Mustard Algae will be the death of me!!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
deesha23

deesha23

0
Jul 19, 2012
31
Southern Oklahoma
So I have posted on here before, but it was a couple of years ago. With all of the help I received here I have been able to manage and maintain a crystal clear pool until the last couple of weeks. This summer I have strayed from what I learned here and due to "too much on my plate" I have been entrusting the care of my pool to a local pool service. Yes, I knew this was a mistake and yet chose this path anyway. :( Now I am finding myself dealing with a green pool, with what appears to be mustard algae, and I need HELP!!! I have removed and locked away any remaining chlorine pucks. I have been testing and dumping bleach in after dropping pH with MA to 7.2-7.4. The pool water is now a turquoise color, very cloudy, with visibility only about 12-18 inches. I have been trying to brush the bottom and sides every hour or so but my real dilemma is that I can not see the bottom to know where to concentrate brushing efforts. Not to mention, any leaves or debris that may be there. So my question is, if I continue down this path, will the water eventually clear enough to allow me to do a better job of cleaning the bottom? I did just find that one of my lines had a good size leaf clog and was able to evacuate that with the pump pressure and valves. Hoping this helps....any other advice??
 
I do have test results!

Started with:
FC - 1
CC - .5
pH - 8.2
CYA - 80

Dumped in 120 oz. MA and 480 oz. of 6% Bleach

Next results:
FC - 23
CC - 1
pH - 7.6
CYA - 80

Dumped 120oz. MA and gradually 240 oz. Bleach

Latest results:
FC - 23
CC - 0.5
pH - 7.3
CYA - 80

- - - Updated - - -

My "mustard algae" conclusion is based on the yellow green clouds that come up every time I brush. Is there a better way to know for sure what kind of algae?
 
While I wouldn't rule out mustard algae as a possibility everything you describe just sounds like a run of the mill algae bloom. Unless you finish this and notice a regrowth of yellow algae then it is just regular algae. It sounds like you are SLAMing well, just keep it up and let the filter clear the dead algae out of the water. It will take some time but it will clear.

One problem, possibly a major problem, is you are adjusting your pH during a SLAM. The pH test does not work correctly at SLAM levels, it often reads high. Couple that with the chlorine raising your pH temporarily and you are probably going to find your pH bottoming out when you finish your SLAM. Don't test for or adjust it any more until you get your FC back down under 10.
 
Ok will do! Here are a couple of pics the way the water looks now. Not sure why my steps are so yellow, but hoping to correct that after water is clear.

pool Aug 30.jpg
pool Aug 30-2.jpg

- - - Updated - - -

No SWG :( My CYA is so high because the pool company was using pucks and shock and the pool just kept getting greener. I plan on doing partial drain before closing pool in a month or so, was just hoping to get a couple of more weeks for kids to swim first.
 
I strongly suggest that you replace some water to get your CYA lower. SLAMing with a CYA of 80 is expensive and time consuming.

Once you replace some water and get further along in your SLAM, I suggest adding some DE to help clear the water faster since sand filters take longer to clean a swamp.

Adding DE to a sand filter:
Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply