Algae/shock question....

[CarlD]

Without a full set of test numbers, it's hard to tell.

Whether it's now dead algae, or still alive, you ought to vacuum to waste instead of trying to filter it out.

Check our stickied threads on cleaning your pool up.

[Watermom]

It also might just be dirt/dust that gets stirred up when you vacuum and then settles back down to the floor. That often is the case in my pool. The installer used tape to tape together the pieces of foam under my liner. When you are looking at the pool liner, you can't really see it but it caused slight "ruts" and the dirt likes to settle into those ruts along the liner floor of my pool. I can vacuum one day and then the next day, the brown "lines" are back.

[court475]

Sorry - here are my numbers right now:

FC - 7.5
CC - 0
CYA - 30
Ph - 8.0
Alk - 210

Added enough bleave a few hours ago to bring it 15, got home from church and it's down to 7.5.

[CarlD]

Your pH is your problem--at 8 it's hindering your chlorine's effectiveness. You need to lower it to 7.2-7.3--which is swimmable.

[court475]

I've always had alk/Ph issues. I got the alk down a bunch earlier this summer by using acid and aerating, and it crept right back up pretty quickly.

[CarlD]

I've always had alk/Ph issues. I got the alk down a bunch earlier this summer by using acid and aerating, and it crept right back up pretty quickly.

Since your CYA is pretty low, and your pH trends high, you are an ideal candidate for...dare I say it?...Tri-chlor tabs! They are extremely acid, which you need, and your CYA can easily tolerate going to 50 or even 70ppm. aylad, one of our mods, lives in Louisiana and she keeps her CYA around 70ppm to be able to have a consistent FC level--she just keeps it in the 5-10ppm range all the time.

We usually advise AGAINST Tri-chlor tabs because you can easily run your CYA up to 100 or more, and your pH down below 6.8--but you have need of the acidity and room for the CYA. Just be sure NOT to get the "double-acting" kind--they have copper in them and you don't want that.

Curiously, this season I have used tabs far more than before--the constant rain all summer keeps washing out the CYA and I just have to watch pH and add Borax from time to time.

IF YOU USE TABS YOU MUST TEST YOUR pH AND CYA LEVELS RELIGIOUSLY AND ABANDON TABS IF pH GETS TOO LOW OR CYA TOO HIGH.

When aylad looks at this thread she can better evaluate it as she lives in a similar environment to you.

[court475]

Thanks so much for the suggestion. I've been pretty frustrated this season, for the first time. Maybe the tabs will help! Do you know how I should use them? Or just follow the instructions? I really appreciate the help!