Oh boy...my head's a-spinnin' Please help get my cloudy, Algae SWG pool in order!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
N

NorthOfDallas

0
Gold Supporter
Jan 19, 2013
53
The Colon(y), Tx
Long time lurker, first time poster. I am hoping y'all can assist because I'm in a tough place right now. I've read nearly every sticky just to get some additional knowledge, but I'm at the point of overwhelm. Where to start....I bought a k-2006 on the recommendation of the forum and are using the Aquachek Salt strips.

What I am dealing with is the following:
I just replaced the SWCG cell and stuff last week after trying for well over a month to get the levels right. I just couldnt figure out why my FC was almost nil, even after poring 5+ gallons of SMART shock into it. Well, after much troubleshooting, it confirmed my 5+year old SWCG was done for. The pool temp is 83* here in Texas, but its been raining like you wouldnt believe for a month straight. I am leaving next week for vacation so I want to get as far along as I can this week.

I have a black algae problem that is somewhat stabilized (not growing, but only slightly regressing after scrubbing it with a chlorine puck).

My levels are:
FC - 1
CC - 0.5
PH - 7.3
TA - 60
CA - 45
Salt - 2430

I just added 70# of salt yesterday and turned the new salt cell to 100% this afternoon at about 3pm (about 20 or so hours after dropping the salt into it). The Pool Calculator has me adding Trichlor/bleach, Washing soda, Baking soda, Calcium chloride, and 72# more salt. That's a lot of stuff and I'm just not sure if thats too much to throw at it, and in which order, and so on. I have most of it on hand, so I'm ready to go.

Please help a dude out, I'm about to throw myself at the mercy of Leslies and just don't want to have my pool become a cash problem, if you know what I mean! Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome! :wave:

Stay out of Leslies! If you think poolmath is loading you up, you ain't seen nuthin' until you see what they try to sell you.

You have algae. Stop right there. Priority One is to kill it. As you've read but possibly not retained due to information overload, we call the process the SLAM.

Your CYA is actually a bit high for it at 45, but it's still doable. Your pH is ideal. Your TA is fine for now.

What's low is FC. The answer:
attachment.php


With CYA at 45, your FC level should be 18. Yep, that's a heap o'bleach. But that's all you need to add for now. Let poolmath crunch the numbers and load it up. Recheck it as often as possible around such annoyances as work and sleep and keep it at 18. Brush until you're arms and back ache. Backwash when the filter pressure rises 25% or you notice the flow is looking sluggish. Ignore everything except FC & CC until the pool is cleared. When you start getting near the finish line and you aren't backwashing much, you can start thinking about raising the salt level and running the SWG. But there's no point loading the pool up with salt you'll only lose to backwashing and overflow from rain.

When you've reached the clear stage and the SLAM is complete, let FC dwindle off to less than 10 and test everything again and post again and we can guide you through the rest. But that's a few days in the future, so don't even worry about anything but FC & CC for now.

Some Inspiration. Start at the last page and work backwards to see recent ones first.
 
Your pool has a fever....and the only prescription ... is more bleach. :) I couldn't resist that one. As Richard stated above, focus on FC & CC. Refer to the Chlorine/CYA chart (link below) and SLAM until you meet all 3 requirements. Only place you should have to go right now is Wal-Mart of HEB for more regular liquid bleach ... unless you see a better deal somewhere else. The info in TFP will help you tremendously .. stick with it. You'll be glad you did.
 
Well played T'Splash!

Thank you both - at least I have a direction to move towards! The calculator says I'll need about 4 gallons of bleach - I expect to buy about 12 to have enough for the SLAM process. Does that sound right to you?


Also, do I turn off the SWCG during this process?
 
NorthOfDallas said:
Well played T'Splash!

Thank you both - at least I have a direction to move towards! The calculator says I'll need about 4 gallons of bleach - I expect to buy about 12 to have enough for the SLAM process. Does that sound right to you?


Also, do I turn off the SWCG during this process?
Click to expand...
No way to know how much it'll take. Here's someone's final tally.
tfp-jugs.jpg


Leave the SWG off for now. The salt level is probably too low and you'll just burn out the element prematurely by running it nonstop.
 
NorthOfDallas said:
16.5 FC and .5 cc. The filters have been thoroughly cleaned back washed prior to dropping 5 gallons of 10% into it. I've scrubbed a bit as well (sun's going down quickly).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Edit to add, my plan is to test then scrub again in the AM. test sometime in the midday, adjust accordingly, then test again before bed. Assuming things go well tomorrow, I may consider the OCLT. But likely it will be the next night before its a real consideration - but I am willing to keep SLAM'ng until its right, even if it takes me until I return from Mexico. (I leave on Tuesday for 6 days, so I want to get there as reasonably fast as I can so I can not stress over it while vacationing).

Thoughts?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
This AM's result: Water's definitely clearer, and the algae blooms are still there but much smaller. Tested and was at 14.5. Scrubbed again, Added 1.5 Gal, will test again in a few hours after it settles. But it is clearly improving. I think the real OCLT will be tomorrow night at soonest, but we'll see.

The good news is that I am getting buns-of-steel by doing squats while scrubbing rather than just leaning over. I'll be Suzanne Somers before you know it!
Bunz.jpg
 
Today's totals:

Date, time, FC, CC, Bleach addition
6/2/2015 20:00 16.5 0.5 added 1 gal
6/3/2015 6:00 14.5 n/a Added 1.5gal
6/3/2015 8:00 18.5 1
6/3/2015 12:15 12.5 n/a Added 1.5 gal
6/3/2015 14:15 21 0.5
6/3/15 4:00pm 17 0.5 Added .5
6/3/2015 6:15 18 n/a added .5
6/3/2015 8:45 22.5 0.5
 
well, as expected it failed the OCLT. 16.5 and .5cc. Down from 22fc. I tested 3x this morning to confirm. Added 1/2 gallon. Day 2 starting. but, the water looks crystal clear and the algae has receded noticeably.

I did have a question, what if there's stuff living behind the light in the niche? Or can black algae only grow where there is sunlight?

Thanks again for you help, guys!
 
Last edited:
Algae in the light niche is really common. The whole light should tilt and lift out with enough cable attached to set the fixture on the deck. Then you can scrub it out.

And what you're describing - crystal clear water yet not passing the overnight test - is really common. The overnight test is where most people with recurring algae fail. They'll "shock" the pool, be impressed with the clarity, and stop. That algae took more than a few days to take root, it will take more than a few days to get rid of it.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply