Chlorine isn't killing Algae!

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ktbunger

0
Apr 13, 2013
20
East Texas
New to board and this is my first attempt at BBB and I'm getting discouraged. I'm on day 3 of "turning my swamp into a sparkling oasis". The bloom was only about 4 days old when I started this process but still nice and deep green. No solids in pool and I've kept it at 14 FC for 2 full days now pump running 24/7. It started at 1.2 and after one good dose of 10% liquid chlorine it was up to 14. Tested every half hour first day and kept it at 14 but it never lost more than a few PPM each time. (k2006 kit) Even over the first night it only lost 1.5ppm. Day two i tested every half hour for a while but it wasn't losing FC so I changed to every hour and each check all day it never went below 12. Brushed day 1 and 2 and ran sweeper this morning for 3 hours to get it all waterborn. Water is still really green and algae settles on everything overnight -- nothing whitish or grey at all. Can barely see the sweep at the bottom when I start but after stirring it up for only a few minutes can't even see that. Ran out of regent for checking last night so don't know what it was at this morning but added 3C chlorine until my new supply arrived and it tested at 12. I realize I need lots of patience but I was at least hoping to see some change and it makes common sense to me that high dosage of chlorine should be killing something! It isn't following the flow of what "sparkling oasis" says should be happening at all. Last year I used pucks and granules and had lots of algae blooms and paid lots of money for chemicals that killed them. Endless cycle i'm hoping to avoid this year but its taking alot of self control not to go buy a $40 bottle of chemicals - let them kill the bloom - and then start the BBB :0) I think I'm going to do that till I get back on this board and start researching (i've spent HOURS) and get encouraged again!

Normal gauge reading is 21 psi and after 3 full days of running it is still at 21 psi. Backwashed this morning for first time since starting process and the water in bubble wasn't much dirty at all and still ran at 21 afterwards. I noticed last week (before I started BBB - right before the bloom :0) when I added granulated shock into my skimmer I could actually see the shock shooting out the return which leads me to believe maybe something is up with my filter? It was just installed and had new sand 3 months ago. That would stink but I would think still wouldn't explain the chlorine not killing the algae?

FC 14
CYA 30
pH 7.6
Hardness 260ppm
Alkalinity 151 ppm
Copper,iron, nitrate 0
water temp 72.

So am I on the right track or missing something significant? With all the reading I've done on here I want to say I appreciate y'all's patience with all us newbies!!!!!! All of your friendly advice and info provided in pool school is awesome! I'm sure this time of year makes you crazy!

Thanks!!!!http://www.troublefreepool.com/posting.php?mode=post&f=11#
 
First, I would suggest not putting chlorine into the skimmer. Chlorine will eat away at the plumbing. One of my skimmers doesn't work at all and needs to be replaced because the previous owner put chlorine tabs in one of the skimmers.

You mentioned the that algae settles at night. Are you running your pump 24 hours a day? You need to run the pump 24 hours a day to clear an algae bloom.

If you can't see the bottom of the pool, have you tried using a leaf rake to see if there is debris on the bottom of the pool?

I had algae when I opened this year and it never turned white, but it did turn a lighter shade of green when it died. I thought I wasn't making progress at first, but eventually I got mine sparkly. I have a DE filter which speeds up the clearing. I got mine all clear at the end of day 3. Do you have a neighbor with a DE filter? If so, I would borrow 1 pound of DE and add that to filter. The DE will capture the smaller algae particles. You can add DE directly into the skimmer and it won't hurt a sand filter. I would add 1/2 pound, wait a minute or two for the skimmer water to clear, and then add the other 1/2 pound.

If you have an algae bloom, it would clog your filter and increase the pressure quickly. The fact that you PSI isn't changing makes me think that not enough sand, incorrect sand, or you are not running the pump long enough. If someone installed the filter, I would ask the installer to inspect the filter as it sounds like it isn't working properly. I don't know enough about sand filters to give you advice on how to inspect/repair it.

An expert should come along soon to give you more help. Trust the BBB method!
 
So am I on the right track or missing something significant?
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Yes, you are missing something....chlorine KILLS algae.....it has no choice in the matter.
go buy a $40 bottle of chemicals - let them kill the bloom
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What would you buy?

I suggest you start back in Pool School with the ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and gain a good understanding of what each parameter means. Chlorine exists in your pool for one reason....to kill organics and it is killing them in your pool just like it does in everyone else's. Don't look for other reasons why it might not be worlking because if you are putting chlorine in your pool in the correct dosages, it is killing algae.

Have you read "How to Shock your Pool" in Pool School?
 
ktbunger said:
Last year I used pucks and granules and had lots of algae blooms and paid lots of money for chemicals that killed them. Endless cycle i'm hoping to avoid this year
FC 14
CYA 30
pH 7.6
Hardness 260ppm
Alkalinity 151 ppm
Copper,iron, nitrate 0
water temp 72.
Click to expand...
Guys,
I'm a beginner at BBB and hope I'm not sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong but based on what some of y'all told me, how can the CYA be so low if pucks and granules were used in abundance last year? Unless there was a partial water change? Just trying to learn and hoping to help too.....
Michael
 
Noah_Count said:
Guys,
I'm a beginner at BBB and hope I'm not sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong but based on what some of y'all told me, how can the CYA be so low if pucks and granules were used in abundance last year? Unless there was a partial water change? Just trying to learn and hoping to help too.....
Michael
Click to expand...

Could be water replacement or dilution due to a lot of rain. But we occasionally see where CYA disappears over the winter in a swamp ... some bacteria converts it to ammonia.
 
jblizzle said:
Noah_Count said:
Guys,
I'm a beginner at BBB and hope I'm not sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong but based on what some of y'all told me, how can the CYA be so low if pucks and granules were used in abundance last year? Unless there was a partial water change? Just trying to learn and hoping to help too.....
Michael
Click to expand...

Could be water replacement or dilution due to a lot of rain. But we occasionally see where CYA disappears over the winter in a swamp ... some bacteria converts it to ammonia.
Click to expand...
OK gotcha. My issue was that was puzzling folks was low CYA readings after adding lots of granulated shock this year. I ended up doing a major water change last weekend. I will follow along quietly now.... :cool:
Michael
 

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hmmm. whether the filter is channeled wouldn't change the fact that you should still see a color change in the water if the algae was dying. I would shock at 16-18 and see if that does anything. It wont hurt to go a little higher for 24 hours or so.
 
ktbunger said:
I will bump up the chlorine to 18 and see what happens. know anything about the one-time-30ppm shock? That is sounding appealing but I don't want to damage anything....
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There is no such thing as a one-time-shock. But, you can raise the FC higher if you want to risk damaging your pool and equipment :shock:
 
ktbunger said:
I've got "my pools not dead -- it's surely alive" stuck in my head :). If you don't know what I'm referring to you can ingnore the ramblings of this crazy chlorine testing obsessed woman
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Loved this! It made THIS crazy chlorine testing obsessed woman giggle (and in sure the song will now be stuck in MY head - every time I test!!), and for that, I thank you!! :)

C ~
 
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