Cleaner Bag Has Algae

[EnvChemist]

The pool is clear and has chlorine, but the Hayward Viper cleaner bag has green algae in the bag's seams and where the plastic slider closes the bag. Two weeks ago, I put the bag in boiling water for 30+ minutes. A lot of the algae disappeared, but now it is back as much as before. Two years ago, I had this problem and I soaked it in diluted chlorox bleach. The bag started tearing in about 3 or so weeks. I then bought a new debris bag.
My question is this: How can I clean this debris bag and not cause it to fall apart?

 

[257WbyMag]

Welcome to TFP!

Your pool may have some chlorine in it, but if anything is getting algae, be it the bag or something else, then you likely don't have enough chlorine in your pool.

Can you please post a full set of test results, to include: FC, CC, TA, pH, CYA, and CH?

 

[EnvChemist]

The pH was 7.6, I just added acid to get to pH 7.4. FC was 0.5 ppm, I added Cl to bring to 4 ppm. TA = 90, CH = 230, CYA = 90 ppm. I don't know the total chlorine if that what CC is.

 

[chem geek]

Welcome to TFP!

With a CYA of 90 ppm (assuming that's accurate -- you should have a TFTestkits TF-100 or Taylor K-2006 test kit), then you need a minimum Free Chlorine (FC) level of 7 ppm for a manually dosed pool to prevent algae growth or at least 4 if not 5 ppm at all times in an SWG pool such as yours (see the Chlorine / CYA Chart in the Pool School -- in fact, read the Pool School to learn a lot more about how to manage your pool including Water Balance for SWGs).

The active chlorine (hypochlorous acid) level that actually kills the algae is proportional to the FC/CYA ratio so with a higher CYA level one needs a higher FC level to prevent algae growth (unless one wants to spend more on algaecides, phosphate removers, copper ion systems that can stain, etc.).

 

[257WbyMag]

Keeping with the advice that chem geek has given about the relationship between free chlorine and CYA levels, I think that if you raised your FC to correspond with your CYA level, your algae issues would disappear. Raise your FC to 5 and keep it there and everything should work itself out.