Using 1-25 Micron Bags in Skimmer

[CarlD]

I strongly suggest you start reading our sister-site, PoolSolutions.com and start learning how the BBB system works. It's more of an idea of effective simple techniques rather than a dogmatic use of bleach, borax and baking soda. I use bleach, liquid chlorine, occasionally Tri-Chlor tablets and Di-chlor powder, but principally use my SWCG for chlorine. I'll use Borax or Washing Soda to raise my pH, almost NEVER use Baking Soda (because my Total Alkalinity is, for various reasons, rarely a problem).

The BBB system is based on 3 things you MUST control:
1) Sanitation. That's your chlorine and if you have algae, the chlorine is being spent killing that and not the dangerous and even deadly microbes that can get in your water.
2) pH: This is how acidic or basic your water is. Acid attacks your pool walls and you. Basic water inhibits chlorine's ability to kill bacteria and algae. So you must balance it.
3) Stabilizer (aka, CYA for Cyanuric Acid): This is like sunscreen for your chlorine. Without it, UV rays from the sun can break chlorine down in as little as 15-30 minutes. CYA protects the chlorine BUT it is a 2-edged sword. It slows chlorine's break down, BUT you therefore need more chlorine to balance that out. It's a relationship and we use our "Best Guess Table" to tell us the best chlorine level for a given CYA level.

http://poolsolutions.com/gd/best-gue...ine-chart.html

But none of it works without a good test kit and we recommend the Taylor K-2006 or K-2006C as the best home-owner kit. There are a couple of equivalents, but they cost the same or more. All are only available on-line.

Here's the link to the Taylor kits: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php/14994

Without good testing and a knowledge of what those tests mean, you are flying through a fog, but with no instruments to guide you. You are guessing and your persistent algae means you are guessing wrong.

I'm sorry to be so blunt but I believe you are putting yourselves at a terrible risk with what you describe. Without good testing and effective chlorination, your pool won't be, IMHO, safe to swim in.

With what you describe, there is no easy answer or magic bullet to fix it, and anyone who tells you there is cannot be believed.

But the fix is not complicated or magic. Test, adjust pH, add stabilizer, chlorinate heavily to KILL the algae, vacuum, brush the walls, and be patient and persistent.

Best I can do. The rest is up to you.

[ransomedbyfire]

I have read a bit on that site. And I do test regularly, albeit with a cheaper test.

This may be a dumb question, but when should I shock, when should I vacuum, and at what level should I keep the chlorine while the filter is constantly getting clogged?

I do not feel able to vacuum the pool without getting in it. So, it seems like I have to do one or the other but can't do both.

[CarlD]

I cannot keep saying this: You need to give us test numbers on your chlorine, pH, and CYA levels.
You need to read our stickied threads on dealing with algae.
And if you have algae you need to be shocking two or three times a day. You cannot filter your way out of an algae bloom. You must kill it.

[PoolDoc]

I think Carl is trying to communicate this:

==> You need to KILL the algae, BEFORE you worry about anything else! <==


As he's pointed out, we need other info, to give more specific advice, info that you are finding it difficult to supply.

I'll suggest an alternative approach:

1. Tomorrow night, REMOVE your cartridge or "filter sock" (??), replace the lid, and then turn the pump back on. THEN, add 2 gallons of PLAIN 8% household bleach for each 10,000 gallons of water in your pool.

2. The following day, if the algae is ALL dead, add 1 gallon of bleach per 10k gallons, brush the pool, and test the water with a cheapo OTO / phenol red kit. If the algae is MOSTLY dead, repeat the dose. If the algae is NOT mostly dead, add a 3 gallon dose.

3. The third day, if the algae is ALL dead, add 1 gallon of bleach per 10k gallons, brush the pool, and test the water with a cheapo OTO / phenol red kit. If the algae is MOSTLY dead, repeat the 3 gallon dose. If the algae is NOT mostly dead, add a 4 gallon dose.

4. Keep walking the dose up, each evening until the algae is dead. THEN, we can worry about filtering and such.

[CarlD]

Thanks, Ben! That's EXACTLY what I was trying to say!

BTW: Don't freak out if all you find is 8.25% bleach, rather than 8%. It's the same thing. Just use the 8.25% EXACTLY as Ben says as if it's 8%. EXACTLY AS HE SAID!

[ransomedbyfire]

I am disabled and poor. If I cannot find a way to manage filtration issues myself, there is no point in wasting my meager income on bleach. This is why I asked this specific question. Why start or continue a task there is no way for you to finish?
.

[CarlD]

You don't seem to understand:

If you don't kill the algae, your water is not safe no matter WHAT filtration you use! You cannot filter your way to sanitary water! Better off to drain the pool and not use it.

I cannot help you if you will not listen to what Ben and I have to say and I will not attempt further to help you. We are all volunteers here and give of our time freely.

Best of luck to you!

[Mustang3944]

I am disabled and poor. If I cannot find a way to manage filtration issues myself, there is no point in wasting my meager income on bleach. This is why I asked this specific question. Why start or continue a task there is no way for you to finish?

Thankfully, I have Googled the issue and found some useful info on using filter bags to aid or replace a cartridge filter at WWW.TroubleFreePool.com.

Let me see if I can help you. I was in the exact same position as you just 2 days ago, I was so frustrated that I was about to give up and fill the pool with dirt. My pool was so bad that I had tadpoles swimming around in it. Today I could see the bottom of my pool and the water was crystal clear.

I too was frustrated with my cartridge filter my water was so bad that it would clog with in 30 minutes of cleaning it and I am healthy and could have done that for days but seemed like I wasn't getting anywhere.

Take the cartridge out it won't hurt anything and you wont have to clean it every 30 minutes. You will put it back in once the algae is gone. Right now you just want to kill the algae, we can worry about getting it out of the pool once it is dead.

The reason they keep asking for your test result is so we can tell you how much bleach you need to kill the algae. Or you can use Ben's approach but you maybe using way more bleach then you need and that would be a waste of your money.

I am willing to walk you thru how I got mine from tadpole heaven to safe to swim in 4 days if you like but you will have to answer questions along the way.

[PoolDoc]

I am disabled and poor.

Unfortunately, neither are problems we can fix.

It sounds like you are up against an issue we cannot solve: we can NOT make pool care cheap enough for everyone. We help people take care of there pools MORE easily and MORE cheaply than they would otherwise. But pools aren't cheap, and pool care isn't always easy, even when you do everything correctly.

I'm sorry you find yourself in that situation. But if you can't afford 10 - 15 gallons of bleach . . . you probably need to be looking for information on closing your pool up permanently, rather than on how to clean it up.

Good luck!