Is this dead algae?

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bwiley47

bwiley47

0
Jun 20, 2009
97
Princeton, WV
I think this is probably dead algae, but any comments would be appreciated.

[attachment=0:6aavaj7l]071011951106[00].jpg[/attachment:6aavaj7l]

This is looking down, at a side of the pool. Vacuumed a bunch yesterday, and using a skimmer sock. Can only see about 1/3 down. Still shocking...day #8.
 

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This mornings results:

FC 10.5
CC 0.5
TC 11.0
PH 7.6
TA 70
CYA 20 (Tested earlier this week, 2 times) I know I need to get this up a little, but I am home all day, so I'm gonna live with it for now. Besides, I tested wrong last Sun, (35), so I was shocking to 16 all week anyway!

A little history I think might help:

Late opening--end of may. Algae on opening. Don't have a winter cover. Never did have it completely clear when we started loosing water and found a leak at one of the returns.

Drained the water below skimmer and return, in order to repair leak. Then my mother passed away so we didn't work with the pool for several days. Algae again.

While it was below skimmer, my husband decided to hard plum and move the filter. Leak repaired. One week later we noticed what appeared to be sand when we brushed. The filter was hooked up wrong after the move. So last saturday, he fixed that. (I had been shocking during that week to 10, but raised it to 16 on sunday after I tested my cya wrong at 35, even reached 18 one night.)

Also on sunday we had a pump problem. He rewired it and it is working good now. This past week I shocked to 16, until I retested my cya on approx thurs, and it was 20. Dropped it to 10-11. Added flock.

Filter has been running 24/7 since last sunday night, except for approx 12 hrs on friday night when we had a bad storm. Yesterday when I turned it back on, I could barely see the bottom and then the stuff started to circulate. We vacuumed and got alot of sand/filmy stuff in the skimmer at the pump. Brusing everyday, and started using the skimmer sock yesterday.

We have backwashed about 3 times this week, probably need to more I am guessing.

I figure it's probably dead algae from both blooms, and whatever the filter had in it for that week it was hooked up wrong. But wanted tfp input! :) Thanks!
 
A lot of the folks in our area put salt in their above ground pools even if they aren't using saltwater generators due to the fact that it prevents algae blooms.

Last year, my mother's pool sat for over 10 straight days once with no chlorine after the filter pump died and didn't get a speck of algae in it.
 
Whether or not a pool gets algae is not related to salt. Do not put salt in your pool and expect to eliminate the use of chlorine....it won't happen.

Salt water in the ocean is 10 times more concentrated than your pool and algae grows there very nicely.

Chlorine is the single best way to keep a pool from developing algae.
 
You say you added Floc... I could be wrong, but I thought most floc requires the filter to be turned off for a sustained period of time so that it can combine with particles and settle to the bottom for a slow and thorough vacuuming, preferably to waste. Did you follow the instructions on the bottle?
 
Floc can get really nasty when it is stirred up in the pool, all your small particles are now larger particles. That is by design, but in an ideal situation... it is supposed lay nicely on the floor while it is vacuumed out and leave you with a clear pool, but I think it seldom works that way. I guess your filtration system is just gonna have to work overtime. Boy, you sure have had your issues with the pool and the equipment, hopefully you are on the right course and will soon be enjoying an oasis. :)
 
duraleigh said:
Whether or not a pool gets algae is not related to salt. Do not put salt in your pool and expect to eliminate the use of chlorine....it won't happen.

Salt water in the ocean is 10 times more concentrated than your pool and algae grows there very nicely.

Chlorine is the single best way to keep a pool from developing algae.
Click to expand...

I didn't say that they weren't properly and regularly chlorinating - just that adding the salt does help decrease the probability of an algae bloom if something happens to go wrong beyond your control (like in our case, where the filter pump died last year, and earlier this year when we were out of power for 3 straight days after a bunch of severe thunderstorms tore up the electrical grid and dumped 8"-14" of rain on us in a 24 hr period).

True, algae does grow well in the ocean; however, there it is acclaimated to the salt content of the water. In areas where there are no standing bodies of salt water, this isn't necessarily the case. Fresh water algae tends to lack that particular resistance and will often die or be inhibited in growing well by the presence of the salt.
 

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Oh, you'll be having that party. :) This is a google image of my pool in it's former state of horror. BLACK... now it is crystal clear, but it did take over a month and a lot of work and even more patience... just bleach and some baking soda.
 

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