Mustard Algae ??

[cnatra]

So with the wife & kids gone for over a week my OCD with the pool is kicking in & I've been concerned (after being out of town the previous 10days)
that maybe some algae is trying to take hold in the pool

here's a previous thread on what I had done after returning from vacation

www.troublefreepool.com/threads/81133-slamming-needed


morning of July 12

FC 3 CC 0 PH 7.6 TA 70 CH 290 CYA 50

I poured 16oz of 53% cal hypo in the pool yesterday around 2pm

So last night after work I stopped at Wal Mart & got 8 jugs of Great Value 8.25% bleach (121oz bottles)
& poured all of that into the pool at 2:30am , so the FC should have been 29+ after that

at 11:45am I'm getting a FC of 14.2 (avg of one 25ml test & two 10ml tests) with CC .2

So definite algae issue ? probably mustard algae ??

I almost always get a little "cloud" off the steps & benches when I brush (figured dust/dirt that had settled)
& sometimes to a lesser extent on the deep end walls near the waterfall

I had a smaller more basic pool with traditional white plaster over a dozen years ago & algae was easy to spot
With this pebble finish though how can one see it growing ???



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oh I did run the waterfall for about an hour at 9am before I tested the water
maybe the algae is hiding in/on the waterfall ??

 

[tim5055]

You said "FC should have been 29+ after that", but did you test?

Don't decide you have algae just because.

I always get little clouds when I brush. Pollen, dirt plaster dust and the like will cause clouds.

Do an OCLT tonight and be sure what is going on before you push the panic button.:calm:

 

[cnatra]

You said "FC should have been 29+ after that", but did you test?

Don't decide you have algae just because.

I always get little clouds when I brush. Pollen, dirt plaster dust and the like will cause clouds.

Do an OCLT tonight and be sure what is going on before you push the panic button.:calm:

okey doke

just added 512oz of 10% bleach

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more recent pics for reference , water is usually very clear , though it's been reaching 92 degrees lately

after 4 months since the pool was done I think i'll finally clean filter in a few days , maybe there's some built up gunk in there

 

[cnatra]

You said "FC should have been 29+ after that", but did you test?

When I added the initial dose of 8 121oz bottles @ 8.25% that would have raised the FC to 28 all by itself even if I had started at a FC of 0

But since then I've added (4 gallons) 512oz of 10% bleach that would elevate the FC +18 after measuring a FC of 14.2

And last night I did another 726oz of 8.25% bleach that would net a FC increase of 21 after measuring a FC 9.2 & CC .2

This evening (7:30pm) I'm at FC 6.2 & CC 0


All of that chlorine used up inside of 41 hours ????????????


Tomorrow night I'll have time to do an OCLT after having it elevated again to 28-30

The pump stays on for an OCLT , correct ?

 

[cnatra]

So at 9pm on July 14 I added 256oz of 10% bleach to elevate the FC to 14.7 (after measuring a FC 6 )

I measured FC 7.4 CC .2 at 3:30pm July 15 and at 9:40pm the FC was 6 & CC 0

I then added 847oz of 8.25% bleach to raise the FC by 24 to a FC level of 30 at 9:30pm on July 15

At 7:15am 25ml test was FC 22.8 CC 0 & the 10ml test was FC 25 CC .2

Any insight ?

The water does (surprisingly) seem clearer & I'm getting NO clouding when I brush the steps & walls now FWIW

 

[jblizzle]

With a CYA of 50ppm, that lose does seem a bit high ... the water sure looks nice

Hopefully the OCLT will pass and you can get back to maintenance.

My pool right now is filthy after being gone for 10 days, but there is not algae. Clouds billow when I brush, but it is likely mostly just dirt ... I need to get my robot in there and clean it up.

 

[cnatra]

With a CYA of 50ppm, that lose does seem a bit high ... the water sure looks nice

Hopefully the OCLT will pass and you can get back to maintenance.

My pool right now is filthy after being gone for 10 days, but there is not algae. Clouds billow when I brush, but it is likely mostly just dirt ... I need to get my robot in there and clean it up.

I want a robot !!!

I think maybe something had started while I was on vacation & hopefully now it's gone

I wonder how much of an issue these rock waterfalls are as far as a "home" for algae to grow ?
(been running the waterfall pump for 1hr each time I bump the chlorine)

 

[jblizzle]

At previous house I had noticed that algae would grow in the water pooled at the top of the water fall when it was not run often.
I have a bunch of algae that keep growing in my auto-fill pipe I now occasionally put a little bleach in the auto-fill bucket.

 

[cnatra]

now I'm really stumped , 8:15pm FC 6 cc .2



think I need to do a few CYA retests in the morning , 17-19 point FC loss in 13hrs seems crazy

maybe the wal-mart brand bleach isn't all it's cracked up to be ????

 

[Casey]

Why are you going so high with the SLAM?

 

[cnatra]

Why are you going so high with the SLAM?

I was going to mustard algae slam levels & pool math was indicating FC 29 on that

I'm beginning to wonder if my CYA tests have been way off
we've had enough rain to force water out via the overflow drain a few times over the last month but that shouldn't eliminate that much CYA , right ?

I just redid all the tests (I was a bit distracted by a phone call on earlier FC/CC test)

FC 6.2 CC 0 PH 7.6 TA 70 CH 300 CYA should be 40-50

I'll be doing a few CYA tests as soon as the sun is up enough in the morning

 

[cnatra]

Well I've had some free time to spend on the pool again the last couple of days.

Think I discovered part of the problem , my CYA readings have been off !!!

I had hit a CYA of 30 back in early May & then added enough to get to 40+ by early June.

I thought I had added enough additional liquid "conditioner" (CYA) a few weeks ago to get to 50 but after several tests I was only showing maybe a CYA of 30 yesterday.

I guess enough water drained out of the overflow with the heavy rains we've had to dilute it back down AND when I looked in the bottle of liquid CYA there was a large clump about 3inches in diameter in the bottom of the bottle. So I added enough water (several times) to the bottle to dilute & flush all of that out & into the pool.

Will be checking CYA again by end of the week.

 

[tim5055]

Glad you figured it out!

 

[Casey]

Anytime you have a lot of rain, it's a good idea to run a full battery of test to see where you stand so the pool doesn't get away from you.