Fighting Algae for months

[PoolDoc]

I still have the problem of finding out how I can vacuum the pool, since I dont have a vacuum cleaner and my pop-up cleaning system is all messed up now, does nt seem to pop up and rotate, though I can see water coming out through them especially the ones at the shallow end. May be I should get a manual cleaner to vacuum until I can figure out the pop up issue?

Popup cleaning systems are MASSIVE energy wasters, and not very effective vacuum systems, except where the pool debris consists of a little light dust.

I would DEFINITELY recommend getting a manual vacuum system, and using it.

[rkrgk]

Ok, I am planning to add 15 gallons to the pool in the evening. Hoping that its holding a bit with whatever I added yesterday afternoon(9 Gallons), fingers crossed...
And about the vacuum cleaner, I dont think I can bypass the filter (I have the DE filter) to vacuum to waste, Can I? And is it enough to just pick up something from the local Leslies? Or is there something which is better that I should look for? Appreciate your input..

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Its looks like I lost the battle the first day.
I came back from work and tested the pool and Cl is just 0.5 and pH is 8.0 (I had added 8.5 Gallons of Bleach yesterday), also had lowered the pH to 7.2 yesterday. But in my net skimmer (the one with the small spacing basket, there was a ton of clogged algae..

And to make things worse I can not find Great Value bleach in any of the Walmarts around here, so got the Clorox . It seems as though its 6% regular bleach.

So today I added 10 jugs (thats 14.2 Gallons) of Bleach. I will have to wait and see how it goes. Need to get more bleach tomorrow.
I have not backwashed the filter since a week, should I backwash everyday now? And after I backwash everytime do I need to add the same amount of DE?

[PoolDoc]

+ Plain Clorox is fine.

+ Do you have a K2006 on order? (links below) If you're calcium is not too high, you can use cal hypo instead of bleach; and if your stabilizer is low, you can use dichlor.

+ The rather expensive ProVac is the vac head I've always used professionally; we have 6 year old 30+" one at the 200,000 local pool we service that's used once a week, and is still kicking. You'd want the 14" model though -- we use a dedicated pump to operate the big one!
Rainbow R201276 ProVac Commercial Vacuum Head 14"

This hose and pole are OK, but not necessarily better than what you can find locally:
Poolmaster 33430 Premium Vacuum Hose with Swivel Cuff, 30-Feet by 1-1/2-Inch
Hydro Tools 8365 8- to 16-Foot Adjustable Fluted Premium Fluted Telescopic Pool Pole, White

+ You should clean your filter, and then note the pressure 5 minutes after you first bring it back into full operation, with DE. Clean again, after the pressure rises more than 5 psi, but less than 10.

+ You should precoat the filter with amount of DE specified in the manual, EACH time.

+ You'll be able to extend filter runs by adding 1/4 of the pre-coat amount of DE each time you see the pressure up a psi or so. Don't do this more than 4x, before cleaning.

+ Adding bleach via the skimmers -- FIRST, make SURE there are NO chemicals, especially tabs, in the skimmer! -- will also extend the run

+ You should be able to find available bleach by using Walmart's online stock check:
Great Value: Bleach, 3 Qt
Great Value: Bleach, 1.42 Gal

Ben

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+ Get a cheap OTO (yellow drops) / phenol test kit, or if available at YOUR Walmart (check availability), get the HTH 6-way DROPS test kit, which is compatible with the Taylor K2006. Test the pool as soon and you can, and post the results. If you get the 6-way kit, ALSO test the water you FILL the pool with, especially if it's a well, and post THOSE results as well. (The HTH is the best available kit you're likely to find locally, but it's not the K-2006. It can only provide rough measurements chlorine levels above 5 ppm, and it measures "TOTAL" hardness, rather than "CALCIUM" hardness, which is not ideal.)

+ Having a good test kit makes pool care easier for EVERYONE, but is an ESSENTIAL tool for pools with problems. A good test kit means a kit that can test chlorine from 0 - 25 ppm, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and stabilizer with reasonable accuracy. Test strips (AKA 'guess-strips' ) do NOT meet this standard. Some pool store testing is accurate; most is not. The ONLY way you'll know whether your pool store is accurate or bogus, is by testing accurately your own self. On the other hand, pool store 'computer' dosing recommendations are NEVER trustworthy -- ignore them. They are designed to sell more chemicals than you need, and WILL cause many pool problems.

+ We recommend the Taylor K-2006 test kit, which meets the requirements above, for many reasons. The HTH 6-way drops kit is a great starter kit, and is compatible with the K2006 (it's made by Taylor). There are a few alternatives; for example Lamotte makes an FAS-DPD kit that's OK -- but it costs 3x as much. But, we're not aware of any test that is better, and since we are all familiar with the K-2006 (and can help you with it) we recommend it exclusively ( Test kit info page )

One caution for the 2012 season: Amazon does not stock the kits directly. So when buying at Amazon, Amato is our current preferred seller. However, they often don't list enough stock to last the whole day, so try order mid-morning. You should expect a delivered cost under $60 for the K2006A and under $95 for the K2006C. If you can't find that, wait a day.

+ Here are links to the kits we recommend (you can check local availability on the HTH kit, using the Walmart link):

HTH 6-Way Test Kit @ Walmart
Taylor K2006A (3/4 oz bottles) @ Amazon
Taylor K2006C (2 oz bottles) @ Amazon

[Spensar]

Its looks like I lost the battle the first day.
I came back from work and tested the pool and Cl is just 0.5 and pH is 8.0 (I had added 8.5 Gallons of Bleach yesterday),

Normal since the chlorine is working and being used up to kill the algae. It does take a lot of chlorine to go from green to clean.

[rkrgk]

Ben,
Thanks for the detailed information. I ordered the Taylor kit from Amato, not sure when I will get it. I also bought the hose and the pole from your link. Thanks! But didnt take the vacuum head, went with a cheaper one from Amazon.
Today morning the pool was cloudy bluish.. I took this picture today morning.

I checked the Cl level when I was back from work, its around 1 ppm and pH shows 7.2( I havent added any acid after the 0.5 Gal on 12th) . I brushed the pool and all the algae came afloat and the pool is a bit green again(I should have had the vacuum). I backwashed the filter and added DE (added only 4 lbs since I ran out, supposed to add 7.5 lbs). Also removed the debris from the strainer. Added about 8.52 Gallons of bleach again.
And the walmart link was awesome, l chose the one with stock and got the bleach..

[RedwingT]

Looks like your getting there! Nice looking pool, I'm sure you will be enjoying it soon.

[rkrgk]

Thanks RedwingT, Spensar.

Today was not as hot as usual, and seems as though the chlorine is holding a bit. I checked the level in the morning and the my HTH kit showed orangish brown color. And retested in the evening and its holding at 6ppm.
I added 5.65 Gal more today. Pool is definitely getting better, but need to hold it there..Picture taken this evening.