Massive algae bloom

[Bama Rambler]

So not quite half full.
Since you're showing some FC I wouldn't add anymore until this evening. It's gonna be gone in an hour anyway.

Your TA is a little high but I wouldn't worry about it until you get the good test kit so you'll have good numbers to go with.

 

[jblizzle]

I don't recall the entire thread, but have you ordered a good test kit yet?

 

[djbilo]

Jason, I have the TF-100 on its way - should be here very soon.

Dave J, by my calculations I'm currently at about 6500 gallons.

I just did another strip test. Here are the recent measurements:

9:30 AM

TH 0
FC/BR 2/4
pH 7.5
Alk 80
CYA 0

11 AM (Just now)

TH 0
FC 5/10 - I did a double-take but it's up that high per the color chart.
pH 7.5
Alk 40 (nice drop)
CYA 0

Editorial comment - we moved into this house in May.

I just do not remember the water having this clarity, ever, since we moved in. It looks SO much different, which of course it should, and I think I just couldn't tell how really bad it actually was.

 

[jblizzle]

Editorial comment - we moved into this house in May.

I just do not remember the water having this clarity, ever, since we moved in. It looks SO much different, which of course it should, and I think I just couldn't tell how really bad it actually was.

We hear this quite often ... once your know what the water should look like makes it difficult to trust most other pools

 

[Bama Rambler]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but....... You have the beginnings of Sparklypoolitis! It's an infection that won't soon go away.

Just wait till you see how sparkly it gets once you get it full and all the levels balanced.

 

[Patrick_B]

Editorial comment - we moved into this house in May.

I just do not remember the water having this clarity, ever, since we moved in. It looks SO much different, which of course it should, and I think I just couldn't tell how really bad it actually was.

I'm sorry, you are just going to have to learn to like it this way. :lol:

 

[djbilo]

We're already learning to love the water's clarity.

2 PM, FC at 0, added a gallon and stirred. FC now at 2/4

It's like a large batch of soup you don't want to burn on the bottom.

 

[jblizzle]

You have to stop letting the FC drop that low or you will have a mess on your hands again.

 

[djbilo]

Time to kick it up a notch. The top of the hour test probably will be followed with a liquid chlorine, rather than a liquid bleach, application to get the FC a bit higher than the bleach can.

Still trying to get accustomed to pouring $3 to $5 per hour into the pool. Not the usual habit, that's for sure.

 

[djbilo]

The liquid chlorine (11% available) has just kicked up the FC nicely. The water continues to look all....sparkly....

By my estimates I'm at about 8,300 gallons now.

 

[jblizzle]

I am confused. Why are you adding bleach every hour ... are you SLAMing? Because 5ppm is no where near high enough. OH ... you are in the middle of a refill, right? Got it.

And there is no difference between liquid chlorine and bleach besides the strength. They can both raise the FC level as high as you want.

 

[djbilo]

Jason, yeah, in the middle of a fill so just protecting the investment.

I'm seeing (I think, naturally, I would say) that the level of FC of the liquid chlorine will spike more than the bleach and probably last longer. I'm only able to stop every hour to check (gotta earn a living to buy all this liquid gold).

The liquid chlorine with a good stir got the level to 10+, and I checked it in two places to see if there are any gradients.

 

[jblizzle]

The only difference is the strength. If the liquid chlorine is 12% but the bleach you have is 6% ... then you would have to use twice as much of the bleach to add the same FC level as the 12%.

There is no "spike" etc ... it is just based on the % and the quantity you add.

 

[techguy]

The $3-$5 per gallon "sounds" like a lot until you consider what you would have spend at the LPS on PhosNotsoPhree, Non-Sense and WalletCleaner brand products to solve the problem they made for you... and they would never have the water look as good as the TFP methods will get your water.

 

[Smykowski]

I've seen those bottles! In my LPS, those chemicals are across the aisle from BankDrain and DowntheToilet.

 

[Patrick_B]

Well, whatta we have here??? A couple a Comedians...

:lol:

 

[techguy]

You know you are in trouble when you see the LPS employee with the name tag with "Finance Manager" as their job title.

 

[djbilo]

Good humor! I need a good laugh right now.

All kidding aside, assuming as the result of a new fill, the water is relatively clean so there's no massive mess, some FC has been maintained during the fill to help sanitize background contaminants, and my TF-100 will arrive either Saturday or more likely Monday, should I just "hold" the water with some FC and the other numbers I've been measuring until I get the better test kit before I take off with a SLAM, or do I take the reverse of this statement and go with it?

"If you have algae, or the CC level is above 0.5, or the free chlorine (FC) level is zero, you should SLAM the pool."

So, if I don't have algae (the implication is that it is...visible? or...that you always have it so...), and and the CC level is not above 0.5, and the FC is above 0, so no need to SLAM at that point?

In looking back, given the complete drain/refill instead of trying to SLAM the mess I had, don't I have a slightly different approach to re-establishing the pool from a complete refill?

 

[Charlie_R]

Keep doing it as you are until your test kit arrives, then post a full set of numbers. We can advise you better with accurate results

 

[jblizzle]

There is still likely some algae in your pool, whether it was left on your walls, or in the pipes, etc. So I would suggest you SLAM the pool (when you get the kit), since you removed most of the algae, the process should go quickly ... but you want to be 100% sure it is all gone.

You also will want your CYA to be around 30ppm before you SLAM, so if you did a 100% drain, you may want to get some CYA dissolving in a sock in front of the return to get it back up ... maybe be conservative and only add 20ppm.