Help with Neighbor's Pool

[pabeader]

Chuckiechan - bleach is an algecide. In fact, most things you buy in the pool $tore, or elsewhere, that say algecide, aren't really. Most of them are just preventative, if you read the instructions they still say you need chlorine. In the long run chlorine, whether from bleach or other liquid form, is cheapest and most effective.

 

[sbcpool]

Why not use an algecide to kill the algae instead of such a huge amount of bleach?

If algae is eating is chlorine, then in a day or two it should begin to stabilize (with proper CYA levels).

In addition to what kimkats and pabeader posted, algaecides also consume chlorine. If you have a pool full of algaecide, it will consume chlorine as you add it until there's no reaction potential left. So, if you're going to be dumping in the bleach it's easier to keep the equation as simple as possible and not introduce other chemicals that can affect chlorine demand.

 

[wkusae31]

One clarification I would like to ask about:

One the SLAM procedure, it says to test no more than once per hour, but Kim says to test every 30 minutes for the first few hours. Does it matter the frequency or should have my neighbor stick to doing it once per hour? He's already cleared out the shelf at one Krogers.

 

[sbcpool]

One the SLAM procedure, it says to test no more than once per hour, but Kim says to test every 30 minutes for the first few hours.

It really depends on how fast the circulation in his pool can mix everything up and how fast he's losing chlorine. Testing every 30 minutes won't hurt anything except the cost of reagent, but it may not be necessary. If his hourly tests don't have him dropping below SLAM levels I wouldn't worry about it, in fact I'd go longer.

 

[pabeader]

Kim was asking for a one time test. She is trying to eliminate ammonia as the reason your neighbors pool is eating chlorine. If it looses almost all of the FC in that short a period it points to ammonia. Not a guarantee but it's symptomatic.

Normal testing can be as much as 2 hours between. It starts with more frequent testing and then stretches out as the FC starts to hold. Never letting it drop below the SLAM level required.

 

[wkusae31]

pabeader: what happens if it points to ammonia versus algae?

His shock level is around 16 based on his CYA being around 40. So during this process, he needs to maintain it at 16 or a few notches higher, correct?

Once he can maintain the level of 16 and pass an OCLT twice, he should be done with SLAM? I know it may take a week or so for the pool to clear up, but his pool is not that green. I think it has a hint of green.

 

[pabeader]

It's just that ammonia causes extreme FC loss during the initial stages. So if we knew it was in there we could warn about that.

 

[kimkats]

ammonia changes nothing except using more chlorine. I just wanted to make sure so he would be ready. I asked for the 30 mins tests to give a HARD push on the SLAM. I tend to push a little harder to get it started.

Kim