Algae or Pollen...???

[firstbase]

Have had what I thought was yellow algae on the walls and around light fixtures. Yellow brushes off walls easily. Took water to local store, phosphates high 300+. Cleaned filter, super chlorinated, ran 48 hours straight, cleaned filter then added Phosfree and ran 48 hours then cleaned filter, added phosfree again, ran 24 hour and again cleaned filter. Test showed 0 phosphates and the need for conditioner. Added it and then 3-4 days later....yellow back on walls. Have done all of this twice over the last two weeks. Tested water today and took to local store and our tests pretty much the same:

FC -3
Salt - 3200
CH - 230
CYA - 90
TA - 150
pH - 7.8
Phosphates - 0

Added some MA to lower pH and have it running now. However, pool store lady said she thinks it is pollen not algae. Um, OK. Would algae cling to pool walls (mostly deep end) and around the nooks and crannies of the lights? Not sure what I am dealing with. Any comments appreciated.

 

[woodyp]

Where are you located and what are the pollen levels around you? If it's in the pool, you should see it most everywhere else too even after the pool is cleaned.

 

[firstbase]

I'm in South Florida, Jupiter to be specific. Pollencast shows the levels at low to moderate while all this going on. Little higher the last several days but I don't see pollen on anything around the pool, tables, umbrella, chairs etc. That's one of the reasons I don't believe pool lady. However, isn't algae a little harder to clean off and then leave dust bunnies on the bottom? Don't see any of that although I have a good auto cleaner going the whole time. The only thing I have noticed is my pH climbing from 7.2 to 7.8 in 3 days w/o any rain. Also, do not have much in the way of debris in the pool. We used to have severe leaves but got rid of the offending tree and now it is clean to spotless all the time. If a leaf blows in my wife scoops it almost immediately. It's like she has a leaf alarm or something...!

- - - Updated - - -

Will add one other fact that has to be associated, the yellow started a couple of days after we had a large pool party that left the water very cloudy the next day. Filtered that out and shocked. Days after that it started. This is only our second summer in the house but had none of this last year. Pool was perfect with minimal care needs. No big parties though...

 

[woodyp]

That SWG could be making your PH rise constantly. Keep knocking it down with muriatic acid, which will in turn lower your TA, and should help you manage the PH rise a little easier. Is the yellow in mostly shady areas of the pool?

 

[firstbase]

There really isn't any shady area in the pool and the deep end wall, where the yellow is accumulating first, is probably the sunniest part as it faces east so it gets direct sun morning and early afternoon. The yellow is accumulating on the bottom 1/2 of that wall as well as around the light fixtures on the south facing wall. They get sun pretty much all day. Last comment is that I run the filter 10 hours a day now that summer is here.