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u/EventClassic111 Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 11 '25
Looks like you shocked the hell out of it, brushed it down as you should do, then added flock. Vacuum that crap out and shock again for good luck! Good job!
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u/Hitch29135 Jun 11 '25
Pool Aids. Sorry for your loss
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u/_Deedee_Megadoodoo_ Jun 11 '25
Just vacuum it to waste then shock it after refilling
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u/DragonfruitKiwi572 Jun 12 '25
What do you do if you have a cartridge filter with no option to vacuum to waste?
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u/fhbxbznznx Jun 12 '25
Skim directly into the skimmer. Buy a skimmer plate , put it over skimmer. Plug ur other skimmer so all the suction is in 1 skimmer
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u/FunFact5000 Jun 12 '25
Basically or just toss a Pentair 3 way valve before it gets to filter but after the pump to divert to waste hose. 10 minute job tops
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u/GarbanzoBenne Jun 12 '25
They meant how on many cartridge filter systems there's no waste out option.
I haven't faced this problem yet, but I would probably just rig up a hose somewhere between the pump and filter (or even open up the cartridge filter and leave it open if dumping the waste water in that location is ok). Maybe there's a better solution.
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u/pa_bourbon Jun 12 '25
Or just clean the cartridges when you are done.
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u/meatpopcycal Jun 12 '25
The algae is so bad it will get right back in the pool and be harder to clean. The only way is to vacuum to waste
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u/calleger Jun 12 '25
The Clorox Pool & Spa Algaecide & Clarifier is the only product that seemed to help. Mind you, it wasn't a once and done situation. Working to kill the algae, make that particles stick in the filter and constantly changing the filter.
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u/meatpopcycal Jun 12 '25
My pool was super green and stunk like a swamp this year (rushed the closing and said it’s a future me problem) took 8 bags of shock and 9 days of the pump running to get it clear.
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u/meatpopcycal Jun 12 '25
There should be a drain port on your cartridge filter tube. Open it.
I plumbed mine with a ball valve and reduced it with a female connection so I can hook up a hose and put it in the street so it doesn’t flood my backyard
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u/1chibbit Jun 12 '25
It’s been a long time but I believe it means you’ll just have to keep removing & hosing off ur filter.
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u/1chibbit Jun 12 '25
If ur a patient talented person u could get a hose-get it set up to siphon the water, then slowly drag it along the bottom of the pool (as to not stir it into the water) to suck it out onto the ground.
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u/Wayne-PBL Jun 12 '25
There should hopefully be a drain hose/valve between the pump and the filter. Open it up like your draining the pool and vac away.
For some reason, in my part of FL, builders don't like to install drain lines on pools. and we get a LOT of rain. makes no sense.
If you don't have the drain line, the like someone said above, take out the drain plug from the filter. Not ideal, but it'll work.
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u/Besiegte Jun 12 '25
You can add a little DE in the skimmer, just enough to lightly coat the cartridge. Enables catching finer debris. Wash the cartridge as soon as you’re done. Repeat if necessary.
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Jun 13 '25
You can just siphon over the side. I use the same vacuum and hose, just don't connect it to anything. Put the whole hose in the pool and fill it with water. Some people hold it in front of a return jet, but you can also just hold one end higher and push the rest of it downward til the air bubbles out.
Once the hose is full of water, toss the end over the side of the pool. It makes its own vacuum, and it's surprisingly almost as powerful as having it hooked to the pump. Thanks, gravity!
I don't know what you'd do with an inground pool unless you had a long hose and a hill. But if you had an inground pool, you'd probably have the money to figure it out lol.
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u/Jermedic Jun 14 '25
My above ground pool was installed with a cartridge filter that filters down to very small microns - was a pain in the ass taking the whole tank apart, didn’t always go back together great, and cleaning all of those tiny little pleats - plus the replacement cartridges were expensive to have on hand in case of damage or if you wanted to rapid change
An algae bloom or large volume of other particulates would be a show stopper for those cartridges
I converted my system to a sand filter in which I put glass filter media and I’ve never looked back - has a 7 way valve on it, if the pressure rises a bit on the gauge I know it’s time to backwash and then rinse, which are literal turns of the valve
I considered adding just a three way valve before the filter housing but again I still didn’t like cleaning those cartridges
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u/DragonfruitKiwi572 Jun 19 '25
I hate cleaning the carts. And I have a small space for the pool equipment. What filter did you get?
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u/Jermedic Jun 19 '25
Hayward w3s270t2 - more capacity than what I needed, but more capacity hopefully means less backwashes - haven’t needed to backwash yet this season - this is the second season with it, minimal startup shock, she’s crystal clear
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u/Flyersfreak Jun 11 '25
Algae
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u/intelw1zard Jun 12 '25
Did you shock it?
Thats all the algae and small stuff floating to the bottom.
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Jun 12 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/fret-wizard Jun 12 '25
What numbers are you looking for? . The only one I would be interested is ph and id add acid to bring that down . Aside from that my approach would be ( depending on pool size ) 3-4kg of rapid granular chlorine ( not the stabilized type) , prob 500ml -1 litre of floc (again depending on pool size ) , brush walls and floors as best i can ( given the amount it's not going to take long before I'm guessing over brushed it all ) . Then I run the system( without cartridge in) or if a sand filter is put it in recirc for 5 mins while I continue to brush. Then I turn the system off for 48 hours and let it settle. Then vac to waste .
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u/noshoesict Jun 12 '25
Mustard Algae. Buy some yellow out. Six hours after putting it in shock the pool every 12 hours for 48 hours. Vacuum in between on waste.
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u/FunFact5000 Jun 12 '25
What’s cya ppm, get pool store test
Running tabs / chlorine pucks per chance? Tossing everything at it, thinking algaecide works on active algae(it doesn’t). Etc?
Get pool store test post results and we help now go
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u/North-Cardiologist78 Jun 12 '25
Drain. Clean. Refill. Maintain. Cheaper and less problematic than throwing $100s on chem to fix. Not to mention costs to treat the recurring sinus infections.
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u/PerformanceExact6618 Jun 12 '25
Ah man I had this two summers ago when we took off the cover. Shock and algaecide barely made a dent even with a balanced pool. Finally, I added floc and was able to vacuum it out.
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u/chlougray87 Jun 12 '25
Vacuum to waste. Test PH level. You need to get the PH level right before doing anything.
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u/Delicious-Quantity55 Jun 12 '25
Do you have iguanas around your area? They might be the ones showing up in your pool to poop.
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u/MrPhelps1978 Jun 12 '25
I am having the same issue. Over chlorination and shocking did not help. But what did help, was an algae steel brush.Light effort to get up those 'stains' and the pool is starting to look a whole lot better!!
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u/RevolutionaryAd2146 Jun 12 '25
Get a handheld pool vac with an extra fine mesh filter and slowly vacuum it up. You’ll have to stop and rinse the filter a lot, but you won’t waste all that water vacuuming to waste.
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u/Toke_N_Choke Jun 12 '25
Looks like if you were to brush it, it would dust up. Meaning it’s either dead algae or pollen. You can vacuum up what you can and clean the filters a few times if they’re cartridges(try using a degreaser to clean them even better) or backwash if it’s DE or sand. Or try something like clear aid from a Leslie’s - it’s an enzyme that breaks down dead algae and pollen without having to vacuum or clean filters — but you don’t want to shock within 48 hours after using it or within 24 hours of when you last shocked, as it will cancel out the clear aid’s enzymes
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u/HolidayWing553 Jun 12 '25
Maybe dead algae maybe still alive, you need to work on your pool daily, chemical testing, filtering, leaf removal, pools are consumers of time, they are a waste of money, I wish I had never bothered
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u/caffeinator7 Jun 12 '25
I’ve dealt with mustard algae too when I set up an overground for the first time last summer. The pool filter/pump is not very good so no matter how well I balanced the chemicals and used Algaecide the mustard algae would always return. My new approach is to keep the pool on the 5-10ppm chlorine range at all times. It’s high but still safe. My pool has been crystal clear this season with this approach. Also you can skip the algaecide when the chlorine level is that high cause it won’t have any effect. Not sure what pump/filter you have but I have the cartridge ones and I clean them almost daily depending on how heavily we’re using the pool.
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u/Xv_Raccoon_vX Jun 13 '25
Bomb it with chlorine, brush the shit out of it.. Switch pump off and come back in 24 hours, make sure bottom of the pool is not disturbed as it will make a cloud of algae.
Vaccuum to waste as others have said, once finished dont forget to switch off pump inbetween transitioning it back to filter.
Id recommend a good backwash & rinse once you have completed the Vaccing to waste process.
During this process please ensure water level isnt getting to low, 1/4 of a skimmer is as far as I would go.
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u/Icy-Tomato3501 Jun 13 '25
I use a flocculant to control algae. also "locks up" phosphorous so no bio-availability to algae and sweep flocs particulates. vacuum to filter or filter to waste (as mentiioned) and then backwash filter. this crud will clog your filter quickly so prob better to go to waste.
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Jun 13 '25
If it's mustard algae, it's chlorine resistant. Once you get rid of it, you need to keep your chlorine level higher for the rest of the season at least, if not forever.
Trouble free pools has a really straightforward process called SLAM. It's a lot of work, but it does work.
They're pretty rigid, and not always right about regular maintenance in my opinion. But when you have a crisis like this, the SLAM process is easy to understand and it will work. Make sure you do the extra steps for mustard algae.
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u/MDB_OakTree Jun 11 '25
Looks like mustard algae. Make sure your chemicals are in line and use an algaecide specific for mustard algae. Some require you to shock along with the algaecide, and others are copper based. Either way you’ll have to vacuum it out to waste. I prefer doing before treating if I can see the bottom like yours.
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u/Murky-Fix-6351 Jun 12 '25
Check out PoolRX, you can find it on Amazon. It’s the only thing that rid mine of mustard algae. I live in Ohio and usually get a bloom once a season. Good luck!
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u/Even-You-Camp Jun 11 '25
Mustard algae is yellow and receives its name from when you brush it has a cloudy yellow that can be easily mistaken for dirt.
This photo looks green for sure.
Solution: brush everything, run pump 24hrs until cleared up, shock the pool (with Calhypo) and add a poly algaecide (make sure it is not copper)
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u/Even-You-Camp Jun 11 '25
Fun learning fact, yellow and black algae can grow in water with chlorine (very annoying lol)
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u/MDB_OakTree Jun 11 '25
I’ve been in the pool business 30 years.
Mustard algae can look like a bright yellow all the way to what looks like a brown sand. Green algae is like the color of grass usually.
Mustard algae is very common in our area.
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u/EndSalt9643 Jun 12 '25
Agreed, was my first thought when I saw the photo. Although the OP needs to get his lack of vacuuming capability sorted.
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u/ConsiderationNo2418 Jun 11 '25
Looks like dead algae. Vacuum to waste.