Possible Algae or Nothing??

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Re: Still fighting algae spots and CONFUSED!

Maybe the chlorine fairies got to it :-D
I'm no expert on that, maybe the pros would have an explanation. It is possible when you were testing for some slight error. That is only a few extra drops of 871 difference in your #'s you may have miscounted.....I do it all the time, nonetheless, 19 is fine, no worries.
What to do: Keep shocking and brushing your pool. Also your ph is on the high end for optimal chlorine effectiveness, it may make the shocking process easier if it were closer to 7.2, just a thought.
Make sure you are squeezing that socks now and again to aid in the distribution of stabilizer.
 
Re: Still fighting algae spots and CONFUSED!

Regarding the higher Ph..frustratedpoolmom told me that with FC levels above 10 that ph will read high.

Is that correct?

As whoozer said, I agree to keep shocking and brushing.
 
Re: Still fighting algae spots and CONFUSED!

It's best if you can keep your posts about the same problem in one thread, so we have all the context available.

poolgirl22 is correct, pH will start reading a little high as FC gets above 10; I would not worry about that now.

Regarding FC going up overnight, the CYA would have nothing to do with it. I can think of a couple of possibilities. The first is that an hour might not have been quite enough to thoroughly mix the bleach throughout the pool; normally you'd think an hour is enough, but that really depends on your pump/filter. The second is that maybe the 10ml sample isn't exactly 10ml each time; if it was more like 9 ml the first time, and 11ml the second time, that's a 20% difference in sample size.

Tips you might or might not know about getting a consistent sample size: You want to have the 10ml line at eye level with the cylinder on a level surface. Surface tension means the water may "curve up" at the edges, forming a shape called a meniscus. You want the bottom of the meniscus to be level with the 10ml line.

Hope this helps,
--paulr
 
For some reason I can't figure out how to shrink my picture to upload it to this site...but I can tell you that at 6:15am my FC reading was 19, and at 2:00pm my FC reading was 9. I can't imagine that there would be that large of a FC loss unless something was living in the pool! Today is sunny and 83 degrees if that helps any.

Thanks,
Alan
 
When your CYA is that low it can absolutely just about all dissappear in one day (especially a sunny day)

Use Photobucket.com or similar host site. They are free - upload them there, and then copy and paste the IMG code into your message here and the pic shows up.
 
Here you go...the picture may not be good enough to make a determination. Let me know if I need to take a couple of more when it's not so sunny.

Thanks,
Alan

Pool.jpg
 
I think that's dead algae (or pollen/dust).

Maintain shock level until the FC holds overnight. I suggest making any chlorine additions around 7pm and not testing the chlorine till 9 or so. Then use the 9pm number for comparison's sake.

In the meantime, vacume that stuff up. If it reappears while the pool is at shock level and the FC is holding, then it's not algae. Keep shocking until the FC holds overnight.

True mustard algae will dissappear while the pool is a shock level - and then reappear when the FC drops down to normal. So if you still see it with high chlorine it's not mustard algae.
 
I would like to start shocking again with my Turbo Shock since I have a whole summer's supply in the storage room. I've been shocking with bleach, but I hate to continue spending the extra money when I have all that Turbo Shock. My Turbo Shock is 78% cal-hypo and the pool calculator only calculates 73% cal-hypo. Is there a way to adjust for this difference...or is it even necessary.

Thanks,
Alan
IG
Fiberglass
Sand Filter
17,000 Gallons
 
I know you would like to use the CH up - not sure how far I would go since your CH level is already above 200. For every 10 FC, it will raise the CH by 7. So just keep that in mind - use the "Effects of adding Chemicals" section of the pool calculator (towards the bottom) to track your CH additions while using cal-hypo.

As for the % (I honestly don't know... :oops: )

We'll have to wait for someone who does.... :wink:
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Looks like HTH Poolife TurboShock is advertised as 78%.

I would go ahead and use the 73% setting in the pool calc, and not worry too much about the difference. You'll end up a few points higher on the FC, but so what.
--paulr
 
I've been maintaining shock level since Sunday evening...is it possible to still be losing 4-5 ppm of FC each night? I tested again this morning and lost 4-5 again. Or I guess it could be a testing error, although I'm not sure how?

Thanks,
Alan
 
Overnight Free Chlorine Loss

My pool is really starting to look nice...sparkly blue water, etc. However, I'm still having an overnight FC loss of anywhere from 4-6 ppm. Is there anyway to predict when this should stop? My kids are dying to swim, but I hate to let the chlorine get all the way down to swimming levels when I've been working myself to death since Sunday trying to keep the shock levels up.

Thanks,
Alan
 
Re: Overnight Free Chlorine Loss

I really wish that I could say yes, but I cannot. Until you are holding your FC to less than 1 ppm of loss overnight, you aren't finished and there is still something dirty in there that is causing your FC to be consumed.

What are your test numbers right now?
 
Re: Overnight Free Chlorine Loss

That raises a question...which is the bigger player in FC consumption, low CYA or something Alive in the pool? I swear I am breaking the bank buying the bleach. My FC level is dropping in the neighborhood of 4-6 ppm during the day and again at night. What's crazy is my pool actually looks real good.

Thanks,
Alan
 
Re: Overnight Free Chlorine Loss

I haven't tested anything other than chlorine in a few days, but on Monday they looked liked this:

FC 22
ph 7.8
TA 140
CYA 10 (3.5lbs just dissolved in my skimmer yesterday evening)
CH 237

Thanks,
Alan
 
Re: Overnight Free Chlorine Loss

It's the overnight loss that we are most concerned with. Losing 4-6 ppm of FC during the day either means that you don't have enough CYA...or...you have something organic in there...or...both. But it is the overnight loss that we are most concerned with because at night, there is no sunlight to burn off your FC. Therefore, the only way to lose FC at night is because there is algae or some other organic in the water that is consuming it. Overnight FC loss takes the CYA issue out of play. Does this make sense?
 

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