First run in with Algae since pool build!

[dbdubb28]

So I noticed over the weekend a little pollen or algae on the bottom of the pool. After running our Dolphin CC a few times, I thought it would clear it up.
Before leaving town on Monday, I jumped on here and was reading about how others have needed the "extra fine" filter basket for the dolphin, thus I ordered one right away since it didn't look any better then the weekend.
I came home today and the particles on the bottom of the pool were even worse then when I left town on Monday. I ran flipper again with the factory filter basket and certainly made things worse by stirring it all up in the water.
Fortunately my mail man delivered the extra fine filters to me just a couple of hours ago. My chlorine level after testing came in a little low at 4.0 and I'm trying to figure out if I can pull the nose up on this water clarity / algae problem or if I'm going to need to learn how to do my first shock. I took some pictures of the water after flipper had stirred it all up off the bottom of the pool... Thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

 

[mknauss]

You can do a Overnight Chlorine Loss Test, but to be honest, you will need to SLAM Process

 

[dbdubb28]

Ok thanks. I'll study up on the slam process and get to work on it tomorrow.

 

[dbdubb28]

So I measured a FC of 4.0 tonight with 0 CC. According to the chart, my SLAM number is FC 24 since my CYA is at 60.
Should I even bother running the SWCG at max tonight? I can run to the store tomorrow to pick up the chlorine to get it started.
Thanks Again.

 

[mknauss]

Up to you. If you want to run the SWCG overnight, it will not hurt.

 

[dbdubb28]

I went ahead and turned it on to max. I don’t really understand how I got here, which makes me want to learn. I’ve been testing my numbers regularly. Only thing different was the tropical storm we had off our east coast. It blew some decent wind this weekend and I assumed it was just pollen from the oaks...
What can I do to prevent this sort of growth in the future?

 

[mknauss]

If your FC is above minimum all the time, and you regularly brush the pool, you should not get algae.

Do not try to ride the minimum FC for your CYA. In your climate, with a CYA of 60, I would not go below 5 or 6 ppm FC.

After the SLAM, you might consider bumping your CYA to 70 ppm.

 

[dbdubb28]

Understood. I’ll make some adjustments once I get back to normal.

 

[Flying Tivo]

Stairs are always a great hiding spot for algae since they get so low water circulation. I would suggest you take them out and clean them with a sprayer with chlorine.

 

[dbdubb28]

Thanks for the advice. Our stairs were incorporated into our deck build and are a bit more tricky to remove then your average set of stairs. They are about 3 ft away from my return. If I adjust my return to be more in their direction, will that help? This would create a counter clockwise circulation in the pool instead of the current clockwise circ.

 

[mknauss]

Good catch by Felipe. AGP stairs are a major contributor to algae issues. So removal and cleaning are essential. Water flow just does not get into them to properly clean and chlorinate. If you can't brush it, algae will grow.

 

[dbdubb28]

Our steps are a bit cumbersome and large. Before I start the slam, would it be sufficient if I jump in, unhook them from my deck, scrub them while in the water and simply leave them in the middle of the pool during the slam process?

 

[mknauss]

That would be a start. See what you get out/off of them. You can do it during the SLAM process. The water is safe to be in during the SLAM.

 

[dbdubb28]

One more question, I’m planning to start the slam tonight and I read the recommendation of running the pump 24x7 throughout the process. I have a two speed pump, should I run on high or low for the duration?

 

[mknauss]

should I run on high or low for the duration?

Low speed is fine.

 

[dbdubb28]

I wanted to circle back and provide closure in the event this thread can help someone down the road. We began our slam on Thursday evening and officially passed the overnight chlorine test Monday morning. The chlorine level should be under 10 as of Tuesday and thus I’ll be back on track. I learned a lot thanks to this group and this experience. Stay on top of brushing your pool, the flipper can do a lot, but your handy brush is still important to do. Also scrub and clean your steps / ladder when brushing the pool. Lastly if you have a mat underneath the steps, pull it out regularly, especially during swim season! Follow the SLAM steps and be diligent with the process and you will quickly come out with a clean pool again!