Help! Help! New Improved Clorox

[poolmimi]

I've been reading this forum and using these methods for over a year now, but never had to post about anything.

Right now, I'm panicking!! My sister-in-law has been pool stored for years now, and asked me this year to help her get her pool cleaned up! She's drained her pool (3) times!!! She had a green mucky mess!

I've had her shocking for 4 days now, and couldn't understand why her water was so cloudy. Finally at 10:00 PM while my mind was wandering around, it dawned on me she had been using the NEW IMPROVED CLOROX!! Dumb, dumb, dumb, I didn't remember to check that!!

Please tell me this stuff will filter out and that I haven't ruined her pool! If she has to drain again, I think it will be the end of her pool days.

I can post others numbers later when I can get to her house, but for now my only concern is this NEW IMPROVED STUFF.

I'm desperate!

Donna

[JohnT]

IF it is due to the absorbant stuff in new Clorox, I'd expect it would filter out. However, the water normally turns cloudy after the algae is killed, so it may not be a Clorox issue at all. The very little discussion I've seen about the new Clorox mentioned a brown sediment on the bottom, probably a metal. The stuff they add is used in water treatment to get metals out of the water. I wouldn't be worried. Stay the course.

[farmgirl]

If i were her, i would just find a store that sell plain "generic" bleach. I use the dollar store stuff.

[waterbear]

The indgredient in the new Clorox is sodium polyacrylate, which is also the ingredient in some water clarifiers. It is not what is making the pool cloudy but it might be causing stuff in the water to clump so you filter will filter it out. If her pool is green then it will turn milky white as the algae dies and it can take up to a week for the filter to clear it again. What I suggest you get is a large bottle of "Pool Owner Patience" and apply it liberally to yourself and your sister-in law!
Give the filter time to do it's work once the algae is killed. It can sometimes take up to a week or two to clear a really green pool. What you are seeing is normal. It's just dead algae. Generic bleach is going to be cheaper than chlorox so use that instead. Just check the label for the concentration. Regular bleach will be 5.25% and ultra bleach will be 6%.
EDIT: be aware that some cheap generic bleaches are only 3% so you need to double the dose if that is what you get! Read the label before you buy it and try to get 5.25% regular or 6% ultra if possible.
Also check the price of liquid chlorine at the pool store. Sometimes it's actually cheaper than bleach. (It's the same thing but somtimes more concentrated). A pool store near me sells 12.5% (basically twice the strength of ultra bleach) in 2.5 gallon carboys for $3.99. You do have to pay a one time $5.99 charge for the carboy but after that refills are only $3.99. In my area that is a much better deal than bleach. The cheapest I can find 5 gallons of ultra bleach for (the equivalent amount) would be $11.25!

[poolmimi]

W-h-e-e-w! Thank you so much!! I thought we were doing good up until I panicked last night. It as actually cleared some today! Can't see any algae today and can see the bottom although it is still cloudy.

Should we still keep it at shock level until the all cloudiness is completely gone? It only lost 1.3 ppm last night.

I had confidence I could clean it up based on what I have learned here. But also based on you guys I've never had to clean one up like this one!!

Maybe I can sleep tonight! Even at my age, still working on the patience part!
Donna