Green Pool (Was black at first)

[like2ct]

My CYA reading of the other day might have been a user error (you can put in the tube two ways and the wrong way is blocking the colorimeter "view")

Anyways. Pool water is a teal green. Only able to see the bottom at the shallow end.

My 6/5 8:30am numbers:

FC 1.33
PH 7.0
ALY 184
CH 172
CYA 8

I am sure that I am bleaching out. I tried the over 10PPM FC procedure but those numbers where very strange and I had lack of time for a redo. Have to make money to buy more Pool chemicals

K2006 kit should arrive tomorrow.

One observation my robotic pool cleaner is floating on the surface and doesn't want to "sink" to the bottom of the pool. The clean out of the cleaner showed some regular "waste and some worms" it wasn't clogged anymore with dead algae.

[PoolDoc]

I've got something, created partly with you in mind:

http://pool9.net/pf-hist-form

with results here:

http://pool9.net/pf-hist-chart

+ Get a cheap OTO / phenol red kit. It won't bleach out, at any chlorine level, and will be useful even after you have the K2006 for quick checks.

+ Tell me what % bleach you are using.

[like2ct]

Hi Doc,

Thanks again.

This AM when I posted my Color Q FC numbers I did do a FC measurement with my OTO kit and that one also looked like it was bleached out too (hardly any yellow). Now you state in your post that it should not bleach out.

Makes me wonder that my FC Color Q measurement might be accurate after all (or am I confused). Pool does have a Chlorine odor.

I am using the 12.5% bleach.

[PoolDoc]

OTO is not super accurate, but it is super reliable. If it shows no chlorine, there's no chlorine.

[like2ct]

Submitted my 6/6 numbers in the online spreadsheet. Still doing the evening 10 gallons of Chlorine and brush job. I am currently not filtering (only using vacuum robot) as I think the aerating will help at this moment. When brushing I have no more heavy clouds of dead algae.
It seems water color seems slightly better but still a teal green and bottom only visible on shallow end.

[PoolDoc]

Sounds good.

I noticed on your pool report that the bleach was 12%. Fresh 12% bleach will add a full pound of chlorine (Cl2 gas equivalent) to your pool -- 10 gallons would be 40 ppm of chlorine. When I was cleaning up big commercial swamps, I'd usually dump the equivalent of 100 ppm into a pool all at once. I don't recall that doing so ever failed to 'turn' the pool within hours. You've added at least 160 ppm, though over several days.

I'm wondering if you have a bunch of ammonia in your pool. CYA is biodegraded by swamp slime (algae + bacteria). It can end up as harmless nitrogen, but it sometimes ends up as ammonia, and requires HUGE amounts of chlorine to clear. Do you remember what your CYA level was last fall?

[like2ct]

Unfortunately I have no record or recollection of my CYA of last fall. One of the reasons I am now starting to record it all to eliminate guess work (second year pool owner).

I did submit my tonight's numbers (Yesterday did the usual 10 gallon Liquid Chlorine and brush job).

Finally FC seems to hold at a higher number, Used K2006 kit to measure 12 ppm as ColorQ as expected reported hi for reading (limit 10 ppm unless using workaround). Also used K2006 for ALY measurement which was similar to ColorQ.

CYA measurement done with ColorQ as K2006 didn't yield any noticeable measurement which might be user error as was first try. After mixing 7ml of pool water and 7ml of the agent and mixing for 30 seconds the mix was clear and not obstructing view to the black dot in the tube.

Can now see vacuum at bottom of pool and it looks like the chlorine is starting to do something. Not sure why it now starts to do it's job. We had rain and thunderstorms last night and during the day and this added 2" water to pool. I am aerating non stop and not filtering.

Didn't have a lot of time tonight. Added 2 gallons of liquid chlorine and did a very quick brush job. I did read about the CYA potentially being biodegraded. Not sure if tonight's measurements are an indication or of any help.

Thanks again.

[like2ct]

Posted my numbers for today. Did a FC measurement this am and a complete one this pm. Still a light green color. Started to filter around noon.

Just Added 72oz of Dichlor. Hopefully another session will give me an ALY I can actually measure. My best guess is that I should be around 25 right now.

[PoolDoc]

I'm sorry, pools are running together for me. Please fill out this pool equipment chart:

http://pool9.net/pf-pool-form/

What's an "ALY"?

[like2ct]

Hi Doc,

I meant to write CYA not sure how I came up with the ALY (Probably the Chlorine affecting my brain).

I am in your pool chart list as like2ct.

Pool is starting to clear up still a little bit of green at the deep end.