Can I use bleach in a 24' round above ground swimming pool?

Question

I have an above ground swimming pool, that has turned green over the winter. I have had the water tested twice in the last three weeks and I have my chemicals balanced, but it's still green. I have replaced the filter cartridge (and pull it out and clean it twice a day) and have used shock and "super shock" 4 times and the alge remover twice. A friend recommended adding several gallons of bleach along with baking soda. They swear by it! I have spend tons of $ and still have a green pool? Will the bleach hurt the filter or the liner?

Answer 1

No I would not use bleach. How many packs of shock are putting in at one time? We use 8 or 9 bags of shock and a bottle of algeacide when we first open our pool after winter.

Answer 2

Bleach is simply Sodium Hypochlorite, the exact same chemical as in Liquid Pool Chlorine.  Just a weaker solution.  Its totally fine to use it, though is less economical than using regular liquid pool chlorine.  

Have you used Cyanuric Acid as a stabilizer for your previous chlorine use?  Many pool supply stores sell tablet chlorine that includes this stabilizer built in.  Once your Cyanuric Acid level builds to over 100 parts-per-million it can start blocking the action of the chlorine so effectively that its almost like having no chlorine in the water at all.

Also make sure the Pool's pH is properly balanced.  A pH of over 7.8 can also interfere significantly with chlorine's ability to destroy organics in your pool water.  

The only remedy for this is to drain the pool and start with fresh water.  With an algae problem you probably should let the pool completely dry out for a day or two before refilling.

If your Cyanuric Acid level is 'normal' (40-80 ppm), then the alternative to draining is to try an algaecide.  This actually kills the algae infestation in your pool.  Follow the instructions with the product you buy exactly;  this substance is usually pretty toxic.  That may be what you are calling 'algae remover'.

One other cause of green pool water, which is pretty rare, is having copper staining your water.  If you have copper pipes and your pH is too low (below 7.2) the water could be eroding the copper from the pipes and contaminating the pool water.  This is fairly rare, but a possibility.  In this case the remedy is to drain the water and start over, making sure to keep the water pH in balance (ideally 7.4 to 7.6) at all times.

Answer 3

yes i work at a pool store and yes you can use it although it is not near as strong as the regular chlorine they sell at the pool stores but if you are in a pinch you can use it but you will be using more than what you would use with regular chlorine.  if you are green i would use the chlorine and overshock because all you are doing by putting just a few backs of that granular shock is teasing the water you are only partially killing it. you need to put in for a 24 at least minimun 2 cases of chlorine (8 gal) if not up to 4 cases i would do at least 2-3 cases and follow up with some clarifier when the water gets "milky cloudy" to help clear it the rest of the way up. bleach will not hurt anything in the water. dont use the crappy granular shock you get at the department stores they are a waste of time and your money.

Answer 4

chlorine, or shock, i wouldnt use bleech it might react with the chlorine