Is this Pollen?

[computerman]

I ditched the chlorinator a couple years ago and switched over to the BBB method, so happy! My pool is always blue, except for this "stuff" on the bottom of my pool. When I opened this year and before I started up my new SWG I thought it must be mustard algae. I took my pool up to Mustard shock level, 30PPM for 7 days back in May. Brushed the pool bottom every hour or two during the day and every night passed the overnight test running filter 24HRS daily. But, the "stuff" would come right back after 30 minutes of brushing. I thought I read that if it was mustard algae it would not come back until the chlorine dropped below mustard shock level, but it was coming right back. Not on the walls, always on the bottom. So, I assumed that it was Pollen. Once I got the SWG up and going I started running the filter from 8AM - 8PM. I noticed that after I ran the robot cleaner at night after the pump shut off the pool bottom would be clear and in the mornings the "stuff' would not return until the pump started back up.

What do you think?

If it was mustard algae, wouldn't it settle back on the bottom overnight without the pump running? When it's brushed it disappears but doesn't make a green cloud like algae does. I am in Western Kentucky and everyday since spring I get an iPhone app alert from The Weather Channel that pollen is high in my area.

I replaced the sand in my filter this year, thinking maybe it was channeled and not working properly. I have been using a filter sock and it catches alot of it. Below is my most recent numbers.


FC 8.5
CC 0
PH 7.5
TA 80
CH 160
CYA 80

 

[Bama Rambler]

It's most likely pollen or dirt. Mustard algae (MA) likes the shaded side of the pool so if it's in the sunny areas it's not MA. It would also be growing on the walls in the shade if it was MA.

 

[computerman]

Here's another pic that's a little closer. It is all over the bottom, where it has full sun all day and where it has shade from the slide.

 

[Bama Rambler]

That's definitely not algae.

 

[computerman]

Thanks! You've made me feel a lot better, I just wish I could get rid of it. I'm embarrassed for people to see my pool, it looks dirty and "appears" to have an algae infestation. I run the robot every night and brush it daily. Do you think a larger filter could help or possibly I have damaged laterals and its not as effective as it should be?

 

[Bama Rambler]

One thing I see is that your sand filter is very small for that pool. It should still work but you may have to backwash it very often.

Have you pulled the top off it and resettled the sand?
Have you tried using a little DE in it?

 

[topher]

Do you have metals in your water? I have a fine brownish/orange thing on the bottom of my pool (middle area) settles even when pump running. I believe that it is oxidized metal. Not positive but I think that's what mine is, I can't filter it out.. Thinking of trying a filter sock. DE in my filter doesn't work.

Sent from my HTC Ruby using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[computerman]

No metals present. I haven't tried DE, all my neighbors use sand filters and I haven't found any local pool stores that sell it locally. I have been using the filter sock since opening this spring and it catches alot but it hasn't made a big difference. Thing is, I don't have to backwash that often. Generally it gets done just beacuase we've had a good hard rain and I need to get the excess water out of the pool and I backwash it trying to move the sand around. I have so much pressure from my return that I have to wait until the pump turns off in the evening to put the robot in or it will get pushed around the bottom of the pool. I changed my sand this spring thinking it was channeled but that didn't help.

I was thinking about upgrading to the Hayward S210T 21" filter. My thought was that maybe the filter is too small and the water pressue was just pushing through it?

 

[Richard320]

That's the problem with crystal clear water - you see every spec of dirt in the pool.