First time opening pool…and algae!

[meie9635]

First time opening the pool and got the water cleaned up but noticed what I believe is MA on the floors and benches and sun ledge.

Cya 70
TA 140
Got ph to 7,4 before slamming

After passing SLAM I noticed the pooping during brushing. I forgot that if it it’s mustard algae you have to increase FC even more for 24 hours. So I reslammed and then went up to 42 FC. Brushed daily. Kept it at 42 for 3 plus days and still have MA. It has improved though. At the beginning every slot of the floor would Poof when brushed. I should add that it’s very hard to see because we have a darker pebble tech finish. After being at 42 for 3 days the floors are mostly clear but it still shows up on the steps and tanning ledge and bench. Basically any raised surface. I got frustrated and just raised FC to 50 last night. Over night didn’t lose anything. Was out of down during the day. Got home in the being and tested and it was down to 32. Water temp has been in 50s. It was too dark to see what the ledges looked like tonight. I’ve kept the pump running all the time and my Polaris cleaner most of the time thinking it would help. We have a sand filter. Backwash it every couple days while slamming.

We do have a spill over spa that spills onto the sun ledge. I have not taken off the lights to clean but I don’t know how to do that.

At this point I don’t know what to do. I’ve spend a ton of money on chlorine. I don’t want to add copper based algaeicide but it’s tempting me right now.

I’ll add that this is very hard to do when I’m gone during the days

Maybe I should replace some water and lower cya and reslam. I do have a swg and it is about warm enough to use it now. Not sure the max chlorine it could provide

 

[Mdragger88]

You’re supposed to fully complete the
SLAM Process
which means:
Clear water with no visible algae,
Pass
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test ,
& cc’s of .5 or less

BEFORE moving on to MA levels for 24 hours.
Going higher than MA levels or keeping it that high for longer is just wasting chlorine & risking damage to surfaces & equipment.
The higher MA levels aren’t meant to do all the work (the regular slam is) that’s just deal the final blow & seal the deal.

 

[Newdude]

You guys should be in pollen season by now and it's real easy to confuse the 2. MA is rare while everyone will battle the pollen.

 

[Mdragger88]

Check for pollen on other things to rule that out.

 

[meie9635]

You’re supposed to fully complete the
SLAM Process
which means:
Clear water with no visible algae,
Pass
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test ,
& cc’s of .5 or less

BEFORE moving on to MA levels for 24 hours.
Going higher than MA levels or keeping it that high for longer is just wasting chlorine & risking damage to surfaces & equipment.
The higher MA levels aren’t meant to do all the work (the regular slam is) that’s just deal the final blow & seal the deal.

I could be wrong but I thought I’ve read that the higher chlorine is needed for the MA specifically

I’ve been above regular slam levels for 2 weeks brushing daily

 

[meie9635]

You guys should be in pollen season by now and it's real easy to confuse the 2. MA is rare while everyone will battle the pollen.

I’d love for that to be true. Is there a way to tell for sure?

This morning I only lost 0.5 FC but CC was 1.0

 

[Mdragger88]

I could be wrong but I thought I’ve read that the higher chlorine is needed for the MA specifically

I’ve been above regular slam levels for 2 weeks brushing daily

Mustard Algae

Today We are going to show you how you can get rid of mustard algae in your pool. By following the steps in this guide and with no expensive chemicals.

www.troublefreepool.com

To permanently get rid of mustard algae, you first SLAM the pool normally, following the directions in How to SLAM Your Pool. Once you have completed SLAMing your pool in the standard way, raise the level up to the extra high mustard algae shock level for 24 hours.

 

[meie9635]

If I just let my chlorine levels get down a little bit word if it was mustard algae, would it start blooming more the lower the chlorine gets?

 

[meie9635]

I’ll check around for Paul on another surfaces but I haven’t noticed any? But our allergies are going crazy. Also where we get a lot of build up is on a ledge that has a bubbler and a waterfall flowing onto it so if it is pollen I would think it would be pushed away by that.

 

[Mdragger88]

Do you have a picture of this mustard algae?
Is it on the walls?

 

[meie9635]

Not on the walls. I’ll try and get a good pic of it although it is hard to see until brushed. It was very widespread to start with. Every brush of every area of the pool would result in puffs. Now it is just on the elevated horizontal surfaces.

I don’t notice any pollen on the surface of the water

 

[meie9635]

Best I could do. Pics of general pool

 

[meie9635]

Pics showing puff and inside skimmer. The MA or pollen can be seen in the grout

Never mind. The pics are too large to post

 

[meie9635]

Pics of items around the pool with a layer of what I assumed was dirt. Maybe ids pollen?

 

[Mdragger88]

Hard to say if its MA or not - normal algae can be many colors as can dust.
The low overnight loss is a good sign.
The cc’s still present are concerning - just keep it at regular slam level until that goes away (.5 or below) & keep with the slam process until All 3 end of slam criteria are met.
Also clean your beaker with alcohol & see if that makes a difference in the cc readings.
Another note* if your water is really cold let your cya sample come up to room temperature before performing the test to ensure you’re getting an accurate cya measurement.
Be sure to do all the things whilst slammin
For a successful SLAM Process
you need to continue to MAINTAIN Slam level fc for your cya as often as possible (multiple times per day is best) until you meet ALL 3 end of slam criteria-

You are done when:

CC is 0.5 or lower;
You pass an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
AND
the water is clear.
(Crystal Clear w/no algae dead or alive)

*Check & scrub every nook & cranny where algae may hide (light niches, steps, drain covers, ladder handrails, skimmer throats/weirs, etc.)
*Run slam level water through all water features & lines for at least a couple hours a day during the SLAM Process.
*Brush & or vac daily (this breaks up biofilms that algae uses to protect itself from chlorine)
*Backwash/clean filter when pressure rises 25%over clean pressure.

After passing all 3 end of slam criteria you can then do the mustard algae protocols in the article posted above for 24 hours if you suspect that’s what you’re dealing with. Afterwards you may want to maintain MA minimums for a while to ensure it doesn’t return.

 

[meie9635]

Just an update. The “poof substance” is still there. But I did retest my cya after letting it get to room temp and it was 40 vs the 70 I had been testing it. I never thought that would make a big difference. Any other tests that should be run at room temp?

Also I cleaned my cylinders and now my CC is zero or one drop at most. Where before it was anywhere from 0.5 to 1.5

I’m running a test now where I filled a glass container with water and sprinkled in some of the fine dust around our pool and seeing if it replicates what I’m seeing while brushing

One question I had on MA is if it will poof when just running your hand a couple of inches above surface

 

[mknauss]

A good read.

Mustard Algae

Today We are going to show you how you can get rid of mustard algae in your pool. By following the steps in this guide and with no expensive chemicals.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[meie9635]

So with my experiment, I let the water settle and then brushed the water with my finger and the dirt I put in there pooped just like in the pool. It seems to me our issue is dirt and not algae

Thanks for all the responses