Help with algae

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Cannonballer

Member
Jun 1, 2022
7
Fairfield, CA
Hello
I'm in sort of a similar situation. I neglected my above ground pool last winter and the algae problem became unruly. It was a swamp. I hired a pool guy to fix the problem and he did by about 90%! However, it's been a couple months now and I see sporadic algae throughout the pool. He told me to buy a bigger pump so I did. It didn't fix the issue. Now he's telling me I need a pool vacuum. I'm not sure of what I have is considered dead algae that I have to vacuum or if it is live algae and I (personally) need to treat with chemicals. It's a dark greenish hue. What do you all think?

I'm realizing the pool guy's not gonna do it and that I'm gonna have to intervene one way or another. If it is live algae, would you recommend I go salt water method to clean it up? I run a business (80 hr work weeks) and have a newborn so I don't really have the time to focus on stuff like this...hence, why I hired the pool guy.

Thanks in advance.

rsz_20230819_104143.jpgrsz_20230819_104114.jpg
 
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So I neglected my above ground pool last winter and the algae problem became unruly. It was a swamp. I hired a pool guy to fix the problem and he did by about 90%! However, it's been a couple months now and I see sporadic algae throughout the pool. He told me to buy a bigger pump so I did. It didn't fix the issue. Now he's telling me I need a pool vacuum. I'm not sure if what I have is considered dead algae that I have to vacuum or if it is live algae and I (personally) need to treat with chemicals. It's a dark greenish hue. What do you all think?

I'm realizing the pool guy's not gonna do it and that I'm gonna have to intervene one way or another. If it is live algae, would you recommend I go salt water method to clean it up? Increasing chemicals is a daily maintenance job and I don't have that time these days. I run a business (80 hr work weeks) and have a newborn so I don't really have the time to focus on stuff like this like I used to...hence, why I hired the pool guy.

I'll buy the vacuum if it will help, but if it's like the pump, I'd rather not. What's the path of least resistance here to eliminate this problem? Thanks I'm advance!!! 🙏🙏🙏
 

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To rid yourself of algae you need to do the
SLAM Process with liquid chlorine.
This does involve vacuuming & brushing.
It also requires that you have a recommended test kit
Test Kits Compared.

If by the salt water method you mean a salt water chlorine generator-
While A salt water chlorine generator is a great way to easily chlorinate your pool they cannot overcome an algae problem they are simply designed to feed your pool normal amounts of free chlorine daily (around 2-5ppm) this is not enough to overcome algae.
 
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Thank you. However, I need someone to help me confirm if what I have is live or dead algae. If it's dead, I can just buy the vacuum. If it's live, then I have to do the methods suggested above. By my pictures, can you tell? I think it's live only because when I sweep it up, it returns within an hour, just in different locations. Thanks
 
And just because what you can see is dead, doesnt mean you do not have algae. Many times the algae is just not visible, either suspended in the water or hidden in places like skimmers/ladders/lights. As it dies if accumulates on the bottom, but vacuuming wont kill the source.
 
It sounds like I have to become invested in this and learn the ins and outs of this. I will do that, but I was hoping for an easier solution that'd save time. If I become this invested, and I have to personally deal with this, I don't see the point of keeping my pool guy. Thanks everyone.

Just out of curiosity, how often do you all test/treat your pools with algae? I test once a week and know that I will need to test more frequently now. Have a great weekend!🙏
 
Cannonballer said:
It sounds like I have to become invested in this and learn the ins and outs of this. I will do that, but I was hoping for an easier solution that'd save time. If I become this invested, and I have to personally deal with this, I don't see the point of keeping my pool guy. Thanks everyone.

Just out of curiosity, how often do you all test/treat your pools with algae? I test once a week and know that I will need to test more frequently now. Have a great weekend!🙏
Click to expand...
When I first got my pool I tested every day until I got a really good feel for my pool and what it needs. Now I'll test FC and pH a couple times a week and the other metrics about once a month.

I have a salt water pool so its a bit easier since it makes its own chlorine so I know chlorine is being added to my pool on a daily basis. If you have a manually chlorinated pool its typically recommended to test and add chlorine daily during the swim season.

As for algae, I've never had a speck of algae in my pool due to always having proper chlorine levels to kill algae and keep my pool sanitized regardless of what life throws at my pool (pool parties, dead rabbit, power outage, etc.). Like many things in life, a few minutes of daily maintenance saves you lots of time and $ in the long run.
 
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jimbethesda said:
I'm sure you meant a couple times a week. I don't want you to scare him off, LOL.
Click to expand...
Oops...I edited. I was worried the daily comment would scare some people off... my fingers often do not type what my brain tells them to do.
 
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Cannonballer said:
It sounds like I have to become invested in this and learn the ins and outs of this. I will do that, but I was hoping for an easier solution that'd save time. If I become this invested, and I have to personally deal with this, I don't see the point of keeping my pool guy. Thanks everyone.
Click to expand...
That’s the point- no real need for the pool guy if you manage your pool chemistry yourself.
If they aren’t fixing your problem anyway there’s no point now. You’re literally paying them for no results.

Cannonballer said:
Just out of curiosity, how often do you all test/treat your pools with algae? I test once a week and know that I will need to test more frequently now. Have a great weekend!🙏
Click to expand...
I test fc every couple days to make sure my sure I am on track & my swg is working properly so i can adjust if needed.
Pools eat every day so you must feed them some how some way (we recommend liquid chlorine or a salt water chlorine generator)
If fc falls below minimum for your cya you will have algae period.
Once you do the work to eradicate the algae & prove it is gone By doing the SLAM Process & passing all 3 end of slam criteria you should no longer have to deal with/treat algae if you maintain proper fc levels at all times going forward.
FC/CYA Levels
It won’t grow in a properly chlorinated pool. Neither will other nasties.
 
This 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻
If its dead & accumulating that means it was recently alive - you can’t be sure you got it all until
✅ 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)
So you do the Slam process until then.
You can’t do this with a proper home test kit that contains the fas/dpd test & cya test.
Test Kits Compared
 
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