Sparkling water & algae???

[jmitchell151]

My water is looking great, FC usage seems normal, but there is something that looks like algae accumulating on the bottom of the pool. Unfortunately, when it came up I was going out of town for 2 weeks and had only two days to try and manage it. First I vacuumed out everything that looked like algae. I brought the pool to shock level (12) and maintained it all day. Passed the OCLT, but in the morning the algae had started to accumulate. I vacuumed again and brought it up to shock level. However I was leaving that day so I told the guy taking care of the house to add 1 gallon of bleach if he saw algae (and to brush the algae) and 0.5 gallon if there was none (which is the normal amount I use per day). I left the pump running the entire two weeks I was gone.

I came home and the pool water is still very clear, but those algae spots are still there. The pH was high at around 8, so I've dropped it down to 7.5. FC was 6 when I got home.

Do you think this is algae or something else? Any help is appreciated!

 

[kimkats]

Do you have a turkey baster? Use that to get some out. Squirt it out on to a white paper towel.

What color is it? Was it hard to get up? What does it feel like?

Kim

 

[jmitchell151]

I'll see if I can get some out - it looks to be sort of a brownish color and is very fine. If you brush it lightly it comes off the pool floor very easily and just disappears into the water without making it look cloudy. After several hours it accumulates again, always in exactly the same spots following the same pattern.

 

[kimkats]

Have you ever added DE to your filter? I am going to post a link to how to do it.

It might be enough to filter out whatever that stuff is.

Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter

Just make sure you will be able to be there to babysit it the first little while until you learn how your filter does with DE in it.

I would still like you to try to get some up just so we can see if we can figure out what it is.

Kim

 

[pooldv]

Are they stuck to the liner like they are growing and fuzzy? Yes, it is algae, I have had the same thing, perfectly clear water, no CC. Raise FC close to shock level and keep it there for a week or so and brush daily or twice, especially those spots. Also, clean out behind your light if you have one and under ladder rungs and other hiding spots. Took me about a week and a half to get all traces of algae to stay gone with FC 25 to 28 and CYA 70. We swam every day while SLAMing. Keep your FC a couple PPM above target after you get the algae to stay gone. I go 8-10.

 

[jmitchell151]

There seem to be two types - one that is growing and fuzzy and one that starts on the wrinkles and seams of the liner but follows the line/seam and doesn't look fuzzy. I'm heading out to see if I can trap some now. I'll have to head out to the store to get some more bleach before starting a SLAM.

 

[chem geek]

Yellow/mustard algae prefers shade and tends to not grow on the sunny side of the pool. If it's all over including on the sunny side, it's more likely to be dirt or pollen. You can use a skimmer sock to see if you collect any material and if you do then it's more likely that this is something getting blown into the pool on the surface and then eventually sinking.

 

[Spades]

The dead algae you are vacuuming is too fine for your filter media and is going right through your filter and back into the pool. I had that very same problem, and my solution was to get a Duda Diesel filter bag, it works!! Read this >> Trying out the SlimeBag

 

[chem geek]

Algae vary in size, but common green algae Oocystis is oblong at 2 to 16 microns in size when not clumped so can get through sand filters and barely through some cartridge filters (though usually not when such filters get a little dirty) but not through DE. Usually algae clumps so gets caught in sand filters, but if it's a fine dust-like algae it may not get caught and requires finer filtration.

 

[pooldv]

Such as Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter

 

[ScottCh]

The dead algae you are vacuuming is too fine for your filter media and is going right through your filter and back into the pool. I had that very same problem, and my solution was to get a Duda Diesel filter bag, it works!! Read this >> Trying out the SlimeBag

Does anyone see a problem with attaching the bag to vacuum hose adapter and capturing this stuff at the suction side vice the return side? I think this is the same stuff I posted about in my thread and I'm trying to come up with a better way to get it out of the pool vice multiple adds of DE powder/vacuum's.

 

[kimkats]

Some people have talked about "slime bags" and such. I have not had any experience with it. Try a search for it and see what you find.

Kim