SLAM Confession/Question

[DLBjr]

Update:

On Tue evening, I added DE to the filter and went through a few cycles of that, and let it run all day yesterday.

Got quite a bit of rain on Wed, but came home and the water was very blue and the clarity was much better.

I tested last night and the FC was 8.5, so I added a gallon of 8.25% to get it to 11.5 (CYA is still around 30).

Didn't run any DE last night. This AM:

FC: 10
CC: .5
CYA: 30

The water is still nice and blue, the deep is still a little cloudy, and I am still getting the brown spots. Here are some pictures:

The first 2 are what it looked like earlier in the week when I was worried it was getting greener:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125299640@N06/14432855457/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125299640@N06/14432855457/

Here is what it looked like on Tues morning before the DE (I think):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125299640@N06/14596241596/in/photostream/

Here is 1 shot of the brown spots from Tues morning before the DE (I think):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125299640@N06/14596241596/in/photostream/

Here are 2 shots of the brown spots from this morning:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125299640@N06/14619241345/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125299640@N06/14619241345/in/photostream/

 

[DLBjr]

Here are 2 pool pics from this morning to go along with the photos above:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125299640@N06/14596387766/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125299640@N06/14433000767/

Given the color of the water at the beginning of the week and how it looks now, is it safe to say that it was an algae problem that I am still working through? The only other thing I could think of is that it's a filtration problem which the DE helped. Still, those brown spots sure feel like algae--I can't it up with fingers; it just dusts-up. Does it make sense that that much would grow overnight when I am doing a SLAM?

 

[DLBjr]

Another Update:

Came home last night to more brown spots in the pool (but the pool was very clear from running the DE all day):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125299640@N06/14603869076/

FC: 10
CC: .5 at the most

I scrubbed the pool and got a few leaves out of the bottom. Backwashed. Added more DE. Added a gallon of 8.25% to get it to 13 (with a CYA of 30).

Checked it before bed. Can't remember the FC, but I don't think I had lost anything. It was around 12 or 13.

This morning: A ton of brown spots in the shallow and in the deep, especially along the seams:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125299640@N06/14440215580/

Swept it all up and now the pool looks great. The water was crystal clear to the deep-end before I brushed.

FC: 13
CC: .5 at the very most

I've been at SLAM level since Sunday. My FC loss has been pretty minimal. My CC has been minimal and never above .5. And the water is even starting to be crystal clear (except for the brown spots). Driving me crazy.

Would much appreciate anyone's guess as to what it is. Are we still pretty sure it's not mustard algae? Does algae grow so visibly and so quickly? I dust it up, it looks great, and then 5 or 6 hours it is all back.

Thanks!

 

[kimkats]

I think your brown spots are dead or dying algae. For some reason it is not going into your filter. Your best bet is to do a manual vacuum so you can "sneak" up on the spots and send them to the filter. It might take a few times but they have to go!

I would keep up the SLAM until the brown spots stop showing up.

Good luck!

Kim

 

[DLBjr]

I think your brown spots are dead or dying algae. For some reason it is not going into your filter. Your best bet is to do a manual vacuum so you can "sneak" up on the spots and send them to the filter. It might take a few times but they have to go!

I would keep up the SLAM until the brown spots stop showing up.

Good luck!

Kim

Thanks. Will do. I brushed them down to the deep at 7 and they were starting to come back by 9.