Hello from chessie6

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chessie6

chessie6

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LifeTime Supporter
May 21, 2010
188
East Hartford, Connecticut
Hello all,

I've been mostly a reader of this forum and the original one (Ben's pool forum) for quite awhile now and have gained a wealth of information. I'm so grateful that I've decided to try and participate more (my time is limited because I'm giving caregiving my 96 year old dad) in order to try to help and encourage others the way I was when I needed the help.

I've always had a passion for swimming pools and water ever since I was a kid, and more lately (11 years ago) started with a 15 x 42 pool with just a wall and no upright supports, then 9 years ago had a 24 x 52 AG pool, and 5 years ago we had an IG put in. I also have a 500 gallon Hot Springs Vista hot tub which is almost 6 years old, and before that had a Thermo Spas tub for 4 years.

I'll be trouble free of water issues, then have a bought of "something," be trouble free for awhile, then something again - and because this cycle keeps repeating itself I decided to start from scratch and really study Pool School now. People tell me over and over that they've never seen a more clearer, sparkling clean pool than mine, yet two weeks ago I got stuck with pink algae! So, I'm here to work on what I missed in pool school.

I also love to encourage friends and neighbors to have a pool and really support the pool industry, and pass on the word to them things such as what Alkalinity Plus really is, etc. and to tell them about this forum. I'm so grateful to save money on pool chemicals especially now because I got laid off last year. Also, I love to listen to all the happy sounds coming from my neighbor's pools when the children are swimming!

Happy swimming! :cool:
Jan
 
Welcome to TFP!!

Any chance you're over by Berlin? I've got a couple pools that way that have the pink/ purple biofilm issue.

I don't know the cause but it seems that in some areas it's prevalent.

I believe that keeping your fc close to the max will deter the bionasties - I think it's like black algae and to keep it 'at bay', once it's killed, you need to maintain a higher than normal fc.

Sorry, but that's the best I can do (unless you're within striking distance of Waterbury, then I can come out and see for myself :) )
 
Thank you everyone for the nice welcome!

Hello Ted, I'm not too-too far; I'm in East Hartford. It's interesting that you've seen the not-so-pretty-in-pink nearby; until now I've never seen it or heard of anyone who has had it. If you are ever in my area, you would be most welcome to see my pool - pm me for details anytime and come see my pride and joy. :-D

So far this pink algae issue is under control - I say under control because I have a feeling that it's still lurking. :twisted:

We treated it initially with a triple dose of 12.5% liquid shock - by the time the 6th bottle was added, you could see the pink disappearing. The next day everything looked fine, then 10 days later it was back.

So, we shocked again and cleaned the filter cartridges, solar cover, brushes, ladders - you name it - with a special Chlorox disinfecting cleaner, and rinsed everything very very carefully before it was put back into the pool. Doing all the soaking, scrubbing, and cleaning was a JOB, one that I hope we don't have to do again - argh..

You are correct about needing to keep the FC levels higher because the minute they dip, I start noticing an odor around the pool. I have a nose like a beagle dog, and it seems when this odor is more noticeable is when surfaces start to feel slippery again. It's hard to describe it: it's like the smell of the winterizer or algecide we put in in October when closing the pool, and sometimes it's like old beer . . stinky and stale. But I notice it's been getting fainter after each shock.

I've been brushing a lot too, running the pool vac more, and keeping the solar cover off. I shocked it again Friday night and the liner is feeling more and more squeaky clean and the water was brilliant today. Another thing - when adding more water I let the water run through the hose for a couple minutes to flush it out before letting the water go into the pool. This is definitely a process!
 
You are doing everything right! :goodjob:

I especially like your sig and the fact that you chose to help support this site right out of the gate :cool:

You've got to come to the VIP area and join us for a little fun and off topic discussions :-D

Again, you have a very good grasp on what's going on with your pool :whoot:
 
Thank you for the support and encouragement - I've researched about pink algae on the internet and checked out the posts here as well, and then done what makes sense. I'm such a pool freak that when this bacterial invader came in to my pool it was much like a feeling like my home was broken into, if you know what I mean. And to support this site is the least I can do after gaining such valuable information from it.

Another tip I had read for pink algae control is to leave the cover off of the skimmer if possible to let the sun have access to it - we don't have children here so it's not a hazard for us to leave an opening next to the pool, but I caution those who do have little ones. It's very easy to forget that the cover is off and to step into the skimmer . . ouch.

Will visit the VIP area next chance I get.
 
Does that mean taking the light out to clean it? I wasn't sure if water goes in and out in there, but I know there's room to get a tiny brush behind the rim that is next to the liner. I dove underwater this afternoon with my speedo goggles on to get a look under one of the ladder treads and sure enough, I see some pink stuff starting under there again. The cleaning will have to wait until tomorrow because when a crack of thunder sounded, I made my exit very quickly!

This rain is WONDERFUL! I can't believe how dried up everything is this summer, in contrast to the lush summers we've had in the past. We have lots and lots of flower gardens in the back yard which have taken a beating, but the lawn is the worst. I was swimming when the first sprinkles started and for awhile I thought maybe that's all we were going to get - and then finally the skies opened up fully. Yippee!

Pool temp today was 85.4 give or take - perfect!
 
My TF-100 test kit has arrived ALREADY! Yikes, that was fast!

I had bought test strips to measure CYA and using them for ballpark readings doesn't even cut it - I went from 0 CYA to 100 within a few days, then back down to approximately 20 or 30, then somewhere between 50 and 100 again, then maybe around 50 now. hmmmmmmmmm
 

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Yesterday afternoon, me and my TF-100 test kit got acquainted . . here are my readings which are not the same as what I've been currently using to test my pool (OTO/Phenol Red and strips for CYA and CH):
FC 4.5
CC 0
PH 7.2
TA 70
CH 120
CYA 80

So, we are going to drain down some of the water and replace it in order to reduce the CYA . . the city water isn't expensive in my town, and it makes sense rather than to keep supporting our pool using extra bleach and liquid pool shock.
 
With your CYA of 80 ppm that you didn't realize because you were using test strips, you probably weren't maintaining a minimum FC level of 6 ppm so algae was able to grow faster than chlorine could kill it. Out of everything in the pool school, the only thing more important than having a good test kit (NOT test strips, but something like the TF-100) is having chlorine in the pool. Test strips are notoriously bad at reading CYA levels -- even the Taylor CYA test isn't easy, but it's generally more reliable.
 
chessie6 said:
CG, You are correct when you say I wasn't maintaining enough chlorine in the pool, and between always fighting algae on the steps or around the light I got stuck with pink algae this year. If I didn't find this forum I wonder what I'd be doing now.
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Swimming in pink water :lol:

I'm glad you got the cya down and now have a real kit! :cheers: As I said, you've got a good grasp on this and now your pool should be truly trouble free :goodjob: :party:

p.s. don't forget to bring in the hanging plants and secure everything down for the storm we're getting tonight!
 
I love pink . . but prefer an aqua pool please!

Pink slime has to be the strangest thing to see in a pool - the heaviest concentration of it was on the front parts of the steps of the ladders, and when I scraped my finger along it, it came off in a gelatinous pinkish-red mass that was so nasty. At first I thought it had something to do with the RV antifreeze that we used for the first time in the plumbing for winterizing - the antifreeze that Namco sells is blue, but we decided to try the pink stuff that WalMart sells. But for psychological purposes, I won't be able to get myself to put in pink antifreeze this fall!

I love using the TF-100 test kit! I feel like I'm in my laboratory mixing potions . . but really like the way results are obtained when the sample turns the whatever color after adding drops. I do get rather hinky when the samples are pink, however!

I checked out the storm watches and right now Southern Fairfield County is under watch . . many times my area gets missed I think because we are in the valley, but I'll go for some more rain any time. The pool area is just loaded with flower gardens and those heavy winds make such a mess in the pool - the other day an umbrella fell over and cracked a planter right next to the pool - I came this close to having a bucketfull of potting soil fall into the pool - whew. Maybe since you are south of me, you'll get something - hope it won't be bad for you.
 
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