Need help! Please!!!

[aylad]

As long as you have green, you still have live algae. Keep adding bleach to go back up to 20 ppm--if you let your chlorine yo-yo up and down, you're fighting a losing battle. test at least a couple of times daily and each time add enough bleach to get back up to 20 ppm.......the more often you do this, the faster it'll clear up. Once all the algae is dead and you have cloudy (but white, not green clouds) water, continual brushing and leaving the filter on 24/7 will get rid of the dead algae suspended in the water, which is causing the cloudiness. Be patient, it WILL clear up. Calling a pool service at this point is likely to end up with people dumping lots of other unnecessary stuff in your pool to further complicate your situation!

Be sure and keep an eye on your filter pressure......

Janet

[bgray]

My wife just called. She tested and TC was less than 1 ppm.
Is that normal when fighting an algae bloom? 20 ppm did not last even 6.5 hours? I told her to add another 9 gallons.

If that's normal, can somebody please calm my fears?
My CYA was at 90, so I cannot believe the sun used up all that Cl (even in HOT Texas...) But, I guess I can imagine it getting used up killing all those little algae critters... right?

[CarlD]

Right. Expect it until the algae is ALL dead.

[bgray]

Thanks for the reassurance. I am so freaking out.

[aylad]

Yup, it's normal--and it's the algae, not the sun that's consuming it. THat's why it takes additions multiple times a day to keep the Cl level high enough to do any good.

Janet

[bgray]

OK, at 6:30 this morning I had TC of 12 and pH of 7.2
I did not test CYA, as the reagent is quickly running out. However, the last three tests (since turning off the chlorinator) have indicated 90, so I'm going with that for the time being.

I added about 4.3 gallons of 6% bleach this morning to get back in the 20ppm shock range.

I know I asked about how long to clear up. But, I guess I'm wondering how long until I see ANY difference?

Also, my wife came up with an interesting idea. In between the times I am able to brush, we activate our Polaris with the bag removed. He drives around, kicking up all that *stuff* that is on the floor (which I still cannot see...)

Does anybody have any input on this idea? It seemed to work yesterday, except that I still had live algae, which really gummed up my cartridge filter. It took me much longer to clean it last night. But, once the algae is killed, it seems like a good brushing supplement. Comments?

Thanks for all the help/psychlogical support!
bgray

[duraleigh]

bgray,

based on your previous posts, I think you're making progress but I don't think you're bringing your Cl up high enough.

With a CYA of 90 and a gunite pool, I believe you are perfectly safe raising you Cl into the low 30's. That will ensure that you are reaching breakpoint and freeing up more Cl to do the job.

I agree that the Sun is not your issue with a CYA that high. I do believe organics are consuming the Cl so quickly that you are not reaching breakpoint.

[bgray]

Well, the good news is that my wife reported a slight change in color from green to blue-green after this morning's additional Cl.

duraleigh,
Now that I've been given the green light to crank the Cl up to 30+, I am ready and able. The next time my wife will be able to tend to the pool is late this afternoon. Then, after work, I'll make another trip to Sam's (those people think I'm dissolving a body or something with all the bleach I'm buying... ) and mega-shock it after the sun goes down. Thanks for the feedback.

Anyone want to chime in on the Polaris idea?

[bgray]

MORE GOOD NEWS!

My wife now describes the water color as "turquoise."
TC is still 20+, so we're holding our shock levels. HOORAY!
She did say that pH is reading at or slightly below 7.0 -- that is concerning me...
I know I read that pH readings could be wacky at high Cl levels. But, I thought the wackiness came in the form of unusually HIGH pH test results. Mine has dropped from 7.2 (consistently) to this latest result. Should I disregard it as high Cl wackiness? Or, should I add Borax? If add, how much?

She also said that the cloudiness resulting from brushing has moved from green to grayish-green. Sounds like progress to me!!!

I am a believer.

Thanks to all --
bgray

[bgray]

UPDATE:

This morning, the water was definitely MUCH LESS green and MUCH MORE milky. When I cleaned my Pentair/PacFab cartridge filter, it was a LOT easier to clean the pleats with the hose than when there was slimy green algae.

My question now is: At what ppm do I need to keep the Cl levels until the water TOTALLY clears up? 20's per Ben's best guess CYA chart? 30's per advice of Duraleigh? Something else?