I think you captured the issue with the first part of that quote....this stuff isn't really visible till quite a bit of it settles together in one place. When you brush it poofs and disappears only to resettle again later.
Since it shouldn't be algae, what is it?
- Thread starter domct203
- Start date
I think you captured the issue with the first part of that quote....this stuff isn't really visible till quite a bit of it settles together in one place. When you brush it poofs and disappears only to resettle again later.
I've been maintaining SLAM levels over the last two days and there is a noticeable change in the "stuff" on the bottom of the pool. There is hardly any 'poof' when I brush, and most of what I'm brushing is too heavy to stay suspended for long.
Time to vacuum.
I believe what I had was a mix of debris and dead algae. What troubles me is how did algae grow in a pool that was at or above recommended target? The only thing in the pool is the ladder, which was clean, as well as under the ladder mat. When I pulled the ladder and mat both would squeak with a good finger rub.
I'm going to stay at SLAM levels until the 'poof' is completely gone, and to see if my overnight FC loss gets better, it's been 1.0ppm the past two mornings. I also have the solar blanket on as it's been cool and rainy/overcast and I'm hoping to get a couple more weeks of swimming. The pool has been holding 74-76F like this, but with the nights getting into the 50's and the last two days in the 70's with little sun it's lost a few degrees.
Dom
Time to vacuum.
I believe what I had was a mix of debris and dead algae. What troubles me is how did algae grow in a pool that was at or above recommended target? The only thing in the pool is the ladder, which was clean, as well as under the ladder mat. When I pulled the ladder and mat both would squeak with a good finger rub.
I'm going to stay at SLAM levels until the 'poof' is completely gone, and to see if my overnight FC loss gets better, it's been 1.0ppm the past two mornings. I also have the solar blanket on as it's been cool and rainy/overcast and I'm hoping to get a couple more weeks of swimming. The pool has been holding 74-76F like this, but with the nights getting into the 50's and the last two days in the 70's with little sun it's lost a few degrees.
Dom
I've continued to maintain SLAM and the 'poof' is gone. I vacuumed the pool again very early this morning and so far zero debris in the wrinkles.
The overnight loss for the past three mornings has been 1.0ppm. It's too cold to swim so I'm going to maintain SLAM for another day or two to see if my overnight loss gets any better.
I'm convinced that I indeed had algae in the pool (thanks Dave for keeping me on the right path), as well as debris build up from not vacuuming enough.
This morning I noticed that many of the branches on the ground around the pool have something green (moss?) on them.
Looks like my pool just needs a couple more ppm of FC to combat the debris, as well as more frequent vacuuming.
Dom
The overnight loss for the past three mornings has been 1.0ppm. It's too cold to swim so I'm going to maintain SLAM for another day or two to see if my overnight loss gets any better.
I'm convinced that I indeed had algae in the pool (thanks Dave for keeping me on the right path), as well as debris build up from not vacuuming enough.
This morning I noticed that many of the branches on the ground around the pool have something green (moss?) on them.
Looks like my pool just needs a couple more ppm of FC to combat the debris, as well as more frequent vacuuming.
Dom
I'm glad to hear things have gotten better. Keep up the great job, and have a wonderful day
Do keep us updated. I'm lurking from the back, pretty confident this is what was/is going on in my pool too.
Hard to convince folks it's algae when you can't see it, and what IS there (accumulating in imperfections in concrete) looks like dirt.
Hard to convince folks it's algae when you can't see it, and what IS there (accumulating in imperfections in concrete) looks like dirt.
Though this may be algae (and might be yellow/mustard which normally requires higher chlorine levels to prevent its growth), see the document Filtration Spectrum to see that there are particles (such as some kinds of dust and pollen) that cannot be filtered out. Milk is a colloid (see this document showing particle sizes of 0.05 to 2 microns) and is quite opaque and yet won't filter out by any pool filter, not even DE. See the following image for the relative sizes of sand, silt, and clay:
Regular sand is from 50 to 2000 microns though pool sand is generally in the 500 micron (0.5 mm) range (the space in between the sand is smaller and when "dirty" can capture down to 35 microns), but silt is 2-50 microns and clay is less than 2 microns so won't get filtered even by DE. One can most certainly see colloids and clay in water in spite of their being too small to filter by DE let alone a sand filter.
So it is not true that if one can see it one can filter it via a pool filter. That may be true for the usual items found in pool water of dead skin cells, debris, and typical algae (though some algae is smaller and may remain unclumped), but there are rarer occasions where the water requires a clarifier or flocculant to get clear. It's not common, but it has happened and been reported on this forum (such as with clay getting into the pool). It is only because the very small particles such as clay are not commonly put into pools that they generally remain clear through normal filtration. Also, we've seen many pools with sand filters get cleared much faster by adding DE to their sand filter and that is most likely due to smaller particles large enough to get caught readily by DE but not caught efficiently by sand alone.
Regular sand is from 50 to 2000 microns though pool sand is generally in the 500 micron (0.5 mm) range (the space in between the sand is smaller and when "dirty" can capture down to 35 microns), but silt is 2-50 microns and clay is less than 2 microns so won't get filtered even by DE. One can most certainly see colloids and clay in water in spite of their being too small to filter by DE let alone a sand filter.
So it is not true that if one can see it one can filter it via a pool filter. That may be true for the usual items found in pool water of dead skin cells, debris, and typical algae (though some algae is smaller and may remain unclumped), but there are rarer occasions where the water requires a clarifier or flocculant to get clear. It's not common, but it has happened and been reported on this forum (such as with clay getting into the pool). It is only because the very small particles such as clay are not commonly put into pools that they generally remain clear through normal filtration. Also, we've seen many pools with sand filters get cleared much faster by adding DE to their sand filter and that is most likely due to smaller particles large enough to get caught readily by DE but not caught efficiently by sand alone.
Dom:
This may help. Only until about last week or so, I started seeing more brown stuff on the floor bottom of my pool. The first thing that came to mind was "can't be" as my levels are perfect. I brush weekly (walls only and vacuum floor). Have a great circulation system. The brown stuff is near the seams of the liner as my pool is in-ground. I believe that as the leaves fall off the tree's, and it starts to rain a bit more on the east coast, along with stronger winds, certain items enter the pool and settle to the floor, being caught in the wrinkles or seams. It is probably residual dirt and other items from the leaves. I even put goggles on and stuck my head in the water and vacuumed while laying on the concrete so I can clearly see what I am picking up. Slowly the brown stuff was being picked up and the skimmer sock caught everything and it clearly was dirt, not algae. Maybe the "slimy" feel is from the floor base on your pool and the kids are feeling something else.
I usually go around the pool once a week and use my hand as a feeler (of course can only do the sides and not the floor) and check all four corners of the pool for any slimy feel. It is always very smooth. Clearly, we all know the importance of brushing. If done on a regular basis, even with poor circulation, algae is suspended and a properly chlorinated pool will take care of the rest. Possibly your floor lacks a bit of circulation. I believe you have no issues here and are just TFPC hypnotized, which of course is a good thing. Take care !
This may help. Only until about last week or so, I started seeing more brown stuff on the floor bottom of my pool. The first thing that came to mind was "can't be" as my levels are perfect. I brush weekly (walls only and vacuum floor). Have a great circulation system. The brown stuff is near the seams of the liner as my pool is in-ground. I believe that as the leaves fall off the tree's, and it starts to rain a bit more on the east coast, along with stronger winds, certain items enter the pool and settle to the floor, being caught in the wrinkles or seams. It is probably residual dirt and other items from the leaves. I even put goggles on and stuck my head in the water and vacuumed while laying on the concrete so I can clearly see what I am picking up. Slowly the brown stuff was being picked up and the skimmer sock caught everything and it clearly was dirt, not algae. Maybe the "slimy" feel is from the floor base on your pool and the kids are feeling something else.
I usually go around the pool once a week and use my hand as a feeler (of course can only do the sides and not the floor) and check all four corners of the pool for any slimy feel. It is always very smooth. Clearly, we all know the importance of brushing. If done on a regular basis, even with poor circulation, algae is suspended and a properly chlorinated pool will take care of the rest. Possibly your floor lacks a bit of circulation. I believe you have no issues here and are just TFPC hypnotized, which of course is a good thing. Take care !
This morning I passed my OCLT at 0.0ppm & there is nothing on the pool floor since my last vacuum yesterday morning.
I think the most important thing I've learned here is to trust your instincts. I know my pool, and even though I dare to think I could have algae
, guess what.......
I had algae.
I do believe that some of it was debris from the trees, but seeing how the pool responded to the SLAM, it is safe to say that my issue was a lack of frequent vacuuming, allowing debris (organic material at that) to accumulate to a level that compromised my sanitizer, allowing a slow but steady cycle of algae reproduction. As the algae was killed it would accumulate (with the debris), further compromising chlorine levels.
I will be maintaining a slightly higher FC target now, and I'll be sure to vacuum more often.
Dom
I think the most important thing I've learned here is to trust your instincts. I know my pool, and even though I dare to think I could have algae
, guess what.......I had algae.
I do believe that some of it was debris from the trees, but seeing how the pool responded to the SLAM, it is safe to say that my issue was a lack of frequent vacuuming, allowing debris (organic material at that) to accumulate to a level that compromised my sanitizer, allowing a slow but steady cycle of algae reproduction. As the algae was killed it would accumulate (with the debris), further compromising chlorine levels.
I will be maintaining a slightly higher FC target now, and I'll be sure to vacuum more often.
Dom
Sounds like an excellent plan Dom, and congrats on passing OCLT. Have a wonderful day.
I found this thread very,very helpful. I've been having the same issues and was beginning to doubt myself. Thank you TFP supporters for your knowledge, your willingness to help others is second to none.