Black Algae? I didn't maintain FC during winter :-(

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bankingdom

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Feb 15, 2017
49
Texas
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Hi Guys,

I think I have black algae??

I didn't maintain my FC level over the winter time. I have a leaf cover and when I opened the pool this past weekend, I have black streaks / dots all over the sides of the pool.

I believe its a plaster pool.

I've been reading and it seems very very very hard to get rid of this. I feel like kicking myself for not getting Salt water chlorinator last year. I thought I could keep putting chlorine over the winter, but I kept forgetting.

Should I just hire a pool guy to clean it up? They want $350 and they said they might need to drain the pool to do it.

Or should I maintain high FC and keep scrubbing. I just don't have the time to scrub the entire pool 3 times a day.

My CYA is around 50

Please help! I was dumb to not maintain my FC during the winter, and now I'm paying for it!
 
You can do it yourself for a far bit less money. I bet the pool guy won't brush it as much as it will need anyway. What you do is SLAM it and then maintain FC a bit high for some more time after, and daily brushing is probably minimum until it's gone. Might take a week or two.

Here's the SLAM method. First step is getting your pH down to 7.2 which will save you some money on chlorine. The written instructions need to be followed to the letter. There is also a video that gives a rough visual idea of a SLAM. SLAM Process

FWIW, and pictures are sometimes hard to tell, I'm just seeing regular algae myself.
 
If a pool guy wants to drain your pool to do something... run!! If he wants to drain your pool and do an acid wash... kick him in the x-x-x-x first, then run!!!*

There are circumstances in which either procedure might be appropriate, but I'll come here to TFP to vet it out first (just as you are doing), before I'll ever let a pool guy drain my pool again. I'm still trying to get my x-pool-guy to pay for the $6K in damage he did!

* Can I say "x-x-x-x" here? Shins is what I meant, yah, shins...
 
Nothing in the pics looks like black algae.

SLAM the pool and observe the results. If the streaks and stains are still there, you may have algae embedded in calcium deposits.

Can you post a current set of test results?
 
Thanks guys!

My neighbor told me to add the shock packets - I added 6 lbs yesterday of dichlor! Sheeesh. Should have read the replies first. :brickwall::brickwall:

I'm going to re run my CYA now. It must be super high?

Do I have to drain half the water to get my CYA down, then start the SLAM process? Or is 6 lbs of dichlor not going to raise my CYA that much?

I'll do a complete chemistry test and post tomorrow.

My only concern is I really won't be able to scrub the pool 3 times a day. Probably be lucky if I can scrub it once a day.

Lets hope its just regular algae, but I've been scrubbing it and and its not coming off, I though only black algae doesn't come off with scrubbing.

Thanks again for the help!
 
I'm going to re run my CYA now. It must be super high?
Click to expand...
Hard to tell at this point.
I'll do a complete chemistry test and post tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Yes! Hopefully there will be some sunlight for a good CYA test. That's key. For now, simply slow down. You have great advice here at TFP from members who have seen countless situations just like yours. You have a TF-100, so start with that tomorrow and post those results. Remember - no more guessing, no more pool store, friend, or neighborly advice unless they are a TFP member with a TF-100 (or Taylor K-2006C). :wink: Tomorrow's test results will get you going. As Dave said, I suspect most of the mess is regular algae, but even if there are stubborn areas we'll help guide you. Have a nice evening, we'll chat tomorrow. :cheers:
 
Once a day brushing will get it done. Even skipping brushing a day here and there will get it done; might take longer. What really counts is the FC level being sustained; adding liquid several times the first day, and then three or more times a day after that. Early morning, lunchtime, dinnertime, before bed type of thing. Missing lunchtime is OK, or if someone is home, you can leave a jug handy for them to pour in. The pump will be running 24/7 until the algae is annihilated anyway.
 
6 lbs of diclor raised your fc by 16 and cya by 15 in 25,000 gallons pool. To get the same fc result without messing with your cya, you could have added 4.8 jugs of 8.25% bleach.

I found this information by using pool math effects of adding chemicals at the bottom.

Tfpc = math + science

Pool store, neighbor = maybe
 
Dirk said:
If a pool guy wants to drain your pool to do something... run!! If he wants to drain your pool and do an acid wash... kick him in the x-x-x-x first, then run!!!*

There are circumstances in which either procedure might be appropriate, but I'll come here to TFP to vet it out first (just as you are doing), before I'll ever let a pool guy drain my pool again. I'm still trying to get my x-pool-guy to pay for the $6K in damage he did!

* Can I say "x-x-x-x" here? Shins is what I meant, yah, shins...
Click to expand...

[emoji23] ! Wrong number of x’s for shins! Lol!!
 

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HiddenRiver said:
[emoji16] I figure the best way to apply justice is by winning all your local pool owners to TFP![emoji2]
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Ha, I've been trying. Might have the guy across the street. He just moved in. I've already given him the TFP talk, and he feigned interest, but I don't think he's actually here yet. Guy down on the corner is only there every couple of weeks, to check on his aging father who lives there full time. They use the same pool guy that had temporarily taken over for my x-pool-guy, who I used for my plaster startup. I had just started TFP, and caught the new guy flubbing the TA test, right in front of me. So I fired him, too, and finished the startup myself. They're all knuckleheads. Any way, don't know what to try on someone that can only care for a pool every other week. Plus, they think their pool is fine, so maybe a lost cause (short of jumping their fence and perpetrating a K-2006!). My third "project" is family, who's pool is in a real bad way: plaster shot, algae, etc. They're using my first x-pool-guy, even after I told them what he did to my pool. They even talk about the rash they got from swimming last season!! I was working on them again last night. They totally understand they'd be better off doing it themselves, but they just don't want to.

So I try to lead 'em here, but the pool industry has a strangle hold on their flock... Whadda ya gonna do?

Like the OP of this thread. He's pokin' around here, seeing if TFP is for him. Sounds like he's already figured out that he should be TFPCing, but he's got a bandwidth challenge. TFPC is really a very small time commitment, but some people even struggle with committing even that small amount... What to do?
 
cfherrman said:
Dirk, take your family over to your pool. Have you been able swim in your tfpc approved water? If not your in for a treat!
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No! And it's killing me. New pebble. New water, new TFP water!! This all went down in October, and it's been in the 50s ever since. I have to use the PVC pipe water sampling trick for my testing 'cause I can barely get my arm in the thing!! So I'm ramping up CYA and salt now, then SWG and solar soon, all in anticipation of having the perfect pool by mid-spring! Good idea. I'll have 'em over, get 'em in the pool, and show 'em what's possible.

I was desperate last night, I tried to convince the wife to take over the pool and talk her husband into giving her the pool-guy money each month instead! That almost worked...

He's set in his ways, and doesn't like change. She thinks the weekly care will be too much work (mostly the brushing). So I told them about SWG, but haven't broached robots yet. He's a bit of penny pincher. Might take a spreadsheet to show him how TFP and a robot and a SWG make sense...

Has anyone done a cost benefit analysis of SWGs, compared to chlorine? Robot vs pool guy is a no brainer!

Although robot running costs vs pressure-side vac running costs would be illuminating. Anybody done any work on that?

OP, is that something for you to consider? Let a robot do some of the brushing and between-season work you're having a time with?*

* See that? How I make a thread I've hijacked somehow seem less so? ;)
 
It is given here that a tpfc swg over time costs the same as sling bleach over time.

It is also given here and in my own experience that it is lost on people the way we do it, just comment when they have problems that you never do.

"Huh, my pool is never not clear. What's algae? Is that a pathogen? Your putting too much work into your pool!" Etc
 
Thanks for the info guys!

OK, NO MORE random advice from people who think they know something.

Here are my Results from yesterday:

CYA: 30 (I'm not sure why its so low) This is AFTER the 6 lbs of dichlor shock
FC: 28 (again, after the 6 lbs of shock)
CC: Zero to 1
TA: 30 (is this a reason why I can't get rid of the stains?) Should I bring this up higher now, or after the shock?
PH: 7.4 (I'm using a probe, I still havn't figured out the color thing on the TF-100)

BTW, these are with last years chemicals from TF-100, I did store it in doors, I promise!

So after adding the 6 lbs of dichlor a bunch of green cloudy stuff fell to the bottom of the pool. My crappy zodiac suction vacuum things black rubber tracks keep coming off and it gets stuck, so it hasn't really been able to suck all the stuff up, but the walls are still loaded with dark streaks and spots, the floor is looking much better.

I'll keep adding liquid bleach from now on and I'll try and test FC daily and keep it up to shock levels.

Right now I've been brushing about once a day and the bottom is better, but the sides are still the same.

Thanks for all the help! I'll send new updated pictures soon.
 
Did you let the water sample warm up before doing the cya test, did you do the cya test outside on a sunny day?

If your cya was 50 last year and fell to 15 over the winter and then was built up to 30 with the 6 lbs of diclor, it's possible, depending on rain and other conditions.

The fc test is in accurate over 10 fc, I don't know about the probe though.
 

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