|I have algae?

Question

Hi all of this pH balance alkaline and everything else is very confusing to me. Whats the easiest way to make sure that my pool is clear and clean, and safe for my kids to enjoy I have a48 x 18 top pool and it got algae I have done the algaside, clarifier, and shocker all in one and its still green I'm moving the water am I supposed to do this? please help

Answer 1

Put some chlorine in the pool! That stuff you are using has NO chlorine in it. Read the label and see. Buy yourself a good test kit and learn to use it (confusing or not.) That's the "easiest way". You must keep pH and alkalinity balanced-- both for swimmer comfort and to get the most benefit from the chlorine you add. Add chlorine and circulate, circulate, circulate.

Answer 2

First things first. If you have added the chemicals to kill the algae, you still need to filter the dead algae out of the water. If you don't have a pump and filter system, then your only recourse is to drain and refill. So get the water filtered or replaced first.

You will also need to brush the sides and bottom of the pool, and soak the pool tools in the treated water as well.

Once your water is clear, the best and only way to insure that it remains clean is to keep the chlorine level high. The standard recommendation is 2-4 ppm. I keep mine at around 10 or greater. High chlorine levels will insure that bacteria cannot grow in the water, and if you have small children that might have accidents in the pool, it will help protect them from bacteria in urine. And you should know that high chlorine level does not cause the eyes to sting. pH imbalance is what causes the eyes to burn.

The best way I have found to keep my chlorine level high is to install an in-line chlorinator. This is a plastic cylinder that holds the chlorine tablets in place, and the pool pump circulates water through this chlorinator. In addition, you need to run the pump for several hours every day to insure that you are chlorinating adequately. Bright sunlight and heavy use of your pool will deplete the chloring fairly quickly.

I can tell you the floating type chlorinators that you fill with chlorine tablets don't work. There is not sufficient water flow through them to get the chlorine pellets to dissolve.

You didn't say how deep your pool is, but even if it's only 3 feet deep, at 48x14 ft, you have at least a 20,000 gallon pool.

This size pool demands attention. So if you don't have it automated, then you need to add the hardware to automate the pump operation, and you need to keep up with backwashing or cleaning the filters.

While it may be confusing, take the time to learn what to do. You don't have to understand the chemistry, but you do need to learn how to "operate" your pool. Once you do, you will have a lot more fun with it.

Answer 3

It's been a while since I dealt with pools, but we sold muriatic (hydrochloric) acid to lower the pH of water.  Too high a pH (too alkaline) reduces the effectiveness of chlorine.

If you've built up enough algae, your "shocker" might have spent itself just killing a fraction of the green bugs.  What I would suggest is buying liquid pool chlorine by the gallon and adding it regularly, while making certain that the pH is not too high.  Algaecide is important but it's not going to clean out the mass of organic matter you've got; that takes oxidizers, namely chlorine.

After you've done this, you're probably going to have a lot of chemicals in your water.  I'd suggest dumping a little and refilling every few days, if you can afford the water.  If you have barrels to capture rainwater and you can filter it and pump it to the pool, that might be the best; it is very soft water, and once filtered it won't have much junk to feed algae.

The second link below hints that your problem might be buildup from.... pool chemicals!  If that's what's going on, replacing water is probably the only thing you can do.

Answer 4

Green means ALGEA. Algea growing in there is what makes it green.

Shock may help, be sure you are using enough. Put it in at night and you can swim the next day. But, if it's really green, you will probably need to FLOCK it. Get FLOCKULENT and use it according to directions. The next day, all that green algea (like moss!) will be in a messy sweepy pile at the bottom of the pool. Flock attaches itself to the algea, and it settles. THEN you need to vacuum up all the mess. Wait a few hours, no on in the pool, vac again when it settles. THEN you can swim in clear water!

Be sure to take a sample to a good pool place. They will give you a list of numbers/readings, not just four.

Check levels daily. If your pool looks good, just shock it every few days. If it rains a whole lot, get ready for algea. Keep the chlorine level up using small chlorine tablets or break up the larger ones, they will disperse better.

Consider getting a more expensive shock from walmart OR getting better chlorine tabs someplace else.

Answer 5

does your pool have a filtration system? what is the chlorine level? the shock puts it in fast and hard but evaporates out quickly you need a steady level . during the day when hot and sunny the chlorine evaporates quickly at night not so quickly. do you cover the pool when not in use. have you noticed it more after someone mows the lawn.that stirs up the spores that have settled in the lawn. cover and shock treatment is needed then
when i was growing up we played in the bar-ditches mud and yuck, tadpoles ,snakes and who knows what in them. we stayed healthy and alive. we also go to the lake and swim, fish and even bathe . still healthy and alive.
personally i don't think a 'little' algae is all that bad,

Answer 6

sounds like your not getting enough of shock -it in it and see if the pump needs cleaned out. do the shock treatment in the late afther noon when temp is down, if this doesn't work use clorox a couple of gallons it'll kill all the alga and vaccumm the pool.