add a bottle of No-Phos to your pool through the skimmer.......phosphates are what algae needs to survive.....the no phos will eliminate the food supply and let your chlorine do its job better
no phos
- Thread starter beekaybee555
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Re: cloudy water I'm at my wits end
also, make sure nobody in your immediate area hasnt fertilized their lawns including YOU....fertilizer provides nutrients for algae to grow and it goes undetected that the fertilizer caused the problem
also, make sure nobody in your immediate area hasnt fertilized their lawns including YOU....fertilizer provides nutrients for algae to grow and it goes undetected that the fertilizer caused the problem
Re: cloudy water I'm at my wits end
Part of both of these statements are true. Ammonia in the fertilizer would be more detrimental, since it puts a huge load on the chlorine during the oxidation process. However, if the pool is properly chlorinated, nutrients and phosphate levels in the pool are pretty much rendered irrelevant. As a rule, we never recommend phosphate removers because it's basically a waste of money.
beekaybee555 said:
beekaybee555 said:
Part of both of these statements are true. Ammonia in the fertilizer would be more detrimental, since it puts a huge load on the chlorine during the oxidation process. However, if the pool is properly chlorinated, nutrients and phosphate levels in the pool are pretty much rendered irrelevant. As a rule, we never recommend phosphate removers because it's basically a waste of money.
Re: cloudy water I'm at my wits end
"we never recommend phosphate removers because it's basically a waste of money" - Ditto, Second! Etc! Don't waste your money....
Smykowski said:
"we never recommend phosphate removers because it's basically a waste of money" - Ditto, Second! Etc! Don't waste your money....
Re: cloudy water I'm at my wits end
one day in at my attempt to super chlor. added 3 gals chlor sat eve. sun. a.m. next test 22.5 fc & 0.5-1ppm cc.
sun @ 1 pm 19.5 fc & 0 cc. sun @ 6 pm 14.5 fc & 0 cc. added 1 gal chlor. as far as phos and fertilizer--no way lawn stuff gets to the pool. tried phos years ago spent $--saw no results. pool looked a little better this am. after big brushing now looks a little worse. i'll keep going any ideas/help very appreciated. bless us all this weekend and esp. those who serve us.
one day in at my attempt to super chlor. added 3 gals chlor sat eve. sun. a.m. next test 22.5 fc & 0.5-1ppm cc.
sun @ 1 pm 19.5 fc & 0 cc. sun @ 6 pm 14.5 fc & 0 cc. added 1 gal chlor. as far as phos and fertilizer--no way lawn stuff gets to the pool. tried phos years ago spent $--saw no results. pool looked a little better this am. after big brushing now looks a little worse. i'll keep going any ideas/help very appreciated. bless us all this weekend and esp. those who serve us.
While phosphate remover often works to prevent algae, it can get quite expensive and turn the pool into a cloudy mess. Worse, in some areas phosphates are added to tap water and removing them from the pool is practically impossible. It is far simpler and less expensive to simply maintain an appropriate FC level, which completely prevents algae.
Since you need sanitizer (read Chlorine/Bromine) anyways and sanitizer destroys algae, there is no reason to remove the food of something that doesn't exist.
with so many people using fertilizers and lawn care programs today, who knows where it may come from.....I have an in ground pool, so everything gets in my pool....dirt, grass, leaves, fertilizers etc......i only use the no phos because it comes in my opening and closing kits...it is expensive individually but when it comes in the kits, it gets lowered.....i only say what works for me,, it is up to each individual to try and make a decision then....i am in no way trying to change the way people think....I am a results type person and after trying something and it works, I stick with it......i have to honestly say that ever since i started using the opeing and closing kits I NEVER get cloudy water ever!!!!!
It's not that it won't work, but that is isn't necessary. By the way, Natural Chemistry Phos Free has a clarifier in it to help prevent cloudiness from the lanthanum phosphate precipitate.
I had over 3000 ppb phosphates in my pool and there's a pool owner in Hawaii on this forum with over 30,000 ppb phosphates and yet these and other high phosphate pools are kept algae free with chlorine alone. Phosphate removers need to be looked at in the same vein as algaecides. They are insurance you can buy for extra money if you don't think you are able or willing to properly maintain an FC level appropriate for your CYA level.
There is no question that a pool high in phosphates is more "reactive" if you let the chlorine get too low. Algae will then be limited in their growth rate by sunlight and temperature, rather than by nutrient level, but they are still limited in their growth to roughly doubling every 3-8 hours under ideal conditions. With the appropriate FC/CYA level, the algae is killed before it is able to reproduce in even one generation. It is essentially killed when spores get blown into the pool.
You are right that phosphates can get introduced in may different ways. They are in my fill water at 400 ppb since it is often used as a metal corrosion inhibitor by municipal water districts. It is in fertilized soil. It is released from HEDP-based metal sequestrants when they break down from chlorine.
If you have had cloudy water when you weren't using a phosphate remover, then you weren't properly following the practices of maintaining a proper chlorine level relative to the CYA level and didn't close and open the pool in a way to prevent or easily remove most algae growth.
To each his own. It's most important that you and others understand what goes into your pool, what it does, what it costs, what alternatives are available, etc. Then you can make your own informed decision as you have done. That's the true spirit of this forum.
I had over 3000 ppb phosphates in my pool and there's a pool owner in Hawaii on this forum with over 30,000 ppb phosphates and yet these and other high phosphate pools are kept algae free with chlorine alone. Phosphate removers need to be looked at in the same vein as algaecides. They are insurance you can buy for extra money if you don't think you are able or willing to properly maintain an FC level appropriate for your CYA level.
There is no question that a pool high in phosphates is more "reactive" if you let the chlorine get too low. Algae will then be limited in their growth rate by sunlight and temperature, rather than by nutrient level, but they are still limited in their growth to roughly doubling every 3-8 hours under ideal conditions. With the appropriate FC/CYA level, the algae is killed before it is able to reproduce in even one generation. It is essentially killed when spores get blown into the pool.
You are right that phosphates can get introduced in may different ways. They are in my fill water at 400 ppb since it is often used as a metal corrosion inhibitor by municipal water districts. It is in fertilized soil. It is released from HEDP-based metal sequestrants when they break down from chlorine.
If you have had cloudy water when you weren't using a phosphate remover, then you weren't properly following the practices of maintaining a proper chlorine level relative to the CYA level and didn't close and open the pool in a way to prevent or easily remove most algae growth.
To each his own. It's most important that you and others understand what goes into your pool, what it does, what it costs, what alternatives are available, etc. Then you can make your own informed decision as you have done. That's the true spirit of this forum.
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