Pool Opening Problem

[buckeyeguy43545]

Hi guys,

We bought our pool last summer and it is the first pool we have ever had, so we don't have much experience with it. We closed it up late in the fall and two months later during a big wind storm our cover blew off and dumped all the leaves and gunk into the pool. Since it was winter by then, there was really no way we could clean it out then, so that junk stayed in the pool all winter and spring. Finally about a month ago we were able to try to start cleaning. We got most of the leaves out but our pool water is brown and we can't seem to get it clear no matter what we have tried. We have tried algecides, shock, floccing agents, etc. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what we can do? Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Pathfinder]

How big is your pool & what type of filter do you have?

[valvestem]

I have the same issues every year with the leaves, etc., it means a long time with a leaf net, and then a little vacuuming. Then shock.

[waterbear]

Chlorine will clear the pool. The trick is to get your FC level up to about 15 ppm (assuming your CYA is in normal 30-50 ppm range) and keep it there by adding chlorine several times a day as it gets consumed oxidizing the organics in the water. You really need a test kit that can accurately test both FC and TC because you might have a high TC chlorine reading but very little FC in the water because it is getting used up clearing the pool. (The Taylor K-2006 is my first choice!) It might take up to a week but it will work. Any of the unstabilized chlorines can be used--sodium hypochlorite (liquid chloirne or laundry bleach), calcium hypochorite (commomnly sold as 'shock') or lithium hypochlorite (also sold as 'shock'). Just throwing a bag of shock into the water once or twice won't really work if the pool has a lot of organic matter in it. You have to get the free chlorine level up and keep it there until the pool clears by adding more chlorine as the level drops back down.

[rklesla]

I do that every year with my pool. I drain it in the spring and refill it. That way you get fresh water, less work, less chemicals needed. Plus you can do repairs if needed. The only downfall is it shortens your liner's lifespan with the stretching and shrinking every year, but by far worth the money and effort.

[valvestem]

I do that every year with my pool. I drain it in the spring and refill it. That way you get fresh water, less work, less chemicals needed. Plus you can do repairs if needed. The only downfall is it shortens your liner's lifespan with the stretching and shrinking every year, but by far worth the money and effort.

Up here in Maine, it is a no-no to expose the bare pool liner to the sun for any length of time. Most pool peeps up here also recommend just draining the water to about 8-10" below any wall penetration for the winter, to help support the walls against snow/water load on top of the pool cover.