algea in pool

[tara15]

ok. so things are ok so far. pool looks a little less green i think. i backwashed this am and a lot of green came out so thats good. levels are still holding. ph is at 7.2 and i dont want it to drop so how much borax would i add to increase it if needed? I might just leave the cya alone for this season since only about a month or so left. once i get the pool blue and cleared up, do i still need to maintain a fc at 15-20? if so, is that safe for people to swim in? thanks

[Watermom]

PH is OK at 7.2, but if it drops any, add Borax slowly so you won't get it too high. I'd probably do no more than a fourth of the box at a time.

Keep your chlorine at shock level. Glad it is looking better - but keep hammering it with bleach. Test it at least 3x a day and each time, take it back up to shock level.

After the pool is cleared, keep the high cl for one extra day as insurance and then you can let it drop back down. But, with cya of 70, you'll want to keep it between 5-10 ppm all the time and yes, it is safe to swim in at that level.

[tara15]

ok...so ive been testing the water at least 2 times a day. the ph is staying at 7.2 and the fc is at least 15. i tried diluting it a little more and multiplying by 4 and it was still very yellow. the pool cleared up dramatically where it is now clear, but still a little green. ive been adding 1.5 gallons of bleach daily, backwashing daily and vacuming daily. I got up A LOT of algea. so, how much longer do you think before the pool is blue again? also, how do you guys feel about the phos free solution to keep algea from feeding? thanks for all of your help.

[duraleigh]

Tara,

I am pretty sure you are not using enough bleach. 1.5 gal daily will only raise your pool 6ppm. I don't know where your chlorine level is now but, if you'll post that, someone here will advise you on how much more to add so your pool will clear more quickly. My guess is the delay in clearing your pool is not getting your chlorine high enough.

Save your money on that Phos Free stuff...you don't need it....you need chlorine.

Oops! I misread your post. I see now where you say your Cl is around 15ppm. That's good. Be sure to check it again this evening and add enough to bring it right back to 15ppm...a little higher won't hurt....Did you ever determine a more accurate CYA level?

[tara15]

according to the walmart drop set, my cya is around 70-90. i just tested the water, this time diluting 4:1 and multiplying by 5 and it is still very yellow. so, probably at least 20. i dont know how unaccurate it becomes the more you dilute it, but it is not getting any less yellow. with a vinyl liner, im afriad to put too much bleach in the pool.

[duraleigh]

Yeah, you don't want to go crazy with the bleach. It sounds like you are just about at the right level.

Do your best to keep it right at that level and I think you'll see some pretty dramatic improvement in the next day or so. As a reminder, keep running your pump 24/7 'til your water is nice and clear.....I think you're pretty close.

[tara15]

sorry, but i have yet another question. the pool is slowly clearing up as i said before, but it seems to have stopped. its clear, but light green. when i vacuum, it gets green again, and cloudy but then clears up. In the past, we have used first aid to help clear up the pool. We have the blue stuff now. should i use that to help things along or just wait it out? I seem to be adding 1.5 gallons of bleach daily and just maintaining this color now. what else can i do? im getting frustrated!!!!

[aylad]

Adding other stuff isn't going to help it clear up faster, and it's going to cause you more problems. Save the money on the other stuff, and spend it on the bleach--chlorine is what will kill the algae!! When you vaccuum and it gets green again, you're seeing algae that isn't dead yet. Keep the Cl level up to 20 ppm, and it will clear....

Janet

[tara15]

hooray....the pool is blue and clear. its not sparkly yet, but that will come next i hope. thanks to everyone for all of your help and patience.

[tara15]

hello everyone again.

just a quick question.. my pool is looking great thanks to all you guys. the only problem is that my chlorine is now down to zero. I let it drop down to the 8-15 range, and then i havent added bleach since the other day. do you add bleach daily? all my other numbers are still the same. thanks