Chlorine feeds mustard algae???

[Mrjames]

I open my pool-28000 gallon, SWG, painted plaster.

I had some mustard algae when I opened it, the water was pretty clear. So I take a sample to the local friendly pool store to get the water balanced.

The lady tried to sell me yellow out (bromine) for the mustard algae. I remembered reading here to just increase the chlorine.
I've used the yellow out before, but wanted to try just increased chlorine levels.

I told her I just needed some shock, and i would skip the yellow out.

She told me that chlorine feeds mustard algae.

Is there any truth to this?

Sometimes I think people try to take advantage of seniors.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Nope. And they aren't limiting their lies and thievery to seniors. I've been pool stored many a time, pre TFP days.

If the water was clear, and yet you had algae, it makes me wonder what your CYA level is. Would you like to post a set of results and we can give you further advice if you like.

 

[Guest]

Actually, the pool store is partially right. Algae will feed on monochloramine, a type of combined chlorine. However it dies from eating it! THIS is how the ammonia based 'chlorine enhancers' like "Yellow Out" and "Green to Clean" work! These ammonia based products also take the CYA 'out of the loop' temporarily so the chlorine becomes more effective and THAT is exactly the way the bromine based products work also, by temporarily taking the CYA out of the loop, not because bromine is any better than killing algae than chlorine! The problem with either of these approaches is that it takes a LOT of chlorine to get back to a normal chlorine pool afterward! You have to burn off either all the ammonia you added and all the combined chlorine you creates or all the bromine you created.

Yellow Out is not bromine based, it's an ammonia based 'chlorine enhancer' made by CoralSeas. ARCH Chemical has a very similar product in their HTH and Poollife lines called Yellow Rid. Most of the United Chemical Products, some of the Proteam algaecides, and Jack's Magic Yellow Stuff are sodium bromide.

 

[Mrjames]

my CYA was 9 ppm- so I really didn't need a work around. The low CYA was the problem, because it wouldn't hold chlorine without the cover.

I guess it's possible she just didn't understand how everything worked.

I shocked it two days in a row and the pool is clear. I'm adding 8 lbs of CYA now and plan to add more to get to 80ppm intllichlor recommends.

I ran 80ppm CYA and 50 ppm borates last year and had zero problems. We had a lot of rain and I lost all my chemicals removing waste water.

Thanks for the help.