HElppppp My pool is green :O(

[hmsram]

Ok my pool is green and I do not know what to do..It is one of the big blue pools ya buy at Academy. I have the pump on it has been shocked, has clhorine tabs in it and algae stuff to...what is going on why is it still green I went out yesterday and got in the nasty thing and brushed it and took the net to it and everything and its still green...my dh even added some bleach last nite :(
I am gona go buy another filter but not sure it will help :(

Any advice would be great...

p.s I really dont wanna have to empty the whole thing ...its rained here so much and the ground would not drain..

[WhaddaDeal006]

That doesn't sound good! :( My first thought was just to empty it and start again (but you said you didn't want to do that...)

Out of curiosity, I looked online and this page has several tips from people that had similar green pools. Note the first one, stating that it could happen if you add TOO MUCH chlorine.

[url]http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/How_do_you_clean_murky_and_green_pool_water[/url]

Good luck!!!

[JenniferC]

OK few tips from my dh, please dont mind the many typos, I'm trying to do several things at once, and type hubby's advice ... this worked for us. We had a severe problem with our pool this year.

You can take a sample to a pool store (leslies tests for free but many others do too) and they can tell you whats wrong. leslies here tests for many different things than the standard home strips test for. We went through this same thing this summer. Shock it bringing the chlorine up to 7-8 for a week, keep PH and Alkaline balanced (this needs to be done before the shocking) Run filter constantly for a week, vaccuum when you see algea accumulating (the algae turns brown and sinks to bottom. Make sure you when you vacuum heavy deposits you vaccum them to waste. Keep the liner scrubbed. It only takes one small amount to manifest again. After the first days the water should clear, but keep running filter constantly because the algae is STILL there. Keep chrlorine high the entire time.

[verwon]

Wow, we have never had a real pool, just one of those kids snap set ones that we could sit in and cool off, and I just used bleach in it, since it was so small and we had to change the water regularly anyway, so I am afraid I am no help for this, but I do understand why it bothers you. Pools just aren't supposed to be green. I do hope you can get it cleared up soon.

[katlnhats]

Hi,
I've been a Manager of a Pool store (sells other things as well) and I am not in that field anymore, but was... for over 15 years. First and foremost, if your PH is off at ALL, your chlorine will not work. So, you may be getting seriously high chlorine readings, which, btw, is not safe for you to get in, but that chlorine isn't going to do a darned thing unless your PH readings are correct to begin with and most chlorines will actually raise your PH for a brief time but as the chlorine goes down, so will the PH.
Your PH test should always be between 7.2 - 7.4, any higher or lower, add (depending on how many gallons of water are in your pool and how much it is off by) the appropriate amount of PH increase or decrease. Too soft (high ph) or too hard (low ph) water can cause all kinds of problems. Do not use algeacide till you get this fixed. It won't do a bit of good. Use it after you get this cleaned up and it may take a bit, depending on how long your pool has been green, how big it is, what kind of filter you have, etc's... keep running your filter - what kind do you have? Ex. Sand, DE, other??? That's dependant on how quick things will clear as well.
And if you read the labels on most liquid shock -- it "is" bleach! Let me know how you're doing, we also had a pool for years that didn't turn green, as we were trained and had to go through classes on both pool maintenance and pool chemicals.

Kat - I might be able to walk you through this, I used to do it on the phone w/people all the time. And, yes, too much chlorine is really bad as well.

[katlnhats]

Oh, forgot one thing, this pool, I'm assuming has a liner in it? DO NOT EMPTY IT. When you first either have it installed or do it yourself, then add all that water, the liner stretches - if you empty it, it'll shrink. Meaning, you'll be buying a new liner....

Kat

[hmsram]

Well there is no liner in it as it is just one of those that raises as you fill it. The pump I know is not sand as it just has a plain old walmart filter in it. lol
I am gona go out this afternoon and check the ph level or actually before I go to town this morning I will so I can get the ph stuff If i need.

Yesterday I bought some Clarifier...but have not used it yet ...so I will test that ph before anything...
[URL="http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=PZK2UVVZ3U21SCWQNWSCCOQK0BW0KIWE?id=0001573013985a&type=product&cmCat=perf&rid=0180101070502&xpid=k1343&cm_ven=Performics&cm_cat=Affiliate%2Dclick&cm_pla=BizRate.com&cm_ite=DDI%20link&_requestid=6646"]http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=PZK2UVVZ3U21SCWQNWSCCOQK0BW0KIWE?id=0001573013985a&type=product&cmCat=perf&rid=0180101070502&xpid=k1343&cm_ven=Performics&cm_cat=Affiliate%2Dclick&cm_pla=BizRate.com&cm_ite=DDI%20link&_requestid=6646[/URL]

this is the one we have in the 18X42 model....wow I didnt pay that much though LOL oh thats beside the point LOL

[hmsram]

Ok I went ahead on out and checked it the clhorine comes up in the ok level...the tatal alkanitiy came up 0 ??? checked it twice to...and the ph level came in at a whopping 8.4 a high level wow no wonder its such a pretty green lol how does the ph get so darn high ?????

[hmsram]

OK now I am getting aggervated...I found the box of strips I bought when I got the pool 2 months ago...which are different than the strips I used this morning but now....the brand I used this morning showed the ph wayyyy up there at 8.4 and the brand I used tonite shows it at 6.4 and I redid them both 2 times to make sure I was reading right and I was lol

one bottle says Expiration 5/06 and the other box is new...so I dont know if that has anything to do with it or not ...........but I did go buy some ph minus...darn looks now I should of bought some plus ...I still have not put either in there though...

[tlspiegel]

Just a hint. Don't use the strips. They are NOT accurate and they can be misleading. Use the liquid reagents. I maintain a large 25K diving pool and for the first few years I used the strips and was I surprised when I found out how misleading they can be.

[hmsram]

[quote=tlspiegel]Just a hint. Don't use the strips. They are NOT accurate and they can be misleading. Use the liquid reagents. I maintain a large 25K diving pool and for the first few years I used the strips and was I surprised when I found out how misleading they can be.[/quote]

the liquid your talking about is that the stuff where you put so many drops of this and so many drops of that etc... ???? I can get that at walmart for 4.88 if thats the one your talking about...

[tlspiegel]

The one I purchase is from my pool supply store. It's called aquality
STA-RITE Professional Mark IV Test Kit. I'm not sure what Walmart sells. :)

[katlnhats]

Hi,

Most any/all pool supply store and usually Walmart sells the liquid ones and yes, they are the ones that you fill each side w/water and add a certain amount of drops to each side - wait a minute (usually you'll put a little cap on the water containers) and turn up and down and see what your reading is. The test strips originally came out for hot tubs, not pools though pool stores sell them too. They work........off and on!
Ok, so far your PH level is either too low or too high! lol and that'll have a lot to do with what your pool chlorine can do. Meaning will it work or not.
If you have a pool supply store around (that you trust), take a little jar of fresh water out of your pool and bring it in and ask them to test it for you - then ask them what kit they used, as some, like me, will do it all by hand, others use a computer which screws up regularly... so ask. :)
And let us know... it'll clear up and if you haven't already put the clarifier in, hold off on it, k?
Hugs,
Kat :)

[katlnhats]

[QUOTE=hmsram]OK now I am getting aggervated...I found the box of strips I bought when I got the pool 2 months ago...which are different than the strips I used this morning but now....the brand I used this morning showed the ph wayyyy up there at 8.4 and the brand I used tonite shows it at 6.4 and I redid them both 2 times to make sure I was reading right and I was lol

one bottle says Expiration 5/06 and the other box is new...so I dont know if that has anything to do with it or not ...........but I did go buy some ph minus...darn looks now I should of bought some plus ...I still have not put either in there though...[/QUOTE]

Hi,

It's a good idea to always have both onhand as various things contribute to your PH readings, it's usually not you. Weather is a huge factor, as is anything that may fall off trees and their acids or whatevers get into the water - ph minus is acid (so be careful with it ) and ph plus is a basic water softener type chemical which softens and raises your PH.
When it's right, you shock heck out of it ;)
Oh, one more question - which algaecide did you get before? The one you can use once, or the one that you can use weekly if you need to?

Kat

[hmsram]

alrighty kat...I have been a good girl I have not added any clarifier in that pool at all been just keeping the filter basket clear and letting the pump on...tonite I will go to walmart and get the other kit thingy to test water...I have an apartment to go clean so hopefully I can get back before its to dark out there to see and I can go check it tonite....

The algae stuff I bought is Algae Free Algaecide...the brand is HTH says killls and prevents all types of alge growth
treats 20,000 gallons
lasts 3 months

dosage says every 3 months :laugh: obviously my levels are off somewhere LOL probally the level in my head ;)