Algae prevention when pool owner is not able to keep up FC

[run53]

I help my FIL out with his pool every year. We usually open a swamp and using the Pool School shocking process, i am able to get him sparkling clear within a week or so. However, every year my 83 YO FIL has trouble keep up his FC to prevent algae. Of course then, I need to do the shocking process again for him. Repeat this several times a season.

So, my question is, even though i know Algecides are frowned upon here, would there be any benefit in his case to use as a preventative should he let his FC dip for a day or so? I'm at my wits end trying to keep his pool clean (and he is using up all my TF-100 chems

What about phosphate removers? Would that help?

I just know at his age, he can easily forget to add his chlorine for just one day and as we know, that can make all the difference.

 

[RobbieH]

Re: Algae prevention when pool owner is not able to keep up

Install a SWG and then you'll only need to deal with acid additions, maybe weekly. That's my vote, because it worked for me.

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Algae prevention when pool owner is not able to keep up

Sounds like it might be worth adding a liquidator or injection pump or SWG to help maintain the FC.

Poly 60, phosphate removers, and even copper ... "might" help. But they will certainly cost you $ and "might" cause even worse problems in the case of copper.

 

[257WbyMag]

Re: Algae prevention when pool owner is not able to keep up

Phosphate removers will not help. Polyquat 60 can provide some protection. I agree with the SWCG idea.

 

[scott.MI]

Re: Algae prevention when pool owner is not able to keep up

Are we talking about he just forgets to add chlorine or he doesn't use enough?


I bought my father a pitcher with marks every 16 oz and he has a sticky note on his coffee maker to add chlorine every day. I did 3 days of 24 hour tests to get an idea how much FC he is losing.

Of course this is on a pool that's covered a lot and chlorine usage seems pretty steady. Then if am out there for whatever reason, I can check if its high and he can skip a day or if its low I bump it up.

 

[BoDarville]

Re: Algae prevention when pool owner is not able to keep up

Using algaecide (Polyquat 60) as a little extra insurance is fine for occasional (e.g., once or twice yearly) use such as when you go on vacation and do not have someone who will maintain FC with bleach while you are out of town. When I go on vacation, I use pucks along with the Polyquat 60 and that's the only time I use either of these products. This amounts to about 1 week a year.

In your situation, where you would be using algaecide on a regular basis, it is not recommended. The SWG would be a much better solution.

 

[run53]

Re: Algae prevention when pool owner is not able to keep up

Thanks for all the suggestions. I agree that the SWG is best for him, but he is unwilling to lay out the money to put in any additional equipment.

He used to use the Tabs but when I measured his CYA at over 100, I convinced him to use bleach and/or Cal Hypo.

The thing with the tabs is that he never ran into issues. He just put a couple in on a regular basis and his chlorine levels were fine. As much as I despise the tabs, it may be worth while letting him use them and then do a partial drain every couple of years. It's certainly easier than what we've been doing (remote SLAMing every month).

 

[poolman10]

Re: Algae prevention when pool owner is not able to keep up

I'm another one who occasionally lapses in keeping FC levels up. I defer to the experts on this terrific forum, but will say that polyquat has been my backstop. Expensive, but for me better than having to spend money on shock and lose use of the pool once a week. It costs less if bought online.

 

[danacc]

Re: Algae prevention when pool owner is not able to keep up

What about borates? Start with: So you want to add borates to your pool... I don't have experience with this (yet!), but from what I'm reading, adding borate to get a 30-50 ppm level has been demonstrated to prevent algae from starting on those occasional times that you might forget to add bleach/chlorine.

The easiest way seems to be adding boric acid until you reach the desired borate level. An alternative is to add borax followed by muriatic acid to counter-balance the resulting pH elevation. The borax/muriatic acid route is usually a little cheaper. Once the borate level is there, it's there. You need to adjust as water is lost from back-washing, splashing, rain causing overflow and so forth, but it doesn't look like anything "uses up" the borate.