Algae spots.......help

[shayc]

I have been losing the battle against algae and getting frustrated with my endless trips to the pool store. I will admit I do not own a good pool test kit and now believe it is worth the investment. Here are my numbers from my trip to the pool store two days ago.

Total alkalinity: 30
pH:7
Cyanuric acid:0
Total Hardness:220
Total Chlorine:8.3
Free Chlorine:8.3
They suggested adding 30 lbs alkalinity increaser brush and turn on the bottom drain only.
I did that.......still had new algae growth yesterday a.m.....last night added 2 lbs shock and vacuumed. Now today I still see new algae growth! Whats next!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

I have been losing the battle against algae and getting frustrated with my endless trips to the pool store. I will admit I do not own a good pool test kit and now believe it is worth the investment. Here are my numbers from my trip to the pool store two days ago.

Total alkalinity: 30
pH:7
Cyanuric acid:0
Total Hardness:220
Total Chlorine:8.3
Free Chlorine:8.3
They suggested adding 30 lbs alkalinity increaser brush and turn on the bottom drain only.
I did that.......still had new algae growth yesterday a.m.....last night added 2 lbs shock and vacuumed. Now today I still see new algae growth! Whats next!

Yes, you need a good kit. Order one ASAP, its a tough call to know if their results are accurate.

First, what kind of pool do you have, equipment, etc., its a good idea to update your signature in your profile to include this info for those reading your posts.

Was the 8.3 TC/FC after a recent addition of chlorine?

Can you describe the algae? What color is your water, is it clear, cloudy, greenish, etc.?

You can fight this algae, if that's what it is, much cheaper with BBB method than going to the pool store to buy chems. For raising your TA and PH which are too low, according to their results, you can use the Pool Calculator to figure out the proper dosing to raise both, using baking soda, or borax or soda ash. All are found at Wal-mart for much cheaper than "alkalinity increaser".

For "shock" which is something you DO not something you "buy" (they won't tell you this), bleach a.k.a. liquid chlorine, is best. It doesn't add any unwanted chems or have any unwanted side effects. For now if your CYA really is zero, a powdered shock product containing "dichlor" contains CYA and that's okay. It will affect your PH, tho.

You really need your own test kit, I recommend the TF-100 from TFtestkits.com and it will be an investment you won't regret. You will save so much money with BBB you won't believe it!

I suggest reading the articles in Pool School, if you haven't already. There is alot of info there and it can be overwhelming, but you'll get a handle on things and there are many great members here to help with free advice, and we aren't trying to sell you overpriced pool chems.

 

[shayc]

The water is a cloudy greenish color. With areas on the pool walls that tend to grow the algae everytime. I have only added the Alkalinity increaser as they suggested and 2 lbs of shock since the store reading. Still have additional algae growth. Free chlorine level tested High still.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

The water is a cloudy greenish color. With areas on the pool walls that tend to grow the algae everytime. I have only added the Alkalinity increaser as they suggested and 2 lbs of shock since the store reading. Still have additional algae growth. Free chlorine level tested High still.

Your chlorine is not "that high". REally, I know you are used to the old 1-3 ppm speach, but your
CYA is zero, (assuming test accuracy) but that means your "shock level" is 10. So you don't have enough chlorine in there to kill whats growing. It's consuming it as you add it, you need to add enough to get ahead of it, does that make sense?

You need to add enough bleach, as much as every 30 minutes to keep your FC at 10 and hold it there until it no longer drops and the water is clear and your CC is .5 or less. The only way to ensure this is frequent water testing. Otherwise you won't know when your FC drops below 10 and when to add more chlorine. If you just pour stuff in without knowing your water chemistry you could do more harm then good, and you could be wasting your money.

So you can run back and forth to the pool store (with gas at $4 plus) or you can get a test kit, which is essential at this point, from TF Test kits.com or Taylor - if you go with Taylor, get the K-2006. YOu need to be able to test FC over 10 and the FAS-DPD test included in these kits is the key.

Read everything in Pool School. YOu'll be glad you did.

 

[shayc]

Thanks........I am ordering a kit today. So I should start adding bleach and re testing?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Thanks........I am ordering a kit today. So I should start adding bleach and re testing?

YOu can add bleach, but you need to know your current CL level. Do you have anything to test with? Even strips? Otherwise you may need to go to the pool store for them to test. What kind of product did you shock with (the 2lbs stuff)? Do you still have the package, what are the ingredients?

Do you have any bleach? Otherwise consider going to wal-mart and picking up several of those large jugs of Wal-mart bleach, they run between $2.28 and $2.54 a jug.

 

[shayc]

my test strips only test for free chl. ph. alk. cay
Yes, I used the 2 lbs rebound shock (calcium hypochlorite 68% other ingredients 32%????) last night, before adding the shock, free chl was a 3 and this morning it is 10.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

my test strips only test for free chl. ph. alk. cay
Yes, I used the 2 lbs rebound shock (calcium hypochlorite 68% other ingredients 32%????) last night, before adding the shock, free chl was a 3 and this morning it is 10.

Good, okay then we can work with that till you get your test kit. I calculate that your pool is approx 14,900 gallons. Cal-hypo is okay that you used that, your TH was 220 so that's fine.

What did the strip give for your current PH and TA?

 

[shayc]

ph 7.8
TA 180

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Well, their recommendation of the alk increaser overshot the mark a tad. But you can work with it, it'll do for now, when you get your test kit you can make sure that's accurate. Test strips aren't all that reliable.

Okay, so just keep adding bleach, keeping your FC at 10. While you are at Wal-mart buying bleach, look for something called "stabilizer or CYA" in the pool department. According to the pool calculator you'll need about 5 lbs. Go ahead and buy that much but we won't have you add it all at once. So go buy that and the bleach and then come home and retest your FC to see if you need to add some bleach to bring it back to 10. And below I'll tell you about the CYA.

Your pool will be sparkly in no time....

 

[shayc]

Thank You, Thank you, Thank you I appreciate your patience with me. I WILL study and graduate from pool school I promise. I am sick of messing around with the pool and not being able to enjoy it!!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Once you get the CYA from the store, pour about 2 or 3 lbs in a sock, like a long tube sock, and tie it off somehow so that it hangs in front of your water return.... it will dissolve there, slowly over several days. It may dissolve from your sock quickly, but it's still dissolving in the pool water. So it won't fully register on tests for several days to a week. That's why you don't want to add it all at once, we don't want to overshoot. YOu don't want your CYA to get too high, that leads to problems too. The recommended range for CYA is 30-50 - the pool calc says 5 lbs will get you to 40. But it's always a good idea to undershoot the target and retest, and then adjust if necessary. During the week you don't want to clean your filter.

CYA stabilizes your chlorine from uv breadown from the sun, it allows it to last longer so it can be more effective at sanitizing your pool. At higher levels, it requires higher chlorine for the same effectiveness. That's why you don't want it to get too high. Once you have 40 CYA in your pool, your shock level and minimum chlorine levels will change. See the link to the CYA/Chlorine chart in my sig.

Your welcome!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

I wanted to emphasize that backwashing your filter, does reduce the CYA in your pool. So if your pressure is up at all, backwash before you add the CYA and then not again for 1 week, or while dissolving the CYA. Overtime, normal backwashing of sand filters means you may need to add CYA every so often, depends on how much you backwash. Hope that makes sense....

 

[shayc]

Wow.......I am going to have to study hard to graduate!!!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Wow.......I am going to have to study hard to graduate!!!

The normal average newbie graduates in 2 -3 weeks, usually around the time their pool troubles end....hehehehehe

 

[shayc]

We may swim again this summer.........if not it should be beautiful by closing!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

We may swim again this summer.........if not it should be beautiful by closing!

Where ya at? How long till closing?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

If I forgot to add....run your filter 24/7 and brush your pool daily, several times a day. Also, with no CYA in there a shock level of 10 is on the high side, so I don't think it will take that long to clear your pool. A few days, I would think. The pools with inadquate filtration like Intex easy sets or undersized cartridge filters usually take longer to clear. But with lots of chlorine and elbow grease you should be sparkly and swimming with in the next week, if all goes well. Did you order your kit yet? I can't stress it's importance enough.

 

[shayc]

Test kit ordered ....check! I will head to the store and buy the rest of my goods as well!
Thalnks again for your info

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

Hi, and welcome. You are getting good advice from FPM, as usual!

When adding CYA, if you use the hanging sock method, you can backwash whenever you need to. However, if you just pour the CYA into your skimmer (which is also a decent way to add it) you should not backwash for a week, or the CYA granules will backwash out.

Clear up your pool first, then worry about your CYA level and your (now) high TA.