Bought the house (with pool) and moved in around July 10th. Water had been great, but figured out last week that we had algae. Got the algae attack process going (with 6% Clorox) last Thursday (8/16) once my TF-100 arrived. My CYA is around 75, CC at .5 or under, so I've been keeping FC at/around 30 ever since. Things got a little cloudy, then a little cloudy-green, then WAY cloudy & couldn't see bottom (15x30 above ground oval), but now things are back to "a little cloudy", I can see bottom, and it's more of a white-cloudy, no more green. My 95sqft cartridge filters are swapped out every day, first couple days they came out puking dark dirty yellow, but are just kind of dirty/murky now. So we seem to be on the right track.
Some general questions:
1) I'm suppose to keep it at shock level to things are all cleared up...I'm also supposed to brush the pool down every day during the process. Should I be trying to do this strictly from OUTSIDE the pool using the full extension of my pole/brush (very difficult w/o a deck around the pool)??? OR is it safe for me to get in and brush the pool, even with my FC at 30?
2) Can I add some clarifier to help things clear up quicker?
3) SHOULD I add some clarifier to help speed things up?
4) My Overnight FC checks are still coming 2.5ppm down each morning...any feeling for how much longer this may last?
5) When I bought the house, they did NOT have the "Pool Steps" in the pool. But we did put them in. Would this have been a likely source of the algae's birth?
6) Once I clear things up, and after a full cleaning of the steps with a bleach/water spray, do you think I'm safe to put them back in the pool?
7) Is a 10:1 Water/Bleach mixture sufficient to treat things with before returning them to the pool?
8) In an oval pool, if the water return is at one end, is there a specific location that is best for pool steps? I had it at the opposite end of the water return - would that inhibit proper water circulation? Is there a better place for them to not inhibit circulation?
9) Those steps are slightly buoyant, and I feared they were rubbing on the bottom liner. So I bought one of those step/ladder pads to put underneath the steps, so they wouldn't hurt the liner. I bought it off Amazon. The underside of this mat had all kinds of green-ish looking algae growing on it when I removed it to clean it. Is it likely that the mat had algae spores on it when I received it and that it is the source of the algae's birth?
10) Is it safe/smart to put the ladder/step pad back in once things are cleared up and I've sprayed it with the 10:1 Water/Bleach mixture?
11) One of my boys up at a Northern Michigan Lake with my parents...likely wore the same suit @ the lake that he wore in the pool. Could this be a likely source of the algae?
12) I read in the "defeating algae" article on pool school that Poly-quat algaecides are useless for killing it, but seem OK as a prevention tool. Can anyone tell me how to identify a "poly quat"? We have some algaecide on hand (actually 2 different bottles) but I can't tell from the content labels if they are or are not poly quats.
Thanks all! What a great site!
Some general questions:
1) I'm suppose to keep it at shock level to things are all cleared up...I'm also supposed to brush the pool down every day during the process. Should I be trying to do this strictly from OUTSIDE the pool using the full extension of my pole/brush (very difficult w/o a deck around the pool)??? OR is it safe for me to get in and brush the pool, even with my FC at 30?
2) Can I add some clarifier to help things clear up quicker?
3) SHOULD I add some clarifier to help speed things up?
4) My Overnight FC checks are still coming 2.5ppm down each morning...any feeling for how much longer this may last?
5) When I bought the house, they did NOT have the "Pool Steps" in the pool. But we did put them in. Would this have been a likely source of the algae's birth?
6) Once I clear things up, and after a full cleaning of the steps with a bleach/water spray, do you think I'm safe to put them back in the pool?
7) Is a 10:1 Water/Bleach mixture sufficient to treat things with before returning them to the pool?
8) In an oval pool, if the water return is at one end, is there a specific location that is best for pool steps? I had it at the opposite end of the water return - would that inhibit proper water circulation? Is there a better place for them to not inhibit circulation?
9) Those steps are slightly buoyant, and I feared they were rubbing on the bottom liner. So I bought one of those step/ladder pads to put underneath the steps, so they wouldn't hurt the liner. I bought it off Amazon. The underside of this mat had all kinds of green-ish looking algae growing on it when I removed it to clean it. Is it likely that the mat had algae spores on it when I received it and that it is the source of the algae's birth?
10) Is it safe/smart to put the ladder/step pad back in once things are cleared up and I've sprayed it with the 10:1 Water/Bleach mixture?
11) One of my boys up at a Northern Michigan Lake with my parents...likely wore the same suit @ the lake that he wore in the pool. Could this be a likely source of the algae?
12) I read in the "defeating algae" article on pool school that Poly-quat algaecides are useless for killing it, but seem OK as a prevention tool. Can anyone tell me how to identify a "poly quat"? We have some algaecide on hand (actually 2 different bottles) but I can't tell from the content labels if they are or are not poly quats.
Thanks all! What a great site!