After nine months of construction during such time I completely ignored the
pool, I need to now get it back in shape.

During demolition, saw dust, gutter leaves, nails and other small debris,
fell into the pool, algae build up is so bad now that it's probably a thick
slimmy layer all around the pool bottom and wall...It's literally the green
swamp.

I did have the pool pump run 4 hours a day for the last 9 months but that
did not do anything. I was adding chemicals and chlorine but I gave up
after a few weeks.

I know if I add shock or liquid chlorine to the pool, it will turn the water
back to clear...but the sediments and the algae needs to be dealt with.

I started off by using a brsh with a long handle to scrub the algae off the
pool wall, the nylon brush was no good, did not clean well, I had to switch
to one with metal wires. That worked for a bit, then the water is so murky
from the brushing I cannot see where I am brushing. I also tried to vaccuum
hose attached to the skimmer and same problem, vaccuum for a bit and then
too murky to see.

Do professional pool companies have big suction trucks to vaccuum the junk
off and brush the pool surface real quick or this is a manual and tedious
task no matter how you do it?

Thanks,

MC

"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...
After nine months of construction during such time I completely ignored
the pool, I need to now get it back in shape.

During demolition, saw dust, gutter leaves, nails and other small debris,
fell into the pool, algae build up is so bad now that it's probably a
thick slimmy layer all around the pool bottom and wall...It's literally
the green swamp.

I did have the pool pump run 4 hours a day for the last 9 months but that
did not do anything. I was adding chemicals and chlorine but I gave up
after a few weeks.

I know if I add shock or liquid chlorine to the pool, it will turn the
water back to clear...but the sediments and the algae needs to be dealt
with.

I started off by using a brsh with a long handle to scrub the algae off
the pool wall, the nylon brush was no good, did not clean well, I had to
switch to one with metal wires. That worked for a bit, then the water is
so murky from the brushing I cannot see where I am brushing. I also tried
to vaccuum hose attached to the skimmer and same problem, vaccuum for a
bit and then too murky to see.

Do professional pool companies have big suction trucks to vaccuum the junk
off and brush the pool surface real quick or this is a manual and tedious
task no matter how you do it?


*I was working on a job last week that was adjacent to a pool in a townhouse
development. When I started the pool water was a dark brownish green and
had a bunch of leaves and other stuff in it. The pool and surrounding deck
had work done to it over the winter so the pool cover was not put in place.
There was only about five feet of water in the pool. A crew of four guys
came in on one day. They had two 3" muck pumps, a power washer and
miscellaneous brushes. They sucked all of the water out. Scooped out all
of the leaves and crud and power washed everything. The only thing left was
some light staining from the leaves. I presume that that will be taken care
of on another day.

"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...
After nine months of construction during such time I completely ignored
the pool, I need to now get it back in shape.

During demolition, saw dust, gutter leaves, nails and other small debris,
fell into the pool, algae build up is so bad now that it's probably a
thick slimmy layer all around the pool bottom and wall...It's literally
the green swamp.

I did have the pool pump run 4 hours a day for the last 9 months but that
did not do anything. I was adding chemicals and chlorine but I gave up
after a few weeks.

I know if I add shock or liquid chlorine to the pool, it will turn the
water back to clear...but the sediments and the algae needs to be dealt
with.

I started off by using a brsh with a long handle to scrub the algae off
the pool wall, the nylon brush was no good, did not clean well, I had to
switch to one with metal wires. That worked for a bit, then the water is
so murky from the brushing I cannot see where I am brushing. I also tried
to vaccuum hose attached to the skimmer and same problem, vaccuum for a
bit and then too murky to see.

Do professional pool companies have big suction trucks to vaccuum the junk
off and brush the pool surface real quick or this is a manual and tedious
task no matter how you do it?

Thanks,

MC

The first thing to do is start the filter system, then dump the proper
amount of shock and algaecide into the pool. Use the brush to dislodge the
algae, even though you can't see anything. In a couple of days, the dead
stuff should settle to the bottom and the water should be clear enough to
see through. Next, vacuum to waste adding water to the pool as necessary.
If the vacuum system works decently, it shouldn't stir up the dead stuff to
much, and you should be able to suck most of it out at one time. Then wait
a couple of days and finish it. Pool cleaners do have special large pumps
to do this

Since you have no experience doing this, just call a pool service
company. One they get it straightened out, you can just maintain it..

On Apr 7, 8:13*am, wrote:
Since you have no experience doing this, just call a pool service
company. *One they get it straightened out, you can just maintain it..

Well...I am just a bit too embarassed to call a pool company and show
them this swampy pool, I was trying to improve it a little myself
before it's semi-presentable.

I don't think I want to suck all 25000 gallons out here in Florida the
water table is high it may crack the pool, even in the winter months
and now it is getting into the rainy season.

"John Grabowski" wrote in
:


"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...
After nine months of construction during such time I completely
ignored the pool, I need to now get it back in shape.

During demolition, saw dust, gutter leaves, nails and other small
debris, fell into the pool, algae build up is so bad now that it's
probably a thick slimmy layer all around the pool bottom and
wall...It's literally the green swamp.

I did have the pool pump run 4 hours a day for the last 9 months but
that did not do anything. I was adding chemicals and chlorine but I
gave up after a few weeks.

I know if I add shock or liquid chlorine to the pool, it will turn
the water back to clear...but the sediments and the algae needs to be
dealt with.

I started off by using a brsh with a long handle to scrub the algae
off the pool wall, the nylon brush was no good, did not clean well, I
had to switch to one with metal wires. That worked for a bit, then
the water is so murky from the brushing I cannot see where I am
brushing. I also tried to vaccuum hose attached to the skimmer and
same problem, vaccuum for a bit and then too murky to see.

Do professional pool companies have big suction trucks to vaccuum the
junk off and brush the pool surface real quick or this is a manual
and tedious task no matter how you do it?


*I was working on a job last week that was adjacent to a pool in a
townhouse development. When I started the pool water was a dark
brownish green and had a bunch of leaves and other stuff in it. The
pool and surrounding deck had work done to it over the winter so the
pool cover was not put in place. There was only about five feet of
water in the pool. A crew of four guys came in on one day. They had
two 3" muck pumps, a power washer and miscellaneous brushes. They
sucked all of the water out. Scooped out all of the leaves and crud
and power washed everything. The only thing left was some light
staining from the leaves. I presume that that will be taken care of
on another day.


Thoughts of Bill Murray in Caddyshack with that Baby Ruth bar come to
mind :-)

wrote in message
...
On Apr 7, 8:13 am, wrote:
Since you have no experience doing this, just call a pool service
company. One they get it straightened out, you can just maintain it..

Well...I am just a bit too embarassed to call a pool company and show
them this swampy pool, I was trying to improve it a little myself
before it's semi-presentable.

I don't think I want to suck all 25000 gallons out here in Florida the
water table is high it may crack the pool, even in the winter months
and now it is getting into the rainy season.


You don't need to drain it all out. When I bought my current house, from an
estate, the pool had sat a full year. The water was like pea soup. Knowing
nothing about pools, I had a professional come show me how to deal with
this. He dumped a bunch of chemicals in, fired up the filter system, brushed
the side walls and left. The next morning, all the algae was white, dead,
and sitting on the bottom of the pool and the water was pretty clear. He
came back with a pump and vacuumed all the crap out of the pool, which only
lowered the water level about 4". I refilled the pool, and in a couple of
days the water was crystal clear.

On Tue, 7 Apr 2009 06:24:33 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Apr 7, 8:13*am, wrote:
Since you have no experience doing this, just call a pool service
company. *One they get it straightened out, you can just maintain it..

Well...I am just a bit too embarassed to call a pool company and show
them this swampy pool, I was trying to improve it a little myself
before it's semi-presentable.


Start with a chemical to kill mosquito larvae. We don't want a
citation from the Health Dept. West Nile is already in the Mohave
Desert.

Here, they will site you, and charge for the cleaning of a 'GREEN'
pool.

I don't think I want to suck all 25000 gallons out here in Florida the
water table is high it may crack the pool, even in the winter months
and now it is getting into the rainy season.

Drain 8500 gallons onto the lawn, trees, and street curb (if allowed)!

My area, I have to pump the water in the sewage/city drain lines. I
cannot just send the water down the street.

http://www.snwa.com/html/cons_pools_cleanout.html

Fill, shock, clean and CLEAN the filter frequently -- during the clean
up (with advice).

"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...
After nine months of construction during such time I completely ignored
the pool, I need to now get it back in shape.

During demolition, saw dust, gutter leaves, nails and other small debris,
fell into the pool, algae build up is so bad now that it's probably a
thick slimmy layer all around the pool bottom and wall...It's literally
the green swamp.

I did have the pool pump run 4 hours a day for the last 9 months but that
did not do anything. I was adding chemicals and chlorine but I gave up
after a few weeks.

I know if I add shock or liquid chlorine to the pool, it will turn the
water back to clear...but the sediments and the algae needs to be dealt
with.

I started off by using a brsh with a long handle to scrub the algae off
the pool wall, the nylon brush was no good, did not clean well, I had to
switch to one with metal wires. That worked for a bit, then the water is
so murky from the brushing I cannot see where I am brushing. I also tried
to vaccuum hose attached to the skimmer and same problem, vaccuum for a
bit and then too murky to see.

Do professional pool companies have big suction trucks to vaccuum the junk
off and brush the pool surface real quick or this is a manual and tedious
task no matter how you do it?

Thanks,

MC

As you have just discovered, not doing anything is the worst thing you can
do. What you need now is a professional to come in, pump or backwash it
out, pressure wash and acid wash the plaster provided it's not too late and
the algae is in there to a depth where you need a repla$ter job, clean the
filter whatever kind you have, and really do a major cleanup. No amount of
chemicals will do anything for the swamp you now have. Only draining,
cleaning, and refilling. If you are a real DIY person, this is something
you can do. Rent a two inch pump, get a power washer, buy some good boots
that acid won't eat the bottom off, get good gloves, get proper acid
resistant clothing, protective eye cover. But to me it sounds like if you
were too stupid to let it get in this condition, you wouldn't be a person to
be trusted with high strength muriatic acid.

Pay the money and learn the lesson. I'm guessing $2k. And that doesn't
include pump and filter parts that may need replacing. Enjoy your pool.

Frank

wrote in message
...
On Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:17:00 -0400, Bubba
wrote:

On Tue, 7 Apr 2009 06:24:33 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Apr 7, 8:13 am, wrote:
Since you have no experience doing this, just call a pool service
company. One they get it straightened out, you can just maintain it..

Well...I am just a bit too embarassed to call a pool company and show
them this swampy pool, I was trying to improve it a little myself
before it's semi-presentable.

I don't think I want to suck all 25000 gallons out here in Florida the
water table is high it may crack the pool, even in the winter months
and now it is getting into the rainy season.

Think about it.............or do the calculations and the costs.
25,000 gals is really not that much water in costs. Ive drained mine
17,000 gals twice since Ive had it. Less than $100 in water. As soon
as its drained and cleaned, start refilling. You wont hurt the pool or
pop it out of the ground unless you leave it empty.
Chemicals will cost you a whole lot more to clean up a really nasty
pool depending on how bad it is. Start fresh.
Bubba


The problem is if you are in south Florida that pool is very likely to
just pop out of the ground if you drain it.
There should be a pump out pipe under the pool they used to keep the
water out while they were shooting it but if they buried it under the
deck you can't use it. A polite builder extends that pipe out past
the deck and caps it. You would still have to know where to dig. (I
put a block of wood on the form so there is a recess in the edge of
the deck)
There are also plugs in the bottom of the pool, in the drain housing
but you would have to dive down and remove them.

I would not drain my pool until I was sure the ground water was
equalized or pumped away. .


I would think the place to start is with the net and scoop out as much as
possible. Drain as much as can be done safely. Clean all the filters and
run the pump for a couple of days. Clean and purge.

Keep doing the above until it gets reasonably clean and start with the free
chlorine. I wouldn't even attempt to scrub the algae until it's all dead.
Live algae is impossible to get rid of. I've never had to use algaecide
but...

Then use floc as necessary or whatever clarifier you can use with your
filter system. Then balance the PH.

4 hours a day isn't much. I'd run the filters for at least 10 hours a day.
Continuously until it's clear.

If it's as bad as described it's going to take some work and a few days to
let the filters and chlorine do their job.

od

wrote:
On Apr 7, 8:13 am, wrote:
Since you have no experience doing this, just call a pool service
company. One they get it straightened out, you can just maintain it..

Well...I am just a bit too embarassed to call a pool company and show
them this swampy pool, I was trying to improve it a little myself
before it's semi-presentable.

I don't think I want to suck all 25000 gallons out here in Florida the
water table is high it may crack the pool, even in the winter months
and now it is getting into the rainy season.

You sound like those people that have to clean their house before the house
cleaners show up. Seems a little silly. That's is what the hired people do for a
living.

On Apr 7, 1:44*am, "MiamiCuse" wrote:
vaccuum for a bit and then
too murky to see.

You're probably vacuuming too fast. The tricks to vacuuming are going
slow and overlapping.

Or, your filter media may be shot, I guess. You said you ran the pump
4 hours a day, that seems as if it might have been enough with nobody
using it.

Do professional pool companies have big suction trucks to vaccuum the junk
off and brush the pool surface real quick or this is a manual and tedious
task no matter how you do it?

Pretty much. Pool service companies may have big suction trucks, I
don't know but I doubt it.

The easiest way (and best, IMO), if you're going to are for your pool
yourself, is to establish a relationship with your local pool supply
company.

You take them a water sample, describe your problem/s, and they'll
tell you what you need in the way of chemicals to make your water
clear.

Algae control may be the most troublesome issue pool owners
encounter. This stuff, though a little spendy, is rumored to be "the
****".
http://www.intheswim.com/Pool-Chemic...als/Phos-Free/
-----

- gpsman

After nine months of construction during such time I completely
ignored the pool, I need to now get it back in shape.

During demolition, saw dust, gutter leaves, nails and other small
debris, fell into the pool, algae build up is so bad now that it's
probably a thick slimmy layer all around the pool bottom and
wall...It's literally the green swamp.

I did have the pool pump run 4 hours a day for the last 9 months but
that did not do anything. I was adding chemicals and chlorine but I
gave up after a few weeks.

I know if I add shock or liquid chlorine to the pool, it will turn
the water back to clear...but the sediments and the algae needs to be
dealt with.

I started off by using a brsh with a long handle to scrub the algae
off the pool wall, the nylon brush was no good, did not clean well, I
had to switch to one with metal wires. That worked for a bit, then
the water is so murky from the brushing I cannot see where I am
brushing. I also tried to vaccuum hose attached to the skimmer and
same problem, vaccuum for a bit and then too murky to see.

Do professional pool companies have big suction trucks to vaccuum the
junk off and brush the pool surface real quick or this is a manual
and tedious task no matter how you do it?

It's a manual and tedious process.

I got a new customer last year because his pool was green and stinky. I
scooped out the big stuff, then took a water sample to the pool store
where I buy supplies. They gave me a step-by-step procedure and sold me
the chemicals. I followed the instructions, and in two weeks he had
clear water.

My client could have done this himself, but he wanted someone to do the
work for him. That's OK with me. I get $40 a month to clean the pool
once a week, and he gets a clean pool with no effort. Of course, I
charged extra for the initial clean-up, but I had to make two or three
trips over there every week until it was corrected.

Take a water sample to the pool store. Follow their instructions. Keep
the muck stirred up so the filter can get it. Backwash the filter every
day or two until the problem goes away.

I recommend a Polaris Pool Sweep device. They do most of the work for
you. There are better devices, like the Dolphin, but they require daily
effort to put the thing in, take it out, and clean it.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX USA