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Green To Clean Water In A Pool - Everything You Need To Know
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- čas přidán 17. 08. 2024
- From www.swimmingpo... this long form tutorial video talks about persistent green water in swimming pools (common at the spring opening season) and how you can identify and fix the problem causing this.
This video looks at the most likely causes for green water, the fundamental water chemistry you need to know, as well as even the less likely causes for green water in your pool and how to go about fixing it. Through this step by step process and long form discussion you will definitely learn more about your pool and what causes green water - and most of all how to fix your green water problems permanently!
00:00 - Introduction to how to get rid of green water in your pool
00:43 - TDS (total dissolved solids) in pool water
02:00 - Acceptable TDS levels in regular chlorine pools
02:31 - Acceptable TDS levels for salt chlorine pools
03:34 - Importance of pool water chemistry fundamentals
04:15 - Free chlorine and total chlorine levels in pools
04:47 - Total alkalinity levels in pools
05:13 - Optimal pH levels in pools
05:35 - Order of adjusting for both total alkalinity and pH levels
06:04 - Calcium hardness levels in pool water
06:28 - Phosphate levels in pool water
07:40 - Cyanuric acid levels and green pool water
09:45 - How high can CYA levels be?
11:49 - Combined chlorine and green pool water
13:48 - Resolving combined chlorine through breakpoint chlorination
16:16 - Importance of balancing all pool chemicals
18:20 - Deficiencies with the pool surface causing green water
19:30 - How much to run your filtration system
20:00 - Monitor the pressure of your pool system
20:55 - Clean operational pool system pressure
21:35 - When to clean your filter
22:35 - How algae can clog your pool filter
23:10 - Flocculant treatments for green water
24:35 - Do you need to change the sand in your filter?
26:30 - Degreasing a cartridge filter element
27:14 - Degreasing a sand filter
28:05 - Why am I not talking more about D.E. filters?
29:07 - Vacuuming your pool to waste
29:50 - Cartridge filter cleaning cycles, sizes & external waste lines
31:10 - Summary of green pool water lesson
31:30 - Broken pool filters
32:10 - Conclusion and endorsement for www.swimmingpo...
#poolchemistry #greentoclean #greenwater #swimmingpoolsteve
Just watched some of your videos. New pool owner, pre-existing home and pool. Outstanding information and details.
Managed pools for 50 years, and I've always been able to get them clear using just basic balancing and chlorine levels - no exotic additives.
This year, for the first time, I had a big issue with phosphates. No idea where these came from, and had never tested for them before.
A professional advised me about this problem I was not really even aware of, but sure enough the test revealed it. The phosphate remover was miraculous, and my green pool was solved in a little over a day. Has not recurred, but the phosphate test kit is now part of my arsenal. I do not test every day or even every month for this, but at least every season it is now a must.
In the rare instances where I used pool companies to manage a pool, the technicians always added truckloads of Cyanuric acid. Big mistake - It makes your chlorine ineffective.
I don't know who teaches them to shoot for high levels of this. I always use liquid chlorine, and will add a stabilized tab every once in a while if the level is really low, but it is definitely not something I add often.
On DE filters - yes they are messy, and no, you don't want to breathe it, but the filtration really is better than cartridges or sand, and if you like crystal clear water they are the way to get that.
One more thing - wildlife....specifically raccoons! If you have an open pool you MUST find a solution to keep them out. This is a danger that is getting worse, as the intestinal worms they carry are becoming far more prevalent across the US, and the microscopic eggs they leave are indestructible through chemical methods, and too small to be removed by filtration. Ingestion of a microscopic amount of these can leave you with incurable brain damage, including paralysis and stroke-like symptoms for life. This was not a significant danger just a few short years ago, but it is now, and it is getting much worse. Other wildlife carry similar parasites, but they do not go in your pool. Raccoons will and do - they love water, and they express their joy by pooping in your pool, putting you and your whole family in grave danger. If you don't have a pool enclosure, you're going to want to consider it as a priority. Don't have raccoons in your area? Do you live on Mars?
Thank you Steve! You are a fountain of knowledge.
A water fall even!
Great discussion, thanks Steve, I appreciate the technical detail.
I am happy this was helpful for you. Cheers.
My client has been wanting to manage his pool. It started turning green, so he just kept adding pucks to his skimmer. Now it’s fully green and the cya is well over 100. FC is over 10
I now have a new respect for pool chemistry! Thanks Steve
Great info Steve! Our pool is always a forest green colour when we open every spring and the stench is off the charts...skimmer loaded with dead worms x4! In regard to vacuuming to Waste...Remove the Whatchamacallit/Gizzmo, hook up the vacuum hose, and I'm assuming fill the water pump with water prior to setting sand filter to Waste? OR immediately set the sand filter to Waste? On average it takes us 2 weeks to get clear/swimmable salt water blue colour again. We have a safety cover when closing the pool but some say those aren't ideal. I appreciate your videos. I'm also in Ontario, Canada.
immediately set to waste is fine. It is not a problem to prime up the system normally in filter mode either. Just before you do the heavy vacuuming of debris you want to set it to waste the water instead of filter it. You should consider opening the pool earlier, perhaps end of April when the water is still cooler and you might avoid the dark green water completely. Close late and open early with these covers.
@@Swimmingpoolsteve Thank you Steve, I appreciate your quick reply. Continued success to you!
Thumbs up on swapping from DE to cartridge. I recently made switch. I’m using way less electricity and getting the same flow rate. Bonus, I don’t have to backwash and I don’t have to worry about my family breathing DE.
This is why I also endorse cartridge over DE, but I can appreciate arguments from people who love DE filters also. I just prefer cartridge and would take that over any other filter.
Thanks!
Thank YOU!
no, thank you!
Thanks Steve. I live in San Diego and have a DE filter and love it, the house came with it and it was the only piece I kept last year when I rebuilt the system, I'm my own pool guy and with your videos have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to maintain following your guidance, my local pool store (owner operated), and performing weekly maintenance. One question that came up with the spring heat, I have a year old pebble finish on an in ground 1960's 15k gallon guntite pool and notice spots and crud in the deep end that won't vacuum or brush off. Any suggestions on scrubbing pebble finishes?
Regular scrubbing is the way to go, along with prolonged periods of time where the water chemistry is in the right range. This should resolve stains. If it were a real problem and will not go away, I would want to know why and address it, but a lot of technicians might spot treat a stain in the deep end of a concrete pool by inserting a pvc pipe into the pool while standing on the deck. Lower the pipe all the way until it sits on the stain, and then pour muriatic acid into the pipe. The acid will sink and hopefully lift the stain all the way at the bottom of the pipe. But this is a gimmick trick and more so I want to know why this happened and treat it that way. Commonly vitamin C treatments for stains on concrete pool floors. Maybe try a Jack's Magic stain identification kit.
Could you do a video on how to degrease a sand filter?
I have a pool that has CYA over 300. The free and total chlorine is 24ppm. The water is crystal clear. I am worried about it going into the summer, but at this point when other pools I care for have algae growing starting, this one is perfect.
I have not added chlorine to the pool in over 2 months, and it just does not burn off.
Also, no one is swimming in this pool, and it is kind of becoming a test pool.
1. Free chlorine levels over 7ppm are unsafe for bathers
2. A free chlorine level of 24ppm is potentially damaging to equipment and surfaces
3. There is no amount of CYA that will allow chlorine to persist for months at a time
4. Tests for CYA are not accurate once the level is over 150ppm (unless you are using a dilution technique)
5. Given the above I strongly suspect your test results are in error and should be confirmed by retesting with a different method
6. I am utterly surprised that you can add nothing to the pool for months and it is still clear. I’ve only seen that happen if the water temp is super cold.
I’d love to hear somebody explain how this is possible
That is super high - holy cow! Why not just maintain this pool with stabilizer free chlorine and fix that smoking high CYA level? Yes other pools turn green and this one does not, but that is mostly because you can cook shrimp in your pool water.
@@Swimmingpoolsteve I have only been doing pool service for 6 months now, so I'm still figuring out my style. The guy that trained me, does not focus on CYA at all. Just drains the pool when it gets high, so I guess we will see how I want to do this. I will say, that when I try and use Liquid Chlorine in AZ (even if I put 2gallons in a 10k gallon pool). I come back next week and the chlorine is at 0. That is in pools with 100ppm CYA. So, I don't know what my plan is yet. I'm just trying to learn everything I can atm.
Always great information! Thank you Steve!
Could you please tell me how many years I can expect to get out of a cartridge filter?
520sqft cartridge filter on a 100,000 litre pool
3 to 5 years is a number you hear a lot. Every pool is different. Avoid pressure washing your cartridges as that will shorten the life. When you clean the filters your pressure will drop. When you start to find the pressure back up tue next day or two, that indicates the filters are at the end of their service life.
do you have a pdf document with the idea levels?
When own an obove ground pool,, how much chlorine?, when should I add baking soda, how do I get the ph right
Above ground pools, what should ph , c chlorine,baking soda be add
What method of water testing do you recommend. Test strips? Drops? I don't live close to a pool store so home testingnfor all those chemicals is needed.
Taylor technologies K2006 complete is the gold standard for at home water testing
Saturation index has entered the chat👋🏻
@ Swimming Pool Steve, Would you recommend the much less priced Harris Brand VS Pumps compared to the Haywards, Pentair? Thanks.. and I Love your channel, it has helped me through the life of a pool owner in the NorthEast region of the country.
I dont have experience with this brand, but in general I am a fan of buying Pentair, Hayward and Jandy pool products. If you are going to look at another brand you have to accept it might be inferior, and you should expect to pay less for it. In these situations there are a second tier of pool equipment, so to speak, but in general you dont see much of these in the field. Its a growing industry. People are really struggling with high costs for everything, and pool equipment is no different. In these situations people start to explore these less popular brands in attempts to save money. I think we are seeing a lot of that now. So yes, buy it if it is cheaper, and you can live with it if it dies sooner than a comparable model from the big 3.
@@Swimmingpoolsteve thanks for your input. I currently own that Harris brand pump in a two speed version with a little controller mounted on the motor body. I see what your saying. Have I had problems with my yes. But I am mechanically inclined person so I have been able to fix the issue.. but I still would like to get into the VS pump someday..
The other issue I see is that most VS pumps are wired for 230V where that Harris pump was 120v
There are a bunch of good 115v options. Most of them are dual voltage rated with better performance at 230v but still some options. For sure VS is better, but a 2 speed pump can be very effective also, just limited in flow speeds. If those 2 speeds work for your pool you are laughing. If they don't...well not much you can do! For my money I definitely push VS pumps now. As a mechanical person I am sure you can appreciate the TEFC motor design being superior, as is long term lower rpm / less heat generation operation. Make the jump to VS one day and probably ypu will be happy you did. Harris or any other brand name
3rd year owning a Speck 1.1hp VS pump. It’s a 110V and comes with all connections for 1.5” & 2”. I paid $600 for it in 2021. It’s been great !
Hey Steve, if a person is regularly backwashing the filter and refiling with fresh water would that keep the total solubles down over the life of the pool?
YES. By regularly removing old water and replacing with fresh the dissolved solids are also removed. This is actually the best way to manage TDS. It is especially helpful in climates where the pool is open year round.
It would be interesting to see your perspective on TDS in pools that keep low CYA, 30ppm, and use liquid chlorine feeders for chlorination. My pool water is 2 years old any my TDS is 2500. I bet most of the TDS is because of the salt added by the liquid chlorine. What if your take on this? Can I go to 4-5000 TDS?
You can but your water will become more difficult to manage. You will also be more likely to have a scaling state on your LSI due to the high TDS being one of the factors measured for LSI balancing. What you can do and what you should do are usually not the same thing.
@@Swimmingpoolstevecurrently my LSI is closer to etching than scaling, my LSI is -0.20 to -0.40, even with high TDS, 2500, - I should have mentioned, I’m down in the south of US - current water temp is 80F, and can get to 90F in the summer.
Hi Steve. I have problem with my pool water.
I opened pool I did shock( I used liquid chlorine and than next week I used two pockets of Calcium chlorine HTH) and I did vacuum twice. All chemicals are in balanced, just chlorine is really high and also I used twice clarifier. Water in pool is still milky but not dirty. I went to pool store to check what they say and as everything is in balance they don’t know so I changed cartridges for new Pleatco. 48 h of non stop working pump the water is still milky. Steve please help.
When you are asking about water chemistry problems then you have to give the numerical values for the water testing. The water test is never "good" it is a series of numbers and the answer to your water quality problem is likely to be somewhere within those numbers. Here is an article I wrote to help pool owners learn how to ask for help with water chemistry www.swimmingpoolsteve.com/pages/chemistry-help.html
@@Swimmingpoolsteve thank you
What do you mean that some people upgrade their filter to glass instead of sand?
Glass media instead of silica sand in the filter tank.
@@Swimmingpoolsteve Is this still part of the sand filter category?
@edmihovsky4404 yes, the same tank just a different media inside the tank. One is sand. One is glass. Both are in a sand filter. You can't buy a glass media filter, which I think is what you are asking.
@@Swimmingpoolsteve so the glass media is a 100% DIY option?
@@Swimmingpoolsteve are DE and cartridge filters just as dangerous in terms of pressure issues?
Can you show us how to degrease a cartridge filter?
He just went through that in the video
@@lordgarth1 not in detail. I'd like to see how he does it and chemical he prefers. Not brand but actual cleaner make up. As anyone that watches him knows you have to be very specific with the chemicals you use. Pool stores and pool chemical manufacturers don't necessarily want you to know specifics.
@@michaellaun1 cup of tsp for every 5 gallons of water. Let soak in that bucket for overnight. Take it out and spray with a hose (not a pressure washer) pinpoint nozzle. Don’t just use acid. If you don’t use TSP to “degrease” you will “bake” the grease, oils into the filters.
@@danaparish1644 thank you.. Will give Trisodium Phosphate a go.
Pool and spa store chemicals, for one. But the method I mention in this video was 5 gallons of hot water to 1 cup automatic dishwasher detergent. It cuts grease and does not cause a lot of foam, which is good because it would be difficult to rinse off 100% of the detergent, but ultimately that is what you want to do. Soak the filter for a few hours and then rinse thoroughly. The other comment with TSP also works, as do spray cleaners like Simple Green so long as they are phosphate free and made to cut oil and grease.
I have to say this didn’t work for me. My pool always turns green just before summer time. I have a fairly large pool to me, hard to guess size as it was built in the late 70’s early 80’s. It’s 15’ wide in the deep end and 8’ deep, about 42’ long and 4’ in the shallow end. Estimating 28-32k gallons. My plumbing underground is 1.5” pvc, on the equipment skid it’s 2” and goes back to 1.5” as it enters the ground. I have 1 skimmer, 3 return jets to the pool and 1 in the spa that’s constant flow to keep movement in the spa even if you have the suction valves from the skimmer and return to pool, I have a 1hp Hayward pump/motor, I have a pentair 420 cartridge filter assembly. My motor is 220v and I run it 24/7. All my equipment is less than 18 months minus the wet end of the pump, and my cartridges were brand new as of March 2023 with a starting dp of 12psi. my chlorine levels are .5-1ppm, my ph is 6.8, alkalinity is 30, which I’ve been adding baking soda to increase it, hardness is 300 and my cya is 35. My only thinking is that my pool doesn’t have the proper flow and I’m thinking of increasing the motor to a VS to increase gpm.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! I’m from Houston texas btw if that matters or helps.
I would start by correcting the alkalinity, and then the pH as needed to aim.for 7.4. Then raise chlorine to 2ppm minimum, and the next morning test for all.water parameters including combined chlorine and cya. Keep and eye on filter pressure and clean it when it rises 5 to 7 psi. With these test readings I would expect the water to not be looking great
Thanks for the fast reply!! I’m slowly adding baking soda as I was informed to not add more than 2.5lbs per day.