Green/Brown water..about to give up!!

[shelbi]

Well I thought I had read everything on here and had a handle on all the numbers and where they needed to be but for the last 5 days, I've had a major problem. Water was clear last Saturday and Sunday...numbers were all spot on. It was a little dirty on Sunday so I vacuumed and all good. Did not have a chance to do anything on Monday but chlorine still good. Tuesday it looked pretty dirty. I vacuumed and looked good but the next day it was completely dirty again and looked green. Again, I vacuumed but I noticed everything I was sucking up seemed to be coming right back into the pool...green water. I tried to vacuum and it looked a little better but I got frustrated thinking I was wasting my time since it was being pumped right back in. So I was thinking i needed clarifier. Added the recommended dose on Thurs. Thurs night decided maybe it was algae so started shocking and kept it at 12-14ppm for 2 days. No sign of improvement. In fact yesterday and today, now it is very hazy and the crud on the bottom is brown. I've changed my mine so many times as to what the problem is, that now i don't know what to do....help! Here are my numbers and info as of today. I did add a little more cya as that has been under 30. There are some pecan trees above the pool...could this be a buildup of sap or something? Haven't had a problem from the trees all summer. This situation just came up so fast.

Above ground Intex 24 foot round pool that holds 14000-15000 gallons.

FC - 4
TC - 5
Alk - 120
ph - 7.6
CYA - 40

These numbers are to the best of my guessing - I'm still having a little trouble reading the colors. I'm using a test kit from Leslie's. As for Cya, the dot gets faded but i can still see it if i try. Not sure when to stop counting. Should it completely dissapear?

Thank you in advance for any help.....I'm so confused, I'm about to give up!

[dawndenise]

Sure sounds like algae to me... But don't give up!

For the good news...you have a good pH to begin your fight.

More good news...be sure to read the advice in CarlD's sticky at the top of this forum.

Even more good news...you can stop adding clarifier.

You're on the right track to shock your pool. However, if you truly have a CYA of 40, you'll need to take your FC to 15. When did you "add a little more CYA" and how much did you add?

I sympathize with your difficulties doing the CYA test, as I also have problems at times. Yes, the dot should disappear. Consistency is the key.

When you vacuum up the junky stuff, vacuum to waste so it's not going right back into your pool.

Keep posting your test results and I'm sure you'll have a whole group of forum cheerleaders urging you on your fight.

Good luck.

[shelbi]

thanks for your quick response..I wanna swim! I just added the cya yesterday 9oz, (didn't want to get too high!) - put it in a sock tied next to the skimmer. I thought it would take a few days to dissolve but my number is up a bit today...I will add more chlorine up to 15 (can i go higher?). Also, no idea how to vacuum to waste...my BF usually deals with the filter/pump. Do I just remove the hose going back into the pool? Won't i lose a lot of water? I'll take a pic tomorrow.

[mbar]

Maybe your filter isn't working properly - nothing should be coming back into the pool if it is going through the filter.

[aylad]

If your CYA is 40, then 12-14 isn't high enough to reach shock level. You need to get it up to 15 and keep it there until the pool clears. You said that on day 2 or 3 you started to notice the water quality changing, and said that the chlorine was "good"--was it at least 5? With that CYA, once you get the pool clear and your cl drifts back down, don't let it go past 5 or you'll have another algae bloom. Also, when you notice the water quality changing, it won't ever hurt to shock it--but you need to test it to analyze what the problem is. That's how you keep from just dumping a bunch of stuff in it hoping to fix the problem--you usually create more problems for yourself that way than you fix.

Shock the pool, hold it at shock level, brush it daily, keep your filter running 24/7, and it will clear up.

Janet

[shelbi]

thanks both of you...the cya just went up yesterday as i added it. i was keeping chlorine up before that but probably not at 5 (have to check my notes) - dang there is so much to learn! I know the filter is working because it gets dirty pretty fast. i guess there's just so much to clean up. I'll keep at it and let ya know. I appreciate everyone's comments!!

[shelbi]

Update..water still green but much lighter. I've been adding 2-4 jugs of bleach a day. The sock on the return seems to help - it's turning green. Also been changing filter everyday. Really picking up a lot of green ick! Thanks for keeping me on the right track.

[RavenNS]

Shelbi,
you're doing awesome! Just hang in there a bit longer. Yes it is "safe" to bring the chlorine levels up much higher than 15ppm ( although most people wouldn't want to swim in it..lol)
Keep it at 15+ a couple of days & continue with the filter changing & brush/vacuum (to waste). The filter socks are also excellent; stay on top of cleaning those as well.
after the algae is all gone you can let the chlorine levels dissapate back down to normal

Best of luck to you

[aylad]

Yes it is "safe" to bring the chlorine levels up much higher than 15ppm ( although most people wouldn't want to swim in it..lol)

With a vinyl liner and a CYA of 40, it is NOT "safe" to bring the chlorine levels up much higher than 15--you run a really good risk of bleaching out your liner that way. Keep it at 15, and adjust upward according to the best guess chart only if your CYA level changes.

Janet