First ever test results & mustard algae

[hen]

Hi, I am so glad to find and join y'all! We have spent an ungodly amount of money at the pool store, and can not get rid of the mustard algae. I am anxious to try your way, but am afraid I will need guidance. I did my first test with my new TF-100 kit and these are my results:

FC .5
CC .5
pH 7.2
TA 110
CH 280
CYA 100

If I am reading the pool calculator correctly (and I am not sure I am), I need to add 15 121oz jugs of 8.25% bleach for mustard algae shock levels. I am supposed to add the bleach all at once, right, not gradually over several hours?

It states I need to bring my pH from 7.2 to 7.5, but in Turning Your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis it states to start out with pH on the low side, so that would mean the 7.2 would be ok. Is that correct?

Also from the above mentioned thread, my CYA should be brought to 90 to avoid needing huge amounts of chlorine. But I am going to be adding huge amounts of chlorine anyway for the mustard algae. Do I still need to drain/refill to get the CYA down?

Do I need to reduce the TA and CH also before beginning the algae attack?

Our water is clear, with some patches easy to see on the wall/floor, and some only visible in puffs when I brush. I have tried to read most of the pool school and a lot of threads, but I am a lot overwhelmed by all of the information, and I am not sure I am using the calculator correctly.

I think our auto chlorinator is not working properly since we have had to add so much dichlor this year. The pool place recommended taking it apart and blowing it out with water, but they did not use connectors when they put it in, so we will have to cut the pipes and buy/attach connectors to hook it back up. I am not handy, and my husband has not had the time to try to do this. After reading here, it seems like we should not go to the trouble and just put an empty container of pucks in there and not worry about it, and just use bleach daily instead since we have pretty much been adding dichlor daily. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Sorry I have so many questions (I promise I have tried to read), and thank you so much for your help!

 

[Richard320]

Hi, I am so glad to find and join y'all! We have spent an ungodly amount of money at the pool store, and can not get rid of the mustard algae. I am anxious to try your way, but am afraid I will need guidance. I did my first test with my new TF-100 kit and these are my results:

FC .5
CC .5
pH 7.2
TA 110
CH 280
CYA 100

If I am reading the pool calculator correctly (and I am not sure I am), I need to add 15 121oz jugs of 8.25% bleach for mustard algae shock levels. I am supposed to add the bleach all at once, right, not gradually over several hours? That would be initially. All at once. And probably just as much again in a couple hours, with diminishing amounts needed for several days more. More bleach than you can imagine

It states I need to bring my pH from 7.2 to 7.5, but in Turning Your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis it states to start out with pH on the low side, so that would mean the 7.2 would be ok. Is that correct? Your pH is fine

Also from the above mentioned thread, my CYA should be brought to 90 to avoid needing huge amounts of chlorine. But I am going to be adding huge amounts of chlorine anyway for the mustard algae. Do I still need to drain/refill to get the CYA down? That high CYA will make even daily maintenance a PITA. It will also require lots more bleach than a lower CYA will for the shock process. Go back to Pool School and look at the FC/CYA chart and see the difference.

Do I need to reduce the TA and CH also before beginning the algae attack?No

Our water is clear, with some patches easy to see on the wall/floor, and some only visible in puffs when I brush. I have tried to read most of the pool school and a lot of threads, but I am a lot overwhelmed by all of the information, and I am not sure I am using the calculator correctly.

I think our auto chlorinator is not working properly since we have had to add so much dichlor this year. The pool place recommended taking it apart and blowing it out with water, but they did not use connectors when they put it in, so we will have to cut the pipes and buy/attach connectors to hook it back up. I am not handy, and my husband has not had the time to try to do this. After reading here, it seems like we should not go to the trouble and just put an empty container of pucks in there and not worry about it, and just use bleach daily instead since we have pretty much been adding dichlor daily. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Stop filling the auto-chlorinator and stop using Dichlor! Both of those are what have made your CYA so high.

Sorry I have so many questions (I promise I have tried to read), and thank you so much for your help!

My advice? Eat the bitter pill and drain about half your pool water and refill. Then perform the shock process. You might discover you don't actually have mustard algae, just a pale strain of plain old green algae.

A look to the future:
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[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

Please read this:
pool-school/mustard_algae

You do not immediately go up to mustard shock level. You complete the normal Shocking Your Pool PROCESS FIRST and then boost for a day after that.

Odds are you do not actually have mustard algae ... everyone always thinks they do or have some new form of chlorine resistant algae never before seen, I do not know why.

You have algae because your CYA is too high and your FC is too low. Period.

Follow the advice you find here and you will be able to easily clear your pool and maintain it that way.

 

[Jkhubbard]

Hen, these guys know what they are doing. I tossed the 3" pucks and converted to BBB this spring. Turned the chlorinator off, adjusted my CYA and started hunting for bleach deals. It's is my 3rd pool and can truly say this method works. I have never had a pool this clear nor have been able to sustain it this long.

 

[hen]

Okay, we drained the pool, took the ladder treads off and cleaned them, took the light out and cleaned it, and took the skimmer door off and bleached the heck out of the foam - there was green in all of them. We refilled pool, and got these results

FC 0
CC 0
pH 7.2
TA 50
CH 120
CYA 50 (between 60 and 50 but closer to 50 by a little)

After putting in bleach,we brushed the pool, then waited an hour and the FC 15.5. Added more bleach, waited 2 hours, and FC was 21. This was about 8:15 pm last night. Did not put any more bleach in.

This morning at 6, FC was 20. That should mean pool is clean, right? Mainly the floor looks clean, and water is clear, but when I brush where it looks clean, I am still getting poofs of "dust". And there is still dark dirt looking stuff in the creases of the floor in the deep end that poofs when I brush it. This is what I had before I started shocking.

Would please like some advice on what to do next?

 

[Richard320]

I'd keep it at shock level one more day to be sure it passes the overnight test twice. Vacuum up that stuff.

We all get dust in our pools, and it usually picks certain spots with poor circulation to settle in. It could just be that. If it's yellowish, you might have mustard algae and the shock level for that is 29 according to the pool calculator.