Dirt, algae? Help!

[mccool83]

first post of probably many lol. First year with pool in long time. I'm finding that I almost have to vacuum daily. My pool floor is constantly brown and must be vacuumed to show off the new blue liner. Is this normal dirt or an algae problem or what? I recently got the tf100 test kit and water tests almost perfect.
I have a picture I can post if I can figure out how to do it through the mobile site

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Yes, please post a pic and your most current test results.

How do you normally chlorinate your pool?

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

If your chlorine usage is normal and maintained according to your CYA level and the Chlorine CYA Chart then it could be dirt, dust or debris. If your chlorine usage or CYA is out of whack then it could be algae.

 

[mccool83]

I will test everything again tomorrow and post results with pic

 

[mccool83]

picture of when my vac was running yesterday. can see the difference from clean blue liner, to dirty liner

 

[mccool83]

Readings today:
FC- 2
CC- .5
CH- 250
TA- 190
CYA- 45

I am currently chlorinating with Tri-chlor tabs till I use up what I have (probably till close this season) then will switch to nothing but liquid

 

[Texas Splash]

Well, there's two possibilities I see going on here McCool:
1 - Your FC level is quite low. For a CYA of 45 (round-up to 50), your target is FC of 6. So you need to get that increased right away with bleach.
2 - If the brown feels gritty and moves easily form area to area, or disappears and sinks back down to bottom, it's very possible it's sand from your filter.

Only you can describe and tell us what it's like. Gritty is usually sand, slimy could be algae. If you suspect algae, you could raise your FC to 20 and do an overnight test to confirm. If it's sand, then you may need to inspect your filter for wear/damage such as a broken lateral. I would suspect it's one of those things. If you have any questions about either item, let us know.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, next time don't forget to post your pH as well. Very important.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Ever put algaecides in that contain copper?

 

[mccool83]

Oops, PH was 7.5, maybe a touch higher. My chlorine has been staying around 5, I backed off the chlorine the last couple days because I've had to shut my pump for most of the day (leaking at pump). I have a new gasket kit coming for my pump and planned to inspect filter then. I did notice tonight after unhooking my vacuum, the water coming from jets did seam to be dirty. I will check the feel of what is collecting on the bottom tomorrow.

I did use some algaecide earlier this summer Yippe.

Thanks for the help!