Can algae be gone after one treatment?

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odonekanobe

0
Aug 30, 2011
62
Tacoma, WA
I was so proud of myself this year. Stayed on top of things and never had a green pool to deal with. Well yesterday I pull back the cover to take a water sample and see some green around the steps in the deep end and around the light. Not bad but I need to take care of it. Pull the cover completely off, give it a thorough brushing then run my tests and determine where my shock level is. I shock it and then 30 minutes later check pH. It's high, so I bring that down. Keep testing and all is good and water clears up nicely.

Before bed I test the chlorine, and then first thing this morning before work. It's at the same level. Is it possible to be done with shocking after just one day/night? It seems to me that it should take longer.

Thanks in advance.
 
If you caught things early enough, it's possible to kill the algae in a few hours. Typically it takes a couple days to ensure it's all dead and gone. Remember there are three criteria to meet simultaneously before ending the SLAM Process process.
1) The water is clear. That means immediately after brushing, too. And clear means seeing all the way to the bottom. Minimum is being able to see a quarter tossed in the deep end. Ideal is being able to call heads or tails.
2) Overight loss is 1 FC or less
3) CC is .5 or less.

So far, all you have for sure is the overnight loss test passing. What about the other two?
 
Did you run the pool overnight?

The pH is not reliable when the FC is above 10. Next time measure the pH when the FC is below 10.

When you said the FC was around 20 last night and around 20 this morning gives me some "doubt" in your numbers. Usually if the OCLT passes, the water is clear, and CC is less than or equal to .5 I would say you are done, but in your case I would do it again tonight. Make sure the pool runs overnight.
 
ping said:
Did you run the pool overnight?

The pH is not reliable when the FC is above 10. Next time measure the pH when the FC is below 10.

When you said the FC was around 20 last night and around 20 this morning gives me some "doubt" in your numbers. Usually if the OCLT passes, the water is clear, and CC is less than or equal to .5 I would say you are done, but in your case I would do it again tonight. Make sure the pool runs overnight.
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The pool is running 24/7. I measured the pH before raising to shock level since I thought I had read the pH rises at shock level. The water is clear right now.

So I think I might be confused and I hope you can bear with me here. The chlorine test I am doing is in the TF-100 test kit where I fill the vial to the 10mL mark, drop the powder in and count the # of drops it takes to turn clear. I had always thought of this as the FC test, but is this really the CC test? I hate to sound like a newbie here but I want to make sure I am doing this right and passing along the correct information.

Thanks again for your help and patience with me.
 
odonekanobe said:
The pool is running 24/7. I measured the pH before raising to shock level since I thought I had read the pH rises at shock level. The water is clear right now.

So I think I might be confused and I hope you can bear with me here. The chlorine test I am doing is in the TF-100 test kit where I fill the vial to the 10mL mark, drop the powder in and count the # of drops it takes to turn clear. I had always thought of this as the FC test, but is this really the CC test? I hate to sound like a newbie here but I want to make sure I am doing this right and passing along the correct information.

Thanks again for your help and patience with me.
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Ok in my searching I just found this. I have never done it and I will now as soon as I get home.

1) Do your FC test with the R-0870 DPD Powder as you normally would, adding R-0871 to bring the solution clear, as normal.
2) Add 5 drops of R-0003 (Yellow cap) to the solution. Swirl to mix.
3) If the solution remains clear, your CC level is 0.
4) If the solution turns pink, add R-0871 again, counting drops as you do for the FC test. Each drop is .5ppm, just like FC
5) A CC reading of 1 (2 drops) or above is cause for concern, come talk to your friendly TFP folks and read Pool School.
 
Texas Splash said:
Right, your earlier post (powder & drops divide by 2 = FC)... that WAS for free chlorine. This last post you just did is performed right after the FC test to determine the CC (combined chlorine). Are you good now?
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Well I thought I had it clear before, but yes I believe I am clear now. Tonight I will do a FC test before bed. Tomorrow morning I will also FC. If it is 1 FC or less from what I recorded the night before, I will test CC by adding 5 drops of R-0003 and then if not clear add R-0871 until clear. Each drop is 0.5 like in FC. If it is basically more than 1 drop to clear then I need to continue SLAM. Sound about right?

So do I even bother checking pH while in SLAM? I thought anything above 7.5 pH made the chlorine ineffective?

Thanks again.
 

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Make sure you brush at least once a day. Algae forms a protective bioshield and brushing opens them up to be killed by the FC. You have a plaster pool so you need to use a metal algae brush. Also, make sure that your cover is algae free, too.
 
So do I even bother checking pH while in SLAM?
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Usually no because the higher FC levels skews the pH reading. During a SLAM, focus on the FC the most, followed by CC. What we usually recommend is focus on the FC and water clarity each day. Since the CC test is done immediately after the FC test, you can do that as well. When the FC begins to hold better thorough the day, and CC starts to show as zero or less than 0.5 ppm with very clear water, then you can worry about doing the overnight (OCLT) test. The OCLT is like the final report card of the SLAM - usually. :)
 
kcindc said:
Make sure you brush at least once a day. Algae forms a protective bioshield and brushing opens them up to be killed by the FC. You have a plaster pool so you need to use a metal algae brush. Also, make sure that your cover is algae free, too.
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Thank you. I have just been trying to find some info on how to clean it effectively. One person said bleach, another said algaecide? after it is initially treated, I read on here that one member recommends dunking his cover frequently so that the treated water will treat the cover also. And then possibly running my FC levels at 1.5x what is listed on the chart to accommodate the increased need with the solar cover?
 
odonekanobe said:
Do you have any suggestions? Bleach it?
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Yup, that's what I'd do! Bleach is what will kill algae spores.

I would lay the cover out on the driveway and wash it down with a 10% bleach solution and use a push broom to disrupt any biofilm that may be built up. Let it dry in the sun, turn it over and do the same to the other side.
 
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