We have had a problem with algae in our pool this year, never been a problem in the past.
This is the 4th time this summer it's gone green.
Normally i put chlor shocks and anti algae treatment in, leave the pump on all night circulating and by morning it's lovely and clear. Not this time!!
I really don't know what to do.
On Tuesday i took the cover off the pool, it had only been on for about 5 days and it was green as anything, i put in 60 chlor shock and 5 litres of anti algae, i expected it to be clean on Wed but it wasn't, i put the robot in to get all the bits up off the bottom then after a trip to buy more,firtst thing Thursday morning i put 130 chlor shocks and another 5 litres of anti algae in.
Now it's Friday, the pump is still circulating the stuff around and it's still green! I honestly haven't got a clue what to do next.
The pool is inground, with a sand filter, 6 x 12 and 144M3 btw.
Pam probably for the best but you won't move forward unless you can test the water properly, you are just putting off until next time the same issues.
Now all those chemicals, you actually need them in a pool, ok the level will be lower than the choc levels but they will still be there except when chlorine in a pool gets used up and it does get used up which is why you have to add more it isn't the same chemical its salt that remains, oxygen, hydrogen and chlorine which evaporate into the air.
Looking at it another way, the cost of the chemicals you have used + the cost of the water change would be more than purchasing the equipment to know exactly what the water is doing to avoid the situation happening again.
Thanks John, We've decided that we've already spent a small fortune on chemicals, to no avail and so we are changing the water. Don't like the thought of all those chemicals in it either.
We don't know how long the waters been in the pool, we've been here 3 years, no idea when it was changed last.
That way i can give it a really good clean as it empties and hopefully then it will be ok again.
Thanks again for your help, i do appreciate it, i really don't know very much about pools at all.
I had hoped the link to the text I put in my last post would have guided you to my explanation of chemicals etc in your pool.
It is in fact just above this section when you open the swimming pool section. "Opening up for the new season"
CYA is the abreviation for Cyanuric acid, this is a chemical used as a sun screen to protect chlorine from being burned up by the sun. the level should be around 30-50ppm although further south like yourself a little more may work better. Too much however and you need far more chlorine than normal as the CYA is bound to the chlorine there is insufficient to kill algae and any available is used up very quickly killing algae so if you don't add more chlorine then the algae will simple multiply and turn your pool into a swamp.
So we need to know what level the CYA is because almost all choc and lent and multiaction gallets contain CYA because it is used to prevent the gallets etc dissolving in hours rather than days. The issue is every time you add one of these packaged products you are adding to the CYA level and the level will climb and you will have insufficient available chlorine to keep your pool free of algae and bacteria/virus's.
Sadly test strips cannot measure CYA accurately, the CYA test is a turbidity (cloudiness test using another chemical melamine) To look after your pool properly you really do need accurate testing. If you have to use dip strips then a separate CYA tester (£40 ) should be purchased but it's better to have a good tester for all the other aspects of the water as they effect one another. Testers cost around £168, there are what appear to be cheaper models advertised but as usual the devil is in the detail as they only come with 10 test tablets included and test for less, where as there are 100 test tablets and more accurate testing available via the unit I have mentioned. Once purchased the additional test tablets are very cheap so you save the money back in having a stress free clean and clear pool This is the starting point for these testers and better and more accurate testers like those used by the authorities to check pools at around £800.
OK so most of your levels are very low, you need to add chlorine but don't use choc, to choc a pool is to go through a process not buy a product. You should buy a couple maybe more of 20ltr biddons of eau de javel from a Brico at €18 for 20 litres.
Add about 14ltrs by pouring around the pool (not in the skimmer or in one place) leave the pump on 24hrs and add another 7 litres of javel 12 hours later. By now the pool should have gone milky blue grey as you are killing the algae. keep adding more javel around 7 litres at 12 hour intervals for a day and then see where we are. You are too far south for me to put in a personal appearance and give a training session on this but I would urge you to invest in a good tester as to be honest this is a little too much guesswork without proper information.
Hi John, thanks for your reply, sorry, i don't have a clue what CYA stands for, i have measured using a test strip and everything is zero, either pale yellow or near white.
Hi Pam, The first step is to understand your pool water, My post on opening up for the season explains the chemicals in the pool so please take time to read it and post back some water test figures, especially the CYA figure as the large amount of chlorine packaged products you have added (60 + 130) tabs is also a huge amount of CYA over and above the amount you already have in the pool. This causes the chlorine to become over stabilised and the only real way of dealing with this is a partial drain of the water and refill. Posting the water figures will confirm this but if you are using dip strips to measure CYA then the result will not be accurate as that is an area that strips cannot measure properly but it is a vital one for pool care.
When a pool becomes over stabilised the chlorine is chemically bound to the CYA and that leaves insufficient to deal with the algae.
There is not choc product despite what the labels may say, choc is a process not a product. Switch to using eau de javel from a Brico €18 for 20ltrs and use that as your source of chlorine as it won't add any more CYA, it mixes immediately being a liquid so works faster and it's very cheap.
To recap, water test results first as you may need to partially drain and refill rather than waste money on products. Anti algae unless it's copper based is next to useless, chlorine kills faster. (don't use copper based products in plaster/tiled pools unless you like ugly stains).