algae ?

[Barry J]

I just vaccumed again and put in a gallon of shock, I don't think I'll have any problems with "over chlorinating" since so far in the past three days I've only put in a little under 2 gallons of shock in....but some advise was "do not add algaecide"...isn't that what it's used for, or just for maintanence??

[waterbear]

algaecife and clarifiers are not needed in properly maintained (read that as water is tested and the PROPER amount of the NEEDED chemicals added) pool.

[aylad]

The problem with the chlorination issue is that the amount of chlorine it takes to clear the pool is dependent on the stabilizer level of your water. You could very well be putting in chlorine but not enough to do any good, in which case you're wasting money and time.

Drop-based test kits are very much preferred over strips--drop-based testing is much more reliable and, even though more expensive at the beginning, will more than pay for themselves in chem savings. Taylor makes a K-2006 that can be purchased online at the Taylor site or at http://www.spspools-spas.com, or there is a similar test kit sold at http://www.tftestkits.net.

As Waterbear pointed out, the algaecides and clarifiers are not needed in properly maintained pools and can actually cause problems. Algaecides can often be useful when dealing with metal problems or prior to closing the pool, but in general are much better at preventing algae from growing than they are at killing a bloom.

Janet

[Watermom]

Jan gave you some suggestions for good test kits that you should consider buying. But, you need something now so you will probably need to buy something cheap to use until you can get a better one. Walmart used to sell some "5-Way"kits that would do but honestly, I haven't looked at what types of pool supplies they are carrying these days. You need something that can measure the cya level. Maybe your pool store has a kit that will. You also need to be able to measure two of the following three: free chlorine, combined chlorine and total chlorine. Since FC + CC = TC, if you have two of the readings, you can calculate the third. If you cannot find any kits locally that can measure cya, your last opinion would be to take a water sample to a reliable pool store and ask them to measure: FC, CC, TC, ph, alk, and cya. JUST DON'T LET THEM SELL YOU ANY CHEMICALS! Unless your cya reading is 30 or below. If it is, then buy a container of cya (cyanuric acid, also called stabilizer). You're going to also need a lot of chlorine. Just buy plain household, unscented bleach. Generic is fine and it is what most of us use. A lot of us buy the generic stuff at Walmart.

Get your numbers and then we can help you get this cleared up. By the way, if you do buy cya, do not broadcast it around the pool like the label directions may tell you to do. Get back to us with more info and somebody here will advise you on how to add the cya and also how to tackle the algae.

[Barry J]

actually running the filter 24 hrs for the past 4 days, and adding shock 1/2 gallon each day, and vacuuming the bottom, my pool is about back to normal, me and the kids went in today, only very small amounts of algae in the bottom corner, I brushed it off with my foot, the floor was not slimy or slippery and the walls were not either, thanks for all the help
Barry

[Watermom]

For assurance, keep the chlorine level high for a couple extra days just to make sure it is totally gone and won't come back. Good luck. Glad we could help.