Do I have mustard algae

[kirbdoc]

hey all!

About a week ago i noticed the liner was looking a bit dull, so when I brushed a thin cloud of "dust" came up. A week later that hasn't returned. I also had some dirt in the deep end and the usual place in the shallow end. I always get some sand and silt in these areas, but I vacume it up with my poolblaster with a silt filter and it stays gone for 2-3 weeks. This stuff started to come back after a couple days and I noticed it went straight through the filter of the pool blaster. Now this stuff looks and sounds like mustard algae, slight yellow/brown, brushes away but returns, and is super fine when I touch it. The problem is my chlorine demand is the same, overnite drop is 0, and I never let the chlorine drop very low. The lowest I've seen the chlorine is 4ppm If i miss a day, which is rare. I'm topping off the pool to vacume to waste this morning.

Tests this AM
FC 6.5
CC 0
Drop test 0
pH 7.5
TA 90
CH 260
CYA 40-50

Any other ideas to tell if this is Mustard Algae, can you have it without an increase chlorine demand?

Thanks

 

[zea3]

If you had algae you would see an increase in chlorine demand. It is likely fine pollen or silt. You can try lining your pool blaster filter with a skimmer sock and see if it catches more of the debris. Otherwise vacuuming to waste is probably your best bet.

 

[kirbdoc]

already tried that, helped a bit but not much. Going to try to vacume to waste in a bit. But man does it look like all the pics of mustard algae I've seen. The sad thing is, pool is clear, chlorine demand is normal, isn't hurting me, I'm just anal.

 

[zea3]

You can always bump up the FC but I have never heard of an algae outbreak that didn't increase FC demand significantly. Here in the Houston area weed pollens have really increased and you may just be seeing an accumulation of fall pollens in your area. If it is algae then it should have a slimy feel to it. Pollens and dirt feel dry and dusty in texture.

 

[kirbdoc]

your probably right, when ive tried to touch it, it doesn't feel like anything, just vanishes.

 

[woodyp]

I thought I had the same thing,...,but couldn't understand why my chlorine demand didn't go out the roof. Water was dull and had lost its' sparkle. I erred on the side of caution and shocked it anyhow. Good practice at least! Pretty sure now it was just ultra fine dirt/dust that I SWEAR appeared to have a green tint to it when I brushed it "lightly". Appeared being the key word with my old eyes I guess. I ran the pump 24/7 for three days during my probably unneccesary shocking process and brushed the pool bottom to stir it up. Just hasn't been that much pool activity lately with the weather cooling down to keep it 'stirred". The pool rover jr. wouldn't snag it either. Sometimes you just have to resort to good old manual methods. Some of it is STILL settling out even though water is back close to its' summer sparkle. A whole lot clearer at least.

 

[kirbdoc]

well I just vacumed it out to the yard (i think), but when I when to unhook the vac plate from the skimmer it had come off. So who knows if I actually vacumed it at all. I guess if it comes back in a couple days I'll try it again (with somone making sure the vac plate doesn't come off)