Algae or what?

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jspann1953

jspann1953

0
Nov 19, 2016
30
Pelham /AL
New pool this summer. Water has been crystal clear and all chem. levels good. FC 5.5, CC 0, PH 7.6, CYA 50. I noticed on 12-11-16 what I thought to be algae on the bottom of pool and on the steps, even though water is still clear. So after reading about slamming, I tried it. Scubbed and vacuumed. Got the FC 24, CC 0, PH 7.3. Kept this up til today. No FC over nite drops and no CC. Been scrubbing and vacuuming and still I get green places on the bottom. See pics. Since water is not green, is this dead algae or do I just need to keep slamming? I know it has only been a short time but am I even dealing with algae?
 

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It could be algae. Here is what you can do: get a turkey baster and suck some of it up. Put white paper towel in a strainer and squirt the the water with the ?? in it onto the towel. What color is it? Let it dry and see then. Take a picture and share it.

We will go from there.

Kim:kim:
 
Ok, I sucked some of the ?? stuff up, put it on a paper towel and let it dry. I put that piece on top of another one for comparison, but as you can see, there's not much to see. It looks green on the white steps and and just dark in the heelprints on the bottom vinyl floor and when you brush it, it just looks like a greenish-brown smoke that disapates into nothing. Been running the pump 24/7, have backwashed it, and brush at least 2x a day, but always comes back. Water is still clear and still not losing any FC and CC is still 0 overnite.
 

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After re-reading your posts and seeing you tried Kim's paper towel trick, you might consider some of the following:
- Yes, you can have algae even if the water appears to be clear. That's how it usually happens to me. It usually happens to me in areas that don't get good water circulation. For me that's near steps or at the crease/bottom of the pool where the sides meet the bottom. This is especially common (for me anyways) when the pool is not used much because of low activity. Something you might look at is the water circulation in that area. Toss a few ping pong balls on the water to evaluate your water movement. If it's poor, see if you can adjust your return jet eyeballs to help, or just know that the area in question requires a quick brushing each day or two.
- Your CYA is actually low for a SWG pool. TFP recommends a minimum CYA of 70 to help the FC work more efficiently. You wouldn't think that a lower CYA should be a big deal in cooler temps, but perhaps. But don't increase the CYA to 70 yet until you have eliminated the potential algae. The SLAM FC of 20 for a pool with a CYA at 50 is better than increasing the FC with a higher CYA. Be sure to pass the SLAM first, then increase CYA.
- Since you have a solar blanket, you might want to inspect the underside as well if you've used it. Algae can grow just about anywhere. I found some algae a couple days under my poolside skimmer lid. :rant:

In the end, even in the best maintained pool, algae sometimes finds its way into our pool for no apparent reason. Even though you showed no FC loss or elevated CC, visually seeing algae confirms the need to SLAM. Make sure the pool is not covered during the SLAM. Let the water breathe. At least this time of year the SLAM should be more efficient as opposed to the heat of summer. Along with the cover/blanket, make sure to check any other potential hiding spots. If you are still SLAMming and weren't aware, you can use regular bleach (no scents or splashless) to effectively conduct your SLAM and save some service on the SWG. Try those tips and let us know if you see any changes over the next day or two. We'll watch for any updates and try to help as needed.
 
Well that sure does not look like algae. Here is my plan of action for you:

-Push your FC up to SLAM level for your CYA over night just to make sure you hit what ever it is good and hard.

-vacuum to waste going slow to try to get all of it out of the pool you can

-Get some DE for pools (found at Lowes in a big box by the pool stuff). You will never use it all but it works wonders to help clear a pool. Read this link: Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter Make sure you can be there for a couple of hours when you first add it as each filter is different in how much they like.

-Find a couple of old T-shirts you can use in the pool. Put them in the skimmer basket to help filter out this stuff.

With this three way punch I am hoping to get whatever it is up and out. It might just be dirt and for some reason your filter is just not getting it out of the water.

Let me know how it goes.

Kim:kim: (If you know someone with a DE filter for the pool you can get some from them to use)

-
 
At first the return jet eyeball did not circulate the water very well. Hardly anything went to the skimmer, just settled on the in ground steps. PB put a right turn elbow on which made it work great. No dead spots. I consider my pool a non SWG now since the water temp is in low 50's and have been using 8.25% bleach. I took the solar blanket off about 3 weeks ago because it doesn't have a good appeal looking out over the pool. I'll put it back on in March to warm the water. I will clean it with mild bleach. I put a T shirt in the skimmer this morning and by this afternoon it had a green tint to it. I will try to get some DE. On a good note when I brushed this afternoon there was less junk on the bottom and steps than before. I guess I was impatient since I didn't really know if it was algae or not. I' m thankful for your help and will use TFP guidelines for the maintenance of my pool. 2 ?'S though. Does slamming have a detrimental effect on the vinyl liner since manufacturer says keep FC at 2-3. And how many gallons of water does a 18x32x4 really hold? PB says it is 12500 and TFP calculator says 15200. I've seen others on this site post different gal. too. Does it really make a difference when using the Pool Math? THANKS GUYS! !!
 
Use a tape measure to see how deep YOUR water is. Put that info into Pool Math and use that number.

Since the shirt had a green tint to it you DO need to SLAM.

Find your gals. as talked about above and get to adding FC at SLAM level and lets see if we can get that thing CLEAR!!!!!

Kim:kim:
 
Great updates! Another tip for your pool size ..... we typically get a ballpark starting number from the manufacturer and plug it into Poolmath. Over time, as you test a level and adjust try to that number with chemicals, you'll find out if you over-shot or under-shot your goal with a subsequent test an hour or two later. For example, if you expected your FC to increase by 4 ppm by adding the appropriate amount of bleach in Poolmath, but your new FC was actually higher than expected, then your Poolmath pool volume was probably too high and you can lower it a bit - then repeat as necessary until you get it dialed-in. You can also try that process with other levels (i.e. TA, pH). Good luck on your SLAM.
 

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Slam almost complete. But I'm still not losing any FC during the day (been very cloudy here) or overnight and CC has always been 0. Question is should I add some clorine neutralizer to get the FC down to 6-7 after I'm certain the algae is gone? Don't want to fade the liner or damage something else with a FC of 20. And thanks again for your help!!!
 
The CYA serves as a buffer to protect your pool/liner from the elevated FC (20) as long as you are close to your SLAM level based on that CYA (which was 50 correct?). So as long as you don't go crazy high over your SLAM level, your liner should be fine. The FC will drop slowly in cooler water, but eventually it will. No need to try and rush it.
 
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