1 Year Pool Owner, 1st Algae Problem

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B

Bladesticks

0
Jul 12, 2013
20
Middletown, CT
Hi all-

So about 3 weeks ago, I noticed some algae on the floor in two separate areas of the pool in the cove.....right where the floor meets the wall. I scrubbed and vaccumed the whole pool, shocked the pool and cleaned the filter cartridge. The algae came back about two weeks later (5 days ago)........this time, almost the entire perimeter of the pool and also on the ladder. I scrubbed, vaccumed and shocked the pool again. Today, 5 days later, it's starting to come back. It's kind of a black/brown/green/yellow color. Last test 5 days ago showed CYA at 80, TA at 70, FC at 6, CC at .4 and pH at 7.2. Water temp is a steady 78 degrees.

I have an algaecide, but am contemplating using it. Should I avoid the algaecide and continue with shocking and scrubbing? Any tips or thoughts?
 
With algae, you need to follow the SLAM process right to the end, rather than just do a one-time "shock" of your pool.

How are you getting those test results?

Your low TA and high CYA is due to use of pucks (your signature indicates a puck feeder).
Additionally, your "shock" is probably dichlor or trichlor.

Your FC is at the minimum for your CYA level. See the chlorine/CYA chart.

We do not recommend the use of algaecide.

I would advise you to read ABCs of pool water chemistry and recommended pool chemicals.

Post back if you have any questions.
 
Abigail K said:
With algae, you need to follow the SLAM process right to the end, rather than just do a one-time "shock" of your pool.

How are you getting those test results?

Your low TA and high CYA is due to use of pucks (your signature indicates a puck feeder).
Additionally, your "shock" is probably dichlor or trichlor.

Your FC is at the minimum for your CYA level. See the chlorine/CYA chart.

We do not recommend the use of algaecide.

I would advise you to read ABCs of pool water chemistry and recommended pool chemicals.

Post back if you have any questions.
Click to expand...

:goodpost:
 
Abigail K said:
With algae, you need to follow the SLAM process right to the end, rather than just do a one-time "shock" of your pool.

How are you getting those test results?

Your low TA and high CYA is due to use of pucks (your signature indicates a puck feeder).
Additionally, your "shock" is probably dichlor or trichlor.

Your FC is at the minimum for your CYA level. See the chlorine/CYA chart.

We do not recommend the use of algaecide.

I would advise you to read ABCs of pool water chemistry and recommended pool chemicals.

Post back if you have any questions.
Click to expand...


Thanks again- quick question-

We are expecting rain tonight and tomorrow. Let nature take it's course and begin slamming after the rain? Or should I slam it right away?
 
And do not ever let rain stop you from dosing your pool unless it is lightening out and too dangerous. A lot of people let the rain factor in to their pool maintenance and end up with a really big green monsterous mess. It's water. Don't be afraid of it.
 

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So I'm slamming the pool....yay! Quick question- I'm using a Taylor FAS-DPD test kit. To check the FC and CC, I'm using the 10mL sample. Add two dippers of the DPD Powder, swirl and then I'm adding the titrating reagent drop wise......counting and swirling until it turns clear. I get it crystal clear but after sitting a few seconds, it begins to show a pink silhouette. Add another drop a few times and it gets crystal clear again but gradually (not instantly) turns back to pink after a few moments. Same thing when I am measuring for CC. I can get it perfectly clear and within a minute or so it starts to turn pink and gets progressively darker overtime.

I've been using this kit for about 6 months now and have never really seen that before. Is this normal? Or maybe a characteristic of the CC in the water?

Counting the last drop that induces the change in color (CYA was 70 when I began slamming),

4PM:
FC 28.5
CC 1.0

8:30PM:
FC 23.5
CC 2.0

I just added enough bleach to bring the FC back to shock level and am going to recheck it at 9:30 and again early AM to check for any loss overnight.
 
So the slamming process seems to be working. I measured a CC level as high as 1.5 yesterday and my last three CC level readings were all < .5. My bleach additions are going down overtime to keep the FC at shock level (which is 28 given my CYA of 70). But I lost 6ppm overnight between 10PM and 5:45AM with the chlorinator shut off, so I'm going to continue to SLAM until I see that loss get below 1ppm. That to me really seems to be the true test.

Things I noticed:

I pulled my cartridge today and it was green! At least it's doing it's job. I gave it a good rinse and threw it right back in the game.

I scrubbed the pool yesterday and when scrubbing it again today, I noticed a few specs/smears that looked to be algae marks. I'm pretty sure that is something that resurfaced since yesterday. I've been taking my time (not doing a rush job) scrubbing the floor and walls really good....and paying close attention to the areas I was noticing the algae had been forming consistently......which is where these marks re-appeared.

I pulled my ladder out yesterday and went to town today scrubbing it with bleach. The algae was primarily concentrated on the bottom two steps, the entire backside and the side of the ladder farthest from the return jet. The side closest to the jet was pretty much visibly algae free which makes sense in theory. I plan on putting it back in when the slamming process is complete.

While I'm confident I'm headed in the right direction, I welcome any comments, tips or things to watch for.

Thanks again for the help everyone. SLAMing away-
Steve
 
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