Previously Infested Algae Ridden Above Ground Pool!

[AdoptedPoolMom]

Last year I bought my house and with it I adopted a 16x48 above ground pool. The water was in 'ok' shape then, so went ahead and got it ready for winter, covered it up and waited for well now. I unfortunately didn't have to uncover it as the multitude of Oklahoma storms did that for me... which of course left me with insane amounts of algae. I am not a pool guru, or chemistry guru. So I flipped out a little thinking "oh my gosh, I now have the neighborhood swamp".

Thankfully you all have this AMAZING forum and I have read, re-read and read again everything! I have been adding bleach and in only two days my pool is turning blue! The algae looks like it's almost dead.

I have ordered my kit, and will be taking my water in today to get tested again. I unfortunately can't remember the numbers when I first started, but I know it's working!!

Thanks for all of your help. Once I post the numbers I will probably have more questions on keeping the Chlorine stable and everything.

I can't wait to use this pool now!

[Watermom]

Isn't it amazing that something so simple works? Glad your pool is clearing up. Welcome to the forum!

[AdoptedPoolMom]

Yes! This is truly the easiest forum to follow (AND CHEAPEST) and has really helped! I was really just going to take the pool down and call it a day.

I went into 3 different pool stores all telling me different things, all EXPENSIVE things, so I was about to give up. The last store told me to just drain it and start over, he was the only one not trying to sell me anything!

After all that I was determined to figure it out myself, which makes it so much better when it works!

With the sun and heat like it is today I will have to add more bleach again tonight, but I bet it will be clear by this weekend! My goal was the 3rd week in June, so this is great!

I also can tell that there is still lots of tiny little pieces of stuff left in it, I have read briefly on skimmer socks, but really don't know much about them? Are they really worth it?

[aylad]

Welcome to the forum!!

Yes, skimmer socks ARE worth it--you'll be amazed at how much stuff they will catch. You can also improvise if you want by using an old knee hi hose, but since the skimmer socks can be washed and re-used, they're definitely worth the money.

Janet

[Watermom]

And, the skimmer socks are cheap. Keep filtering. Run your pump 24/7 while you are trying to clear it.

[AdoptedPoolMom]

OK so yesterday after work I was so excited to get home...because I knew with my small pool it would be almost if not completely clear... Yeah my pump broke. Oh yes.

So my question(s) now is - until I get a new pump what should I do to keep the algae at bay. Just keep putting in bleach and stirring it around? It's not green anymore, and you can almost see the bottom (3ft depth). (YAY)

Also I had a cartridge pump that was 1000 gph (Krystal Clear model 637R). Does it need to be that much? Should I get one that uses less power? I found one that's only 530 gph. Or should I go with more gallons per hour? My pool holds about 4500 though it's probably less than 4k right now. Also this pool was an adoption, if you will, from the previous owners, so I have no idea how old the pump was to begin with or if it was taken care of.

Any help would be appreciated!!

Thanks,
Erin

[Watermom]

I'm gonna let somebody else talk pumps with you. Not my area of expertise.
But, regarding keeping the algae at bay -- yes, you can go ahead and add bleach and just stir it around. You don't want to go backwards!

[AdoptedPoolMom]

Heavens no! I have come too far!

I actually found the same exact pump I had before for pretty cheap, and I think it will be OK. I have no idea how old the one I was using was, so having a brand new one will be nice. I just wish it was here already!

I added another half gallon of bleach last night, and it looked almost clear again this morning. I will check it again tonight.