Swimming Pool Newbie! Help?

[Miltonchix]

Quote:
DITTO!! I've been having trouble with mine. Now its perfect!! Thanks for the link and info.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
Bec, you going to toss in the test kids before your own go in?

Gets my award for Typo Of The Year! Love ya hon! And I envy you the pool..... can I come visit again? I need a roo and more hens.......

 

[schmije]

We're curently fighting a green pool as well. We tried the typical chemicals with no luck. Our test kit shows that our chemicals are right, but it's still green. Somebody suggested that we cover it with our winter cover, because algae needs light to survive. It's been on for three days, and we'll pull it off the next time we decide to swim. Has anybody used this method? What were your results? I'll report back when we take the cover off.

 

[twentynine]

Quote:
You are right algae needs light to survive. Covering the pool will "get rid" of the visible algae. But when you uncover it because the underlying reason for the algae bloom has not been fixed, it's going to take off again.

Run pump 24/7, BW filter everyday, shock to 3.0-5.0 ppm free cl2, double doseage of algaecide (up to initial treatment instructions), keep clhorinator going 100% or floater full and add cl2 tabs to skimmer.

The only way to cure the algae bloom is to remove the stuff that is feeding the algae and keep it from reoccuring with cl2 and algaecide.

How many kids/people (kids are the worse) are swimming in the pool and how often?

Body oils, skin cells, ammonia (urea), leaves, dust and other stuff (fertilizer) is what feeds the algae, when you shock the pool you are using organic cl2 (hypochlorite) to burn (eat up/ oxydize) those things. The algaecide and inorganic cl2 (trichloro/bichloro) kills what is growing.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Bec, you going to toss in the test kids before your own go in?

Gets my award for Typo Of The Year! Love ya hon! And I envy you the pool..... can I come visit again? I need a roo and more hens.......

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
You are right algae needs light to survive. Covering the pool will "get rid" of the visible algae. But when you uncover it because the underlying reason for the algae bloom has not been fixed, it's going to take off again.

Run pump 24/7, BW filter everyday, shock to 3.0-5.0 ppm free cl2, double doseage of algaecide (up to initial treatment instructions), keep clhorinator going 100% or floater full and add cl2 tabs to skimmer.

The only way to cure the algae bloom is to remove the stuff that is feeding the algae and keep it from reoccuring with cl2 and algaecide.

How many kids/people (kids are the worse) are swimming in the pool and how often?

Body oils, skin cells, ammonia (urea), leaves, dust and other stuff (fertilizer) is what feeds the algae, when you shock the pool you are using organic cl2 (hypochlorite) to burn (eat up/ oxydize) those things. The algaecide and inorganic cl2 (trichloro/bichloro) kills what is growing.

Not all algaecides work on all algaes. Talk to the folks at the pool supply store and follow their recommendations. Last summer we had a very dificult time getting rid of algae--changed algaecides, followed the instructions scrupulously and we have not had nearly the problems since. The heavier-duty one that worked better for us contains a significant amount of copper.

You also need to thoroughly scrub pool walls and any places that don't get the good water circulation (we have several recesses for attaching roped buoys, a skimmer that is capped to allow adequate pressure for the vaccum to work, etc.). Now if you have a portable pool there probably aren't any/many of these, but the point is to look for any hidden places where it is growing or collecting.

 

[twentynine]

Quote:
You are right algae needs light to survive. Covering the pool will "get rid" of the visible algae. But when you uncover it because the underlying reason for the algae bloom has not been fixed, it's going to take off again.

Run pump 24/7, BW filter everyday, shock to 3.0-5.0 ppm free cl2, double doseage of algaecide (up to initial treatment instructions), keep clhorinator going 100% or floater full and add cl2 tabs to skimmer.

The only way to cure the algae bloom is to remove the stuff that is feeding the algae and keep it from reoccuring with cl2 and algaecide.

How many kids/people (kids are the worse) are swimming in the pool and how often?

Body oils, skin cells, ammonia (urea), leaves, dust and other stuff (fertilizer) is what feeds the algae, when you shock the pool you are using organic cl2 (hypochlorite) to burn (eat up/ oxydize) those things. The algaecide and inorganic cl2 (trichloro/bichloro) kills what is growing.

Not all algaecides work on all algaes. Talk to the folks at the pool supply store and follow their recommendations. Last summer we had a very dificult time getting rid of algae--changed algaecides, followed the instructions scrupulously and we have not had nearly the problems since. The heavier-duty one that worked better for us contains a significant amount of copper.

You also need to thoroughly scrub pool walls and any places that don't get the good water circulation (we have several recesses for attaching roped buoys, a skimmer that is capped to allow adequate pressure for the vaccum to work, etc.). Now if you have a portable pool there probably aren't any/many of these, but the point is to look for any hidden places where it is growing or collecting.

Yes! many algaecides contain copper or copper sulfate. Let me grab a bottle of the stuff I have and check, it may have copper or polyethylene. Okay mine is 60% polyoxyethylene. I do know their is a movement away from the copper compounds. Potable H20 treatment has been copper free for years.

Copper sulfate was one of the cheapest easiest to use algaecides.

What SS says about all algaecides working on all algaes is also correct. Specially if you have a strain of mustard algae. Mustard algae can be the devil to get rid of. Generally speaking I have found the higher concentrate algaecide to be cheaper and more effective.

She is also correct in telling you to brush the pool walls, vaccuming the pool, also take the ladders out and manually clean.

Just starting out on caring for a pool it's hard to get a routine going, it is very important to clean, BW, brush, and shock on a regular schedule, even if you are not using the pool. It is much easier and cheaper to prevent an algae bloom verses treating an algae problem.

 

[Bec]

Quote:
Bec, you going to toss in the test kids before your own go in?

Gets my award for Typo Of The Year! Love ya hon! And I envy you the pool..... can I come visit again? I need a roo and more hens.......

LMBO!!!!