SLAMing your pool is the best way to eliminate algae, sanitize your pool and get your water crystal clear. If you have algae, or the CC level is above 0.5, or the free chlorine (FC) level is zero, you should SLAM the pool. You cannot do this overnight…it often takes several days to see it completed…no shortcuts. If you are maintaining proper FC levels there is no need to SLAM (or shock) weekly, or on any other regular schedule.
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The purpose of the overnight FC test (OCLT) is to determine if you have living algae, or
Mustard algae is a particularly persistent kind of algae, that appears to go away when you SLAM the pool normally, only to reappear as soon as you come back down to normal chlorine levels. It tends to grow in clumps on surfaces at normal chlorine levels, and varies from a true “mustard” yellow to green with hints of yellow. It can also grow free floating in the water if the chlorine level is low enough.
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Black algae can be the bane of pool ownership. The spores enter swimming pools through the air and can take root in the plaster of an inadequately chlorinated pool. These roots, along with the waxy protective barrier it forms around itself, make it particularly difficult to remove. When it comes to black algae, an ounce of prevention is worth two tons of cure. Anyone who has ever dealt with a black algae infestation can attest to this. It is far better to avoid black algae by focusing your efforts on maintaining the proper chlorine (FC) level according to your pool’s CYA along with a weekly brushing of the pool surface and, for those of you with seasonal pools, by following our recommended closing and opening procedures located on this page: Pool Equipment.
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