Do pets ever track algae into pools?

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D

DeptOfMeteors

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2020
122
Ottawa
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-15
My latest hypothesis on the neverending battle against algae this season is that my cat is tracking it in. I've found some muddy paw prints at the lip around the stairs, and I've seen her face in the pool drinking from it. This makes me wonder if the algae is using her to get into my pool.
But I don't know much about where algae comes from and where it hangs out. The ground around here isn't marshy and even if it was, she's a cat, so she's not going to be spending her time in puddles. The mud makes me think that she's either trapesing through the garden or hanging out under the pool shed.
Oh yeah and if anyone knows of any way to make pool water less appetizing to cats, I'd like to know about that, too.
 
Like your flower beds that get weeds, but on a larger scale, your pool continuously gets seeded for algae from windblown spores. Ducks can bring it from on them from swimming in lakes and ponds. Cats? Not my first suspicion. Since it is coming from a constant source, your only remedy is to stay sufficiently chlorinated to kill it before it can take root and multiply. Here's a link to maintaining your proper chlorine level: Chlorine / CYA Chart
 
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I've been SLAMming for months now (as well as brushing up algae colonies when I see them). I've been spending the last 2/3 of that time looking for other explanations, like the pollen with which they say the local atmosphere is enriched this season, neighbours and kids in the park out back chucking algae in when I'm not looking, and now a cat w/dirty paws.
 
Explain in detail your testing and dosing routine during the SLAM Process.
How often are you testing FC daily?
How often are you adding FC?
How often are you brushing?
Have you taken any breaks from the SLAM Process or have you been doing a SLAM continuously "for months now"?

Have you done an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test recently?

Post a pic of the label on the Pentair salt cell - including any numbers.
Do you have automation?

Post a full set of current test results into PoolMath.
I see you have PoolMath logs linked here so we can see them - but your last entries were over a month ago.
Post all of the following to PoolMath:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Salt
Water Temperature
 
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I’m in the middle of a SLAM, as well, but the culprit is my cedar elm trees. That plus a full summer’s worth of other debris getting washed into the pool in a torrential downpour - our first rain since early June. The elms seed around this time of year and this year they’re producing seeds like I’ve never seen. I’ve removed probably 50 pounds of seeds. They’re like coarse sand and now they’re followed by small green leafy seed pods. I think I’m through the worst of it, as I’ve been able to remove most of the seeds and production has slowed, but noticed my water getting cloudy a few days ago. Sure enough, FC had dropped significantly, so I started SLAMming 3 days ago. Still haven’t passed OCLT, but water is crystal clear again, so I’m hopeful that it will pass in a day or 2.
 
In my opinion, you’re largely wasting your time trying to figure out where it’s coming from.

Every person or animal that touches the water brings contaminants; that’s just a fact of life.

The wind blows stuff in.

Algae, mold, fungus, dirt etc. will continually get in the water.

As long as you are doing all of the maintenance correctly including maintaining the correct FC levels, the water will be clean, clear and free of algae.
 
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Also, you keep creating new threads that are asking basically the same thing.

If it’s a continuation of the same issue, then try to keep everything under one thread for continuity.

Maybe you have a defective filter or your FC is not being maintained.

Can you show pictures of everything?

Can too much chlorine be my problem?

I've been attempting SLAMming for a couple of weeks now (I keep getting interrupted for one reason or another) and I'm wondering if the problem can be too much chlorine. Because of some bad data I collected, my FC got up to 40ppm one time! That should have been enough to kill a herd of...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Could regional issues be the reason I've been SLAMming for a month with no progress?

Even though my water looks perfect, I keep getting algae on the bottom of my pool every morning. The latest lead I'm following is that this is a regional problem, because I've been hearing through the grapevine that a lot of my neighbours (i.e. folk 100s of mi away) are having algae problems...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Is there any point in getting SWG started now?

Yesterday I decided that I finally got my algae problem licked so I don't need to keep dumping tons of chlorine in my pool several times a day. Until now, I haven't been running the SWG, as per recommendations. But is there any point in doing now? I only have 3 20kg bags of salt, so I'd probably...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
If you’re doing a SLAM correctly, it just works.

It does not take weeks or months.

There are no regional super strains of algae or other local factors that make your pool any different from millions of other people’s pools.

Get your filtration and chemistry correct and your problems will be solved.

It’s not cats, dogs, super strains of mutant algae, kids, pollen etc.

Stop generating multiple hypotheses trying to explain why your SLAM isn’t working like it works for everyone else.
 
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I currently have a duck nesting next to the pool. Mum stays mainly in her nest, going for two short swims a day, hardly leaving a trace. But when dad comes visiting, he poops all over the pool, leaving a big mess. Sometimes he brings a mate. I don't know what it is with the males in a species and tidying up after themselves, but that's another topic. At least I haven't found any empty beer cans so far.

The point is, that however big the mess, my FC is rock stable. I get the visible traces out manually, usually in the morning, chlorine does the rest, but that doesn't crash the FC level. Water is still cold here, so algae wouldn't explode anyway. But FC is obviously well capable of staying on top of the organics that are being added on a regular basis, as long as FC is maintained sufficiently high.
 
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I restarted the SLAM yesterday and blushed up some of the dirt that was probably tracked there by my cat. This morning I eyeballed a sharp reduction in FC, so gaslighting notwithstanding, it looks like there's something to cat hypothesis. I guess I've added one more procedure to my protocol.
 
Sorry, but this is a confusing thread.

As others have said, algae spores can come from numerous places, maybe even your cat. However, a properly chlorinated pool will kill algae introduced to your pool. It only becomes a problem if your chlorine is below the minimum levels and the algae begins to multiply and grow. Many people have their dogs in their pool every day, which would introduce way more cooties than your cat taking a drink or sticking a paw in. Little kids are probably even worse than dogs or cats.

You have the TF-Pro kit listed in your signature, which is good. Can you post your most recent set of results? That way we can help pinpoint your problem and get you on the right track. Based on the limited information, my guess is that you have algae hidden somewhere and your chlorine is killing some of it and resulting in the "dirt" you are seeing and your drop in FC overnight.

DeptOfMeteors said:
it looks like there's something to cat hypothesis. I guess I've added one more procedure to my protocol.
Click to expand...
Umm... I'm not a cat person, but what procedure are you adding to your protocol for the poor cat?
 
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Ok, I've updated the tests. I didn't do CYA, because, as I understand it, CYA doesn't leave your pool unless you eject it and I haven't done that since last testing it. I also didn't bother testing pH, since I'm told there's no point during SLAM. I guess it's the same w/TA because the solution never turned red; it turned yellow! :eek: Also, it seems I can't record CC, but it was 2ppm.
JJ_Tex said:
Umm... I'm not a cat person, but what procedure are you adding to your protocol for the poor cat?
Click to expand...

The procedure was to sweep up the stairs every time I see that dirt there, since it looks like it's part of the algae equation. But that's only useful if you are SLAMming, so it's not a durable solution. 🤷‍♂️ And I'm not a pool person, so my decades of experience w/cats doesn't involve pools.
Finally, I can't believe I asked if there was something I can put in the pool to ward off cats from drinking, because I know what you can put in it: salt! I just haven't done that this season, because I've been constantly SLAMming. This could be part of the explanation why I didn't have this problem last year (when I first owned the pool). It had salt in it, so it was no use to the cat. 'Gives me some hope for next spring.
 
Your most recent test results in PoolMath say they are from July 28.

Post a full set of current test results.
Include CC, salt and water temperature.
Why can't you record CC in PoolMath?

See extended test kit directions - click on the image for each test for more info.

Extended Test Kit Directions Archives

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Ok, cool. Can you post your results on here, especially your CYA and FC?

A CC of 2 means that something is gobbling up your chlorine.

I still am guessing that the dirt you are seeing on your stairs is dead algae, which generally settles to the bottom and looks brown/grey or sometimes even closer to white in color and is usually very fine like baby powder. If you do not run your pump at night I would also guess that your dirt shows up first thing in the morning since the still water allows the dead algae to settle to the bottom.
Here are a couple of threads with pictures showing the "dirt" on people's stairs and bottom that ended up being dead algae:

Algae or Dirt?

I have been fighting a dirty pool floor for 3 days without any luck. I assumed it was dirt because the kids were getting in after running barefoot through the yard, but it's just not going away. Could this be algae instead? I have been vacuuming to waste daily. When I'm done, the floor is...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Mustard algae? Or sand?

New pool has been up and running for two weeks. I keep seeing this stuff on the bottom, in the same spots, along small wrinkles in the liner. At first I thought it was sand but I've vacuumed (robot vacuum) and back washed / rinsed the sand filter until clear water comes out several times in...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Black residue on pool bottom and side walls

Hi my pool is 25000 gal with vinyl liner. It's abut 12 years old but this is my first year with it and 1st year with a inground pool so this is all new to me. My water is crystal clear but since I opened it I was getting residual light brown/tan residue scattered in deep and shallow end near...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Ok, well as of this morning, my stuff should be:
FC: 17.0
CC: 2.0
CYA: 40
CA: 300
I didn't test the salt today, but the last time I did, it was 1400ppm so w/the backwashes and wastes, it'll be less than that.

I do run the pump overnight, actually, and the good news is that even though my CC is 2, I don't see clumps of algae at the bottom of the deep end or along the seams of the lining, which tells me I'm nearing the end of this iteration of algae. I don't have any reason to believe it's the last one though. BTW, when I run the pump overnight, that's usually when I find the clumps the next morning.
The thing about the dirt on the stairs is that I'd be more inclined to call it "grit". It's doesn't rapidly dissipate like algae does when I brush it; it sort of flies around then much of it falls back where it was in the first place. Maybe this grit is just an algae carrier.
 
Or, as I used to tell my kids: "If you keep on doing what you've always done, (good OR bad) you'll keep on getting what you've always got."
No matter how you want to explain your issue, BTW.

I apologize in advance if this comes across as negative or offends anyone, but here goes.

I'm always amazed when someone posts about an algae issue with their pool that has them completely vexed, desperately seeking the answer to said problem. Then when an expert or long-time member steps up to help, asking for a set of test results, info about equipment, testing procedures, etc., to get "the lay of the land," so to speak, all they get is push-back from the OP. Almost always, an open mind and some patience will have them swimming in perfect water in about a week or less. Yet they persist!

I'm no expert, no-way no-how, but when algae comes-a-callin', "get your CYA/FC in order" is always the starting point and quite often the ending point of your problem. I learned that several years ago from some great folks on a forum called "TFP!"
 
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And I apologize if I seemed angry. I was told something I know not to be true and I guess I'm not very good at contradicting that w/out coming off as bellicose. Also, my mindset when starting this thread was to try to understand this one hypothesis: pets tracking algae from wherever they might pick it up. I wasn't looking to analyze the problem holistically. Next time, maybe I'll make a note that the focus should be confined to the topic.
 

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