7 days of shocking, still getting whipped

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DonW

DonW

0
Jun 27, 2008
97
Central IL.
I'm in my 7th day at shocking at mustard algae level; +36-41 ppm, every hour, of every day, for 7 days! At last count and this is off the top of my head, it was in the neighborhood of 75 gallons of 6% bleach. 3 sets of DPD titrating reagent and DPD powder, and every day of brushing the pool. My CYA when last tested was 55-60. My over-night FC test is still 2 ppm loss. I've pulled the ladder and thermometer, but can't pull the aqualuminator light. The mustard algae didn't look horrible, just in a couple of seams in the coving on the shady side of the pool. Water has been crystal clear and after the first day the algae can no longer be seen. Been running my pump 24/7 and have a leak somewhere and is putting bubbles into the return, so I have no idea where my PH is. Going into this I knew my PH was nearing the high-side, around 7.65ish, so after a week of blowing millions of tiny bubbles from the return, I arbitrarily added 1/2 gallon of MA, knowing the PH had to be up.
Anyone have any thoughts? I'm sure I'm bleaching the liner by holding my FC level this high, and don't want to win the award for longest battle with mustard algae. Last test of the day is at 9 and first test is at 6 before the sun comes out. I'm using a 5 ml sample of water because I cannot distinguish a 10 ml sample when testing, as the sample turns from a very light pink to very light orange, never clear. I'm assuming because the FC is so high. I know the 5 ml sample is not as accurate, but it gets me close enough without having to buy 3 more 2 oz bottles of reagents. I test and add every hour until I have to go to work at 2, and then at 4 my wife takes over. Don't know how's she doing, but every night I test when I come home at 11 and the sample she's drawn at 9 tests out to around 41 ppm, so I'm assuming she's on schedule.
 
Man that is a lot of testing! I don't think you need to test quite that much and a ten mL sample would be better than five for sure. Test less and it will work out fine. You are still getting beat so do you mean you are still seeing high CC as well? I would guess so if you are losing 3 PPM every night. Keeping you pH lower will help a lot too, so be sure to do that. I really would like to see your numbers with a ten or twenty mL sample honestly. Test less often and bigger, then tell us how that goes.
 
It sounds like you're doing exactly what you need to, and awesomely at that.

It's probably time for a triple dose of POP.

Leebo has been converting his Baqua pool for about 9 days at 15ppm with 0 CYA. You have 55.

ShortdogOH has been shocking his swamp for like 5 or 6 weeks at 17+ppm with 0-25 CYA raised over time.

You have mustard algae. Hear tell mustard algae is a bigger issue than Baqua and swamps :~}

You're doing great. Hang in there. When it turns, it'll be sweet and all your hard work will pay off.

I hope someone can address your pH issue, the bubbles very well could be causing it to be high.
 
Let me give you encouragement to keep on going . . we had pink algae this spring and had to do the same and so many times I wondered if it was ever going to end! I thought my pool was ruined and would never be free of this monster . . I couldn't imagine how an organism could still be alive after putting so much bleach into the pool and wondered if my liner was going to make it through this. The key to getting rid of it is persistence since it is so resistant to chlorine, and I promise you your diligence will pay off. Keep on battering it with bleach and it will keep weakening. Once my overnight chlorine loss was around 2 I just kept my chlorine levels higher than recommended for most of the summer and finally last week I entered the pool to a squeaky clean feeling on my pool floor without the traces of slipperiness that pink slime gives. I did it the slower way and it still worked and now I add a bottle of bleach every other day for the most part.

All my best to you,
Jan
 
Then I won't feel too bad yet -- I've only passed the 3rd night at MA shock level with 2+ ppm FC loss each night + a couple days before that at normal shock level w/o any FC loss at night.

In preparation for Irene, I've drained the pool of water & filled it with chlorine. That ought to take care of it. ;)
 
Thanks to all for the encouraging kind words, I needed them. I'm thinking that I must be feeding the algae oxygen by the leak in the system, but it is hard plumbed and I don't have a clue where the leak is, other than on the suction side. So oxygen and sunlight = maybe enough sustainability for whatever and wherever it is. I'm going to redo the hard plumb next year, but need to get to closing. The water is delightfully warm, too bad I've already "closed" it by removing the ladder. Instead of a nice swim I'd be grateful to beat this thing. My thoughts on the testing are that if I can keep the FC at a higher constant level while I'm at home, the better off in the long run. To be honest I haven't checked for CC. Why bother, I'm losing 2 ppm every night. The first 5 nights I was losing 5 ppm, but the last two have been 2. The magic number will be 1 for me, and I promise to take a 10 ml sample when that time comes, and check for CC. It's just tough to distinguish from when it goes to a very light pink, and then bam it goes to a very light tinge of orange. Messes up your count on the drops, and I'm already counting out loud.
 
Just as you're getting from super light pink and are expecting the next drop to make it go clear, it doesn't. Then you add 1 or 2 more drops and it goes to a very light tinge of orange. It never goes clear for me testing a 10 ml sample, of +40 ppm FC at 80 plus drops of reagents. 3 different bottles have produced the same results. Could be op error. But I think I can distinguish colors pretty good.
 

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Yes, but it quite never gets clear. Taylor DPD powder and Taylor FAS-DPD Titrating Reagent.
Just as you're expecting it to go clear, it goes to a super faint orange. Am testing under halogen lights by the kitchen sink at 11 pm. Maybe the lighting conditions at that time of night is casting an orange tint to it. But I have never seen clear in this past week with a 10 ml sample. I do get clear however with a 5 ml sample. That's why I've stuck with a 5 ml sample in addition to using half of the reagent. When I get to a loss of 1 ppm I'll attempt the 10 ml sample again. Tonight I'll try another 10 ml sample and test in another location of the house.
 
You're using two heaping scoops of powder, right? And it turns hot pink when you add the powder only? Or is it medium/light pink when you begin adding R-0871? Are there solid powder particles left on the floor of the vial?

Just attempting to troubleshoot this orange thing. I've never had the chlorine that high so bear in mind that I'm completely inexperienced and troubleshooting based on only what I know.

I'd probably be using the 5ml sample too. A lot of reagent is required to test 40+ppm.
 
Well it's official, I'm an idiot. I've proved once again that I should be wearing a dunce cap. I normaly would test with a 10 ml sample only at night as the last test of the day. Conditions are different at night, like you have the faux wood blinds closed and you're looking at the sample tube with that as a backdrop. duoh!
Before going to work I checked on my last sample and I had closed the blinds previous to that. I'm looking at the 5 ml sample and I get to the end where it turns clear, and it had a slight orange tinge to it. Wait a minute. Look through the sample and what do you see. A soft orange glow coming from the faux wood blinds!
Somebody come and take this pool away from me, I don't deserve it.
 
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