Aqua Ammonia

[ETS]

Have searched everywhere and cannot find any evidence that Aqua Ammonia (alone) kills algae. Anyone have any experience or knowledge about this?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Straight to the Deep End, eh?

 

[JasonLion]

Ammonia and chlorine tend to combine to form monochloramine, which kills algae. Monochloramine is not affected by CYA, so at high CYA levels the monochloramine is much more effective at attacking the algae than chlorine is. This process is most effective at relatively high PH, because that favors the formation of monochloramine over some of the other possible reaction products. Once the algae is killed, you will need to add lots more chlorine to get rid of the monochloramine.

We don't recommend this approach to killing algae for a couple of reasons, but it can be effective if used correctly.

 

[ETS]

Ammonia and chlorine tend to combine to form monochloramine, which kills algae. Monochloramine is not affected by CYA, so at high CYA levels the monochloramine is much more effective at attacking the algae than chlorine is. This process is most effective at relatively high PH, because that favors the formation of monochloramine over some of the other possible reaction products. Once the algae is killed, you will need to add lots more chlorine to get rid of the monochloramine.

Exactly, but I read somewhere that algae mistakes the monochloramine for food and consumes it. In the process, the compound breaks down into it's constituent chlorine and then the chlorine is what actually kills the algae. Can't remember where I read that though.



Any more thoughts or evidence.

 

[StuartPool]

Gold fish are well known for excreting a large amount of ammonia in their tanks.
Eventually the level gets high enough to kill the fish.
Yet when you see a high ammonia level in a fish tank you will frequently see much alge.
My experience with ammonia, as I am for sure not a pool expert, but has been that ammonia is used to prevent alge growth after the super kill is done. It prevents it well, from what I remember in the old chem days in school.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I also think that ammonia is what is used to kill black mold? but it has to be applied directly at full strength, and scrubbed???

Again I aint no expert, but I think ammonia alone wont get it,

Heck though, Im still trying to get what I have in good shape lol

 

[chem geek]

My opinion is like a fart in a hurricane against them. I am looking for evidence to prove them right. If I can't find any then they must be wrong.

Any more thoughts or evidence.

People who have very strong beliefs often ignore evidence to the contrary so they probably won't believe any of what I am about to tell you even though it's based on scientific peer-reviewed papers which I usually consider to be the best source for factual information.

This paper talks about ammonium ion uptake by red algae. This paper also talks about ammonium ion uptake (note that nitrate is another nitrogen form that is readily used by algae). This paper talks about ammonium ion uptake for algae, but this is marine algae (so sea water). This paper is another. Here is another. Temperature dependence for ammonium ion and nitrate ion uptake by bacteria and algae is described here. More marine algae uptake of ammonium ion here. Uptake in cyanobacteria here (also known as blue-green algae). More algae uptake. Algae blooms and ammonium uptake. I'm getting bored, aren't you?

Now for monochloramine. This article talks about it, but you have to pay to find out the details. This paper is free and talks about monochloramine killing green algae. This paper states that monochloramine (NH₂Cl) is the most toxic substance that inhibits algal growth in chlorinated sewage effluent. There aren't as many scientific articles on this, but that doesn't make it less true -- it just makes it less interesting for investigation since people are more concerned with algae growth rates (for things like algal blooms in the ocean) than how quickly algae can be killed since it's not technically a pathogen.

Hope that helps,
Richard