newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistry

[jws13]

stumbled on this site as I was trying to get rid of some green algae. Think I finally got rid of it by listening to what was said here. the pool is 14 months old. so here are my questions

- how do I know that the algae is gone?
- the bands on the cartridge filter are loose, do I need to try and reattach them or can I remove them?
- if i use bleach in place of chlorine tablets will I have to add bleach daily, every few days, etc?
- below you will see that my cya, and pho are high, what do I need to do

my water chemistry is as follows it was perfomred at leslies

fac-10 (still high from shocking the algae)
tac-10
CH-250
cya-110
ta-80
ph-7.4
tds-800
pho-200

appreciate everyones time.........Joe

 

[Smykowski]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

Welcome to the forum!! Answers in red below....

- how do I know that the algae is gone?
Perform the OCLT (instructions here). Basically, the only two things that "consume" chlorine are sunlight/UV rays and organics. By doing the OCLT, you eliminate sunlight as a possible cause

- the bands on the cartridge filter are loose, do I need to try and reattach them or can I remove them?I have a sand filter, so I'll defer to someone else with a little more cartridge knowledge

- if i use bleach in place of chlorine tablets will I have to add bleach daily, every few days, etc?Depends on the pool. I have a low bather load, and I'm running my CYA a little high, so I lose about 1ppm, maybe a little more, every day. I can get away with only adding bleach every two or three days. HOWEVER, I would not advise doing that until you get to know your pool

- below you will see that my cya, and pho are high, what do I need to do Ignore phosphates. If you properly chlorinate the pool, algae can't live in it, no matter how high the phosphates are. As for CYA, the only way to lower it is by draining and replacing the water

 

[jblizzle]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

Agree with the above.

And want to highly suggest ordering one of the recommended test kits and not relying on the pool store.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone

 

[linen]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

Welcome to tfp, Joe

Others have beat me to the punch, but here is my take...

how do I know that the algae is gone?

The shocking process taught here has three criteria to know when you are done and have removed the algae...it is repeated in red in my signature.

- the bands on the cartridge filter are loose, do I need to try and reattach them or can I remove them?

If the filters are in good shape, some folks have hot glued the bands back together. See: http://www.troublefreepool.com/how-to-clean-a-cartridge-filter-t4465.html#p88591

- if i use bleach in place of chlorine tablets will I have to add bleach daily, every few days, etc?

Most likely daily, though with low bather load, low organic load, and if you do not get much sun on the pool, you might be able to go longer.

- below you will see that my cya, and pho are high, what do I need to do

The cya is troubling and most likely higher than listed, since most tests only go up to 100 ppm. You are going to need to do a partial drain/refill. Don't worry about phosphates, if a pool has the proper FC level at all times, phosphates can be very high and not cause a problem.

Probably the most important thing you can do next is to get an appropriate test kit. Pool stores are notoriously unreliable...especially for cya which is very important to know in order to determine your appropriate FC level needed. Since their numbers suggest you need to reduce yours, I would get an appropriate test kit and confirm for yourself. See the link in my sig for test kits.

 

[jws13]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

so while I am waiting for my new test kit to arrive should I go ahead and remove and replace some of the water? if yes, any is there anyway to determine how much I should remove? Can I use my pool pums to remove teh water, there are some hose bib valves on the piping by the pumps? also is FC and FAC the same thing

 

[RobbieH]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

poolcalculator.com will tell you how much to remove. I'm guessing at least half is going to have to go. Safer to do it in stages. FC and FAC are the same thing.

 

[linen]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

so while I am waiting for my new test kit to arrive should I go ahead and remove and replace some of the water?

How did you get the cya number in your first post? I am assuming either pool store or test strips. Since either of those tests have a history of being unreliable, all we can do i guess that it is high due to your puck usage. Occasionally, people have drained/refilled and found that the didn't need to do nearly as much as they thought after testing cya themselves. You will have to decide if you want to wait or not.

Can I use my pool pums to remove teh water, there are some hose bib valves on the piping by the pumps?

Yes, especially if you have a floor drain.

is FC and FAC the same thing

Yes

 

[jws13]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

Guess I'll wait until the test kit gets here so I can determine how much water I need to drain. Appreciate everyones assistance and I hope I am not over doing it with the questions, because I have a few more

- have you all found it cheaper to use bleach vs the chlorine pucks?
- is there a place to get bleach in bulk?
- i know it will depend on chemistry and usage, but I was wondering if anyone had an estimate of how much bleach I would have to add weekly to this 37,000 gallon pool with a low number of users and frequency
- if I am reading the info right CYA comes from the chlorine pucks, is that correct?
- if CYA comes from the pucks will it remain pretty constant if you use bleach?
- does cya come from any other sources?

 

[jblizzle]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

Guess I'll wait until the test kit gets here so I can determine how much water I need to drain. Appreciate everyones assistance and I hope I am not over doing it with the questions, because I have a few more

- have you all found it cheaper to use bleach vs the chlorine pucks?
Depends if you need the extra CYA in the pucks
- is there a place to get bleach in bulk?
Sams/Costco or just the Walmart brand
- i know it will depend on chemistry and usage, but I was wondering if anyone had an estimate of how much bleach I would have to add weekly to this 37,000 gallon pool with a low number of users and frequency
Typical use is say 3ppm/day ... that is 230oz of 6% per day for your pool size
- if I am reading the info right CYA comes from the chlorine pucks, is that correct?
Or any form of dichlor and trichlor
- if CYA comes from the pucks will it remain pretty constant if you use bleach?
CYA typically only goes down from water replacement ... and some people find it drops over the winter in a closed pool
- does cya come from any other sources?
Dichlor or Trichlor. And of course stabilzer/conditioner which is the cyanuric acid

 

[Smykowski]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

Appreciate everyones assistance and I hope I am not over doing it with the questions, because I have a few more

No worries, keep them coming.

Everyone was new here once. After the success I've had using the methods taught here, I will gladly spend time helping convert others.

 

[jws13]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

received my testing kit today and have started the shocking process after repalacing approx 50% of the water to reduce the CYA. My question is on the cya test. when you are looking down at the tube and the black dot at the bottom are you suppose to keep adding the water mixture until you cannot see anymore of the black dot? also does the distance you hold the tube from your eyes matter?

 

[jblizzle]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

Distance and lighting matter for the CYA test. Look at the extended test instructions sticky in the testing forum for more details on how to do the test.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone

 

[jws13]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

ok so my cya is down to 50-60 and my FC started at 14 and is down to 10-11 (maintaining) and the cc started at 1 and is down to .25 or 0. so based on the charts it looks like I am headed in the right dircetion and oh yeah the pool water is clearing up and I am cleaning the filter cartridges everyday. Also have another question....I have not converted to bleach yet, so I still have the chlorine tablet device and I was wondering what setting it should be at during the shock process

 

[duraleigh]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

so I still have the chlorine tablet device

You are adding more CYA back to your pool. Shut off the device and take the tablets out...permanently for now.

 

[jblizzle]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

You have to stop using the tablets or your CYA is going to get too high again.you are already at the top of the recommended range.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone

 

[jws13]

Re: newbie...questions on algae, filters, and water chemistr

OK, switched to bleach last night, water is getting much clearer. Is the little bit of green I am seeing on my filter dead algae? should I soak my filter as per the commets in teh filter section or will the high levels of FC and my everyday cleaning do the job?