Rough start this year...

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coffeegoddss

coffeegoddss

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LifeTime Supporter
May 12, 2012
96
Minooka, IL
Geez, it's frustrating! I went through the whole shocking process for almost the last month - and this included an eventual partial drain and refill to adjust CYA. Finally passed my OCLT, no CCs, the water was rainbow sparkly. YAY! We're ready! As soon as the levels dropped out of shock range, we let the kids swim yesterday. They swam for an hour or so. Just because I'm a worrywort, I kept an eye on the levels...just in case... Just to be sure, I raised it to shock level shortly after they declared the water too cold.

Woke up this morning to an OCL of 3.5 (no cc's): 17 at sundown last night and 13.5 this AM, and twice as much brown stuff sitting on the bottom. :grrrr: I'm starting to wonder if I don't have mustard algae that simply isn't following the rules of growing on the shady side bottom and walls. This stuff is strictly on the bottom and disappates when you disturb it - although I did notice brushing it this morning that it's being a little more stubborn in some spots to dislodge.

*sigh* So I guess I start the shocking process all over. There is some dispute over our CYA reading...I say the dot disappeared closer to just under 50, my husband says it read closer to 40. His eye sight is better than mine but, this time, I'm erring on the side of caution and going with the 50 reading for this particular shocking. Then, if I read it right, once I pass, I have to bring the shock level up even higher for 24 hours and scrub the *@!$ out of everything? Right?

Another new development? Our filter housing has started making a rattling sound every now and then. It sounds like something is loose and vibrating when the pump is running. It was never bolted down to anything (we store it inside for the winter) and a quick shove over seems to balance out whatever it is and it stops...I guess until the running pump vibrates it over again.

*breathe breathe* :rant: I just want to be able to let my kids swim!!! Hopefully, this does it.
 
Holy cow! I add the amount of beach PoolCalculator told me to to raise from 13.5 to 20. Anhour later the FC was reading 26?! Did I not wait long enough before testing because I can't believe the calculation would be that off!
 
Still in the shock process. Pretty sure it's mustard algae. :grrrr: We have a 21ft round AG pool with virtually NOTHING in it right now. The deck is under construction so the ladder was pulled last week. There are no lights or anything. I have no idea where the algae can be hiding during the day. I brush it at least twice - vacuum if I have the time - everyday. There really is no "shady side" of the pool; it's in direct sun all day - so it stays "mostly" clean on the bottom during the day. I'm guessing this is because of the direct sun and high FC levels (I've been trying to keep it above 20 with a CYA of 40) and the frequent brushings but at night, it all comes out and is visable first thing early in the morning. I ran out of drops again (more coming today) so I've been guestimating with the dark orange on the OTO drop test. Once I get more drops, looks like it's up to accurate mustard algae shock levels for me!
 
I've been fighting brown gunk on the bottom of the pool since it opened. I've been working off the idea that it's dead algae because I can vacuum it up (shows up in the skimmer sock - kinda slimy) and a day or two later it comes right back. I figured I've been keeping the FC juuuust high enough to stay slightly ahead of the algae growth but not high enough to kill it outright because the water has been crystal clear otherwise. I started the shock process some weeks ago. I just keep failing the OCLT. It IS visable throughout the day but the early mornings always seem worse - maybe it's just my lack of caffeine level? :p
 
You must return your free chlorine to shock value and HOLD IT THERE until you see no more of the brown stuff on the floor. Based on what you are saying, it sounds like you simply have not held the FC high enough for long enough.

You've probably heard it before, but shocking your pool needs to be done EXACTLY as the article in Pool School describes. :lol:
 
I know it's slipped under shock level once or twice due to my being at work - hence the higher FC goal this time around. Fortunately, after today, I have a whoooole week off and nothing but the pool to really focus on so hopefully I can knock this out. At least by the time the deck is done! :p I'm pretty sure the guys that pick up our recycling think we're serial killers or something with the amount of bleach jugs they've been picking up the last few weeks! LOL. My husband nearly passed out when he saw the last batch of empty jugs - until I showed him the math and how much cheaper all those jugs were compared to the alternative (not to mention the other problems bagged "shock" can cause)!
 
Since you have the time to do this, stock up now on bleach so you will never let it get too far below shock. Judging how you describe your pool, I believe you can start with an intial dose up to shock and then test and add three times daily until you are all clear.

Brush, vacuum, clean/backwash your filter and run the pump 24/7. All those things must be done to get the pool crystal clear. Then, it'll be easy to keep it that way.
 
The filter has been running 24/7 since early May (little afraid to see my electric bill). The water is crystal clear and sparkly. I just can't get rid of the brown stuff permanently or pass an OCLT (did it once but I'm wondering if I fudged that test up somehow). Here's to hoping hitting it hard this next weekend/week does it! Thanks to everyone for all their help so far.
 

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When, exactly is the best time to do the morning half of the OCLT? Does it still need to be DARK dark? Or is dawn(ish) ok as long as there is no direct sunlight hitting the pool? I've missed passing the test by .5 two days in a row now and just want to be sure it's not because I've been too lazy to get my @$$ out of bed...
 
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