Is pink slime and white water mold a problem in chlorine pools also?

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setsailsoon said:
Anthony,

I've had the same successs. I started taking care of my pool Oct 1015. All I've done is brush, add Bleach, trichlor, MA, and baking soda. I used trichlor for a while to raise the CYA level so I never had to add any stabilizer. I keep the CYA on the low side (40-50 ppm) so I can use trichlor tablets when I travel. We have a very challenging environment with Florida weather. High humidity, torrential rains and windy conditions are perfect for development of many problems. Worst problem I've had is invasion of worms after torrential rains. They die within minutes and get picked up by the suction cleaner. Just ugly in the mornings after.

Slime mold spores are prevalent in most soil. They are actually single cell organisms that usually thrive on bacteria and protozoan populations in soil and die off when their food supply is depleted. Makes me wonder what they are eating in your pool... I looked at multiple systems to sanitize my pool and ended up deciding that chlorine via tfp method was best combination of effective and practical for me at a reasonable cost. I highly recommend it now after almost 2 years of success. Sounds like you'd want to start with a thorough SLAM after you complete the necessary conversion!

I hope this helps.

Chris
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..."Makes me wonder what they are eating in your pool"......how about the possibility of the (probably) thousands of these little springtail insects that are all over the water this season? Organic matter to feast on? They wind up in the filter by the droves. Never had them before and sure I hope not to see them in future swimming seasons. The water does not smell quite as good either as it did before these things showed up. I still consider them to be the random variable this season that may be contributing to the rather unusually excessive problems with the mold and slime. Last season was basically free of any problems with water clarity, mold, or slime.
 
Weren't you the one that told me about this stuff? Not sure anymore..... Yes...I'll let you know. I have the DE grids still soaking in cleaning acid for a few more hours, then will put them back in, then try the Ahhsome. It had better be as its name implies!!!
 
OK...yeah..now I recall that. If I ever have a day without at least one thunderstorm here in PA I might actually be able to get some additional work done around the pool (and elsewhere for that matter). Got the DE grids back in but due to rainus interruptus did not get to do anything with the ahhsome. Hopefully tomorrow....
 
pookiesunshine said:
anthony, i'm curious as to whether the ahh-some helps out, so please let us know. thanks.
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Don't know if it was my having finally gotten all the mold/slime off the walls (now I finally know how to do it), or the apparent demise and absence of the springtails (don't miss them at all), or the ahhsome...or a combination of all 3...but the water looks and smells great....the best it has since opening the pool. Crystal clear and no indication of any additional mold or slime. It'll be interesting to see what happens as the remainder of the season progresses. I'll definitely order the next dose of ahhsome. I'll stay with it and see what happens.
 
The Ahh-Some water Clarifier & Bio-Cleaner will help eliminate most of the Bacquacil problems, especially the mold issues. Just add it to your sanitizer and watch what happens.
 
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anthonypool89 said:
Don't know if it was my having finally gotten all the mold/slime off the walls (now I finally know how to do it), or the apparent demise and absence of the springtails (don't miss them at all), or the ahhsome...or a combination of all 3...but the water looks and smells great....the best it has since opening the pool. Crystal clear and no indication of any additional mold or slime. It'll be interesting to see what happens as the remainder of the season progresses. I'll definitely order the next dose of ahhsome. I'll stay with it and see what happens.
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Glad it's working out for you. Please keep us appraised on the long term effectiveness. Also, please let us know how much Ahh-some you are using in conjunction with your typical Baquacil regimen....sadly, the Baquacil sanitizer system seems designed to just keep a pool owner spending money and yet is marketed as something so much better than chlorine :scratch:

Also, consider getting that sanitizer (biguanide) test kit. The former Baquacil users we have on the forum here will all say that the Achilles heel of this system is the complete lack of reliable testing.
 
Ahhsomeguy said:
The Ahh-Some water Clarifier & Bio-Cleaner will help eliminate most of the Bacquacil problems, especially the mold issues. Just add the Ahh-Some and your sanitizer and watch what happens. All Bacquacil dealers and users should take note of these posts. These are real people experiencing real problems. If you want your water to,look and feel Awesome, use Ahh-Some Water Clarifier &'Bio-Cleaner. There is nothing, I repeat nothing like it in the industry.
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I find it hard to believe that, after years of dealing with mold/slime issues, I've only heard of this product just recently. I will surely continue to use it. I agree completely that all dealers should be aware of and recommend ahhsome.

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JoyfulNoise said:
Glad it's working out for you. Please keep us appraised on the long term effectiveness. Also, please let us know how much Ahh-some you are using in conjunction with your typical Baquacil regimen....sadly, the Baquacil sanitizer system seems designed to just keep a pool owner spending money and yet is marketed as something so much better than chlorine :scratch:

Also, consider getting that sanitizer (biguanide) test kit. The former Baquacil users we have on the forum here will all say that the Achilles heel of this system is the complete lack of reliable testing.
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Matt...great thoughts about the testing. I believe I will stick with the recommended 6 oz. of ahhsome every 4 weeks. IF things continue to work out ok using the suggested amount (along with vigilant maintenance in terms of keeping the mold/slime off of the walls), I'll be really pleased. I was just thinking again that more accurate testing is the way to go. I get inconsistent results from 2 different test strips - the one Softswim and the other Baquacil. With biguanide, as you indicate, it's critical to know the sanitizer and (even moreso) the oxidizer level. Thanks for additional input!
 

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anthonypool89,

I just want to let you know, I respect you greatly! I really do admire your "never say quit" attitude and your willingness to continue to learn new things. As a Baquacil user for over 15 years I too know the mindset you're in. I can say after years of maintaining both a Baqua and Chlorine pool I know how hard pink slime and white water mold is. I can say I've personally dealt with it many times over using Baquacil however have never once dealt with it in several years of using Chlorine. Ahh-Some is an interesting idea, an idea that when I was a Baqua user I too found myself looking for. That one key item that would take a ho-hum product like Baqua and make it shine. I myself have tried additional doses of Baqua sanitizer, I used more Oxidizer than was called for, I used just about every algaecide I could find to attempt to maintain a clear pool.....but I never tried Ahh-Some. End of the day I found myself facing three problems. The addition of Ahh-Some in my eyes fails to meet at least two of the three problems and the third problem is still in question.

My first problem with Baquacil (and largest) is the inadequate test kits available. I found myself frequently avoiding testing as I had zero faith in any of the test strips I used. Even after I completed the Baquacil conversion and maintained a chlorine pool for over a year I was StILL getting a rather high Baquacil Sanitizer reading using the popular test strips on the market. By far poor testing was my largest issue when using Baquacil. If you continue to attempt to use Baquacil (and I suspect you will) I would highly suggest you purchase a drop based test kit such as this one from Taylor.

My second main issue was the cost. As I mentioned before I constantly found myself searching for that one "golden" product that would solve all my issues. I always found myself using more of a chemical in hope that it would work. I tried ever trick under the sun to try to maintain a clear pool. All of this trial and error left me spending a TON of cash each year. It wasn't unheard of for us to spend $500-$600 a year on Baqua products. All I ended up doing was dumping one product after another into the water, saying a prayer it would work, then cursing greatly once I walked out there a few days/weeks later to a cloudy/green pool.

While Ahh-Some doesn't fix my first two issues, it may (or may not) fix my third, inconsistency. As much as I tried I never could do the same thing day in and day out to keep a clear pool. I frequently had success for a week or a month that left me excited that I found the finial item to keep the water clear. Frequently however I hopes were smashed. Ahh-Some may fix this issue, I don't know as I never tried it personally. I wish you the very best in your attempt and encourage you to please keep us updated as you go. I've always deep down inside wondered if there was some way to keep a Baqua pool clear besides the easiest and cheapest option.
 
Great post...thanks. I agree totally about the test strips as I just posted about in another thread. I've been thinking more and more of purchasing the taylor kit. There used to be a great reagent-based test kit when softswim first came out, but then they stopped making the reagents for it. I appreciate your kind words at the beginning of your post. What worries me, though, is that "never say quit" might also be more realistically translated to "time to give up" when it comes to the problems being discussed in these threads! We'll see. If the ahhsome doesn't do the job, I really think it's about time to abandon the baquaship.
 
Keith,

I'm certainly one who would applaud your switch to chlorine but, if you plan to go much longer with Baquacil, then there is a test kit I'd like you to consider - the K-1725 combination Biguanide/Peroxide test kit

You might have to call Taylor Technologies to find a distributor for it as it's not likely to be widely available. With that kit, you should be able to get a much better handle on your sanitizer and oxidizer levels. I would then suggest that you do more than a weekly addition of oxidizer but rather transition to adding oxidizer every other day or so to maintain a more constant level.

When people use manual chlorination methods, they almost ALWAYS have to add chlorine daily in order to maintain proper free chlorine levels. If you were to only add chlorine once per week to a pool, one would almost definitely get an algae bloom. I suspect your baquapool needs more frequent oxidizer additions.

Also, you might need to "shock" your baquacil pool (whatever that looks like with peroxide) while adding the Ahh-some to get the appropriate killing power for the water mold and slime. I wonder if there isn't an extended shock method like what we teach people who have green algae pools, the SLAM Process (Shock Level and Maintain).

Whatever the case may be, if you're going to continue with Baquacil, then I really think you need that test kit to get the results you're looking for.
 
Matt,

Thanks for all your helpful input and encouragement. I agree completely about the testing, and I think adding oxidizer more frequently is a valid suggestion as well. What DOES worry me a bit (and is so reminiscent of the problems I ran into with chlorine) is that I've maybe encountered a sort of clarifier demand situation in which no amount is truly enough. Doesn't seem likely I suppose and from a chemical standpoint perhaps makes no sense, but as long as the mold and slime are in the water, certainly more peroxide will be consumed. I think buying the Taylor kit - which I've looked at several times already over the past year or so - is likely a next step. I also have a growing suspicion that - for whatever is going on in the water and on the walls - maybe peroxide as an oxidizer is just not going to "cut it" any longer. I'll bet that if I wasn't surrounded by actively managed farm fields (actually quite close to the pool on the one side), I would not be running into some of these continued problems. Then factor in any possible continuing climate change issues - warmer air and water temps - likely will only make things worse. Only positive on that front is the likelihood of a longer swimming season as the years go on I guess....
 
Just a quick update. 4 days of filtering and already time to clean everything out again. This is turning into one of those summers where I seem to spend more time working at the pool than enjoying it. Filter was all full of pink slime. It seems I can brush (more like towel) down the walls every few days. No ill will intended in any way towards either aqua finesse pool tablets or the recently-tried ahhsome product, but I think I've won a few battles and yet are losing the war. I'm beginning to think that there is simply nothing out there that will keep the pool in the shape I'd like it to be. Once again, however, we did have aLOT of rain the past few days. The whole summer has been that way. When I came home from being out-of-state on Tuesday morning, I put in the grids, and by Thursday the water was crystal clear. Today I can't even see the drain. I will be ready to close the pool in 6 weeks if this is the way things are going to continue. While I miss swimming greatly in the off-season, it's such a relief to not have to always be worried about how the water is looking or what the pressure is. Shouldn't running a pool be less stressful than this?

I would like to know....how often during a season, on average, do chlorine users have to dismantle and clean the DE grids and tank? I must have done it 7-8 times already since July.
 
My DE filter is oversized compared to my pool volume (100sq ft DE filter on a 16k gallon pool). I don't backwash, ever. I simply tear down and clean out the filter twice per year. Last year I got too busy to do my Fall clean out and I ran it for a year straight. No hit in flow rates at all and the filter performance was perfect the entire time. I also use a spun polypropylene hair net in the skimmer which catches all the pollen, little leaves, bugs, etc.

When a chlorine pool is properly balanced and sanitized, there's absolutely no algae to foul up the filter. Therefore, all it's doing it filtering particulates from the water.
 
I think mine filters 52 sq ft. for 12,500 gallons. I can't even imagine only cleaning a filter twice per year. Then again, I can't imagine running the pool non-stop (which I assume you do in Tucson). MUST be nice :) Of course, in my case, 12 months a year of mold/slime/filter cleanings would - I think - lead me to eventually fill the thing in with dirt and plant perennials in it. Who wouldn't want a garden with a lovely granite coping border ? Sorry...but in a very cynical and negative mood today with regards to the pool.
 
I don't cover or heat the pool and I don't have solar heating so my swim season is roughly May-Oct. so I get about 5 months of use and about 7 months of just staring at a pool full of clear water. It costs practically nothing to run the pool in the winter time as the chlorine loss is negligible, my pumps only run about 2hrs/day and algae doesn't grow in water that's below 60F. So last winter, after my salt water chlorine generator shut off (SWG's don't generate chlorine below 60F), I added chlorine to my pool twice in 4 months. Total liquid chlorine use over winter = 1 gallon. Less than 1 gallon of acid was used.

So really, in the winter, the pool maintenance is nothing. It's a very nice looking bird bath....
 

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