HELPppppppppppp

[raptureready1953]

I went to visit my daughter and when I came back pool was GREEN. DARK GREEN. Dear hubby forgot to put chlorine in and now I do not know what to do. Been battling all summer to get a cya reading. It says 0 no matter what I do. So today I tested the ph and it was high so added acid. Waiting a couple hrs for that. My chorine says OK. More toward the ok on the low side, but thats because hubby put a gallon of chlorine in it two days ago but only a lighter green today so he says. What do I do? How much chlorine can I put in it? 4500 gal. Vinyl, he has been running the pump 24/7. I have vacuumed it to no avail. Will go out and test in another thirty min or so. I was reading that sometimes you need a 25 level to keep chlorine level up in pool to keep out algea. But is that safe to swim in? When can I go back in the water? I sure wont while it is green. YUCK

[raptureready1953]

just clicking reply in email...thanks again

[Spensar]

With 4500 gallons, 1.5 gallons of 6% bleach will raise the chlorine by 20 ppm. 1 gallon brings it up by 13 ppm, so the one gallon that was added two days ago was starting on the right track. The thing is the chlorine gets used up PDQ killing off the algae, so you need to read the chlorine levels 2-3 times a day and as much as required to keep the level up.

If you add 1 gallon in the morning to a black/green pool, it will be zero by night. You need to keep the chlorine level high, or else the algae will grow back. It sounds like your hubby added a gallon, it probably lightened up, but then the chlorine was gone and the algae came back.

If the CYA is low, try keeping it at a minimum of 15 ppm and the green will fade to cloudy, then finally clear. There should be a lot of dead crud in the bottom of the pool soon enough, vacumm it to waste. There are a number of recent threads on this topic so I'd recommend looking around. But before that, go hammer the algae with lots of chlorine to start.

[raptureready1953]

total values

CL 0.6 I know this, this is my problem, how to keep level up so algea does not exist

ph is 7.8

TA 220
Hardness 350

CYA 30.

What do I do now? thanks again

[Spensar]

Right now, hammer it with chlorine. Your numbers are pretty good. You can bring the ph down a bit but right now the big thing is to kill off the invaders. Here's a thread about cleaning up once the algae is getting killed.

Your CYA is in a sweet spot, so liquid chlorine is great.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...4819#post34819

[Spensar]

Here is the link to the sticky on busting up cleaning up green pools! This works!

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=3833

[RavenNS]

Vacuum to waste...
test & add chlorine frequently... liquid is fine for now as your cya is okay..
use bleach calculator & "best guess table" for keeping your pool at shock levels for a couple of days.

Good luck & within days you shall swim again

[raptureready1953]

Im sorry I dont get it...how many gal of clorox a day? One ok? Do I add in intervals? Like 2 to 3 c at a time? Vacuum three times a day...
Shock is to be 25? My tester doesnt go that high... If I keep it at shock level how does one swim in it? Its not suppose to be above 3 to swim... I am so confused..I have read and read and read...

Would it just be easier to dump the water, wash the pool and start over?

[RavenNS]

you can buy a better tester that does go that high... ( I even have some "guess" strips that go higher).

If you don't mind dumping, cleaning, & refilling... then yes, it probably is easier ( & faster)... especially since your TA is a bit high.

If not interested in going that route, then use the bleach calculator & test as frequently as you can.
It does take time. waiting is so hard

Good Luck

[Spensar]

You want to "shock the water, so put the full gallon in at once. Check your chlorine levels 2-3 times per day. I'd vacum and brush once a day.

If you have a drops tester that reads to about 3 ppm and turns the test water yellow, after shocking the test water should come out nice and dark brown, indicating that the chlorine levels are up there. If the test water is getting in the range of your test kit to read, add chlorine. 1.5 gallons will put in about 20 ppm so I would start with that level until the green clears up.

If you do dump and refill, it would be good to shock the new water in case any live algae is in any nooks or crannies. After that be sure to keep your pool at 2 ppm minimum if you CYA is low.