Too cold for algae?Wrong.Swamp to sparkle in10 days & +/-$50

Jump to latest Follow Reply
B

Big_kid

0
Aug 6, 2011
307
Virginia Beach
We've started stocking up on bleach, I'll probably wait to tackle this until I can take some time off work. It stayed clear for quite some time on it's own, with just pollen on the bottom... until the leaves came and I couldn't keep up with them. This is what I ended up with:
The filter in the pic is only used for added circulation. The main pump/sand filter is connected to the skimmer.

210012.jpg


210011.jpg


210013.jpg


Hopefully it won't be long before we're back to this:(COME ON SPRING!)

0903121220.jpg
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

At this point, I think I would wait to shock until Spring and i was ready to clean up and get the pool open. Return whatever bleach you can so you can get fresh in the Spring. If you can't return it, it will be OK.

You may find the pool will clear up a lot on it's own as the water temp cools down. Vacuuming and running the pump once a day for an hour or so is a good idea.
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

What have your water temps been at since you stopped adding Cl and closed your pool at shock level for the winter?

I had this happen to me, I had her at shock, shut it down, didn't cover it and just kept running the pump. Well the leaves were still falling and even though the temps were staying below 60, it had risen above that enough, sporadically, that algae grew.

Although nowhere near as bad as your outbreak. :?
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

Dave, I see your wisdom. The procrastinator in me likes the idea of waiting until spring. That procrastinator also had a hand in letting the pool get to be this bad in the first place. I'll keep the bleach we bought in a cool dark place until it's time to use it. I'd rather spread the cost out over the winter than go wild come spring. Besides- is there much difference between it sitting in my garage and sitting in a grocery store warehouse? Climate wise they're about the same.

Y_not, I must confess- I didn't shock or shut it down. I did put a thermometer in a month or two ago, IIRC it was 52 degrees or so. I know it was cold enough that my wrists hurt trying to pick up and vacuum what I could. I'm sure the chlorine got to zero, as I've not added any in quite some time. I'm thinking that come spring it will be time to clean my sand & get busy.

Thanks for the advice guys.
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

It just gets better & better. The good news is that I'll have a new filter for this season. The bad news is I missed a temperature drop & the old one froze. $60 doesn't seem too bad to replace it.
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

Yes, algae absolutely can grow when it's cold. If food spoils in the refrigerator, algae won't be stopped from a little cold.
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

I skimmed a bit & scooped out a few leaves yesterday. This is going to be a fun process, I can just tell. I can't see the bottom, but what I can scrape up is pretty bad. It may put up a fight, but I will win. Game plan is to start this week, this weekend at the latest. I'm off next week and will have time to stay on top of it. I'll have the new filter by then & will be able to start vacuuming & running it 24/7, along with starting the shock process. I'm thinking we'll be done before the water warms up enough to get in.
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

It may put up a fight, but I will win.
Click to expand...
:party: :cheers: :party:

With that outlook, your poor ole' slimy algae and junk doesn't stand a chance. We love to see before and after pics if you get a chance and we'll all be around for questions if you have them. sic 'em!
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

I would suggest getting started. Who knows how long it will take. I have been at it for 2 weeks now and still cant see bottom. It isnt going to happen overnight.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

You are correct Fishcrazy, but I didn't have a replacement filter until last night. I made some time this morning to install it. Got everything hooked up and circulating, then went upstairs & took this before photo before I went to work. No chemicals or testing yet, just trying to get some of the crud out first. I'll start on that when I can, and hopefully be able to really hit it hard next week. Numbers, pics of any change, etc as they happen.
3-27-13_zps1359f8a3.jpg
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

I ran the pump with the skimmer attached for almost 24 hours. The surface is clear of debris now. I took the skimmer hose off and am letting the pump run just through the wall fitting. No appreciable change in appearance, other than the debris free surface. Head pressure did climb from 11 (normal) all the way up to 12- big change. Saturday I'll be able to spend some quality time with it- vacuuming (really looking forward to THAT) then starting with granular chlorine if my CYA is low- which I'm sure it is (after backwashing, the reason I haven't added any CYA/chlorine yet). It'll take some time, but it WILL be done.
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

Remember to clean your filter after a 20-25% rise from the clean pressure. So by 14psi.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short ;)
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

Came home from work, it was still at 11 - 12 PSI. I'll let it settle until Saturday, vacuum, backwash, then add some granulated chlorine as I'm sure I'll need the CYA. I stirred up a little bit of junk from the bottom... all I'll say is GROSS! That stuff must build up pretty quickly!

Updates as they happen. Thanks all!
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

I wasn't able to start until a few minutes ago, but an evening start is better than waiting another day. I've only got so much time off work here. I vacuumed to waste a bit, then broke out the leaf bag. I'd never needed it before but I'm glad now that I had it. Thanks sis!(inherited when they gave up their inflatable ring a few years ago)

I also found out I'm OUT of R13, but I have a suspicion that my CYA is 0. I only kept it around 35-45 last year. We've since had a hurricane hit, another one run along the coast, and numerous rain/snow storms that all overflowed the pool. I'd be surprised if there was any left. Following that train of thought I pulled up the pool calculator & punched in my numbers. I added 236 ounces of 6% and left the pump running. I'll check the chlorine in the morning & see where it's at, and add as needed to bring it back up to 15PPM. No new pics as I've not yet done anything to achieve a visible change.

Updates as they happen, stay tuned...
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

Ok, visible results overnight! I didn't take any readings at the start, nor did I test PH like I now realize I should have, but here's where it was this morning:

FC: 6.5 (was @15 according to pool caclculator)
CC: 2.0
TC: 8.5
PH: >8.2 (guesstimated around 8.4)
TA: 70

Punched this into pool calculator, then added 134 ounces of 6% bleach (ok, some was my 12%, I subtracted twice the # of ounces I used from the 6% figure)
Fortunately it's cloudy & overcast, that should help with the sun burning off chlorine. Unfortunately, it started raining while I was out there. Light rain, but still rain.

Time to go get the vacuum hose out of there before it recontaminates the water, rain or not.

The current state:
nowitsblue_zps037ad810.jpg
 
Re: I thought it was too cold for algae... I was wrong.

I have been! It's clearing up. I can see about halfway down now, and from an upstairs window I can see where the leaves settle into the center. I keep going after them, and they keep dispersing and escaping. I've been backwashing when the head pressure goes up to 13-14, it's normally 11. I went out for more chlorine earlier today. Sam's club no longer has it, Walmart wasn't that great a deal, the pool store won't have liquid until the middle of the month but was happy to try selling me powdered dichlor that "doesn't have stabilizer". I found some 10% liquid at the store that rarely has what I went in for: KMart. $4.49 per gallon. Slightly more than $9 for 2.5 gal of 12% @ the pool store, but it's what's available. I wasn't going to spend another $10 in gas plus waste the afternoon driving all over looking for it.

Details as they happen...
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply