New Member Fighting Black/Green Algae

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The weather finally cleared up long enough this evening that I could get back to work on the pool cleaning.

- Vacuumed Pool
- Checked chemistry of pool
- Added 1 Gal 8.5% bleach to get back to 22-24 FC
- Scrubbed floor with steel brush
- Cleaned cartridge filter until clear / white water only

TEMP: 82F
FC: 17
PH: 7.6
CYA: 30

@Yippee -- Question on the solar panel. When running the solar panel system, the filter pressure jumps from 20 > 25 when on, and the water flow is about 1/2 of what it usually is without the solar system on. This has always done this since we purchased the house, so i'm not sure if this is expected / normal or not. Is there a better area to ask this question?
 
Hmmmmm... I'm not sure since I have little to no experience with solar panels. But..that said it makes sense as your pushing the water further and uphill to the roof, right? So pressure backs up a bit....... not unlike your body's heart and blood pressure (something I know much more about than solar, LOL).

I hope someone with more solar sense will pick that up and explain it better.

Yip :flower:
 
SLAM seems to be going slow, but this is probably just my imagination due to the very difficult black algae spores on the bottom of the pool not wanting to come loose or die.

Friday Night --
- Vacuumed Pool
- Checked chemistry of pool
- Added 1 Gal 8.5% bleach to get back to 22-24 FC
- Scrubbed floor with steel brush
- Cleaned cartridge filter until clear / white water only

TEMP: 82F
FC: 17
PH: 7.6
CYA: 30

Sunday Morning --
- Vacuumed Pool
- Checked chemistry of pool
- Added 2 Gal of 8.25% bleach to get back to 22-24 FC
- Added 6oz (3/4 cup) of muriatic acid to lower pH
- Scrubbed floor with steel brush
- Checked filter pressure @ 18psi
- Water is near crystal clear now.

Temp: 84 - 85F
FC: 12.5
CC: 1
pH: 7.8
TA: 160
CH: 275 (plaster pool)
CYA: 35-40


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The SWG really ticked me off today. Yesterday I put the PCB back into the control system after replacing the current limiter. Everything worked great and seemed to be normal.
This morning I went out to check it and the stupid thing was DEAD!! Dead as is no lights or LCD panel .. not even a "blink" as it was doing before.
Went through the full troubleshooting guide and measured voltages and found that the the leads from the transformer had burnt up. Replaced the ends and replaced the fuse and now everything is working again.
After getting it working again, I measured all of the power (voltage / current / resistance) and everything is within spec, so i'm not sure what would have caused the ends to go "zappy zappy".
 
I agree --- gremlins!

No lightning since Friday afternoon storms finished up. Don't recall any power surges during the evening, was up until 3:00AM. I have a 1500W UPS on my computer equipment and it didn't alert me to any dips or spikes on my electrical system.

No surge on the SWG controller. It is wired in the following manner (I did not do the wiring and I plan on fixing it -- eventually):
Utility Power (main breaker) > Timer Box (master breaker + SWG breaker) > SWG controller input terminals. From the SWG feed line, spliced to the pump.
 
This evenings readings:

Temp: 87F
FC: 17
CC: 1
pH: not quite 7.8, but not 7.2
TA: 160
CYA: 40


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I added two jugs (128oz p/jug) of 8.25% bleach yesterday at 11:06AM. Based on pool math, it should have taken my FC to approx 28-29ppm of FC, yet in a day and half it has dropped to 17ppm FC.
- Is this pool fighting that much algae?
- Did the sun burn off that much chlorine in a full + half day of sun ?

Based on the Chlorine/CYA chart, at 40 CYA, 16FC is considered SLAM FC (my SWG is shutdown currently)
- Should I add 128oz of 8.25% bleach? Based on pool math, this would take my FC to approx 25.5ppm FC.

Based on pool math, it looks like I need to add approx 30oz of 31.45% muriatic acid to get the pH down to 7.2 with a TA currently at 160.
 

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You can't do the pH test accurately when the FC is over 10ppm, that's why we ask for you to get that pH to 7.2 at the start of your SLAM process. It is the first step.

If your FC dips below 10, go ahead and test and treat the pH at that time.

Yip :flower:
 
So which are you telling me to do Yippee ? Let it drop or keep the chlorine where it should be for a slam? because yesterday you cut into me for not being home to get testing and chlorine in the pool...

"You added liquid chlorine once Friday and not again till Sunday?? That's not gonna cut it....."
 
True, because adding bleach once every day and a half doesn't really do enough to kill the algae so it is almost a shame to have wasted the chlorine. Keeping up on it *at least 3-4 x/day* is about the least we suggest to SLAM.

You can go either way about the pH. If you woke up and the FC suddenly was 11 or 12, I'd just wait a few hours til it went under 10 and deal with it. Otherwise continuing on with the SLAM so that you can get it done with is what I'd do at this point.

Yip :flower:
 
"Keeping up on it *at least 3-4 x/day* is about the least we suggest to SLAM" >> This is not possible or feasible for me as both myself and my wife work during the day, and i'm on call 24/7 and could be called at at 1AM in the morning and may not get home until 10PM the next day. SO, I guess I will just do my best to keep the FC up above the Chlorine/CYA chart rating of 16ppm FC until I think all of the algae is gone.

Thank you for your assistance.
 
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