Mustard Algae?

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ok....just tested. FC is at 29.5. it is after sunset so will retest in the am.

my big question is if i pass OCLT should I proceed to mustard shock level?

And if so......how do I clean light fixtures?
 
AimeeH said:
zea3 said:
I have some questions. What size pump do you have? What type filter do you have? How forceful does the flow feel from the returns? When was the last time you cleaned the pump strainer pot? When was the last time you cleaned the filter?
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ok....I think I have this correct. pump is Hayward 1.5 hp. filter is sand. I have never cleaned the sand. Build was done in late July 2011. SWG is pentair. Pump pressure is 12 psi at all times. I backwash often (maybe too often?). We have had to remove (backwash) water a bunch this year with so much rain. Because of rain I've stayed on top (I thought) of my water balence......bumping up chlorine output before storm etc.

I have two skimmers and 8 returns. Two of the eight returns are 1.5 inch threaded pvc. The other 6 are "eyes". The flow is forceful (seemingly same as it was right after build) out of all returns. There are two "eyes/jets" at the deep end swimout steps.....visible in pic posted of "clear water"......although pump was not running at time of photo.

edit.....filter pressure not pump pressure is 12 psi

This area where I think there is algae has the poorest circulation.....I know because that is where there is always dirt build up settling.

We clean out the basket at the pump on a regular basis (weekly?) when there is visible debris.
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Thanks for the information. I was trying to see if a reduction in flow was contributing to poor circulation in that area, but it sounds like flow is ok. You may want to experiment with adjusting the position of the returns to get better circulation. There may be something you can add to the fixed "eyes" so you can adjust their position as well.
 
woke up too late for accurate OCLT. :hammer: :sleep:
At 10ish this morning FC was 25.5. I know that is of no value for OCLT because the sun had already been on it. Keeping it at shock level (I hope since I had to leave for work this afternoon) and will try again tonight. I will be home to test in about 1/2 hour. Hopefully it is still above 20.
 
FC was fine while left alone all afternoon. I added cal-hypo before leaving for work as it had dropped to 24 I think. (Around 11am). Just checked and it is 28. As I said previously I chose the cal-hypo because I didn't want to deal with the amount of bleach required....not to mention stores closest to me probably wouldn't have had the amount I needed in stock (Wally world shelves are always empty of things on Saturday afternoons here) and I live pretty far out in the country to consider going across town. My ch is/was 20 so saw no harm in that choice. So.......this brings me to the pool store anecdotal story....

There were two "kids" working there. I asked one the cost of the big box explaining the ounces I needed. He looked at me funny and proceeded to solicit help from the other as to why I needed that much. He went to get something else off the shelf to sell me explaining that if I did have mustard algae that chlorine would never ever kill it and I needed this other product. I explained i didn't want that product because I didn't want to add copper to the pool. He said "but this is a BONDED copper so it would be fine" (I have no knowledge of that). I proceeded to tell him that chlorine level at 60%of cya would kill mustard algae. At which point he shut up. I went back out to car to grab ipad and double check the amount I needed on the pool calculator. These two kids reviewed the pool calculator saying they wished they had something like that in their store because the explanations were so "cool." I told him its free online and carried out my products and left. To this day.....no pool store has ever tested my water. Maybe I should let them once or twice for gits and shiggles.
 
Any input here on mustard algae vs algae? Does mustard algae eat up FC significantly? As of last weekend I was still doing OCLT for my own sanity and passing with no loss. So I kind of panicked when I saw that green stuff. I'm holding above shock level fine with SWG off. 6pm was 28 FC no CC. 9pm 27FC no CC and no additional chlorine added. I will even stipulate that the 28 reading could have had error because one drop of reagent hit inside top of vial instead of testing mixture (requiring one extra drop of reagent?).

Am I over reacting here? If I pass OCLT should I even bother going to mustard shock level?

Help?
 
Mustard algae is a particularly persistent kind of algae, that appears to go away when you shock the pool normally, only to reappear as soon as you come back down to normal chlorine levels.
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Well, if it was my pool, I'd stop shocking once the you pass the three tests that show you are done shocking. See red lines in my sig.

If, however, the algae reappears as soon as you come back down to normal chlorine levels, I'd do the whole mustard algae shock as described in Pool School.

Also, you mentioned having a dead area/poor circulation in that area. You should try to point returns and/or brush daily in the area to help.
 
Thanks again Butterfly but that still leaves unanswered questions for me. If mustard algae appears to go away with normal shock process then I'm assuming that means passing OCLT ? Therefore not much FC consumption? Which is why I feared mustard algae to begin with.......I was passing OCLT along with everything else (clear water and no CC) when I first spotted the green stuff about 1.5 to 2 weeks ago.

I appreciate the responses but how was I passing OCLT with clear water and no CC only to have the green stuff show up? My thought was mustard algae but this is where I'm uninformed. Have had good test results, clear water since 2011 with my TF-100 and never had to shock. By good test results I mean maintaining FC needed for my cya and never seeing any CC.....water has never turned back to pink on me with 5drops of reagent added after FC reading. I have done OCLT on a regular basis with my clear water for my own sanity check and always passed. In looking at my spreadsheet I did have FC as low as 4.5 once this season.....but at that time my CYA measured 60 so I really shouldn't have had a window of opportunity for algae.

I'm shocking now.......and part of me is unsure if this is/was the needed course of action.

Can anyone weigh in on mustard algae consuming FC?
 
Whether algae consumes a lot of FC has more to do with the quantity of algae than its type. The OCLT is not a good way to know if you've completely killed it. If the OCLT is not passed, then there's something needing to get killed or oxidized, but passing the OCLT does not ensure success if the algae is hiding in a light niche or under a removable ladder or in a cleaning net's pole, etc. Yellow/mustard algae prefers shade so it's more likely for you not to completely get rid of it if you don't check the places it likes to hide. Shocking alone is not sufficient unless you get into those other nooks and crannies since they tend to have poor circulation so the algae won't get hit with the full high chlorine level needed to eradicate it.

With green algae, the standard procedures work better because the pool's normal FC level above the standard minimum FC for your CYA level will kill it, but that is not the minimum for yellow/mustard algae -- that minimum is roughly double. So that is generally impractical to always maintain. It's an option, but most people prefer to eradicate the algae and not reintroduce it.
 

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Thank you for that explanation. I think I will take butterfly's advice and finish shock process since it is unknown to me what kind of algae this would be. If it comes back......then I guess I'll know. It has always been clear (never green or clowdy)then those small spots showed up I think that is why I had passed other OCLT tests.......because there was so little of it.....The first time, thinking it may have been pollen i wiped it up and did OCLT and passed. Now? OCLT failed. :(

9pm 27ppm 0cc
6am 24.5 ppm 0cc

Thank you everyone on this forum.
 
Ok.....this morning FC 24.5. This was one of those days where I left for work at about 7:40 am and didn't get to come home until well after 8pm due to swim meet. Had hubby add another 32oz of cal hypo then turn the SWG to 20% at aboutb3:30. I had him turn it off at about 8:30ish......at least 30 mins before I tested chlorine again. Tested chlorine at maybe 9:45 (details logged on spreadsheet) and it was 24.5. So I'm guessing that we never fell below shock level today.

One more OCLT to go........hoping .......I got this.......right?
 
Ok well don't scold me but got 22.5 FC last night and didn't finish counting drops this morning (I was running late for work). I stopped counting and swirling drops at 43 drops solution was getting clearER but I was running late and hadn't had coffee. Technically I think it is still at shock level as I think that is 18 to 20......because I can't read the cya test so well I always err on the high side. I actually changed my mind about the SWG and have it running at 20% tonight.

My SWG was keeping VERY high chlorine at 40% earlier in the summer (typically in the 8-10 range so I started using 20%) our pump timer got fried by lightning last year so we manually run it and guesstimate how long it has been on.......I think with putting chlorine @ 20% and maybe not running it enough with all the rain we have had is where I went wrong and got first ever algae in pool. We will hope it wasn't mustard as I'm letting it drop now. I guess we will see.

Butterfly I noticed you're also in sc. I'm in the midlands. Thanks for your words of encouragement.
 

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