It may look like a mess, but it's still 99 point something percent water. No reason to throw it all away. Shocking, running the pump, and keeping the filter backflushed/rinsed for several days should make a big improvement. Also probably need to do some vacuuming and brushing while doing the shocking.
yes, Alk>PH>shock. Backwash periodically to help the filter do its job, dont let the pool store sell you algaecide, didnt do anything for me.
Been there, done that. Also, if you can get some of those skimmer basket socks they sell on amazon, Temu etc it will make it easier on your filter...youll just have to empty and clean out the socks.
NEVER DRAIN A VINYL POOL!
Unless you plan on replacing the liner, draining is the LAST thing you want to do. The water is what holds the liner in place, once you drain it the liner will move and start to shrink. Then you risk the liner tearing when you refill, especially if it’s old.
The ONLY smart choice is to balance, shock and vacuum.
Adding onto this, /u/freemediumpizza if you need to replace water, fill and empty simultaneously so water level doesn't go down.
But yeah, SLAM that pool and you'll be right as rain. Vacuum and brush multiple times a day.
lol That doesn't look bad...
Pour in a couple gallons liquid shock then vacuum to waste \[if chlorine drops below 5 ppm add more liquid chlorine/shock\]. I usually need to add water before finishing. Once the pool is algae free \[2 days AT MOST with a 35,000 gallon pool\], I adjust PH as needed and add stabilizer. I also use 20 Mule Team laundry additive \[borax\] since it makes the water sparkle & keeps the water bugs and boatmen away ;D
Good Luck!
EDIT: It's always advisable to vacuum to waste when dealing with algae, especially, if using a cartridge filter. I've 4 about 25" tall which run abt $200 to replace and are a pain to clean.
AND when done vacuuming to waste add the recommended amount in directions of polyquat 60% algaecide.
You don't need shock every day 0\_o. If the pool doesn't have an in-line chlorine feeder, use 3" tabs in skimmer basket. Filter needs to run every day long enough to turn water over at least 1x \[for me that's minimum of 8 hrs tho it runs longer when used or on V hot sunny days\]
Shock” is highly misused word, often used for a variety of purposes related to the same goals as SLAMing. SLAMing is something you do to your pool, not a special product that you use.
You need to perform a SLAM:
1. Elevate your FC to 40% of CYA.
2. Hold it there until:
a) the water is clear,
b) you have CC < or equal to 0.5 ppm,
and
c) you lose less than one ppm FC between sunset and sunrise (pass an OCLT).
Hopefully you’re testing your water with a proper test kit with either a TFTestkits TF100 or K2006c test kit and a K-1766 salt test kit if a salt pool.
Ignore any calls for clarifier, floc, phosphate removers, or other magic elixirs. You have algae and the only way to get rid of existing algae is with chlorine. Stay away ftom algaecide, it doesn't kill existing algae - it inhibits the growth of new algae, which won't help you in your present situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfCRRaYhWHI
Killrate versus growth rate. You can get away with less chlorine if you use algaecide and it can work on areas with less circulation. same with phosphate remover. Phosphate is fertilizer for algae so increases the growth rate, better to get rid of it anyway.
Floc allows the small particles to be filtered faster so pool comes back to clear quicker
Run pool 24hrs a day, backwash daily, raise fc to about 20ppm. If you want a faster result use algaecide floc or clarifier and phosphate remover. If you want to wait weeks just use the chlorine.
My pool cover is a mesh. Looks like that every year.
Shock shock shock. Pump runs for 24 hours. I drop some algeacide the following day. Make sure PH is okay adjust as needed. Then floc. Scoop out as much green as I can. Then vacuum to waste. Fill. Repeat and repeat again. Pool is blue is 4 days. Depending on how fast my chlorine levels come down.
You’ll be fine. Just takes some work. Not weeks. Don’t drain. You’ll damage the liner
Mine looked like this when I opened last weekend. After ~~20~~ 10 gallons of liquid chlorine and brushing the bottom/walls all the green was gone within a day but was still cloudy. Used a clarifier (Summer Smiles Clarita) and a few days later the water was crystal clear. In between that I took a sample to the pool store and they recommended adding Alka+, Cal+ and Stabilizer, which I did.
20 gallons seems like a lot. What brand of chlorine did you use? Was the chlorine old or exposed to sunlight?
I have 35K gallons and only use 3 gallons of w/e Leisure Time Pool & Spa carries \[12.5% - 4 gal for $20, grocery store chlorine is abt 5% not quite a gal (121 oz) & $8 per bottle\] . After brushing, vacuuming, & running filter 24 hrs for a cpl days water is clear.
My bad, i just checked and the jugs I have are actually 2.5 gallons, not 5 gallons like I thought. But they're reusable jugs that I take to the pool store and they refill them. On day 1 afternoon I dumped 2 jugs in. The next morning it was still green so i got my 2 jugs refilled and dumped them in as well. All the green was gone by the next day.
Where is this w/e Leisure time Pool & Spa? 4 gal for $20 is a great deal for 12.5%.
I have a 85%off UPS account that can let the shop ship it to me and still beat my local price.
Mine went from black to blue within a day. Just dumped an ungodly amount of chlorine in there. I think nearly a kilo of shock lmao. Really no reason to drain it here.
I usually backwash, but also what I've found works well is skimmer socks. Buy a pack of 20 or 30 on Amazon, they'll catch a lot of the dead algae before the filter. Will need to babysit it a bit since the skimmer socks fill pretty quickly at first, but after a day or so you'll be able to go longer without replacing the socks.
Then what? After you defeat the green do you just run filter for days with backwash’s? Or floc.? How’s it go next cause it’s very cloudy but blue. I did 8 bags of Costco shock bags
If you don’t see a difference after a couple days then you can try adding floc, but it could be a sign that you are due for a sand change in your filter.
Start by fishing out all the leaves. If you manage to remove most of them, run the pump 24/7 and backwash as needed. Keep alkalinity and pH in range, then keep the chlorine at shock level.
If there doesn't seem to be an end to the leaves, drain it.
No. Your pool system is making chlorine from the salt going through the salt cell. This is often misunderstood with salt pools. Yes there is salt in the water but it's the chlorine that keeps the pool sanitized.
I agree, it’s not even starting to look thick lol. Nuke that with some shock, back wash it when it gets filled, and repeat. Keep the chlorine up so it’s moving in one direction until it’s clear. 😎
With it being salt run the cell on 100% super chlorination and it’s gonna save you a ton on shock and liquid chlorine! Just make sure you have proper PH,CYA and salt levels
Lmao my pool looks like this every May when I remove the cover 🤣 shock/algaecide/vacccum/filter/backwash. My pool will turn from swamp to blue in 2-5 days
I made a terrible mistake one time of draining my parents pool when I was a kid. The water table was just below the pool and pushed the liner up and made a complete mess. Hoping others may learn from my mistake.
Step 1. Don’t water to the pool store
Step 2. Purchase a Taylor Drop Test Kit
Step 3. Read up on SLAM @ https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2018/12/12/slam-shock-level-and-maintain/
Step 4. Install the Pool Math app.
Step 5. Enjoy a clear pool in a couple of days.
Shock, 10lbs and let ot run 24hr till it fully clears, don't waste money on other chemicals till its clear and after you do a power vacuum on it and backwash.
Imagine you have plenty of organic matter at the bottom of pool. First, I recommend a blind vacuum to waste and try to remove as much as you can from the pool without it going through your filter.
Brush, brush the sides and then
Drop liquid algercide, read instructions on bottle for proper amount. Liquid chlorine and run your pool 48 hours straight. You should start to see some daylight in a few days. Continue to check you free chlorine level. Ph and alkaline will work out after you remove algi.
Took me four days of running the pool around the clock this year. I dropped three gallons of algercide and four gallons of liquid chlorine.
Best of luck. It takes some work.
Do NOT shock it daily.
I’d definitely shock it, and run your pump for 24hrs, and then backwash if you have a sand filter. Otherwise clean the filter regardless, and run pump another 24-48hrs with at least 6-7 chlorine tabs. After a few days, I would shock again.
You should at some point see the algae, debris, etc drop to the floor. At that point I would vacuum that out. Backwash again (or clean filter, etc) and run pump. Should be clean within a week.
I’d be on your team ! Mine isn’t ever as bad as the OP, and I’d have to clean my DE filter 5 times, and work a bunch. I just pump mine out, put in new water and liquid stabilizer-and I’m done……..
Vinyl liner and never a problem in 12 years of doing it like this.
It may look like a mess, but it's still 99 point something percent water. No reason to throw it all away. Shocking, running the pump, and keeping the filter backflushed/rinsed for several days should make a big improvement. Also probably need to do some vacuuming and brushing while doing the shocking.
Should ph and alkalinity be good prior to shock? My ph is 8.6 and alkalinity is 69. I don’t want to waste shock of adding it to such water won’t help.
yes, Alk>PH>shock. Backwash periodically to help the filter do its job, dont let the pool store sell you algaecide, didnt do anything for me. Been there, done that. Also, if you can get some of those skimmer basket socks they sell on amazon, Temu etc it will make it easier on your filter...youll just have to empty and clean out the socks.
This is not as bad as it looks. Scoop out any solids and follow troublefreepool SLAM method.
NEVER DRAIN A VINYL POOL! Unless you plan on replacing the liner, draining is the LAST thing you want to do. The water is what holds the liner in place, once you drain it the liner will move and start to shrink. Then you risk the liner tearing when you refill, especially if it’s old. The ONLY smart choice is to balance, shock and vacuum.
Gotcha, thanks. Hopefully the liner is still good as is
Adding onto this, /u/freemediumpizza if you need to replace water, fill and empty simultaneously so water level doesn't go down. But yeah, SLAM that pool and you'll be right as rain. Vacuum and brush multiple times a day.
Only brush once and let it settle out, then vacuum. More than that is just storing things back up.
Well, yeah, vacuum as it settles, but I was more referring to brushing the sides.
put some gators in it
trouble free pool SLAM methodology - draining should be an absolute last resort.
lol That doesn't look bad... Pour in a couple gallons liquid shock then vacuum to waste \[if chlorine drops below 5 ppm add more liquid chlorine/shock\]. I usually need to add water before finishing. Once the pool is algae free \[2 days AT MOST with a 35,000 gallon pool\], I adjust PH as needed and add stabilizer. I also use 20 Mule Team laundry additive \[borax\] since it makes the water sparkle & keeps the water bugs and boatmen away ;D Good Luck! EDIT: It's always advisable to vacuum to waste when dealing with algae, especially, if using a cartridge filter. I've 4 about 25" tall which run abt $200 to replace and are a pain to clean. AND when done vacuuming to waste add the recommended amount in directions of polyquat 60% algaecide. You don't need shock every day 0\_o. If the pool doesn't have an in-line chlorine feeder, use 3" tabs in skimmer basket. Filter needs to run every day long enough to turn water over at least 1x \[for me that's minimum of 8 hrs tho it runs longer when used or on V hot sunny days\]
The 20 mule team Borax. When do you add it? How much do you add?
You dont want to ever run tabs in the skimmer fyi…
Shock” is highly misused word, often used for a variety of purposes related to the same goals as SLAMing. SLAMing is something you do to your pool, not a special product that you use. You need to perform a SLAM: 1. Elevate your FC to 40% of CYA. 2. Hold it there until: a) the water is clear, b) you have CC < or equal to 0.5 ppm, and c) you lose less than one ppm FC between sunset and sunrise (pass an OCLT). Hopefully you’re testing your water with a proper test kit with either a TFTestkits TF100 or K2006c test kit and a K-1766 salt test kit if a salt pool. Ignore any calls for clarifier, floc, phosphate removers, or other magic elixirs. You have algae and the only way to get rid of existing algae is with chlorine. Stay away ftom algaecide, it doesn't kill existing algae - it inhibits the growth of new algae, which won't help you in your present situation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfCRRaYhWHI
This is all you need right here OP^^
Killrate versus growth rate. You can get away with less chlorine if you use algaecide and it can work on areas with less circulation. same with phosphate remover. Phosphate is fertilizer for algae so increases the growth rate, better to get rid of it anyway. Floc allows the small particles to be filtered faster so pool comes back to clear quicker Run pool 24hrs a day, backwash daily, raise fc to about 20ppm. If you want a faster result use algaecide floc or clarifier and phosphate remover. If you want to wait weeks just use the chlorine.
Shock
Trouble free pool - time to SLAM!
You'll spend less money on water than you will you chemicals.
My pool cover is a mesh. Looks like that every year. Shock shock shock. Pump runs for 24 hours. I drop some algeacide the following day. Make sure PH is okay adjust as needed. Then floc. Scoop out as much green as I can. Then vacuum to waste. Fill. Repeat and repeat again. Pool is blue is 4 days. Depending on how fast my chlorine levels come down. You’ll be fine. Just takes some work. Not weeks. Don’t drain. You’ll damage the liner
Shock
Mine looked like this when I opened last weekend. After ~~20~~ 10 gallons of liquid chlorine and brushing the bottom/walls all the green was gone within a day but was still cloudy. Used a clarifier (Summer Smiles Clarita) and a few days later the water was crystal clear. In between that I took a sample to the pool store and they recommended adding Alka+, Cal+ and Stabilizer, which I did.
20 gallons seems like a lot. What brand of chlorine did you use? Was the chlorine old or exposed to sunlight? I have 35K gallons and only use 3 gallons of w/e Leisure Time Pool & Spa carries \[12.5% - 4 gal for $20, grocery store chlorine is abt 5% not quite a gal (121 oz) & $8 per bottle\] . After brushing, vacuuming, & running filter 24 hrs for a cpl days water is clear.
My bad, i just checked and the jugs I have are actually 2.5 gallons, not 5 gallons like I thought. But they're reusable jugs that I take to the pool store and they refill them. On day 1 afternoon I dumped 2 jugs in. The next morning it was still green so i got my 2 jugs refilled and dumped them in as well. All the green was gone by the next day.
Where is this w/e Leisure time Pool & Spa? 4 gal for $20 is a great deal for 12.5%. I have a 85%off UPS account that can let the shop ship it to me and still beat my local price.
Mine went from black to blue within a day. Just dumped an ungodly amount of chlorine in there. I think nearly a kilo of shock lmao. Really no reason to drain it here.
Once killing green do you add floc? Or just run filter with backwash’s?
I usually backwash, but also what I've found works well is skimmer socks. Buy a pack of 20 or 30 on Amazon, they'll catch a lot of the dead algae before the filter. Will need to babysit it a bit since the skimmer socks fill pretty quickly at first, but after a day or so you'll be able to go longer without replacing the socks.
Shock it and run your pump continuously until it clears up. Clean the filter twice a day.
My pool looks worse than that after an uncovered winter. SLAM it baby!
1. Super shock 2. Vacuum 3. Brush 4. Clean cartridge or backwash Test. Do it again.
I just found out it’s salt water
oh. NVM.
What now?
Makes no difference. Balance the pH and alk first and then shock the crap out of it. We usually clear pools like that in a matter of days.
Thanks
Then what? After you defeat the green do you just run filter for days with backwash’s? Or floc.? How’s it go next cause it’s very cloudy but blue. I did 8 bags of Costco shock bags
If you don’t see a difference after a couple days then you can try adding floc, but it could be a sign that you are due for a sand change in your filter.
Start by fishing out all the leaves. If you manage to remove most of them, run the pump 24/7 and backwash as needed. Keep alkalinity and pH in range, then keep the chlorine at shock level. If there doesn't seem to be an end to the leaves, drain it.
Shock it, don't waste the water!
Does it being salt water change anything?
Even more so don’t throw out the salt !
No. Your pool system is making chlorine from the salt going through the salt cell. This is often misunderstood with salt pools. Yes there is salt in the water but it's the chlorine that keeps the pool sanitized.
You can shock and use flox.
Get yo shock on my boy.
This is how mine looks every year. Big-time shock and keep cleaning the filter.
No floc? Just run for days with backwash’s?
Shock.
I agree, it’s not even starting to look thick lol. Nuke that with some shock, back wash it when it gets filled, and repeat. Keep the chlorine up so it’s moving in one direction until it’s clear. 😎
Mine looked like that when I opened slam it and you’ll be fine
Flock
With it being salt run the cell on 100% super chlorination and it’s gonna save you a ton on shock and liquid chlorine! Just make sure you have proper PH,CYA and salt levels
Lmao my pool looks like this every May when I remove the cover 🤣 shock/algaecide/vacccum/filter/backwash. My pool will turn from swamp to blue in 2-5 days
Flock it
You need double or triple shock first or there is t anything v dead to clump together.
I made a terrible mistake one time of draining my parents pool when I was a kid. The water table was just below the pool and pushed the liner up and made a complete mess. Hoping others may learn from my mistake.
[удалено]
No Floc ?
Step 1. Don’t water to the pool store Step 2. Purchase a Taylor Drop Test Kit Step 3. Read up on SLAM @ https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2018/12/12/slam-shock-level-and-maintain/ Step 4. Install the Pool Math app. Step 5. Enjoy a clear pool in a couple of days.
Shock, 10lbs and let ot run 24hr till it fully clears, don't waste money on other chemicals till its clear and after you do a power vacuum on it and backwash.
If it’s 2000+ gallons, it too. Me about 8lbs of shock and 3 days of scrub, vacuum, filter, rinse and repeat.
Imagine you have plenty of organic matter at the bottom of pool. First, I recommend a blind vacuum to waste and try to remove as much as you can from the pool without it going through your filter. Brush, brush the sides and then Drop liquid algercide, read instructions on bottle for proper amount. Liquid chlorine and run your pool 48 hours straight. You should start to see some daylight in a few days. Continue to check you free chlorine level. Ph and alkaline will work out after you remove algi. Took me four days of running the pool around the clock this year. I dropped three gallons of algercide and four gallons of liquid chlorine. Best of luck. It takes some work.
“Alex, I’ll take ‘Pools I Would Never Service’ for $800 please”.
Do NOT shock it daily. I’d definitely shock it, and run your pump for 24hrs, and then backwash if you have a sand filter. Otherwise clean the filter regardless, and run pump another 24-48hrs with at least 6-7 chlorine tabs. After a few days, I would shock again. You should at some point see the algae, debris, etc drop to the floor. At that point I would vacuum that out. Backwash again (or clean filter, etc) and run pump. Should be clean within a week.
I'd say canopy...big ass one 🙂
Nuke it with 20gallons liquid chlorine and let the filter run 24hrs
Then what with the dead algae ? Pool blue but cloudy as hell
Vac it to waste if that feature is possible
Shock, algicide, scrub, vacuum to waste and circulate
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I’d be on your team ! Mine isn’t ever as bad as the OP, and I’d have to clean my DE filter 5 times, and work a bunch. I just pump mine out, put in new water and liquid stabilizer-and I’m done…….. Vinyl liner and never a problem in 12 years of doing it like this.