New Nautilus - smells like algae?

[marcgr]

I was having an algae problem, SLAM’d,
OCLT zero, and then sent my new Nautilus CC Plus on patrol. It’s first pool outing was after the SLAM. I also have a PV3 in-floor cleaner so the primary purpose of the Nautilus is wall cleaning and overall brushing, the PV3 gets rid of most leaves and other big stuff.

The first few passes of the Nautilus caught some stuff that sure looked like algae and was still green, as well as sand, stone dust and some seeds. Subsequent passes captured less and less of it but it’s still there a little bit in the Nautilus filter after each pass (I clean it every pass).

I also get a faint smell of algae from the Nautilus as I pull it out of the pool. Nothing else smells like algae (brushes, nets, etc). It’s literally just the Nautilus that I get a whiff of algae from.

Is all this normal/expected from the Nautilus?

 

[reggiehammond]

Typically I'd think a robot smells like algae when it's picking up algae or other organic material (dead leaves that begin decomposing, etc).

If you passed SLAM with robot in pool, then I'd chalk it up to something else.
But if you're picking up algae looking items and smell algae, I'd really consider another Overnight Chlorine Loss Test.

Share your pool math logs, really helpful.

 

[marcgr]

Typically I'd think a robot smells like algae when it's picking up algae or other organic material (dead leaves that begin decomposing, etc).

If you passed SLAM with robot in pool, then I'd chalk it up to something else.
But if you're picking up algae looking items and smell algae, I'd really consider another Overnight Chlorine Loss Test.

Share your pool math logs, really helpful.

Thanks. I don’t know what kind of algae I have. It’s not mustard yellow but normal SLAM level didn’t kill it. OCLT isn’t declining. I think I might have a tiny pocket of algae somewhere I can’t brush which might be reinfecting the pool when the FC comes down. I put the nautilus back in the pool after the SLAM and FC returned to 4 and that’s when it was picking up what appears to be live algae.

What I am doing now: I have CYA of 30 and SLAM FC level is 12. I have taken FC all the way up to 19/20 which is above “mustard shock” level. I don’t want to put my new nautilus in that so I am back to manual brushing. But it does seem to be working so maybe that is what I needed to do from the beginning.

 

[duraleigh]

I don't know what algae smells like.

If the chlorine is adequate and the brushing is adequate and the filtration is adequate..........the SLAM works - it's inescapable

Don't count on that robot to do the work. Use your manual vac and brush any spots up into the flow of chlorinated water.

Sounds like you are doing the right things now but DON"T STOP until you can pass the SLAM criteria.