Yet another algae fight...

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MadHouse

MadHouse

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Jun 30, 2012
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Big Country, Texas
Hello all,

Working on getting the pool ready for the season. Long story short... Horrible algae grown over the winter. SLAMed for 12 days at 28-32 ppm. CYA at 35 or so at that time. Since then I cannot get the water clear. Cloudy, I hate it. It is now 29 days later. Levels are as follows.

FC 4.5
CC .5
pH 7.5
TA 70
CYA 50 Increasing slowly to 75
CH 515
NaCl 3150

I have used that DE alternative **** from Leslie's. It seemed to work for a while, then I didn't feel right about it. I am getting DE tomorrow. On a side note; their water testing is interesting... Capping test containers with his fingers, that have visible dirt and who knows what on them. All of the water testing equipment was visibly dirty and what looked like hard water build-up on them. Am I just anal? I rinse and towel dry everything after use.

Anyway. I have never gotten this pool as clear as I would like. At the moment it is very cloudy. I will post a couple of pictures. Any ideas would be great.

Thanks

poolday.jpgpoolnight.jpg
 
You SLAM'ed for 12 days... Why did you stop? Are you brushing your pool? Looks like your CH is getting up there too. Are or were you using Cal Hypo? Are these TF100 test results or pool store?
 
Sorry, not enough details. I stopped due to the FC only dropping 1-2 points in a 24 hour period. I brushed a few times a day for the first couple of weeks. I only use bleach and once in a while dichlor, for shock. Never used Cal Hypo. These results are with TF100. The pool store gave me a CH of 275. Last year it was up in the 900s. I haven't tested the tap water in a while, but IIRC it was higher than I had expected. I am going to pick up another 30 gallons of bleach tomorrow.
 
You say you were only losing 1-2 ppm a day of CL but did you pass the OCLT (one of the big 3tests to stop slam)If you weren't continuing to brush daily and keep filter running, it is likely you still have algae.

You're done SLAMing when:
The water is clear
When your CC is< .5. And......
The water is clear

Try to do the OCLT
 
I have not tried the OCLT. The filter has been running since the beginning of April. I have been backwashing. I brush every few days at the moment. I also have a robot sweeper that I run frequently. I will admit that time is hard for me to come by. I think I lost focus after a few weeks of no improvement on the cloudy water. I will get more bleach and SLAM again.

THanks for the input
 
Doing the OCLT will give you good info on whether you really need to slam. That is a big pool. I would do OCLT before automatically proceeding to slam.

If you are at 4.5 CL with a goal of 75 CYA you're close to minimum.....and if you're losing 1-2 per day with SWG, you could still have algae?

I'd definitely do OCLT........And I know it is difficult for me to do on a busy schedule. Easy to get evening sample.....tough to get morning sample tested with having to drive kids 20 miles to school and arrive at work by 8. But when it HAS to be done......

That would be my advice. I welcome the experts to correct.
 
You need to do the OCLT. It's the only way of knowing for sure if you're still harboring algae. Only 2 things consume chlorine and that's sunlight which you're eliminating with the OCLT and organics (algae). So can you do it tonight?
 
I'll be here waiting! :mrgreen: Working a 12 tonight while on TFP! Need a wake up call? :lol:
 

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Looks like you'll need to let the filter get it.
 
That is what I have been working on. I am going to try DE with the filter. I do live in the country and deal with west texas winds and its dust. I know the pool water cycles at lease 3 times a day. One thing that has always bothered me is that the skimmers do not get filtered. It goes... skimmer, pump, swg, water valves, in-floor jets. I do use skimmer socks most of the time. Would a second filter be a wise investment?
 
Wow that's odd. It's hard to really tell from your pic but if your skimmers aren't running through a filter you may want to consider plumbing in an additional filter to solve that; not sure if that may affect your infloor returns. Any idea what kind of flow rate (GPM) you are getting filtered?
 
I have thought about adding a filter, but I feel it would restrict the pressure required for the in-floor cleaners. Right now I am guessing at 90 to 100 GPM... A little mental math... I could probably use another filter. Does that sound right?
 
What's the sand filter for then if nothing is being filtered?
 
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but...if you are actually getting 100 GPM flow through your sand filter your going to have a 2.6 turnover rate in a 24 hour period for your 55,000 gallon pool. This can probably explain the slower process of clearing your pool.

Most folks on here are advised to run their filter 24 hours a day when going through a SLAM giving them 5-6 turns per day. Even at 5-6 turnover rate many find that it may take 3-5 weeks for a completely clear pool.

Your current filtration set up is probably fine when all is well with your pool. I read that most people can get away with just 1 turnover per day and keep a clear pool. It may just take twice as long for your pool to go from cloudy to clear.
 
Hey Madhouse, welcome to TFP from another West Texan.

I know your pain with the dust. That is all I've been contending with the past two weeks in my brand new pool. Midland area here, and Man have we seen some wind. That is very odd not having the skimmers on the filter circuit, but if that's what you have it just is unless you change it. I don't honestly know how floor cleaners are usually plumbed, or what kind of flow they need, sorry about that. I agree that the size of your pool will make it take longer to clear. It might help a little if you take the skimmers out of the loop while you are trying, but I don't know how much. You have main drains right? Dust is likely a little part of your haze too, but it sounds like you just haven't got past the cloudiness of the SLAM and removing the dead Algae. I would make sure I was completely over the SLAM, try the DE, and even if just for a short time, try taking the skimmers out of the loop. Perhaps forcing more water through the filter will be noticeable in terms of clearing speed.

Do update us, and let us know how it's going.
 

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