Help: algae bloom I can't control

[martink]

Since some of you mentioned you like transformation pictures. I just added 230 fl oz of chlorine FC tested 1.5-2 ppm. The pool looks way better in my eyes anyway. Still little green and very cloudy. Let me know if I am delusional or something

 

[magiteck]

I definitely see progress. From cloudy green to cloudy blue. Keep at it - you’ve got this!

 

[martink]

Another progress picture. I can see algae is gone (most if not all) but now it is cloudy. How do I deal with it?

 

[Mdragger88]

Another progress picture. I can see algae is gone (most if not all) but now it is cloudy. How do I deal with it?

Keep with the
SLAM Process - the algae isn’t completely gone yet but you have gained the upper hand. Don’t let your foot of the gas!
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)

 

[Mdragger88]

Keep Doing all the things

*Check & scrub every nook & cranny where algae may hide (light niches, steps, drain covers, ladder handrails, skimmer throats/weirs, abandoned lines, autofill, overflow drains, etc.)
*If water can go there, algae can thrive there.
*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.
We’ve seen worse be turned into a sparkling oasis so don’t worry, it will happen, it just won’t happen overnight

 

[JJ_Tex]

Yep, keep at it.

Just to be sure, are you running your pool 24/7 and keeping an eye on your filter pressure and cleaning it accordingly? Also what type of filter do you have? Sand is the slowest to clear up the water, DE is the fastest but also can require very frequent backwashings.

 

[martink]

Thsnks for followimg up. I have cartridge filter ccp420. Just replaced them. Pressure seem to be holding. I monitor power consumption as well and it is fairly stable.

 

[martink]

Wanted to ask for opinions as I am having heavy rains today. Will this affect the SLAM? Any extra steps I should be doing to not have algae again because of the rain?

Last time I leveled was 10am, 3 hours ago. FC was around 4ppm. I lost around 6ppm from 530am to 10am

 

[duraleigh]

Will this affect the SLAM?

Not a bit

 

[martink]

Some progress pictures. It looks better everyday.
Some questions that I will appreciate some help with.
1. I added chlorine to raise it to 12ppm at 11pm yesterday. Today at 830am I was at 2.5ppm. So I haven't passed this test, is there anything I should be aware of when taking these readings so I can pass this test?

2. CC this morning was 0.5, so I passed this parameter. I even noticed less odor from the pool this morning. Isn't passing the CC test means that no algae is present? Why is FC dropping overnight?

3. Pool is very cloudy with some white/grey residues on the step I can see. So I can assume it is all over the pool. What can I do to clear up the cloudiness so I can see the floors and start cleaning it?

Thanks for all the help guys you all have been amazing throughout this process. This has been stressing me and I was on the edge of giving up and hiring someone.

 

[Mdragger88]

Some progress pictures. It looks better everyday.

Looks even better than yesterday! You’re getting there!

Some questions that I will appreciate some help with.
1. I added chlorine to raise it to 12ppm at 11pm yesterday. Today at 830am I was at 2.5ppm. So I haven't passed this test, is there anything I should be aware of when taking these readings so I can pass this test?

Both tests should be done in the dark to remove the sun/uv from the equation.
You must also test after your last addition to confirm your fc level (about 30 minutes after)
That is still quite the fc loss, I see you have spillover/waterfall type water features, be sure you are running slam level fc water through all water features a couple of hours each day. Get at any nooks & crannies you can with the brush. Blindly brushing is fine. If you have an autofill check/scrub the pot & the overflow drain. All crannies are suspect!

2. CC this morning was 0.5, so I passed this parameter. I even noticed less odor from the pool this morning. Isn't passing the CC test means that no algae is present? Why is FC dropping overnight?

CC is not a primary indicator of algae. It is tied to ammonia based contaminants.

This

3. Pool is very cloudy with some white/grey residues on the step I can see. So I can assume it is all over the pool. What can I do to clear up the cloudiness so I can see the floors and start cleaning it?

Filter, filter, filter- clean them frequently.
Do you have a manual vac you can use as well?
Does your bot have ultra fine pleated cartridges? If so, use them & run it often.
Brush, brush, brush- brushing blindly is fine. This breaks up the biofilms algae uses to protect itself from chlorine allowing the chlorine to kill it. It also stirs things up so the filter can capture them.

Thanks for all the help guys you all have been amazing throughout this process. This has been stressing me and I was on the edge of giving up and hiring someone.

Never fear! You got this!
P.s. - you’re logging your additions in poolmath but not your test results.
This makes it hard to see the patterns/progress & leaves us having to do a lot of math to figure those out.
Next test , log your results first then they will show in the overview cards as “current”

 

[martink]

Looks even better than yesterday! You’re getting there!

Both tests should be done in the dark to remove the sun/uv from the equation.
You must also test after your last addition to confirm your fc level (about 30 minutes after)
That is still quite the fc loss, I see you have spillover/waterfall type water features, be sure you are running slam level fc water through all water features a couple of hours each day. Get at any nooks & crannies you can with the brush. Blindly brushing is fine. If you have an autofill check/scrub the pot & the overflow drain. All crannies are suspect!


This

Filter, filter, filter- clean them frequently.
Do you have a manual vac you can use as well?
Does your bot have ultra fine pleated cartridges? If so, use them & run it often.
Brush, brush, brush- brushing blindly is fine. This breaks up the biofilms algae uses to protect itself from chlorine allowing the chlorine to kill it. It also stirs things up so the filter can capture them.

Never fear! You got this!
P.s. - you’re logging your additions in poolmath but not your test results.
This makes it hard to see the patterns/progress & leaves us having to do a lot of math to figure those out.
Next test , log your results first then they will show in the overview cards as “current”

Thanks for all you follow up during this process. I scrub and run the bot at least 3 times a day. When I open the autofill valve I only see the float, nothing to scrub really. The over spill uses the primary pump, but I have another water feature pump which I rarely use. I didn't run it during the SLAM before but will start running it for couple hours starting today.

I have a manual vacuum, but I have never used it and I don't have a set up to vacuum to waste, I will have to vacuum to the filter. I have a valve at the pump discharge and vent at the top of the filter that can be used to waste most of it. But I can't see the floor so not sure what to Vacuum. Also the cloudiness is in the water itself not just the floor.

Can I ask why TFP is against using a clarifier at this stage?

 

[mknauss]

Can I ask my TFP is against using a clarifier at this stage?

You still have active algae as shown by your large FC losses. Follow the process.

 

[Mdragger88]

Thanks for all you follow up during this process. I scrub and run the bot at least 3 times a day.

Fantastic

When I open the autofill valve I only see the float, nothing to scrub really. The over spill uses the primary pump, but I have another water feature pump which I rarely use. I didn't run it during the SLAM before but will start running it for couple hours starting today.

Good if water can go there, algae can grow there.

I have a manual vacuum, but I have never used it and I don't have a set up to vacuum to waste, I will have to vacuum to the filter. I have a valve at the pump discharge and vent at the top of the filter that can be used to waste most of it. But I can't see the floor so not sure what to Vacuum. Also the cloudiness is in the water itself not just the floor.

Vacuuming bindly is fine - vacuuming to filter is fine too- it gets the stuff off the floor & into the filter then you can clean the filter.

Can I ask why TFP is against using a clarifier at this stage?

#1 clarifiers gunk up your filter media
#2 Because it can make the water look better temporarily (a bandaid if you will) causing you to think you have passed the clear water test even though all the algae isn’t eradicated.
This can lead people to end slam prematurely.
When there is no more live algae to be killed the dead algae will become less & less until it is eventually gone resulting in the crystal clear water (with no algae- dead or alive) . This is an important metric in the slam process.

 

[martink]

Fantastic

Good if water can go there, algae can grow there.

Vacuuming bindly is fine - vacuuming to filter is fine too- it gets the stuff off the floor & into the filter then you can clean the filter.

#1 clarifiers gunk up your filter media
#2 Because it can make the water look better temporarily (a bandaid if you will) causing you to think you have passed the clear water test even though all the algae isn’t eradicated.
This can lead people to end slam prematurely.
When there is no more live algae to be killed the dead algae will become less & less until it is eventually gone resulting in the crystal clear water (with no algae- dead or alive) . This is an important metric in the slam process.

Thanks for the clarifier clarification, makes sense.

I haven't cleaned the filter once since I started SLAM, the cartridges are 2 weeks old. Pressure is very stable. I control the pump at 45 gpm most of the day and 55 gpm for 6.5 hours during SLAM. I also track power consumption and RPM as a way to measure filter resistance. It has been stable and no increase has been happening in pressure, RPM or power consumption.

Do I still need to clean the filters, or I am good if pressure and GPM are stable?

 

[an1vrsy]

I control the pump at 45 gpm most of the day and 55 gpm for 6.5 hours during SLAM.

Wait, What?

Shock Level AND Maintain. SLAM is a 24 hour process. It is not a 6.5 hour process. If you can, test every 2 hours, raise back to shock level per your CYA.

 

[Mdragger88]

Thanks for the clarifier clarification, makes sense.

I haven't cleaned the filter once since I started SLAM, the cartridges are 2 weeks old. Pressure is very stable. I control the pump at 45 gpm most of the day and 55 gpm for 6.5 hours during SLAM. I also track power consumption and RPM as a way to measure filter resistance. It has been stable and no increase has been happening in pressure, RPM or power consumption.

Do I still need to clean the filters, or I am good if pressure and GPM are stable?

You may want to open it up & look at them.
If you have your old filters you can swap them out & have almost no down time while you clean the others.
Unless the filters are worn/torn they should last several (5+) years before actually needing to be replaced if cared for properly.

Cartridge Filter Use and Care - Further Reading

www.google.com

 

[martink]

Wait, What?

Shock Level AND Maintain. SLAM is a 24 hour process. It is not a 6.5 hour process. If you can, test every 2 hours, raise back to shock level per your CYA.

I run it 6.5hrs at 55gpm and 17.5hrs at 45gpm. I test a lot. At the beginning I was adding chlorine 6-8 times a day. Now it is around 3-4 times a day

 

[martink]

You may want to open it up & look at them.
If you have your old filters you can swap them out & have almost no down time while you clean the others.
Unless the filters are worn/torn they should last several (5+) years before actually needing to be replaced if cared for properly.

Cartridge Filter Use and Care - Further Reading

www.google.com

My old cartridges were very bad. They would increase the filter pressure in 2 weeks after cleaning them. They were the original pantair cartridges. The top and bottom were torn and some of the straps holding the media were torn as well. I throw them away as I didn't believe I will ever need them with their condition. Pool was built in 2021 and they are the original ones that came with the filter

 

[proavia]

Instead of messing with GPM, power consumption, etc - run at a fixed RPM 24/7.

Clean your filters and note the clean pressure. When filter pressure rises 25% of clean pressure (use a high RPM to check this), clean the filters again. Rinse, repeat as necessary. During the SLAM Process, you may have to clean the filters several times. And clean them again once the SLAM is complete so you are starting normal poll ops with clean filters.

If cartridges are properly cleaned, they can last 7-8 years. 2 years is a pretty short life span.