clear up.

Let us know if you have other questions.

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Welcome to the Pool Forum!

[SpacemanSpiff]

Thanks. That's what we thought.

Now, is it worth replacing the Intex pump with the one in my earlier post?
Any firsthand with that pump?

http://amazon.com/Swim-Time-NE6151B-...=1&*entries*=0

[Watermom]

I'm going to ask Dave, who is one of our support team members, to take a look at your question. He is more familiar with Intex equipment than I am.

[BigDave]

That pump (by specification) would be way too much for your pool.

What filter were you considering? Intex makes some sand filters that would be appropriate. The Hayward VL would also be appropriate.

[PoolDoc]

. . . membership updated.

New filter cartridges will help, but a bigger pump by itself will not. If you want to improve filtration, but a pump + filter like this:

Intex Sand Filter Pump 2900 Gallons (GPH)

But, for $47, I'd absolutely start over . . . even if you get the new pump. It's hard to clean up algae, and harder to clean up chemical hobo soup, which it sounds like you have.

Good luck!

[SpacemanSpiff]

Thanks all.
After some deliberation [and laziness on my part] we've decided to try and fix this rather than starting over.

The green is gone, but it is now milky, and we can no longer see the squares pattern on the bottom.
We can see about a 2' dia pile of something dusty looking [dead algae?] in the center.
We currently only have a 3-way test kit, but can get the water tested tomorrow at a pool store.
As of right now we have:
CL ~ 10 [using distilled water method]
pH ~ 7.7
BM ~ 22

Over the last several weeks we've added:
2½ 1# pkgs of Aquachem Shock and Shock + [we can't remember the exact combination]
1 box of Baking Soda [which I can't recall why]
2 boxes of Borax
2 gal Walmart's Finest Liquid Bleach
a few handfuls of 1" chlorine tablets in a floating duck [he wanted to help ]
2 loads of 1" cl tabs in the top ½ of the filter. [OEM Intex pump/type a/c filter. mdl # avail on request]

The only things added in the last 4-5 days was 1g of bleach as we still saw some algae and the cl had fallen to 0, and 1 box Borax this afternoon to get the pH up.
The CL has been over 10 since we added the bleach, but it's coming down little by little.
We take the cover off for several hours each day to burn off the excess CL.

The questions on the floor:
Are we on the right track?
What is our next step?
With CL@10 and pH@7.7, can we swim even though it's milky? It's way hot here [90+ every day] and the pool would be nice.
It's just two adults.

Thanks again!

[Watermom]

There is one really critical testing result that is needed or we are not really going to be able to help and that is a CYA reading. Without knowing that, we can't know how high you should be keeping your chlorine.

The test kit that we recommend is the Taylor K2006 or 2006C (better buy). But, it is not available locally. You can get it through this link, though. http://pool9.net/tk/

But, in the meantime, go to Walmart and see if they have the HTH 6-Way drops-based kit (no test strips!) That kit does have a test for CYA.

(As far as laziness on your part, fixing this is actually going to be WAY harder than dumping it and starting over.)

Edit-- What is BM 22?

[SpacemanSpiff]

Ok, we're back from the pool store.
Our numbers are as follows:

FC = 12.05
TC > 15.66 [Their machine limit]
CC = 3.61
pH = 7.8
Hardness = 36
Alk = 104.3
CYA = 29
Copper = 0.1
Iron = 0.2
Borate = 24

Our Walmart is out of the 6-way kit, so a Taylor K2006 is on its way.
BM = 22 was a typo for BR, Borate. Sorry. [M and R are so close on the keyboard... ]

The pool store computer recommendation was to add:

7.5oz of pH Minus
10lb, 4oz Calcium Plus for the hardness
7.2oz Aquabrite Super Shock to bring down the TC
4oz Stabilizer

Talking to the pool store guy, he was basically, "just leave it alone. Don't add anything until the CC gets down around normal [from sun burn off/swimming], and then add Stabilizer.
He said the milkiness should go away in several days or so, and that, while not pretty, was nothing to stop swimming.

Does all this sound about right?

[Watermom]

Does all this sound about right?

Uhh, no.

We can tell from looking at your numbers that they are bogus. There is no testing that can give you reading to the nearest hundredth (two decimal positions). They do that to make it look so official but basically, it is meaningless for the most part. Then, they recommend that you add calcium to a vinyl pool. Why? Vinyl pools don't even need calcium.

Your pH and TA are fine. Leave them alone. Until you get your K2006 and can test yourself so we will really know what your numbers are, just try to maintain chlorine at about 15ppm. You can use the color chart at this link to help you estimate what 15ppm will look like on your tester since it will actually only read to 5ppm. http://pool9.net/oto-chart/
For reference, in your pool, each quart of 8.25% bleach will add about 3ppm of chlorine. Run the pump 24/7 and clean your filter as needed.

You do probably need more stabilizer but how much depends on what your reading is when you test it yourself. 4 oz. of stabilizer will only add about 5ppm of CYA to your pool. Assuming that your CYA is 29, which I doubt, then that would only put you at about 34 which is still too low. Wait to add any for now.

Once the kit arrives, test and post your numbers and someone here will help you decide what to do at that point.