Help: algae bloom I can't control

[Mdragger88]

Sounds like you may just need to run the jets several times each day during slam

 

[martink]

Progress pictures, pool finally is starting to clear, I kept the SLAM up to today. Today I passed on the overnight test by not dropping FC from 2am till 830am. CC was 0 or 0.5 in the mast 5 tests. Water looks blue with no shades of green under pool lights at nights. Will keep the slam level tonight but might stop after that as I am starting to worry the extended high levels of chlorine might not be good for the equipment. Thanks everyone for your help during the process. Will post more picture with final result once pool is 100% clear.

 

[JJ_Tex]

You have been making good progress, but if those pictures are from today you do not pass the crystal clear test. I know it is frustrating, but the end is in sight. Stopping the SLAM will allow the algae to come back and ruin your hard work over the last few weeks.

 

[Mdragger88]

It is safe for the equipment, surfaces, & swimmers with fc up to slam level for your cya. Don’t let your foot off the gas now. You’re almost to the finish line
Get it done & prove algae is gone by passing all 3 end of slam criteria before ending.
You are done when:
CC is 0.5 or lower;
You pass an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
AND
The water is clear.
(Crystal Clear w/no algae dead or alive)

 

[martink]

Ok, will see how it looks tomorrow, It looks better everyday, I think if I had a DE filter it would have been clear by now

 

[Mdragger88]

You have a pretty good cartridge filter!
If you had de you’d probably be tired of backwashing/cleaning grids & recharging by now lol - every filter type has its pros & cons.

 

[martink]

Quick update pictures on clarity issue, still not crystal clear specifically in the deep end. It was better than that before I had the bloom

 

[Mdragger88]

You’re not logging your results only your additions but I do see on your logs that you’re adding trichlor. Each # of trichlor raises your cya by approximately 3.7ppm .
This means your slam fc level will need to increase. You do need some cya to help fend off the sun (30-40ppm) but any higher makes slam a bit harder.
FC/CYA Levels
How often have you been cleaning your filters?
What speed are you running your pump?
Have you been running your water features & spa a couple times daily?
Did you ever get to the drains or any light niches?
Also, lets be certain of your cya level & get a good test on that.
Prolonged clearing can be a result of a few different factors so let’s recover all the bases.

 

[martink]

I am blaming the filter material for the prolonged clearing, I had to stop the slam and maintain the pool fc using tabs this week as I was out of town. I came back and I am not hating the results. My filter pressure never increased to justify a filter cleaning as the cartridges were new. I might do a mini slam later this week or next week after cleaning the filter to make sure all algae is gone. I run the dolphin daily and it covers all the pool with the drains and lights. I also scrubbed the lights with a pool wire brush. I run the fountain and spa daily now to circulate the water in them.

Pool looks clear to me but not sure if that is considered crystal clear with TFP standards. See attached pictures

 

[RLP]

Its close, but, unfortunately , not quite tfp clear.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Its close, but, unfortunately , not quite tfp clear.

+1 on this. Life got in the way, good job maintaining your progress while you were traveling, and now it is time to resume and finish the SLAM. Since you used pucks, make sure you retest your CYA and adjust your SLAM FC level accordingly.

Keep going until it is crystal clear. While everyone's definition of clear can be different, I gauge it by looking at the drain. If I can see all of the drain holes and even tell if the drain screws are Philips or flathead, I call that clear. If I cannot tell if the screws are Philips or flat, then you are not there yet. Once you get to that point, then you can do the OCLT and CC tests to make sure you pass all 3 criteria. Good luck!

 

[martink]

+1 on this. Life got in the way, good job maintaining your progress while you were traveling, and now it is time to resume and finish the SLAM. Since you used pucks, make sure you retest your CYA and adjust your SLAM FC level accordingly.

Keep going until it is crystal clear. While everyone's definition of clear can be different, I gauge it by looking at the drain. If I can see all of the drain holes and even tell if the drain screws are Philips or flathead, I call that clear. If I cannot tell if the screws are Philips or flat, then you are not there yet. Once you get to that point, then you can do the OCLT and CC tests to make sure you pass all 3 criteria. Good luck!

I can see all holes in the deep end drain and I can see it has 2 Philips screws. I attached a picture but you might not be able to tell because of the reflection of the clouds. I still see some very small green spots in the stairs that were hidden by the cloudiness that can be very easily brushed.

I believe I will SLAM it again this weekend. I believe it can be clearer than this

 

[PoolStored]

I can see all holes in the deep end drain and I can see it has 2 Philips screws.

You will want to go down, remove the two Philips screws and scrub inside the drain.

 

[JJ_Tex]

I can see all holes in the deep end drain and I can see it has 2 Philips screws. I attached a picture but you might not be able to tell because of the reflection of the clouds. I still see some very small green spots in the stairs that were hidden by the cloudiness that can be very easily brushed.

I believe I will SLAM it again this weekend. I believe it can be clearer than this

Its hard to tell on the picture, but your comment about green algae spots is a definite fail of the clarity test. Keep going on the SLAM, you are almost there.

As PoolStored mentioned above, algae can hide in some tricky spots including behind lights, drains, in the skimmers, ladders, fill line, stairs, water features, etc. Make sure you are checking and scrubbing all of those.

I also just took a pic of my drain for reference (6 feet deep). Yes, I know I need to run my cleaner to get that dirt just above the drain too.

 

[Mdragger88]

Please log your test results & not just your additions in
PoolMath it makes it hard to see where you stand when viewing/helping.

It’s definitely better than it was but not quite How Clear is TFP Clear?
SLAM ON!

 

[martink]

I am getting ready to start another SLAM. I didn't want to start another thread for the questions as they are kind of related to the last SLAM.

1. I tested CYA and there is none in my pool. It was clear all the way up in the test tube. I added 2 lbs of stabilizer a month ago and used 10 or 12 tabs during this month. I was not expecting 0 CYA. I did pool store testing a week ago and it was 5. I didn't believe it but looks like it was on point. Can I add CYA after I start the SLAM?

2. Total alkalinity is 140. Do I need to adjust it before the SLAM. I adjusted PH to 7.6-7.8

I cleaned my pool filter. I hope I get my pool all cleared this time

 

[mknauss]

Add CYA to 30 ppm now.
No need to deal with TA.Adjust pH to 7.2 and SLAM.

 

[martink]

Add CYA to 30 ppm now.
No need to deal with TA.Adjust pH to 7.2 and SLAM.

Can I add 64oz mauratic acid at once? Or do I need to break it in 32 oz at a time

 

[mknauss]

At once is fine. Add slowly at pool return with pump running.

 

[martink]

At once is fine. Add slowly at pool return with pump running.

I usually mix 32 oz of acid with 5 gallons of pool water and dump along the pool edges