# Why does my pool remain green after multiple shock treatments?



## farmerjohn1324 (Sep 5, 2016)

Anyone know?


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## bud16415 (Sep 5, 2016)

Because it has been allowed to go too far and need a massive dose to solve the problem. Get some rough dimensions of your pool size and depth and take a sample of your water to your nearest pool and spa supply dealer and they will tell you what to add and how much. There are also some good pool forums on line where all they talk about is this stuff.


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## farmerjohn1324 (Sep 13, 2016)

Without starting a new thread, how often should I run the pool pump?

I noticed that my electricity bill was sky high because I left it running 24/7.

What is the LEAST that I can run it?


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## havasu (Sep 13, 2016)

Many factors to tell you over the internet. How many gallons is the pool? How big is the filter? What kind of filter? Cartridge, DE, ? How many HP is the pump? How hot does it get where you live? Northern or southern exposure? 

I have a small "spool" and is only about 10,000 gallons. I have a cartridge filter and a 1 1/2 HP pump. To take advantage of the lower electricity costs, I run my pump/filter from 0600 hours to about 0930 hours. It seems perfect to my southern exposure pool. For a large pool (as yours looks to be) I would guess 4-5 hours of run time in the summer, and 3-4 hours in the winter. 

My advise is to get a pool guy over, pay him $50-$60 on a one time fee, and let him tell you if the water is old and needs to be replaced, and if your filter is running smooth. Or as advised above, take a sample to any pool supply business and they will test your water for free, and provide you very simple instructions on how to get it crystal clear. 

BTW, I have a single (but large) cartridge filter. I need to clean it every 2-3 weeks to keep it running good. I just cleaned my filter this morning.


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## slownsteady (Sep 15, 2016)

post a picture of your pool equipment....


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## elbo (Sep 15, 2016)

first, I see some sort of floating device to hold a chlorine tablet. that's worthless. It probably doesn't add enough chlorine to do much good. Many years ago, when I lived in miami, I had a pool that held 13,000 galons, I added 1 gallon of liquid chlorine every night and didn't shut off the pump until 2 hours had past.  Adding the chlorine in the evening or at night let the chlorine work without having the sun weakening the chlorine I also turned on the pump/filter about 8 or 9 am, so it ran for about 12 to 14 hours each day Doing this, I never had an algae problem. 
My suggestion to you is to add about 3 gallons of liquid pool chlorine at night and let the filter/pump run all night. The next day your pool will be sparkling.
One of the disadvantages of having a pool is that it will run up your elect. bill and chemicals aren't cheap. Also the maintenance is a pain in the a**, but that's the price you pay for having the luxury that a pool provides
   Bite the bullet and use liquid pool chlorine (3/4 to 1 gal each night ), keep the pool water at a neutral PH and you wont have any more problems


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## farmerjohn1324 (Sep 16, 2016)

elbo said:


> first, I see some sort of floating device to hold a chlorine tablet. that's worthless. It probably doesn't add enough chlorine to do much good. Many years ago, when I lived in miami, I had a pool that held 13,000 galons, I added 1 gallon of liquid chlorine every night and didn't shut off the pump until 2 hours had past.  Adding the chlorine in the evening or at night let the chlorine work without having the sun weakening the chlorine I also turned on the pump/filter about 8 or 9 am, so it ran for about 12 to 14 hours each day Doing this, I never had an algae problem.
> My suggestion to you is to add about 3 gallons of liquid pool chlorine at night and let the filter/pump run all night. The next day your pool will be sparkling.
> One of the disadvantages of having a pool is that it will run up your elect. bill and chemicals aren't cheap. Also the maintenance is a pain in the a**, but that's the price you pay for having the luxury that a pool provides
> Bite the bullet and use liquid pool chlorine (3/4 to 1 gal each night ), keep the pool water at a neutral PH and you wont have any more problems



How often do I need to add this to keep it clean?

What's the harm in letting the pool turn green if I can't afford the electric bill?


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## bud16415 (Sep 16, 2016)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> How often do I need to add this to keep it clean?
> 
> What's the harm in letting the pool turn green if I can't afford the electric bill?



 No harm in letting it turn green stock it with some bass and frogs and you will have a great little Cment pond just like the Clampetts had.


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## elbo (Sep 16, 2016)

you could make it your own fishin' hole like bud says or you can swim in it and make some doctor and hospital rich.
A pool without circulation and with green water will breed all different kinds of bacteria ( including the flesh eating bacteria where you can see your skin start to rot,, but that might be kind of neat to watch ) and bugs.
I would start by adding the 3 gallons of chlorine to clean and purify the water, If that doesn't help add 5 gallons. If that still doesn't help, drain the pool and scrub the entire pool with detergent and bleach. All this might seem drastic, but you've let this pool go all to hell and if you want to stay safe, it's necessary.
After you get this sewer cleaned out, go to any store that sell pool supplies (even wal-mart ) and get a chlorine and PH test kit, test you water daily and add the proper amount of chlorine and acid (usually ) 
 until you get a safe reading. Soon you will know how much chemicals you will need on a daily basis
Most importantly, don't swim or use the pool until you get it right. If you can't afford the cost, fill it with sand
Oh yeah, dont forget to clean the filter. If its a sand and gravel filter change the sand and gravel, If it's a DE filter check the filaments and clean them , then add the required amount of the DE (diatomous earth )
Lots of work, but you caused it


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## havasu (Sep 16, 2016)

In my area, they use helicopters and satellite images and within a day of seeing a green pool, the local code enforcement cops are knocking at your door with a citation hand delivered to you. With green pools, it is an environment for mosquito breeding and is hazardous to not only you, but your entire neighborhood. One of the leading businesses in Southern California is pool demo companies. For a mere $20K, they will drain the water, cut two 2' x 2' holes at the bottom of your pool, and bust any incoming and outgoing plumbing to the pool. They then fill and pack DG into the hole until the plaster is covered. 

My ex-wife did exactly this to the pool in the backyard that I lost in my divorce.


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## farmerjohn1324 (Sep 17, 2016)

elbo said:


> you could make it your own fishin' hole like bud says or you can swim in it and make some doctor and hospital rich.
> A pool without circulation and with green water will breed all different kinds of bacteria ( including the flesh eating bacteria where you can see your skin start to rot,, but that might be kind of neat to watch ) and bugs.
> I would start by adding the 3 gallons of chlorine to clean and purify the water, If that doesn't help add 5 gallons. If that still doesn't help, drain the pool and scrub the entire pool with detergent and bleach. All this might seem drastic, but you've let this pool go all to hell and if you want to stay safe, it's necessary.
> After you get this sewer cleaned out, go to any store that sell pool supplies (even wal-mart ) and get a chlorine and PH test kit, test you water daily and add the proper amount of chlorine and acid (usually )
> ...



Where do I buy 3 gallons of chlorine? Are you talking about just liquid bleach? Is there a brand name?

I don't think you can drain pools in Florida. The water table is very shallow and it could cave in.

Just added my last 5 shock treatments. There are tadpoles in the pool. I turned the pool pump back on. The shock treatments came with a water test strips. I will use them after the shock treatments have had a chance to soak in.

The dimensions of the pool are slightly smaller than 17' x 38'. I don't know the depth because I can't measure it. What's standard for depth?


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## elbo (Sep 17, 2016)

I also live in Florida ( Ocala ), and though I don't have a pool any longer, I still use the pool chlorine for other purposes. I get the chlorine at my local Wal-mart (Pool Essentials Chlorinating Liquid
$3.64) I usually find it in the garden section.
Household bleach is a 5% solution, and Pool chlorine is a 10% solution.
You might say, O.K. I'll just add twice the amount using household bleach,nope, it doesn't work that way.you gotta use the 10%
If you cant find it in Wal-mart, you should be able to find it at any pool supply store, but dont let them sell you powders or tablets as they make a bigger profit on them than the chlorine
the standard depth for a home pool is about 6 ft. at the drain, but of course the bottom will taper down from the shallow end to the deep end.
You can legally drain the water to your yard without any problem, when I had my pool, I rigged a drain line to the sewer clean out plug ( it was illegal, but I did it anyway and used it for 20 years, and for all I know, it's still in use
Where in Fl. do you live, I might be able to help you locate the chlorine


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## bud16415 (Sep 17, 2016)

If you have tadpoles in it, it might be getting close to be declared a wetland. 

If it is as bad as it sounds it is time to change the water and after draining it time to pressure wash  and scrub down and start over. You will be going thru more pool supplies and filter material than it is worth is my thoughts trying to clean it up. 

Some questions no one has asked. Do you have any plans to ever use the pool? Are you interested in learning all you need to know to maintain a pool and invest the daily time and money to keep it nice? If you really like the idea of a pool but don&#8217;t want the work there are a 1000 guys down there that do pool servicing. They pull in with a van spend about 30 minutes every other day or so and you just pay a bill. Talk to your neighbors and see who is good. If you would rather have a backyard than a pool then fill it in.


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## farmerjohn1324 (Sep 17, 2016)

I put in 5 shock treatments and 4 gallons of 10% liquid chlorine. If it's still not blue enough, I'll buy some more liquid chlorine.

What would happen if I didn't run the pool pump, but continued to add chlorine. I want to run it as little as possible to save electricity.

Can I add a timer to my pool pump?


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## mabloodhound (Sep 17, 2016)

John, you need to run the pump to circulate the chlorine.  Although I'm in the North, I had tadpoles this spring but skimmed them out and used the liquid chlorine to shock the pool.  After that I used one of those test kits with strips and bought the ph and calcium additive to add to the pool.  Worked fine and cleared in a couple days.  I have my pool on a timer and run it 3 hours every days.  Yours is larger so you need to run it longer.  Got my pool chemicals at Wal Mart by the way.


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## farmerjohn1324 (Sep 17, 2016)

Once I get my water right, why do I need to run the pool pump at any time other than when I add chlorine?


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## elbo (Sep 17, 2016)

Buds probably right. It's time to drain the pool, clean it as he says and start over. Also, find someone who has a pool ( and maintains it himself ) and ask him about pool maintenance
Water circulation is essential for pool care, and, yes, you can add a timer, but make certain that it runs long enough.
In any event, considering that you really don't know enough about having a pool, try to get as much info about it including the structure and plumbing ( for instance: does your pool have a skimmer?, Where is it and what does it do? How do you backwash the filter and why?
I think you get the idea that the more you know about the pool the easier it will be to take care of and increase you enjoyment of it
  By the way, as far as draining it to the yard. there isn't any problem with doing that as when you think about it, where do you think everyone that has a pool drain it to? Draining your pool to the yard probably isn't any more water that if you had got 1 or 2 inch's of rain


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## mabloodhound (Sep 17, 2016)

Your pool filter cleans the water of any debris and unwanted minuscule particles.  If you don't do this the water will become cloudy and dirty.  As I said, mine is 3 hours a day.


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## Speedbump (Sep 17, 2016)

Your biggest problem is the filter.  If you shock it real well, the filter will fill up in a matter of minutes with the pump running.  You will have to clean the filter more times than I care to mention.  Or you drain it and refill.  That is the easy way.  However if you have ground water, the pool can jump out of the ground when drained to a a level that will make it float.  I have seen this happen first hand too.  Good luck.


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## farmerjohn1324 (Sep 17, 2016)

I've seen pools cave in due to the high water table in Florida.


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## havasu (Sep 17, 2016)

Because of the west coast water shortage, Leslie's pool supply no longer advocate draining all your water, and most recommend only dumping out half the water at a time. I don't think you are worried about the pool caving in, but a pool will heave upward with a high water table. Draining only half the water will stop all heaving. If you are worried about power use, you have only one option, filling the hole with dirt. Even ponds need to run a pump to circulate the water.


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## elbo (Sep 18, 2016)

since you're concerned with the water table being high enough to cause the pool to heave, here's how to determine if you have a high water table
Get a 10 ft section of 1.5 dia pvc an glue an adapter to one end that will allow you to connect a water hose to it . hold the pipe vertical to the ground with the open end to the ground , and turn on the water. The water pressure will wash away the dirt from around the pvc pipe and it will gradually work itself into the ground
Once you get about 9 ft of it into the ground, turn off the water and disconnect the hose, cut off the fitting so that you have a straight pipe into the ground, then get a piece or rope with a weight attached and while holding onto the free end of the rope, drop the weighted end into the pipe. mark the rope where it enters the pipe and withdraw it, measure from the top of where the rope is wet to the marked place.
If the dry area measurement is  5 ft or more then you have no worries of the pool popping out of the ground.


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## bud16415 (Sep 18, 2016)

elbo said:


> since you're concerned with the water table being high enough to cause the pool to heave, here's how to determine if you have a high water table
> Get a 10 ft section of 1.5 dia pvc an glue an adapter to one end that will allow you to connect a water hose to it . hold the pipe vertical to the ground with the open end to the ground , and turn on the water. The water pressure will wash away the dirt from around the pvc pipe and it will gradually work itself into the ground
> Once you get about 9 ft of it into the ground, turn off the water and disconnect the hose, cut off the fitting so that you have a straight pipe into the ground, then get a piece or rope with a weight attached and while holding onto the free end of the rope, drop the weighted end into the pipe. mark the rope where it enters the pipe and withdraw it, measure from the top of where the rope is wet to the marked place.
> If the dry area measurement is  5 ft or more then you have no worries of the pool popping out of the ground.



I knew an old timer that used to claim jetting a pipe in the ground like that relieved the underground pressure of the water. He would go around jetting these pipes along a foundation wall that had a leak and the leak would go away or lessen. I never was quite sure if he was on to something or not but people claimed it worked.


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## elbo (Sep 18, 2016)

after I moved from Miami to Tampa, I tried to get a contractor to sink a 2 inch irrigation well. None were willing to do anything less than 4 inch with an accompanying price hike (of course ) I read an article on how to jet a shallow well , and decided to try it. It worked, and except for the cost of the pump , cost very little


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## farmerjohn1324 (Sep 18, 2016)

That is an awesome way to drill a well.

Do they make well points with holes in them? That would make it even better.

https://goo.gl/images/tEZD1B


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## elbo (Sep 18, 2016)

I forgot to mention that you will have to wait until the water in the pipe from jetting it drains before you take that measurement. Google drilling or jetting a shallow well , lots of info there
Did you ever get the pool straightened out ?


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## slownsteady (Sep 19, 2016)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> That is an awesome way to drill a well.
> 
> Do they make well points with holes in them? That would make it even better.
> 
> https://goo.gl/images/tEZD1B


Unless, of course, you happen to be right over a rock.


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## Speedbump (Sep 19, 2016)

> Unless, of course, you happen to be right over a rock.


Yes and I will add that everyplace is different when it comes to putting in a shallow well.  If your really serious about doing one, I recommend going to Mikes site:  http://www.drillyourownwell.com/
I have been a Well Driller since 1958 and wouldn't advise using just one method.


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## nealtw (Sep 19, 2016)

http://www.truetex.com/poolcontrol.htm


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## elbo (Sep 22, 2016)

After having 3 pages of responses to farmerjohns problem, it would be nice if he posted what he did to resolve the problem, including photos, Unfortunately, so many people ask for help with their problems but never give any feed back


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## bud16415 (Sep 22, 2016)

elbo said:


> After having 3 pages of responses to farmerjohns problem, it would be nice if he posted what he did to resolve the problem, including photos, Unfortunately, so many people ask for help with their problems but never give any feed back



He might be busy with the other 20 threads he has on other projects.


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## nealtw (Sep 22, 2016)

elbo said:


> After having 3 pages of responses to farmerjohns problem, it would be nice if he posted what he did to resolve the problem, including photos, Unfortunately, so many people ask for help with their problems but never give any feed back



He's having trouble getting that new pencil to work.


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## farmerjohn1324 (Oct 9, 2016)

Here's the update: (I wanted to wait until after the storm was gone)...

I just added EIGHT gallons of 10% chlorine and it's still green even though the pump has been running all night.

I'm putting my timer issues on hold until I can actually get the pool blue and swimmable.

I suppose the answer is just to keep adding chlorine. I will throw in another 8 gallons today.

Could it be a filter problem? I just cleaned the skimmer and it was very dirty.

Can someone explain the parts of my pool system to me?

What are the two pipes going into the pump? I realize it's water from the pool, but why two? There's only one skimmer.

What is the purpose of the blue hose in between the pump and the filter?

There are two pipes exiting the filter. I'm assuming one goes to each inlet because there are two inlets.


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## havasu (Oct 9, 2016)

You need to quit dumping chlorine into that pool until you understand how the system works. Seems you have a diatomaceous filter (DE) and the thin blue hose is set up to backwash your system. Hire a pool guy for a one time learning, and he will show you how to split the filter, clean out the filter, how to add DE earth, and how to perform a backwash properly. You have two inlets because you have a drain at the bottom of the pool and a skimmer at the top of the pool. I'm sure with all that stuff you've been dumping into your pool, you will probably have to drain the pool and start over... and adding the proper amount of chlorine.


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## farmerjohn1324 (Oct 9, 2016)

havasu said:


> You need to quit dumping chlorine into that pool until you understand how the system works. Seems you have a diatomaceous filter (DE) and the thin blue hose is set up to backwash your system. Hire a pool guy for a one time learning, and he will show you how to split the filter, clean out the filter, how to add DE earth, and how to perform a backwash properly. You have two inlets because you have a drain at the bottom of the pool and a skimmer at the top of the pool. I'm sure with all that stuff you've been dumping into your pool, you will probably have to drain the pool and start over... and adding the proper amount of chlorine.



Okay well I'll let a professional drain it because I've seen pools cave in.

I just read how to clean DE filters. Google says to turn the valve that's just above the hose to the backwash position and wait until the water coming out of the hose is clear. It is clear right away.

Can you explain the positions of each valve? There are two valves.

1. The valve above the blue hose. It has three positions. It's normally in the center. When I turn to the left, I assume this is the backwash position and it lets water out of the hose. When I turn to the right, the only difference I see is that the water level goes down in the pot in front of the pool pump.

2. There is another valve in front of the pool pump. When turned to the left, I don't see or hear a difference. When turned to the right, I can see water level in the pot go down.

Do you mind explaining why adding 24 gallons of chlorine over the past few weeks has caused me to need to drain my pool?


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## havasu (Oct 9, 2016)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> Do you mind explaining why adding 24 gallons of chlorine over the past few weeks has caused me to need to drain my pool?



Because you have over chlorinated the pool. You will never get that stuff out of your pool and the first person who swims in it will have their clothes eaten off of them, they will have a severe rash on their skin, and their hair will turn green, whatever hasn't fallen out. Pool chemistry is a science, you just don't dump and dump until you see an effect. What is the PH of the pool? How much acid have you added? What is your alkalinity? What is your calcium hardness? Your chlorine has two readings: free chlorine (FC) and combined chlorine (CC). Free chlorine refers to the chlorine that is free and available to kill. Combined chlorine is chlorine that has done it&#8217;s job.

In my area, chlorine costs about $5 a gallon. So far, you have spend $120 on chlorine whether it needs it or not. I hired a pool guy who charged me $50 for a one time service, and told me exactly what to do, and how much chemicals to add. As said before, you can also grab a quart of pool water and go to your local pool supply company, and they will test the water. 

My advice is to first clean that filter, so you don't burn up the pump. A pump motor will cost you ~$450, and that is provided you do not burn up the impeller. If you fry your pump assembly, expect to pay at least ~$1k to repair the damage. This is why you need to stop with the chlorine and get it analyzed before anything else. 

I also want to avoid trying to tell you exactly what valve does what. One wrong move and you will cause your filter to explode, or burn out the pump. Someone has to be on site to verify what Jandy valve does what. 

Please understand that I am not a mean old coot and trying to yell at you. I just don't want to waste your money for something that is not needed.


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## farmerjohn1324 (Oct 9, 2016)

havasu said:


> Because you have over chlorinated the pool. You will never get that stuff out of your pool and the first person who swims in it will have their clothes eaten off of them, they will have a severe rash on their skin, and their hair will turn green, whatever hasn't fallen out. Pool chemistry is a science, you just don't dump and dump until you see an effect. What is the PH of the pool? How much acid have you added? What is your alkalinity? What is your calcium hardness? Your chlorine has two readings: free chlorine (FC) and combined chlorine (CC). Free chlorine refers to the chlorine that is free and available to kill. Combined chlorine is chlorine that has done its job.
> 
> In my area, chlorine costs about $5 a gallon. So far, you have spend $120 on chlorine whether it needs it or not. I hired a pool guy who charged me $50 for a one time service, and told me exactly what to do, and how much chemicals to add. As said before, you can also grab a quart of pool water and go to your local pool supply company, and they will test the water.
> 
> ...



The pool is green because of algae, correct? Wouldn't additional chlorine at least kill the algae, even if it does over chlorinate? It would at least not be green?

From what I read on Google, I just did clean (backwash) the filter.

I will gladly take pool water to a pool store.

I'm starting to wish I didn't have a pool. I don't even like swimming.


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## frodo (Oct 9, 2016)

https://www.poolsupplies.com/product/aquachek-trutest-digital-pool-chemical-test-strip-reader-2.2?gclid=Cj0KEQjw1ee_BRD3hK6x993YzeoBEiQA5RH_BGnS0SEkKznTfh5kJO9I6luueTvR7eGGVpXIggb6qHoaArWf8P8HAQ

go buy a test kit


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## farmerjohn1324 (Oct 9, 2016)

The pool store told me to add 12 x 2.5 gallon jugs of 12% chlorine.

The filter is not DE, it's a regular cartridge filter.


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## havasu (Oct 9, 2016)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> The pool store told me to add 12 x 2.5 gallon jugs of 12% chlorine.



I find it very unusual for a pool guy to have you dump 30 gallons of chlorine, but didn't recommend any pool acid, bromine, or other necessary chemicals. A new pool on start up usually will take no more than 3 gallons of chlorine. 

It is hard to determine from a pic whether the filter is DE or a cartridge type. I'm guessing you then have a one piece cartridge, similar to the one I have. With the pump off, split your filter and pull the cartridge. I'm sure it is caked with crap. Take a high pressure water hose and blow out all the little ridges. You can also semi-submerge the cartridge into a 50/50 mix of chlorine, and let it sit for an hour. Lord knows you have plenty of chlorine! Once the filter is clean, put the filter back together (using the clear pool silicone around your o rings) and test for leaks. You may need to scrub down the green algae until it is suspended in the water, but you will again have to clean the filter afterwards since it will clog the pores of the filter quickly. 

As frodo recommended, a $6 test kit from Walmart will ensure you that your  chemicals are balanced.


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## Speedbump (Oct 9, 2016)

Yes, it is a cartridge filter.  That's why I can't understand what the blue hose is for.  Normally they put the hose on backwash filters and you don't have one.

You have killed the algae (several times) now you have to remove the little dead algae bodies that can't be trapped out anymore by your already over loaded cartridge filter.  It shouldn't take more than an hour (and probably much less time) to clog the filter again.  This means you pull it out, blow it off with a hose, put it back, run the pump, pull it back out, wash it off with a hose put it back.  You get the idea, it will plug up rather quickly and you have to keep cleaning it until all the algae is removed.


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## havasu (Oct 9, 2016)

I agree SB. That blue hose is normally for a DE backwash. I wonder if they replaced the DE for a cartridge filter, but didn't remove the backwash valve?


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## farmerjohn1324 (Oct 9, 2016)

The pool store said to get it chlorinated first, then worry about stabilizers, etc.


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## havasu (Oct 9, 2016)

I agree, but 30 gallons? Seems he would be talking about quarts. I don't understand how he could use that number but if they said so, who am I to argue? Speedbump is also correct about cleaning out that filter often to get rid of the algae which is dying or dead.


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## farmerjohn1324 (Oct 9, 2016)

havasu said:


> I agree, but 30 gallons? Seems he would be talking about quarts. I don't understand how he could use that number but if they said so, who am I to argue? Speedbump is also correct about cleaning out that filter often to get rid of the algae which is dying or dead.



They looked up the size of my pool, tested the water, and I described the greenness. Strangely, even though the water is green to look at, it was clear in the bottle.

I cleaned the filter and will continue to do so regularly.

I would really like to know what the different valve positions are. I think one is backflow for when this used to be a DE filter? I have no idea about the valve on the pump.


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## farmerjohn1324 (Oct 9, 2016)

Speedbump said:


> Yes, it is a cartridge filter.  That's why I can't understand what the blue hose is for.  Normally they put the hose on backwash filters and you don't have one.
> 
> You have killed the algae (several times) now you have to remove the little dead algae bodies that can't be trapped out anymore by your already over loaded cartridge filter.  It shouldn't take more than an hour (and probably much less time) to clog the filter again.  This means you pull it out, blow it off with a hose, put it back, run the pump, pull it back out, wash it off with a hose put it back.  You get the idea, it will plug up rather quickly and you have to keep cleaning it until all the algae is removed.



He told me to run the pump for at least 24 hours after the chlorine was added.

But I'll clean the filter again after that.


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## havasu (Oct 9, 2016)

Can you get a pic shooting down from the top of the pump, then one higher up for a better perspective?


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## elbo (Oct 10, 2016)

good grief, man---stop-stop-stop wasting your money and send it to me instead. Check the water level in your ground water the way I suggested in a previous reply, drain the water, thoroughly clean the pool as has been suggested by someone else, making sure to scrub the walls of the pool ( I think the green color you are seeing isn't algae in suspension in the water, but is the algae stuck to the pools sides ), clean the filter and cartridges (or replace them ) then when its clean, refill the pool, adjust the PH and chlorine level using the pool test kit
Regarding the ground water level, you may have to wait until it goes below 4 ft from the surface, depending on how much rain the storm affected you.


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## slownsteady (Oct 10, 2016)

Yes, you should vacuum the pool before adding any more shock. if I am guessing correctly, you can bypass the filter and vacuum "to waste". The vacuumed water should be pumped out through the blue backwash hose. This will save you some of the effort of cleaning the filter repeatedly. The added benefit of this would be to lower the water level in your pool, which you can replace with clean water....therefore lowering the chlorine load which you have right now. I don't think you have to drain the pool completely, but if you do this routine a few times, you will be essentially changing the water. If you have a pressure gauge on your filter, you can monitor how dirty your filter is getting by watching for the increase in pressure (pressure increases as the filter works harder because it is blocked by dirt). AFTER YOU HAVE VACUUMED THOUROUGHLY,  add the shock.
Did you mention if your have a concrete pool or a vinyl liner?


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## slownsteady (Oct 10, 2016)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> Can someone explain the parts of my pool system to me?
> 
> What are the two pipes going into the pump? I realize it's water from the pool, but why two? There's only one skimmer.
> 
> ...


You will have to confirm the guesses i make here with a couple of experiments.
Havasu explained pretty well- you have one skimmer and (most likely) a floor drain in the deep end. each has it's own line going to the pump. There is a valve at that point; it is most likely a three-way or four-way valve. By turning it one way, you are only pulling water from the skimmer, turn it the other way and you only draw from the floor drain. The third position is the mixed position and if there is a fourth, it will probably close both lines. You can test this by moving the handle on the valve and seeing what happens at the pool. It is easy to see if the skimmer stops drawing water... or if no water is entering the pump (both lines closed).
Between  the pump and filter is another valve. Turn it one way and the filter is getting the flow; turn it the other way and the backwash hose should be flowing. There may be other positions on that one also. 
After the filter, there are two pipes returning to the pool. Each has it's own valve. They will be feeding the "returns" on the side wall of the pool. There are probably two returns (jets or eyeballs or what ever you want to call them) but there may be more if they share the lines. You can close each of those valves and see which returns they control.


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## havasu (Oct 10, 2016)

Thanks SNS. If i wasnt so lazy, i would have typed.the exact text.


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## m4p (Oct 18, 2016)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> They looked up the size of my pool, tested the water, and I described the greenness. Strangely, even though the water is green to look at, it was clear in the bottle.



Did they test for metals?  If your water is green, but clear, you could have a metal problem.  

Did they test your CYA (conditioner) level?

I would recommend reading some of these articles to learn how to take care of your pool:  http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/186-show-all_1

Having a pool is a lot of work unfortunately, but once you know how to take care of it and understand water chemistry, it becomes much easier.  You could also have the pool filled in as another option.  When we bought our house, our choice was to fix the pool or fill it in.  It was actually more money to fill it in, so we opted to keep it and fix it.  We've really enjoyed the pool over the years, but it does need regular upkeep.

Good luck, hope everything works out for you.


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