Can you have algae with normal chlorine levels?

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K

kikiganz

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May 7, 2016
92
Atlanta, GA
Just went to clean the cartridges in my new Dolphin Triton Plus (which I do NOT recommend) and noticed they were green. They are usually brown when they need cleaning from the dirt and debris but this time they were blatantly green. And as I rinsed them the water ran off green. My husband started brushing the sides of the pool and would get some green clouds here and there. However, our chlorine has been fine. It was 2 FC when we tested it tonight and I added enough to bring it to 5.

Can you get algae when your chlorine levels are normal? Our water looks fine - crystal clear. We are in the middle of bringing our CYA up from 10 to 40 and won't be able to test until Sunday (I understand it takes a week to register)...not sure if that can impact it.

Thanks!
Kristina
 
How often are you testing and monitoring for Chlorine loss?

I am going to guess if you have green you have some kind of "nasty" but you should be able to tell that by the losses you monitor with the test kit.

You may need to be testing more frequently to keep yourself in the zone. I know for me, if I would see green clouds, I would go immediately into SLAM and monitor diligently until I passed all 3 criteria.

Sorry I am not much help, but someone who truly knows their stuff I am certain will see this and be able to offer their advice. I think though you are going to find that you have fallen out of the zone and something you had in there on the ropes revitalized and came back swinging.
 
If your CYA is transitioning from 10 to 40, but your FC is still at 2 you are below the minimum. That may not be the cause, but you should readjust FC targets after adding CYA even if it's not yet measurable.

Simple answer is no, algae can not become established with FC within recommended range. Depending on frequency of brushing, swimming, etc. there may be corners or spots in the pool with less circulation that could have a lower local FC. Every pool is a little different and you may need to stay a little higher.

Like DK said, I would go the slam levels (assume CYA 40, so FC target 16) right away. Catching it and reacting soon will significantly shorten your slam. Good luck.

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If you would not have anything growing in there yes, I personally would think that's normal. Weekends I test a couple times, through the week I try and do morning if it's hotter than blazes ~but sometimes I do only monitor in the evening.

I do know if you keep at target Algae cannot thrive/survive ~ that's what determined target as target. Seeing Green though on the cartridges and when brushing~ even with CC= 0 ~ there has to be something in there. Now you are lifting CYA ~ I am guessing what you have going on in there is directly related to CYA start levels and the levels while it is dispersing in the water. Two would be too low for CYA 40 and that would allow something to take hold and flourish.

Lets hope a pro stops in here quick to offer their advice, because from reading what you have said and knowing you are in the process of elevating CYA to 40 but have had FC (monitored once a day) of 2 it just seems to me you are under attack. When I lift CYA to 40 at the start ~ once that sock has been dispersed into the water ~ I dose with the assumption I am at 40. Someone in the know will see this. If by chance night falls and no experts have popped in I am going to say with as much certainty as I can, in your situation boost to SLAM. Once you have verified Slam level this evening, test in the morning before the sun hits the pool to see what has been lost. And then go from there.

Again my apologies, I can only tell you what I would do here, but I do believe it's solid advice.
 
I did a full test today and came up with the following:
FC: 3.5
CC: .5
pH: 7.8
CH: 225
AK: 100
CYA: 40?

I am not sure how long it takes CYA levels to settle but we added CYA Sunday night-Tuesday morning via a sock.

When I cleaned my robotic cleaner's cartridges today they were, again, completely green. Also, the water isn't as crystal clear as it usually is but I would say it is just a smidge worse? Anyone who didn't know what it normally looks like would think it looks great.

With these levels could there be algae? Do I need to SLAM?

Thanks!
 
As unsure as DKT is, he had you on the exact right path. The only way to know for sure if you have algae is to do an overnight FC loss test. But even without doing that, I can tell you that it is likely that you have algae.

If it were me I would raise your FC right now to SLAM levels and begin SLAM. You can always perform the OCLT tonight to verify

Usually CYA will show up in about 24 hours after adding. But if you've added it already just assume its at 40 for your SLAM
 
YOU NEED TO SLAM. Your pool will get significantly worse, quickly if you delay. First sign was the green on the robot, then the walls now your water is starting to cloud. Same advice as last night, treat CYA as 40 and SLAM. Your CYA could take up to a week to show on the test, but you know it is in there - you added it.

You current FC level is not enough to kill the algae as quickly as it is reproducing. Raise FC, run your pump and brush diligently and it will hopefully go quickly. Good luck!
 
You need to SLAM your pool. The presence of algae means you need to slam no matter what numbers you post.

So yes, algae can grow in your pool when you THINK your levels are normal but the hard fact is that algae does NOT grow when exposed to adequate chlorine.

I know, It's hard to get that all to make sense.

Most of us want this to be a black and white issue with a clear delineating point. It's just not that easy. Get to know your pool. Visible algae is really sort of a no-brainer. The only way to cure that is a SLAM despite what you think are good numbers.
 

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Be sure to hold the SLAM chlorine numbers until every bit of algae is gone. It has a nasty habit of coming back. Also do the overnight test, to be sure chlorine is not consumed at night (FC the same in evening as morning). Final test if the combined chlorine test. Finally, do extra work to keep skimmers and the pool free of organic material such as leaves.
 
Ok...I thought we were done with SLAM but now I am concerned. Passed the overnight test last night. Today we dropped 5 ppm from 14 to 9. That's seems like a lot for one day? We did add water to the pool and had three children playing in it for three hours. However, that doesnt seem to justify a 5 ppm drop? Water temp shows 88 degrees but I don't believe it. I would guess closer to 80-82. I am doing another Overnight test but wanted to see if this was abnormal as I suspect. Thanks!
 
UGH!!!!!!!!!! I am so frustrated!!!!!! Why would we pass the Overnight Chlorine Loss Saturday night but not Sunday night??? Went to bed and chlorine was a 9. This morning it is at 7.5.

When we were doing SLAM I was diligent about adding chlorine every 3 hours. It was always between 14 and 16. On Sunday morning we woke up at it was still at 14. I thought that meant we were done. (CC is 0 and water looks crystal clear).

CYA is at 40.

This is our 3rd season with the pool and it was not a problem the first two seasons. I don't understand why it is such a pain this season????
 
Maybe??? We were good about brushing it but anything is a possibility?

Full test results:
FC: 7.5
CC: 0
PH: 7.7
CH: 200
AK: 90
CYA: Waiting for sun to be up but pretty certain it is 40...it was Thursday.

I have added a little dry acid to get my pH down to 7.5. Also, I will be getting the CYA standard solution test in the next few days. I am anxious to ensure I am doing it right since it is so subjective. I believe I need to add some calcium chloride as well.

I assume I need to go back to SLAM?
 
Any ideas as to why one night it held and the next night it 1.5?
Click to expand...
Chalk it up to one of those things. There is variance in the testing by .5 ppm and there is variance in the atmosphere introducing organics. Don't sweat the small stuff.....you're gettin' close.
 

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