Swimming pools blog

8 responses so far ↓

• 1 janis_40 // Jan 18, 2004 at 10:36 am

  Not so much! A dirty sand filter filters better than a clean one. The fine
  dirt particles help filter out even finer stuff. How much chlorine did you
  put in and how big is the pool?

• 2 janis_40 // Jan 19, 2004 at 6:05 am

  I computed the gallons based upon a rectangular pool at about 15.5K.
  TriChlor is about 90% available chlorine. Leslie’s had some TriChlor powder
  but it dissipated to fast to used for algae. Keep the chlorine level up
  until the green is gone. With a sand filter it may take a week or more.
  Ken

• 3 janis_40 // Jan 20, 2004 at 1:33 am

  Go to 24/7 and increase the chlorine to triple and brush, brush and brush
  some more.
  Ken

• 4 Ward Marna // Jan 3, 2007 at 1:08 am

  Over the last two weeks I have had a green pool.
  It is the combination between a broken Hayward pump (that we did not
  realize till last Sunday) and lots of rain and cool weather.
  I have shocked it 4 times with 4 cups of chlorine granules
  Kept the ph at the right level with lots of PH - (more than normal it seems)
  Put Clear Blue Magic in twice in the past week
  And 9 oz of 60% Algaecide for a 16,000 gal pool about a week ago
  All this and it is still very mossy green.
  My pool liner is white with a blue pebble pattern
  No sediment or apparent algae
  Why is it still green?
  \
  Thanks
  Amelia

• 5 Neva Marjory // Jun 28, 2007 at 9:43 pm

  We’re having a serious problem with keeping our pool fit for swimming,
  and I’m at my wits end. The pool is 32′ x 20′ and the depth ranges
  from 3′ at the shallow end to about 10′ at the deep end. Total volume
  is 25,000 gallons. It was resurfaced three years ago, the pump and
  filter were replaced at that time. There are trees along one side so
  leaves have been a problem. A Baracuda Alpha does a good job of
  collecting the leaves, I clean the trap and skimmer ever day or two.
  We live in Phoenix, and we start having algae problems in early July,
  particularly if the monsoon dumps some rain on us. At present the
  pool resembles a poor grade of pea soup. I believe it is a mixture of
  green and yellow algae.
  I’ve taken water samples to several pool stores and have received
  essentially the same story every time. The test the water and report
  pH, chlorine level, stabilizer and total alkalinity is fine. Two
  weeks ago I was told to add 24 oz of ‘Super Algae Bomb 60′, wait half
  
  an hour, then add 8-10 lbs of shock. About 4 hours later the pool was
  a cloudy blue color, and we were thrilled. I added clarifier and
  improved the cloudiness somewhat, but it never got to the point I
  could see the bottom at the deep end.
  Four days ago we got some rain - 1/4″, and the pool promptly turned
  green. Yesterday I tried a different store, they confirmed the
  chemistry seemed perfect and suggested 4 lbs of shock would fix it up;
  no such luck. So far I have added 20 lbs of shock and instead of a
  dark green it’s a pale green.
  The only thing I noticed was they had tested for phosphate; that was
  350 ppb. I note that phosphate is associated with hard to eliminate
  algae. Has anyone had any experience with this, and suggestions for a
  treatment?
  Thanks,
  Bill

• 6 Alexandria Gennie // Jun 29, 2007 at 12:31 pm

  When was the last time you backwashed your filter? And when was the
  last time you vacuumed the pool floor, by hand? If the water is still
  green, then the algea is still living and present in the water. I had
  a similar experience and it cleared up nicely right after I replaced
  the sand in the filter. You can go to a Lowe’s or Menards and get the
  silica sand that is required. Some recommend changing it annually. I
  have found it to be necessary about every two years. I’ve also been
  told you can’t backwash often enough.

• 7 Adeline Sang // Jul 2, 2007 at 8:09 am

  phosphates of 350 ppb is not super high but ideally, this reading should
  be kept at or below 100ppb. Zero is best. If you are able to confirm
  that you have nitrates in the water, the only way to remove the
  phosphates is to drain and replace some water until it lowers the
  nitrate concentration.
  Phosphates are basically fertilizer and food for algae. Well its great
  for you lawn (cuz you want that green) its not so great for your pool,
  unless you want it green too!! There are a few products that are used
  to remove phosphates, ask your local retailer what they carry.
  Paul

• 8 Lillie Paris // Jul 4, 2007 at 10:20 pm

  I can tell you that we use PhosFree all year instead of an algaecide.
  350 ppb is very high. PhosFree gets rid of all the phosphates, which
  algae feeds off of. No food…no algae. It has worked great for us for
  years. The other thing is that with algaecide, you have no way to
  measure how much you have, or how much you need. It’s all a shot in the
  dark. With phosphates, you can measure and adjust accordingly, so in the
  long run, it’s less expensive also.
  Good luck!
  Larry

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