Newbie's green pool

[George in Georgia]

I added about 2lb of borax, pH is now 7.5. Cl about 4ppm, NO visible algae! I think I'll hit it tonight with about 8qt of 6% bleach, just on general principles. Now that things seem to be returning to normal, the SWG seems to be operating normally. It had insisted that the salt was off, and that the cell needed inspection/cleaning, even after the HCl acid bath.

Nice to be getting back to normality, thanks to you folks.

[aylad]

Good job!! Isn't it great to see progress?? Just keep the filter running, and clean it as necessary--the chlorine kills the algae, but it's the filter that removes it from the pool.

Happy swimming, hope you're enjoying your 4th!!

Janet

[George in Georgia]

An update.

We lost a little ground, having been away for 2 days. BTW, it turns out that Costco has Chlorox 3 big jugs for $7.35, the best price on any brand that I've found in this area.

pH is 7.5, Cl holding at 5-10 since adding about 3 gal 6% bleach 24 hours ago. Ppm total alkalinity 120, cyanuric acid at about 40. I've added about 12 lb of baking soda, and 4 lbs of borax. I suppose I should raise the cyanuric some given the SWG.

There is no visible algae, but the water is cloudy. I'm filtering 24/7, backwashing generally shows bits of leaves and pine needles from the bottom, which I can't see. Any thoughts? Maybe a flocculant? I know it would be safe to swim in, but not appealing. And as someone (Poolmom?) mentioned, someone in trouble would be hard to see.

The Dolphin is sucking up dead algae - we're switching to disposable bags until things settle down.

Thanks, all!

[aylad]

Hold off on the flocculant for now....with the dead algae that was already clouding the pool, along with the amounts of Borax and Baking soda you've added, just give the filter some time to catch up....if you had a pool full of algae when you started this journey, it's going to take awhile for the filter to get it all out. Remember the POPP!! (Pool owner patience and persistence)

Janet

[George in Georgia]

Thanks, Janet!

I keep in memory the first two years we were in the house, when pool maintenance was so easy, and the ease and pleasure of late afternoons by the crystal clear pool....precious memories.... I intend to give it 2 big bottles of bleach tonight, check the Cl after an hour or so, and then again in the morning before the sun hits the water. At least here near Atlanta we can probably swim til the end of September.

I think I'll try some of the DE equivalent in the filter, 1/2 cup at a time to give a 1 lb pressure rise. What's to lose, only some cellulose fiber....

[aylad]

It won't hurt to try. Remember that the pressure rise takes a few minutes, so add a little, give it 5 minutes or so, then add more if you need. If your pressure rises too much you can always backwash it out and try again.

Let us know how it goes

Janet

[George in Georgia]

Well, the pool holds Cl overnight. Tests at about 11 AM this morning:

pH 7.2
ppm Cl no bleach added yesterday evening 5
ppm tot Alk 120
Cyanuic acid 30 - 40 ppm (I haven't found locally a proper test kit, I'm using strips)

I've added some calcium carbonate to raise the pH to 7.5 - 7.6

The pool is still cloudy, but no green, even after running the filter 24/7 for well over a week. Any suggestions? Time for flocculant? Any other ideas? This problem is getting depressing....

[George in Georgia]

Well, I knew the liner was due for replacement, but I'd hoped to be able to wait till fall. But, after a drop in level of 4 inches in one day....Bwaaah!

I've added flocculant in the hopes of being able to see the bottom so I could check for a leak and patch it, maybe. I've also heard the suggestion of adding food coloring at potential leak points - drain fitting, returns, etc, to maybe spot a leak.

Of course fresh water would let me have the proper chemistry from the beginning. Now if only the SWG cell doesn't fail.

Any other ideas? This summer is turning into a nightmare. At least our insurance covered replacing the roof, thus freeing up money for the new liner. Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

[George in Georgia]

More complications. I suspect a leak in the returns. I'm posting under Repairs.

And the water was clearing nicely....

Thanks for the help on water quality. I'll be ready when the liner/leak problems are resolved.