ALGAE FORMING? PLEASE HELP-THANKS!

[kaseydog]

Having some problems here. A little over 2 months since our fill and I think we have algae forming? My chlorine is super high and total alk is low. I am not sure what to do. We've only had to add muriatic acid to lower the PH so far. Last week I had our pool company out to clean and put a sealant on our coping and they got the water dirty so I super chlorinated for about 18 hours and that is what jumped the chlorine up so much. We were away this weekend for the last couple of days with the cover on. I did brush earlier. Can someone give me some guidance here? Thank you so much.

I did get a Taylor K2006 kit recently. Here is what it's telling me:
FREE CH- 13.2
COMBINED CH- 0
PH- 7.8
TOT ALK- 50 PPM
CALC HARDNESS- 280 PPM
CYA- 30
SALINITY- 3200 PPM

 

[Texas Splash]

I can see your drain quite well, but if you see algae, then it's time for the SLAM Process. Your FC is already at SLAM level per the FC/CYA Levels, so just maintain the FC of "12" until you pass all 3 SLAM criteria.

 

[kaseydog]

I honestly dont know if I see algae or not. Do you see the darker colors on the top right hand side? That does not look like algae to you?

 

[kaseydog]

Is being able to see the drain well an indicator that what I am seeing might not be algae?

I added baking soda to get alkalinity up

 

[proavia]

What happens when you brush that area in the upper right side of the pic?

 

[kaseydog]

What happens when you brush that area in the upper right side of the pic?

I did it a few times and it didnt seem to do much of anything.

 

[proavia]

It didn't poof up or brush away?
Did you scrub it a bit?

Might be staining of some type and not algae.

 

[kaseydog]

It didn't poof up or brush away?
Did you scrub it a bit?

Might be staining of some type and not algae.

It did not brush away. Would algae typically do that? We're only two months in here.

 

[Mdragger88]

Do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to rule out organics.
I agree, it looks like discoloration. Have u added anything else to the pool recently besides baking soda?
Algae typically “poofs” when brushed .

 

[kaseydog]

Okay so this is what the plaster looked like on fill day after they acid washed it. Are my wife and I just losing our minds over nothing? Maybe we just never really paid too close attention to the darker spots before? If you zoom in on the lower left hand side, this is the section you see in the top right of my first photo. You can see it's a little darker there. Is that what we're noticing in the plaster maybe?

 

[proavia]

Go over a small area 2-3 times with the brush and see if the area changes.
Usually a 'cloud' poofs up if it's algae.

Best bet may be to do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tonight and report bad with the results.
If you pass the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test, chances are it's either staining or the plaster molting/discoloration.

 

[kaseydog]

Go over a small area 2-3 times with the brush and see if the area changes.
Usually a 'cloud' poofs up if it's algae.

Best bet may be to do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tonight and report bad with the results.
If you pass the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test, chances are it's either staining or the plaster molting/discoloration.

My chlorine is super high right now (13.2). I'm definitely not losing chlorine. What do you think of the photo I posted a minute ago? Could it just be that?

 

[proavia]

Still - do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tonight
13.2 isn't 'super high' - it's only 1.2 ppm higher than SLAM Process level for your CYA of 30.

Many times the plaster will look different with and without water.

 

[Mdragger88]

Also, The oclt is done w/ the swg off.

 

[kaseydog]

Also, The oclt is done w/ the swg off.

Okay I will do this tonight. My pump and swg go off at 8 every night. Is it okay to test it right after it turns off?

 

[Mdragger88]

Yes, but do they turn on at the same time too? You should have the pump running for 30 min or so before taking the morning/sunrise sample, if they both come on at the same time that will skew your results.

 

[kaseydog]

Yes, but do they turn on at the same time too? You should have the pump running for 30 min or so before taking the morning/sunrise sample, if they both come on at the same time that will skew your results.

They do come on at the same time. But I guess I will just start the pump only earlier to finish this test.

 

[proavia]

Best bet is to completely shut the SWG off or unplug the cell cord from the Aqua-Rite controller.
And then turn it back on/plug it back in AFTER the morning FC test.

 

[kaseydog]

Best bet is to completely shut the SWG off or unplug the cell cord from the Aqua-Rite controller.
And then turn it back on/plug it back in AFTER the morning FC test.

Why though? It goes off at 8 and then comes on at 8am. I will just test the FC around 7:30am or so.

 

[wireform]

You can leave the pump on all night so you won't have to wait it out while the water mixes for some thirty minutes before the morning test. Just shut off the SWCG. The CYA for a salt pool should be in the area of 70 but don't change it till you are sure there's no algae.