Just want to say thank you so much for these videos and this one specifically. We are first time pool owners as of this past May and the previous homeowners left the pool nice and green for us when we opened it. I had no idea how to begin maintaining a pool in good condition let alone a pool that already had something wrong with it. I studied up and Swim University was a huge part of my learning. It did end up taking me a couple of weeks for me to get the pool chemistry balanced, cleaned, and crystal clear blue, but I'm sure it would have taken much longer and cost me a lot more money to get it cleared up without these videos. We have been enjoying and maintaining the pool with no issues since. Thanks so much!
You are amazing!!!! EVERYONE, tune into Swim University for EXCELLENT advice. I own an in ground pool that is in its 36th summer and other than tiles having fallen off it’s in pretty good shape. Two family retrievers decided to run across the vinyl cover every time they got out back this past winter. Needless to say when we removed the cover the water was the deepest green imaginable. I was beside myself as the water is usually clear with a few leaves in the bottom. I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to clear it up. I stumbled across this video and after 3 applications of shock as you described here, my pool is crystal clear. For years I have agonized with the algae issue and had a hard time controlling it. Your information was EXACTLY the remedy. I cannot thank you enough. You are the best!!!!!
Did you have to keep vacuuming the dead algae off the bottom? If so any advice would help please I have a small 600 gallon 8 foot pool with filter. Can’t get the algae sucked up off the bottom it’s sooooooo small it goes through any filter, pool skimmer etc and if you barely just move it clouds up and then you have to wait several hours or a day for it to settle again.
Thank you for recording this. New underground pool owners and we need all the tips and feedback we can get. We want to keep up with the pool for our daughters 🤞🏽.
Thank you so much for helping me "ungreen" my pool. I did exactly what you advised and it is beautiful now (wish I could add a picture). I actually went for a swim yesterday. Again thank you!!!
Thanks for producing this video especially- a short term guest left pool filter off for seven days and my immaculate pool went to green. Recovered it in a weekend with these instructions.
Yay thanks I'm kind of getting it now! I was about to give up and thought I had made a bad purchase and had a terrible idea!! Thank u for making it simple!!👍🤗
Thank you for the very clear instructions on how to clean a green pool! Excellent advice and easily understood! I'm curious about why you don't recommend a phosphate remover to keep algae from growing. Phosphates are the sole food source for algae and once you get rid of them.... NO MORE ALGAE!
Most people don't do the proper steps before using phosphate removers (balancing, cleaning, shocking, etc). And they tend to be sold pretty aggressively. Some pool owners find lots of success using them. But they need to do the other steps first!
Hi! First time pool owners. We have an 8,000 gallon above ground pool with a cartridge filter. Your videos have been so helpful!Came home to green water after being gone for the weekend and there had been a thunderstorm. Removed debris, brushed sides and pool bottom. Tested water, all levels were good except chlorine, of course. Did a double shock dose at night, ran filter for 24 hours, still green. Going to try it again per this video. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!!
Thank you. Great info. We were in Montana for 2 weeks and son added chemicals but didn't add chlorine. I forgot to leave it out. Now I have a green pool. I'll get it with your advice!
Thanks for this. Stupidly went out and bought algaecide to sort it out but luckily saw this before I'd used it. Took it back and swapped for shock. Never thought I'd be so happy to see my water a cloudy blue! On the home stretch now. I'm worried my chlorine levels are going to be off the charts, as soon as this settles down the cover goes on for winter.
Went to a pool supplier to buy cal-hypo shock and they convinced me to add "Yellow Treat" as well for the algae issue in my outdoor in-ground pool. Thankfully, I checked out the effects of the sodium bromide in the Yellow Treat beforehand and took it back. Sticking with shock.
I used to clean pools I’ve out of the game for awhile thanks for a refresher do I have to condition to do a start up it’s pebbletex 60x 60 I’d say it has algae a light dark combo
Ok. Good video. I screwed up and let my pool get out of control. I guess I've done it before over the years, but I'm on it. Looking forward to getting this handled. Simple process so I have confidence that it will work. Thanks.
I tried this method last year with great success. However this year I left the pool (10K gal. abovegrond) unattended for two weeks during 100 degree weather and came back to a frog pond. I tried 4 bags of shock with no change in color. Two days later I tried 4 bags, again with no change. Last night I tried 5 bags, still nothing. At this point it would have been cheaper to drain and refill the pool from scratch, which is what I'm doing now. Followup two weeks later: I drained the pool, sanitized the liner and stairs as best I could and refilled with fresh water. After it refilled I shocked again and then added clarifier as it was still cloudy grey. Now I have a crystal clear pool again finally. I do not know what got into my pool water while I was away but the lawn looks great now after watering it with 10K gallons of pool water.
I’m kind of just learning on the fly as for the past 2 weeks I thought I had an issue with pollen until I stumbled on algae bloom today in pools and realized that’s what I’ve been dealing with, not pollen. I’ve vacuumed 5-7 hours every few days and by the time I finish the beginning part has a thin film again on the floor. I’m sorry shocking straight I’ll I’m isn’t working but doesn’t he recommend getting the ph balanced first? Then scrubbing to get the algae in the water, then shocking? Don’t get me wrong I’m not following those steps here, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as liquid shock until last Friday so the week before I was upset my local Walmart didn’t have any bags of shock. I ended up buying an entire pool opening/closing box kit for $30 because it had a green bags of shock in it. Luckily it also has some chemical to control algae so I shocked my pool 3.5 hours ago and just dropped the algae powder in an hour and a half ago, and trying to stay awake here to shock one more time around midnight or 12:30 to shock again before bed. I dialed my filter for the first time and it was so disgustingly gross but I was able to get it like 90-95% clean and add new filter powder successfully and watched the pressure return to a normal range for the first time in over a week before adding chemicals so I’m happy about that. Good luck Lou!
Liquid chlorine added at night is the best shocker. I’ve always had better luck clearing up a green pool with the liquid as opposed to the powder packs of shocker. The powder shock is easier and mire convenient, but not as effective in a badly algae ridden pool.
Hi there! How do we clear up tea colored water in pool? We have a de filter. We suspect tannins. Water source is from deep well at seaside. Slightly salty.
I'm always leaving on my preferated pool covered Herr in NJ..I just hooked up my cleaned winterized de75 Hayward running it now new 7 lb. De as recommended for filter and dumped three shock bags of granules hth shock advanced ( it's calcium hypochlorite 56.44% ) per 1 lb bag.. I see the usual walls green scaled with algae .. I won't brush but got the robot vacuum going.. tomorrow I'll check the water with test strips.. in a week I'll take preferated cover off brush and hopefully back wash a cleaner pool... And was wondering if this shock is good enough 3 lbs for ingrown 30 k gallons..tia
Help!! I followed your instructions. Triple shocked waited 24 hrs still teal, so double shocked. Still teal. Kept filter running 24 hrs for 3 days. Still teal. We just moved in. So I figured I’d check the DE filter. It was filthy! Like at a 10 of completely covered in green. Washed it, added DE. Do you think the filter being that dirty is the reason the shockIng didn’t work? Also all levels are good. We are first time pool owners, we are in over our heads. Thanks for all your videos they are great!! Please help!
You need to flush that filter regularly. Even more so if the pool is green or you’re just circulating the same algae. Also don’t underestimate the power of brushing. Imagine not brushing your teeth but just trying to keep good oral hygiene with mouthwash. Same principle. You have to brush at least once per week and more if you have algae. Brush it just before dusk and then hit it hard at dark with the liquid chlorine. Run the filter 24 hours and hit it again with the chlorine. And clean your filter! Don’t give up. You’ll figure it out. Once you know the routine only laziness will defeat you! Not dissing you. We all get lazy. I’m battling a major algae bloom right now because I was lazy right after we got a lot of rain and hot weather. Now I’m paying the price!
Will these tips work for above ground pools that I can either use sand or the Polysphere balls they sent with the pool? The pool is a Bestway 18’ round or can I get a tutorial on keeping my pool clear and usable during the summer months.
Should i wait to address low stabilizer until the algae is taken care of? Also, i don't have a waste port, just a cartridge filter. This is a 21' round above ground pool. I intend to convert to saltwater generator once this is taken care of.
Yes, wait on the stabilizer (you're probably shocking with cal-hypo shock, which is unstabilized on purpose). Without a waste port, you may just need to clean your filter more than once. Have a clean replacement cartridge on hand.
Thank you I just shocked our pool after a week of heavy rain . It was in between the stages of algae colors . I shocked it with 2 bags and put more chlorine tablets in brushed the sides and bottom then Few hours later it’s a cloudy blue . Thank you I didn’t want to put the pool away just yet haha .
The reason why I start filtering shocking with airated safety ingrown cover first is because we have those cotton seeds still LoL.. once they're gone around early June ..will see how well the shock and robot vacuum cleaned up ..than I'll shock brush vinyls liner backwash take filter apart sprayclean de tubes rest for summer until closing repeat as usual.. of course I balance my chemicals yrst strips and a good basic test kit too
How am I supposed to run the filter (D.E.) for eight hours when it fills up with algae gunk so the pressure is at 30PSI in under 50 minutes? (And that was after I took it all apart and thoroughly cleaning it all and then recharged it.) I'd have to clean it 10+ times to run it for eight hours.
I have a cartridge filter system in my pool. My pool was full of algae this year, extremely dark green. I spent one day cleaning my filters every hour, for 10 hours. Unfortunately, there’s no short cuts when it comes to cleaning the filters. Best of luck with your pool, I hope it’s all sorted by now.
I have a cartridge filter system in my pool. My pool was full of algae this year, extremely dark green. I spent one day cleaning my filters every hour, for 10 hours. Unfortunately, there’s no short cuts when it comes to cleaning the filters. Best of luck with your pool, I hope it’s all sorted by now.
@@Rhodesian_FAL - I HAD a cartridge filter system in my pool, but only for one summer. It was awful. Back to the sand filter... what works in a spa doesn't work in a big pool!
I used shock now the pool water is clean on top, but the bottom.of the pool.looks murky. Looks like all the shock settled at the bottom- someone turned off the pump after the shock was poured in. Now how do I clean that out?
I used a chlorine powder plus and my filter was filled with the powder and thus my pool was white cloudy… what’s going on? I have a picture of the filter as well. How can I get it to you?
Can you do this without a filter running? It’s winter where I am and not great to have to running. Or shall I Lee a green pool until spring and then address it?
This was so amazingly helpful thank you! I did shock and got rid of the green without the filter. After floc, I then siphoned to garden. The once the weather was better, I set up the filter and now on a mission to get it crystal clear, hopefully nearly there!
Hi! My pool is green. I added shock & algaecide . But it says no flow. So I backwashed . It looks like filter is clogged so put to recirculating. How long can I run on recirculate ? Or should I wait for filter to be fixed? Thanks
Lol our shock never worked. Maybe a bad brand. Never helped with chlorine levels or green color. I even dumper twice the amount but still no changes to levels
IM confused, on your other video you said to turn off the pump when adding shock, and the other one to turn it on circulate. On this one you said to put it on filter.
Hi, I followed steps 1 and 2 and now I need to add shock. If I don't have shock could I use liquid chlorine instead? And if so, how much can I pour in a 24,000 gal underground pool?
i just topped up my pool (16x32) after opening for the season. it was tad green, so i shocked the crap out of it, added algecide. still a tad green. ph, alkalinity, cyneric acid all good. i've always used sodium hypo-chloride to shock. i just don't get it! i've had this pool for 30 years...never had this happen. i'm stumped ...?
I don't know of ANY filter that will filter out the dead algae, I have to vacuum to waste to get rid of it. It's so fine it just goes thru the filter and right back into the pool. I'm using the glass beads in my sand filter, as I was told they filter better than the sand. Your thoughts PLEASE. OH, BTW, there are GREAT videos and super helpful.
@@SwimUniversity I have a 5000 gallon above ground pool. I'm trying all of this, but I can literally see the green/yellow algae shooting back into my pool while it's on Filter....?
If you add clarifier, how long after shocking do you add it and does it have to be cloudy blue to add it? And you don't have to vacuum clarifier do you? I know if you flock it you have to vacuum. My pool turned green due to pollen i believe because it's been clear all winter and up until pollen and me not cleaning my filter when i should have, caused it to go teal green at first. I used shock with no help then could not shock again because i couldn't get to the store for a week, so it turned greener. I have since poured 4 gallons of liquid chlorine in at night with pump going 24/7. Alkalinity and ph are in range. Next morning i check and it's still green. So mad! So today i had 2 bottles liquid chlorine left, so i added those tonight and brushed sides and some of the floor. Tested again and Alkalinity and ph are still good but chlorine is high of course. Now I'm just waiting to check it in the morning but was wondering if i should add clarifier or just wait and keep cleaning my cartridge filter each day? I have a 24ft.above ground pool.
Follow the process all the way through with the shock (at least 8 hours or overnight). If it's cloudy blue, run your filter 24/7 (you may need to clean or backwash it before or after). That might do the trick, otherwise add clarifier. You don't need to vacuum clarifier.
Hi I have an 18’ round pool my chlorine is sky high and the pool is light green -ph is normal and I have a cartridge filter - will adding more shock get rid of the algae or should I try some other method
So I shocked my pool and brushed the sides and bottom and I think I caused a leak. What chlorine level is safe for me to swim in it to fix the leak? Chlorine is pretty high from shocking 2 days in a row.
Hi! I have a non-chlorine pool. I did follow this same advise and used my Pool Elegnance shock, which I did twice in between my scrubbing and vacuuming daily ,and it looks amazing! You said in this video that the non chlorine shock won’t kill The algae , but I can’t put chlorine into my pool . I am wondering if I should change anything? I also doubled my initial algaecide dose , and now the water is clear but I still have dead algae that I can vacuum up . It seems to working great , same process as you said, just using non chlorine chemicals
That's great it worked! Is it a bromine pool or a saltwater pool? And how bad was the algae? The non-chlorine shock could have revitalized your normal sanitizer enough that it handled the problem. All types of shock help remove bromamines/chloramines and increase the active sanitizer available in the water. So while the non-chlorine shock didn't kill the algae, your "refreshed" sanitizer had more power and room to do the work.
@@SwimUniversity I use the Pool Elegance line- basically a peroxide line. What I did wrong was not balancing the chemicals and treating the little bit of algae when I closed it- so when I opened it, it was really green. I added more algaecide, scrubbed and vacuumed as well as shocked it each time I scrubbed it. I also cleaned my fingers after every time I vacuumed. It was a lot of work , but worth every minute . Now I know to fix the algae problem before I close.
So, you said run the filter after the shock treatment. So you run in filter or circulation? I was always told for the initial shock treatment, run in circulation so you don’t get algae in your filter. Can you verify or debunk this?
@SwimUniversity I ve done it all it's still green . I m going tomorrow to get water tested one last time and add what they tell me. If in 3 days it's still green I m closing it .
My problem is that my filter seems to get clogged after a few hours, ie, the water jet return to the pool is very low pressure. I've backwashed my de filter 2x now. Suggestions?
So, not sure what to do. My brilliant husband filled our pool with irrigation water and it's milky brown green. Not algae just fine particles. Should I shock then flock? Where do I start???!
I had a large dichotomous filter that was old and difficult to clean. I switched to a brand new sand filter, new pump, new booster pump in July 2023. I had a horrible green pool. I drain the pool. It has been clean since until this month. The DE filter seem to clean so much better than the sand. I am having problems again with green pool. The sand filter is not removing it. The DE always has in the past. It took the DE a few weeks to do it but it worked good. The pool is in-ground about 25,000 gals. The pool store tested the water and said level is good now that we have changed the pH. The Algae came from low Cl levels.. our fault.
Yea, D.E. filters are the best, but they require more maintenance to run properly. I love sand because it's the easiest to clean and run. But not as effective as D.E. or even cartridge filters.
I need help. I opened my pool late this year. I opened with 12lbs of Cal hypo, cleaned every leaf off the bottom. The next day I added 6 more lbs, still green. My Ph is good, calcium good, all others good except FC. Per my pool store I began shocking daily. I've been shocking daily for 5 days and my pool is still green. I tried to flock twice with no results. I have never had problems getting my pool clear. The pool store salesperson told me to double shock every day and add algaecide every 3 days. What do I need to do?
Please help me! I started with 13 gallons of liquid chlorine, then 2 bags shock, then 1 bottle of flocculant. Chlorine levels still at 0!!! Water has changed from dark green to aqua but can not see anything! More shock till I get chlorine up? I tried vacuuming to waste what I could but couldn't see what I was doing. Can I turn filter back on even after using flocculant? This is my first time opening a pool and obviously I have no clue what I am doing! 😁 Hope you can help!! Thanks!
Did it change from a dark green to teal? If yes, I'd do one more round of shock. Otherwise, it might be good to use flocculant. We have other videos on that.
Pool company recommends a "Power Vac" to get rid of the algae. Is that just a way to complete the ungreening process faster, or not necessarily? Also, when the pool is closed at the end of each season and the pool company adds shock, why is the pool green upon opening in summer? Why bother shocking at end of season at all?
Are they coming out to manually vacuum the algae? And the spring problem can depend on the kind of cover that you have. Is it a mesh cover? And is the pool cleaned before closing?
Thanks so much for the advice. Unfortunately, in Florida, pool services suck so I might as well try to do it myself. The pinchpenny (by whatever name) pool companies pay their workers so little that I get a different not-qualified-for-any-other-job guy every other week. I’m telling you, if someone started a pool company and only hired people who have experience with pools and paid them $25 an hour, they would get rich.
I had a lot of debris on pool bottom when opening pool this year. When I was vaccuuming it out I noticed that the return water from sand filter was dark and cloudy, even after backwashing. I started to buy new sand but I saw a video about synthetic media filter balls to use instead of sand. Now I have an algae problem and I am concerned that using your algae remediation process will clog up the media filter balls, which apparently do not backwash clean very well. Would you recommend going back to sand? Follow up two months later: I got rid of the synthetic "cotton" balls as they do not come clean via backwashing as with sand. I had to disassemble the filter and scoop them out by hand and they were green and slimy. I went out and bought more sand. Now when the pool gets nasty (I travel a lot and have to leave it for a week or more) I can shock and backwash as needed to get things cleaned up.
What kind of sand filter do you have? I'm wondering if there's a cracked lateral or something causing sand blow back in the return jets. And I haven't personally used the synthetic media filter balls. But if you're concerned, you can try vacuuming to waste or drain so the water is leaving the pool. Then try shocking and running the filter when there's less algae in the water.
@@SwimUniversity Thnx for the reply. I have an Intex sand filter (75 lbs of sand) combined with a 2100 GHP pump. When I discarded the old sand I disassembled and cleaned all the filter parts. All the laterals are in good shape. It does not appear that sand is getting out of the filter. It is just when actively pushing the vacuum head around on the dirty bottom that the filter output turns dark. Stop vac, filter out clears. BTW - your recent green pool video was spot on. After a 3x shock and then a 2x shock the next day I am now at the milky pale blue phase of the clean up. I'll vacuum to waste after the chlorine returns down to normal levels.
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Just want to say thank you so much for these videos and this one specifically. We are first time pool owners as of this past May and the previous homeowners left the pool nice and green for us when we opened it. I had no idea how to begin maintaining a pool in good condition let alone a pool that already had something wrong with it. I studied up and Swim University was a huge part of my learning. It did end up taking me a couple of weeks for me to get the pool chemistry balanced, cleaned, and crystal clear blue, but I'm sure it would have taken much longer and cost me a lot more money to get it cleared up without these videos. We have been enjoying and maintaining the pool with no issues since. Thanks so much!
Amazing! I'm so glad we could help. That's exactly what we love to hear!
The powder shock. Do you add it right into the skimmer or directly into the pool ?
“No Mor Problems” is the best thing I’ve found in the last 10 years. It’s amazing
Is the product actually called "no more problems"?
@@courtneylovesmaccompact9047it's called "no mor problems" it's an algaecide
You are amazing!!!! EVERYONE, tune into Swim University for EXCELLENT advice.
I own an in ground pool that is in its 36th summer and other than tiles having fallen off it’s in pretty good shape.
Two family retrievers decided to run across the vinyl cover every time they got out back this past winter. Needless to say when we removed the cover the water was the deepest green imaginable. I was beside myself as the water is usually clear with a few leaves in the bottom. I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to clear it up. I stumbled across this video and after 3 applications of shock as you described here, my pool is crystal clear. For years I have agonized with the algae issue and had a hard time controlling it. Your information was EXACTLY the remedy. I cannot thank you enough. You are the best!!!!!
Wow! That's so good to hear. I'm so glad we could help out!
Did you have to keep vacuuming the dead algae off the bottom? If so any advice would help please I have a small 600 gallon 8 foot pool with filter. Can’t get the algae sucked up off the bottom it’s sooooooo small it goes through any filter, pool skimmer etc and if you barely just move it clouds up and then you have to wait several hours or a day for it to settle again.
How often did you vacuum and what did you have the filter set on when vacuuming?
@@GodsChild145 if your filter doesn't catch it you will need to floc and vac to waste
Thank you for recording this. New underground pool owners and we need all the tips and feedback we can get. We want to keep up with the pool for our daughters 🤞🏽.
Just make sure your CYA and chlorine is always on point
Thank you so much for helping me "ungreen" my pool. I did exactly what you advised and it is beautiful now (wish I could add a picture). I actually went for a swim yesterday. Again thank you!!!
It worked! Yay!
Thanks for producing this video especially- a short term guest left pool filter off for seven days and my immaculate pool went to green. Recovered it in a weekend with these instructions.
Yikes! Glad you recovered quickly
THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST HELPFUL AND MOST UNDERSTANDING VIDEO IVE SEEN... THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR THIS.
Yay thanks I'm kind of getting it now! I was about to give up and thought I had made a bad purchase and had a terrible idea!! Thank u for making it simple!!👍🤗
Thank you for the very clear instructions on how to clean a green pool! Excellent advice and easily understood! I'm curious about why you don't recommend a phosphate remover to keep algae from growing. Phosphates are the sole food source for algae and once you get rid of them.... NO MORE ALGAE!
Most people don't do the proper steps before using phosphate removers (balancing, cleaning, shocking, etc). And they tend to be sold pretty aggressively. Some pool owners find lots of success using them. But they need to do the other steps first!
Hi! First time pool owners. We have an 8,000 gallon above ground pool with a cartridge filter. Your videos have been so helpful!Came home to green water after being gone for the weekend and there had been a thunderstorm. Removed debris, brushed sides and pool bottom. Tested water, all levels were good except chlorine, of course. Did a double shock dose at night, ran filter for 24 hours, still green. Going to try it again per this video. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!!
Thanks for this amazing video. I’m on year two of maintaining our pool on my own because of your videos!
That's what we love to hear!
Thank you. Great info. We were in Montana for 2 weeks and son added chemicals but didn't add chlorine. I forgot to leave it out. Now I have a green pool. I'll get it with your advice!
Thanks for this. Stupidly went out and bought algaecide to sort it out but luckily saw this before I'd used it. Took it back and swapped for shock. Never thought I'd be so happy to see my water a cloudy blue!
On the home stretch now. I'm worried my chlorine levels are going to be off the charts, as soon as this settles down the cover goes on for winter.
Oh glad you saw this first! Algaecide probably wouldn't have done the trick (and it's so much more expensive)
Went to a pool supplier to buy cal-hypo shock and they convinced me to add "Yellow Treat" as well for the algae issue in my outdoor in-ground pool. Thankfully, I checked out the effects of the sodium bromide in the Yellow Treat beforehand and took it back. Sticking with shock.
Thanks for the video- great length and was a good tutorial "pool basics for dummies'.
What camera did you buy to record everything underwater? 1:17
Tremendously helpful and quick with explanations. 👍
I used to clean pools I’ve out of the game for awhile thanks for a refresher do I have to condition to do a start up it’s pebbletex 60x 60 I’d say it has algae a light dark combo
Ok. Good video. I screwed up and let my pool get out of control. I guess I've done it before over the years, but I'm on it. Looking forward to getting this handled. Simple process so I have confidence that it will work.
Thanks.
You've got this!
I tried this method last year with great success.
However this year I left the pool (10K gal. abovegrond) unattended for two weeks during 100 degree weather and came back to a frog pond. I tried 4 bags of shock with no change in color. Two days later I tried 4 bags, again with no change. Last night I tried 5 bags, still nothing.
At this point it would have been cheaper to drain and refill the pool from scratch, which is what I'm doing now.
Followup two weeks later: I drained the pool, sanitized the liner and stairs as best I could and refilled with fresh water. After it refilled I shocked again and then added clarifier as it was still cloudy grey. Now I have a crystal clear pool again finally. I do not know what got into my pool water while I was away but the lawn looks great now after watering it with 10K gallons of pool water.
I’m kind of just learning on the fly as for the past 2 weeks I thought I had an issue with pollen until I stumbled on algae bloom today in pools and realized that’s what I’ve been dealing with, not pollen. I’ve vacuumed 5-7 hours every few days and by the time I finish the beginning part has a thin film again on the floor.
I’m sorry shocking straight I’ll I’m isn’t working but doesn’t he recommend getting the ph balanced first? Then scrubbing to get the algae in the water, then shocking?
Don’t get me wrong I’m not following those steps here, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as liquid shock until last Friday so the week before I was upset my local Walmart didn’t have any bags of shock. I ended up buying an entire pool opening/closing box kit for $30 because it had a green bags of shock in it. Luckily it also has some chemical to control algae so I shocked my pool 3.5 hours ago and just dropped the algae powder in an hour and a half ago, and trying to stay awake here to shock one more time around midnight or 12:30 to shock again before bed.
I dialed my filter for the first time and it was so disgustingly gross but I was able to get it like 90-95% clean and add new filter powder successfully and watched the pressure return to a normal range for the first time in over a week before adding chemicals so I’m happy about that. Good luck Lou!
Liquid chlorine added at night is the best shocker. I’ve always had better luck clearing up a green pool with the liquid as opposed to the powder packs of shocker. The powder shock is easier and mire convenient, but not as effective in a badly algae ridden pool.
@@pooky1959 Thnx! I'm about to leave town for a week so I'll give liquid chlorine a try when I get back.
thank you so much for this video can I use shock I have problem with the poolpipe so my filter cannot start
Thank you , You’re pool shocking method was right on .
Soon after adding the chlorine, put the pool into filter mode? Not recirculate?
Hi there! How do we clear up tea colored water in pool? We have a de filter. We suspect tannins. Water source is from deep well at seaside. Slightly salty.
Would like to know, too!
@@LaneyaWiles ME THREE
@SwimUniversity Would I repeat the shock to rid teal color water even though the both chlorines was raised to 4.48 after the first shock 24 hours ago?
This is lit, way easier than i thought
I'm always leaving on my preferated pool covered Herr in NJ..I just hooked up my cleaned winterized de75 Hayward running it now new 7 lb. De as recommended for filter and dumped three shock bags of granules hth shock advanced ( it's calcium hypochlorite 56.44% ) per 1 lb bag.. I see the usual walls green scaled with algae .. I won't brush but got the robot vacuum going.. tomorrow I'll check the water with test strips.. in a week I'll take preferated cover off brush and hopefully back wash a cleaner pool... And was wondering if this shock is good enough 3 lbs for ingrown 30 k gallons..tia
Do I have to vacuum both the clarifier and the flocculant? Or just the Flocculant?
Just flocculant
Help!! I followed your instructions. Triple shocked waited 24 hrs still teal, so double shocked. Still teal. Kept filter running 24 hrs for 3 days. Still teal. We just moved in. So I figured I’d check the DE filter. It was filthy! Like at a 10 of completely covered in green. Washed it, added DE. Do you think the filter being that dirty is the reason the shockIng didn’t work? Also all levels are good. We are first time pool owners, we are in over our heads. Thanks for all your videos they are great!! Please help!
You need to flush that filter regularly. Even more so if the pool is green or you’re just circulating the same algae. Also don’t underestimate the power of brushing. Imagine not brushing your teeth but just trying to keep good oral hygiene with mouthwash. Same principle. You have to brush at least once per week and more if you have algae. Brush it just before dusk and then hit it hard at dark with the liquid chlorine. Run the filter 24 hours and hit it again with the chlorine.
And clean your filter!
Don’t give up. You’ll figure it out. Once you know the routine only laziness will defeat you! Not dissing you. We all get lazy. I’m battling a major algae bloom right now because I was lazy right after we got a lot of rain and hot weather. Now I’m paying the price!
Great video. I was out of town and didn’t get my pool opened at my usual time 😢. This is this weeks project 😊
You got this!
Will these tips work for above ground pools that I can either use sand or the Polysphere balls they sent with the pool? The pool is a Bestway 18’ round or can I get a tutorial on keeping my pool clear and usable during the summer months.
Yes it should work! Just watch your dosage of shock since it's a smaller pool
Great video, guys! So simply explained and the graphics were a huge help. Thanks!
Glad it helped!
Muy buena Explicación muchas gracias
Should i wait to address low stabilizer until the algae is taken care of? Also, i don't have a waste port, just a cartridge filter. This is a 21' round above ground pool. I intend to convert to saltwater generator once this is taken care of.
Yes, wait on the stabilizer (you're probably shocking with cal-hypo shock, which is unstabilized on purpose). Without a waste port, you may just need to clean your filter more than once. Have a clean replacement cartridge on hand.
What about putting in “phosphate remover”. Do you not use it?
You don't need phosphate remover if you kill the algae with chlorine
Thank you I just shocked our pool after a week of heavy rain . It was in between the stages of algae colors . I shocked it with 2 bags and put more chlorine tablets in brushed the sides and bottom then Few hours later it’s a cloudy blue . Thank you I didn’t want to put the pool away just yet haha .
Wonderful! Glad it worked!
Thanks for your recommendations.
My pleasure!
So much of great information thank you so much!
Can you still swim in a light teal water? I cleaned and did everything but its still light teal and its hot and the family wants to go in the pool.
The reason why I start filtering shocking with airated safety ingrown cover first is because we have those cotton seeds still LoL.. once they're gone around early June ..will see how well the shock and robot vacuum cleaned up ..than I'll shock brush vinyls liner backwash take filter apart sprayclean de tubes rest for summer until closing repeat as usual.. of course I balance my chemicals yrst strips and a good basic test kit too
Should the filter be on Filter for the first 8 hours or should the filter be on circulate?
It should be on filter to remove the dead algae
Hey just one question how does pool salt fot into this, what does it do?
It's the same.
How am I supposed to run the filter (D.E.) for eight hours when it fills up with algae gunk so the pressure is at 30PSI in under 50 minutes? (And that was after I took it all apart and thoroughly cleaning it all and then recharged it.) I'd have to clean it 10+ times to run it for eight hours.
I have a cartridge filter system in my pool. My pool was full of algae this year, extremely dark green. I spent one day cleaning my filters every hour, for 10 hours. Unfortunately, there’s no short cuts when it comes to cleaning the filters. Best of luck with your pool, I hope it’s all sorted by now.
I have a cartridge filter system in my pool. My pool was full of algae this year, extremely dark green. I spent one day cleaning my filters every hour, for 10 hours. Unfortunately, there’s no short cuts when it comes to cleaning the filters. Best of luck with your pool, I hope it’s all sorted by now.
@@Rhodesian_FAL - I HAD a cartridge filter system in my pool, but only for one summer. It was awful. Back to the sand filter... what works in a spa doesn't work in a big pool!
Hey great video what setting should i have my filter at
I used shock now the pool water is clean on top, but the bottom.of the pool.looks murky. Looks like all the shock settled at the bottom- someone turned off the pump after the shock was poured in. Now how do I clean that out?
GREAT INFO EXPLAINED FOR ALL TO EASILY UNDERSTAND, THANK YOU
Glad it was helpful!
I used a chlorine powder plus and my filter was filled with the powder and thus my pool was white cloudy… what’s going on? I have a picture of the filter as well. How can I get it to you?
Can you do this without a filter running? It’s winter where I am and not great to have to running. Or shall I Lee a green pool until spring and then address it?
You definitely need the filter for this, so it sounds like you'll need to wait
This was so amazingly helpful thank you! I did shock and got rid of the green without the filter. After floc, I then siphoned to garden. The once the weather was better, I set up the filter and now on a mission to get it crystal clear, hopefully nearly there!
Hi! My pool is green. I added shock & algaecide . But it says no flow. So I backwashed . It looks like filter is clogged so put to recirculating. How long can I run on recirculate ? Or should I wait for filter to be fixed? Thanks
So basically just shock the pool everytime?
Honestly, shock can solve quite a few problems
I have hard time finding chlorine based shock
Lol our shock never worked. Maybe a bad brand.
Never helped with chlorine levels or green color.
I even dumper twice the amount but still no changes to levels
@@xxTHExxABYSSxx
Buy hth ultimate shock and dump the whole container
@@BlessedToBeSaved333 lol I have a 1k gallon pool, that's way too much.
I used double shock to kill allgae in my pool and it worked, now i am wondering how long do i have to wait to let the kids swim in the pool again ?
Usually 8-24 hours. But retest your levels. The chlorine needs to drop back down to normal range (around 3 PPM) before its safe.
What is shok tretment
IM confused, on your other video you said to turn off the pump when adding shock, and the other one to turn it on circulate. On this one you said to put it on filter.
Could you let us know which video? It should be on circulate overnight, unless you're using flocculant (then it should NOT pass through your filter)
Hi, I followed steps 1 and 2 and now I need to add shock. If I don't have shock could I use liquid chlorine instead? And if so, how much can I pour in a 24,000 gal underground pool?
details not obtained elsewhere - very worthwhile!
Glad we could help!
i just topped up my pool (16x32) after opening for the season. it was tad green, so i shocked the crap out of it, added algecide. still a tad green. ph, alkalinity, cyneric acid all good. i've always used sodium hypo-chloride to shock. i just don't get it! i've had this pool for 30 years...never had this happen. i'm stumped ...?
I don't know of ANY filter that will filter out the dead algae, I have to vacuum to waste to get rid of it. It's so fine it just goes thru the filter and right back into the pool. I'm using the glass beads in my sand filter, as I was told they filter better than the sand. Your thoughts PLEASE. OH, BTW, there are GREAT videos and super helpful.
How big is your pool or filter? We usually say manually vacuum after adding flocculant
@@SwimUniversity I have a 5000 gallon above ground pool. I'm trying all of this, but I can literally see the green/yellow algae shooting back into my pool while it's on Filter....?
Quite helpful. Thank you
Im a new above ground pool owner i have the teal color algae after 2 days of hsrd rain and more to come. How much is 2x of shock??
1 dose of shock is for 10,000 gallons. So depending on how many gallons your pool holds, you need a "double dose"
If you add clarifier, how long after shocking do you add it and does it have to be cloudy blue to add it? And you don't have to vacuum clarifier do you? I know if you flock it you have to vacuum. My pool turned green due to pollen i believe because it's been clear all winter and up until pollen and me not cleaning my filter when i should have, caused it to go teal green at first. I used shock with no help then could not shock again because i couldn't get to the store for a week, so it turned greener. I have since poured 4 gallons of liquid chlorine in at night with pump going 24/7. Alkalinity and ph are in range. Next morning i check and it's still green. So mad! So today i had 2 bottles liquid chlorine left, so i added those tonight and brushed sides and some of the floor. Tested again and Alkalinity and ph are still good but chlorine is high of course. Now I'm just waiting to check it in the morning but was wondering if i should add clarifier or just wait and keep cleaning my cartridge filter each day? I have a 24ft.above ground pool.
Follow the process all the way through with the shock (at least 8 hours or overnight). If it's cloudy blue, run your filter 24/7 (you may need to clean or backwash it before or after). That might do the trick, otherwise add clarifier. You don't need to vacuum clarifier.
How many days should it take to clear it
until I fix the pipe can I use now shock and chlorine on it and it will clear the green
You're so welcome!
Do I put my sand filter on circulate or filter when I shock ?
Run in on filter
Hi I have an 18’ round pool my chlorine is sky high and the pool is light green -ph is normal and I have a cartridge filter - will adding more shock get rid of the algae or should I try some other method
You need to clean or change out your filter after shocking.
Do you run the filter as normal through this process? I’ve seen a lot of people say backwash it? Thanks in advance for the help!
Backwash after the shocking and filter stage
So I shocked my pool and brushed the sides and bottom and I think I caused a leak. What chlorine level is safe for me to swim in it to fix the leak? Chlorine is pretty high from shocking 2 days in a row.
Oh no! It needs to be back within normal-ish range (around 3 PPM) before swimming
Do I run the filter in recyclemode or filter mode when shocking overnight
Filter mode
Hi @SwimUniversity, can I use this method if I'm using well water on my pool?
If it's freshly filled water, it might be copper or iron causing green water. Make sure you use a metal sequestrant and tackle that first.
Do these steps also apply to salt water pools?
Yes! Just be sure to avoid cal-hypo shock (that calcium can build up on your salt cell).
Hi! I have a non-chlorine pool. I did follow this same advise and used my Pool Elegnance shock, which I did twice in between my scrubbing and vacuuming daily ,and it looks amazing! You said in this video that the non chlorine shock won’t kill
The algae , but I can’t put chlorine into my pool . I am wondering if I should change anything? I also doubled my initial algaecide dose , and now the water is clear but I still have dead algae that I can vacuum up . It seems to working great , same process as you said, just using non chlorine chemicals
That's great it worked! Is it a bromine pool or a saltwater pool? And how bad was the algae? The non-chlorine shock could have revitalized your normal sanitizer enough that it handled the problem. All types of shock help remove bromamines/chloramines and increase the active sanitizer available in the water. So while the non-chlorine shock didn't kill the algae, your "refreshed" sanitizer had more power and room to do the work.
@@SwimUniversity I use the Pool Elegance line- basically a peroxide line.
What I did wrong was not balancing the chemicals and treating the little bit of algae when I closed it- so when I opened it, it was really green. I added more algaecide, scrubbed and vacuumed as well as shocked it each time I scrubbed it. I also cleaned my fingers after every time I vacuumed. It was a lot of work , but worth every minute . Now I know to fix the algae problem before I close.
So, you said run the filter after the shock treatment. So you run in filter or circulation? I was always told for the initial shock treatment, run in circulation so you don’t get algae in your filter. Can you verify or debunk this?
Run the filter. It needs to do some of the work to help clear the algae. Then clean the filter.
@@SwimUniversity Thank you!!!
This was immensely helpful. Thank you.
I have a 23,000 gallon inground pool .it's dark green I put 9 -1lb shock bags in pool still dark green after 2 days .any suggestions to get rid of ?😊
Have you already done the other steps, like brushing and vacuuming?
@SwimUniversity I ve done it all it's still green . I m going tomorrow to get water tested one last time and add what they tell me. If in 3 days it's still green I m closing it .
Do I leave my pump on after I add the shock
Yes
My problem is that my filter seems to get clogged after a few hours, ie, the water jet return to the pool is very low pressure. I've backwashed my de filter 2x now. Suggestions?
You might have an air leak or a clog in the skimmer line. Check your connections and O-Rings first.
Matthew Collins
Matthew Collins
1 second ago
Do I run the filter in recyclemode or filter mode when shocking overnight
Filter
Great video, thanks so much for sharing the info
Glad it was helpful!
I am most appreciative of people like you sharing all your knowledge- thank you!!
What can I use to lower the alkalinity. I only find ph decrease
That will lower your alkalinity! There's actually no "alkalinity decrease" product
Hi There! I have a question? Baking soda do anything about green water? Please
No it just changes the alkalinity level in your pool.
Thank will try this in the morning
So, not sure what to do. My brilliant husband filled our pool with irrigation water and it's milky brown green. Not algae just fine particles. Should I shock then flock? Where do I start???!
Eek! You can try using floc. Not sure how actually dirty it is though, it might have too many particles in it
very helpful...thanks!
I had a large dichotomous filter that was old and difficult to clean. I switched to a brand new sand filter, new pump, new booster pump in July 2023. I had a horrible green pool.
I drain the pool. It has been clean since until this month.
The DE filter seem to clean so much better than the sand.
I am having problems again with green pool. The sand filter is not removing it. The DE always has in the past. It took the DE a few weeks to do it but it worked good.
The pool is in-ground about 25,000 gals.
The pool store tested the water and said level is good now that we have changed the pH.
The Algae came from low Cl levels.. our fault.
Yea, D.E. filters are the best, but they require more maintenance to run properly. I love sand because it's the easiest to clean and run. But not as effective as D.E. or even cartridge filters.
I need help. I opened my pool late this year. I opened with 12lbs of Cal hypo, cleaned every leaf off the bottom. The next day I added 6 more lbs, still green. My Ph is good, calcium good, all others good except FC. Per my pool store I began shocking daily. I've been shocking daily for 5 days and my pool is still green. I tried to flock twice with no results. I have never had problems getting my pool clear. The pool store salesperson told me to double shock every day and add algaecide every 3 days. What do I need to do?
Have you tried using flocculant yet? That might help. Then vacuum out on the waste setting.
I've used shock, yellow out, and the chlorine is super high. I scrub it twice a day still green. Can't bring up the ph though. Very low
Have you tried using a pH increaser? How's your alkalinity? The pH needs to be in range for the shock to work effectively.
Please help me! I started with 13 gallons of liquid chlorine, then 2 bags shock, then 1 bottle of flocculant. Chlorine levels still at 0!!! Water has changed from dark green to aqua but can not see anything! More shock till I get chlorine up? I tried vacuuming to waste what I could but couldn't see what I was doing. Can I turn filter back on even after using flocculant? This is my first time opening a pool and obviously I have no clue what I am doing! 😁 Hope you can help!! Thanks!
I just switched test strips and this says 3ppm total chlorine and 0 free chlorine.
My chlorine level are above 4 and still teal and can’t see the bottom. 25k gallons. All othe levels are balanced…do I still shock?
Did it change from a dark green to teal? If yes, I'd do one more round of shock. Otherwise, it might be good to use flocculant. We have other videos on that.
What about green water from metals in the well water and not algae?
Have you tried a metal sequestrant?
Very helpful! Thank you!
so how do you " lower the alkalinity" if its too high.... sorry new to pools
Muriatic acid
Can i install chlorinator to the pool
Pool company recommends a "Power Vac" to get rid of the algae. Is that just a way to complete the ungreening process faster, or not necessarily? Also, when the pool is closed at the end of each season and the pool company adds shock, why is the pool green upon opening in summer? Why bother shocking at end of season at all?
Are they coming out to manually vacuum the algae? And the spring problem can depend on the kind of cover that you have. Is it a mesh cover? And is the pool cleaned before closing?
Will try
Excellent advice Ty
whats the cons to running the filter 24 hours?
No cons, just the cost of running it! Be sure to clean it though if you've had an algae issue.
Thanks so much for the advice. Unfortunately, in Florida, pool services suck so I might as well try to do it myself. The pinchpenny (by whatever name) pool companies pay their workers so little that I get a different not-qualified-for-any-other-job guy every other week.
I’m telling you, if someone started a pool company and only hired people who have experience with pools and paid them $25 an hour, they would get rich.
Hopefully this helps you solve this yourself! We hear that frustration a lot
Can I use liquid chlorine to shock it?
Yes! You might need to use a lot more of it though.
I had a lot of debris on pool bottom when opening pool this year. When I was vaccuuming it out I noticed that the return water from sand filter was dark and cloudy, even after backwashing. I started to buy new sand but I saw a video about synthetic media filter balls to use instead of sand.
Now I have an algae problem and I am concerned that using your algae remediation process will clog up the media filter balls, which apparently do not backwash clean very well. Would you recommend going back to sand?
Follow up two months later:
I got rid of the synthetic "cotton" balls as they do not come clean via backwashing as with sand. I had to disassemble the filter and scoop them out by hand and they were green and slimy. I went out and bought more sand. Now when the pool gets nasty (I travel a lot and have to leave it for a week or more) I can shock and backwash as needed to get things cleaned up.
What kind of sand filter do you have? I'm wondering if there's a cracked lateral or something causing sand blow back in the return jets. And I haven't personally used the synthetic media filter balls. But if you're concerned, you can try vacuuming to waste or drain so the water is leaving the pool. Then try shocking and running the filter when there's less algae in the water.
@@SwimUniversity Thnx for the reply. I have an Intex sand filter (75 lbs of sand) combined with a 2100 GHP pump. When I discarded the old sand I disassembled and cleaned all the filter parts. All the laterals are in good shape. It does not appear that sand is getting out of the filter. It is just when actively pushing the vacuum head around on the dirty bottom that the filter output turns dark. Stop vac, filter out clears.
BTW - your recent green pool video was spot on. After a 3x shock and then a 2x shock the next day I am now at the milky pale blue phase of the clean up. I'll vacuum to waste after the chlorine returns down to normal levels.
This video was very helpful, thank you!😊