Is your smwimming pool giving you problems?

I am a pool professional, I repair and maintain swimming pools spas, and fountains as part of my daily work. I have a lot of knowledge about pools, spas, ponds and fountains. if you have any general questions or need help with water chemistry etc. feel free to post questions and I will answer all serious questions.

Cool just want i was looking for,help! Just recently moved to a new place and the pool was blue but has now turned green i threw algae bombs in and some shock stuff. 4ib of the stuff but nothing working.
EDIT: Oh yea i've been brushing the pool a couple times a day and running the jets almost 24/7

Originally posted by Bixxi3
Cool just want i was looking for,help! Just recently moved to a new place and the pool was blue but has now turned green i threw algae bombs in and some shock stuff. 4ib of the stuff but nothing working.

edit on 9-7-2011 by Bixxi3 because: (no reason given)

cleaning up an algae infestation is a process and cant be solved in a day, how severe is your algae problem? how is visibility? (how deep can you see into the pool? what kind of filtration system do you have? how big is the pool (gallons)? i can lay out a process for clean up for you but realize that it may take a week or more and your filter will be running 24 hrs a day during the process.

the worst pool i ever cleaned up took a month with 2 diatomacious earth filters running 24 hrs a day. however that is another story

reply to post by CaDreamer

this has been going on for 5 days now and i put the stuff in 4days ago and more the next. As for visibility i can't see anything past the 3-4footmark.As for the other questions i really don't have a clue! sorry

Originally posted by Bixxi3
Cool just want i was looking for,help! Just recently moved to a new place and the pool was blue but has now turned green i threw algae bombs in and some shock stuff. 4ib of the stuff but nothing working.
EDIT: Oh yea i've been brushing the pool a couple times a day and running the jets almost 24/7

edit on 9-7-2011 by Bixxi3 because: (no reason given)

it is a good start. take a water sample down to your local pool store if you dont know how to test the chem levels...important to know Chlorine levels (total chlorine as well as free chlorine. pH must be maintained at over 7.2 and below 8.0 during the clean up process. Alkalinity is also important and if a plaster pool 80 is the target number if fiberglass 120.

First step is to raise Chlorine (CL2) levels to at least 30ppm...kill everything in the pool. must be checked daily (twice daily ideally) a standard test kit only tests to 5ppm so get high end test strips for this. If you have a D.E. filter it should be back-washed twice daily. A cartridge filter or sand filter should be treated the same. brush as you have been once or twice daily. Use a net and attempt to remove all debris from the pool. Then use a water vac system to remove all other debris. (i use a leaf master with a wide mesh debris bag for that.
Then once all debris is out and algae is dead all that is left is filtration. as dead algae settles to the floor of the pool vac it out through the filtration system using a standard pool vac.

i have turned peas soup algae infestations back into crystal clear happy fun times pools. it is not an easy process but it is rather straight forward.

it should be noted that the pool water will be toxic during this process and no one should enter the pool and all pets kept from entering or drinking from the pool.

Originally posted by Bixxi3
reply to post by CaDreamer

 

this has been going on for 5 days now and i put the stuff in 4days ago and more the next. As for visibility i can't see anything past the 3-4footmark.As for the other questions i really don't have a clue! sorry

edit on 9-7-2011 by Bixxi3 because: (no reason given)

your problem isn't that bad sounds like. try this. add 2 gallons of CL2 and run filter 24hrs a day brushing twice a day and cleaning filter twice a day. algaecides may help but in my opinion are very toxic and are not needed for minor problems. it should improve daily. should go from green to milky white within a couple of days.
maintain a 10ppm CL2 level during this process. once pool is clear allow the level to drop back to 3ppm and maintain at that level. oh and make sure to keep the skimmer and filtration pump baskets clean and free of debris, and keep water level in pool at the proper level. Typically the center of the tile line.

Hi,
Just went through the massive dust storm here in Phoenix and my pool is starting to look pretty good after three days. My question is should I replace my cartridge filters because of all of the dirt they have in them now???

Originally posted by Soldier of God
Hi,
Just went through the massive dust storm here in Phoenix and my pool is starting to look pretty good after three days. My question is should I replace my cartridge filters because of all of the dirt they have in them now???

cartridge filter elements have a pretty good life span. about 5 years in a residential pool.( although i have seem them last much longer) First I would break down the cart filter and clean and examine the elements. if they clean up ok there is no reason they should be replaced. Check with your local dealer for something called a cartridge acid wash to extend the life of the elements. depending on the filter those elements can run from 75 to 150 dollars each.



to clean cartridges use a water hose with a high pressure nozzle cleaning top to bottom. also a pressure washer does a great job, however care should be used as to not damage the filter.

reply to post by CaDreamer


Thank you, I will try cleaning them first.

Originally posted by Soldier of God
reply to post by CaDreamer

 

Thank you, I will try cleaning them first.

also there is a common pool additive called Fiber Clear that can be added to the filter to assist in clearing up your pool more rapidly. once pool is clear i recommend cleaning the cartridges of the fiber. it works by decreasing the size of the pores in the fabric of the cartridges catching smaller particles (measured in microns). watch the pressure once it is 5psi above your clean filter pressure backwash it. most manufacturers recommend cleaning the filter at 10psi over clean pressure. however my policy is 3psi. i have found that cartridge filters are filthy and flow is dramatically reduced at more than 5psi.over clean pressure. good luck and feel free to ask should you need any more advice.

Pool tech here too! Cool of you to offer help/tech tips for anyone. S&F

Originally posted by chrismicha77
Pool tech here too! Cool of you to offer help/tech tips for anyone. S&F

feel free to chime in if you feel i missed something or more info would help. I do not mind.

reply to post by Bixxi3



also your local pool store can come out on a weekly basis and keep your pool clean for you, just talk to them and see how much they charge. for my area its 40.00 per week and they take care of everything.

Originally posted by Shar
reply to post by Bixxi3

 

also your local pool store can come out on a weekly basis and keep your pool clean for you, just talk to them and see how much they charge. for my area its 40.00 per week and they take care of everything.

Yes i agree totally. a professional may be what you need to handle this even now. It will require equipment that you may not have, and dangerous chemicals. consultation is typically free. advice is invaluable especially with eyes on information.

I was going to say if what you prescribed doesn't work for the OP, then maybe a flock n' shock would be in order. Although this will be a pain in the ass, it would get rid of the headache in a few days, assuming the OP knows how to vacuum and such. Once clear, just get the chlorine back to norm levels, get your PH back in line, if it's a sand filter make sure to backwash & rinse good or you might end up with the problem again. Also, I would go with a three month copper based algaecide treatment, do this only if you don't have problems with metals in your pool.

Keep your chlorine at recommended levels at all times. Chlorine pools need to be shocked once a week if you have a lot of bathers in the pool. Keep tablets in the pool to maintain chlorine levels. If you have a salt generator make sure you have the % up to keep up with your sanitazion needs. Hotter humid climates with require a higher percentage of chlorine output, it would be wise to super-chlorinate once a week, or having heavy use.

Hope you get your pool back in order! Cadreamer has really covered everything thouroghly, great job!

Originally posted by chrismicha77
I was going to say if what you prescribed doesn't work for the OP, then maybe a flock n' shock would be in order. Although this will be a pain in the ass, it would get rid of the headache in a few days, assuming the OP knows how to vacuum and such. Once clear, just get the chlorine back to norm levels, get your PH back in line, if it's a sand filter make sure to backwash & rinse good or you might end up with the problem again. Also, I would go with a three month copper based algaecide treatment, do this only if you don't have problems with metals in your pool.

Keep your chlorine at recommended levels at all times. Chlorine pools need to be shocked once a week if you have a lot of bathers in the pool. Keep tablets in the pool to maintain chlorine levels. If you have a salt generator make sure you have the % up to keep up with your sanitazion needs. Hotter humid climates with require a higher percentage of chlorine output, it would be wise to super-chlorinate once a week, or having heavy use.

Hope you get your pool back in order! Cadreamer has really covered everything thoroughly, great job!

the use of a floculant or drop & vac even, may be beneficial but a floculant may make you have to backwash your filter at shorter intervals.

also you have to be careful with copper based algecides. if you have a plaster pool and have water from a well that has high mineral content, it is possible that the blue color of these algecides (from the copper) could leach into the plaster staining it. however i do often use copper based algecides for residential applications to treat yellow, mustard algae and black algae maintenance.

Ok took your advice went to the store. They said the problem was that i need more chloride. So when i get back home in search for the tank im suppose to have chloride in.I find it and guess what? its empty! Thanks for the help. I would like to get someone to clean my pool but im trying to cut back spending so i think im gonna keep at it and learn some more on pool maintenance.

reply to post by CaDreamer

originally posted by: chrismicha77
Pool tech here too! Cool of you to offer help/tech tips for anyone. S&F

Not a pool tech here but agree it's nice of you to share your knowledge.

I don't have a pool either so no problems to ask answers for but if I did have one I'd go with a salt water pool. Swam in one of those once and damned if they aren't awesome. I hear they are also much easier to take care of but that's just what I heard. Can't trust anyone these days.