If FC good can you still get algae?

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nksprts

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Aug 10, 2016
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NE Pennsylvania
Hi all, super disappointed. All year I have been bragging to my wife how amazingly clear I have kept the water. I downloaded the pool math app and have upgraded to paying for all the features. I have been logging daily. Everything has been going great! Then today.... It was getting dark after I cut the grass so couldn't investigate to much. Anyway the entire season so far my water has been perfect. Besides adding the inial cya, I've had to add nothing other then chlorine. Test daily and has been great and easy with the app.
My last full readings are attached. Been great all year. Now granted last 2 weeks have sucked here, cold and rainy. But still have been checking and adding chlorine as needed. I was out of town yesterday but Friday pool was still crystal clear and everything good. And Friday I gave it an extra ppm since I knew I wouldn't get to it. So check the pool today as it's getting dark and FC is 6.5. Friday had it at 8.5.think everything is fine and notice algae on the bottom. Just in the one side as well. My FC as never dropped below 5 all season. Can you still get algae even though your chlorine had maintained? Is there something I missed or didn't do? Is my pump not circulating the chlorine enough to that side? Well as I said it was getting dark so took scrubbed the areas real quick to get the algae up and pumped it up to 10. (thinking algae will eat it up) but still don't understand I am only losing 1 or max 2 ppm a day and that is real hot days or rainy days.... What am I missing? Do I have to slam? Figures been great and now this when me and the wife are on staycation next week.


Thank you for the help.
 
That sucks, usually people are mis-reading the chart but you are not even close to the minimum. How confident are you on your CYA of 30?

Are you sure it is algae? I would take it up to slam level (12, not 10) and do an OCLT just to see how much you lose overnight.
 
I will say I was not super strict with the kids brushing the pool this year.... Would that be it then? Ughhhh, so disappointed in myself. Do I still need to slam or since my FC never dropped to danger levels do I just need to brush and maybe it will clean itself up?
 

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Costas > DownUnder said:
Circulation plays an important part.

In some instances you may experience algae growth even with good measured FC levels as the FC level may not be even throughout the whole volume of water in the pool.

In areas of poor circulation it could drop below acceptable levels during certain times of the day.
Click to expand...
Really? I was under the impression that if any chemical disperses evenly throughout the pool with minimal pump action, it was chlorine. How does liquid chlorine collect in some areas and not in others?
 
Have u checked the seams/flaps? When i had one of those pools that was an issue for me. The flap of the seam wasn’t able to get flow so it required frequent brushing or else it would allow aglae to grow even in properly chlorinated water. Some of the intex pools have “flaps” in the seams & some don’t - its a manufacturing issue.
also if u switch on sharing in poolmath we can see all your logs & may be able to identify an issue.
19A18DB4-E91F-4D28-AAF1-FC0468CBCBD9.png
 
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revitup said:
Really? I was under the impression that if any chemical disperses evenly throughout the pool with minimal pump action, it was chlorine. How does liquid chlorine collect in some areas and not in others?
Click to expand...

I've lived this first hand. When my pool was new, I always measure in the middle assuming the numbers would be consistent throughout the pool. Wrong. One day I decided to measure FC at each end of the pool and the middle, and I found a 2 ppm difference. FC was highest at the end closes to my pool equipment and lowest at the farthest end.

As a result, I put a more restrictive return nozzle nearest my pool equipment and reoriented some of the other nozzles. Now I get a pretty consistent reading across the pool.

I suggest you take several different readings around your pool to confirm consistent numbers, and take the water sample at least a foot under water. Hopefully you get the same results everywhere, but regardless it's a good sanity check.
 
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Do you have a ladder in the pool? Ladders can be a source where algae loves to hide and proper chlorine levels might not be enough if the ladder is not cleaned often enough.

Have you been brushing weekly? If not start brushing.

I would bring the FC up to SLAM level for 40 CYA since it is above 30 and run an OCLT tonight.
 
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Thank you

I turned on sharing.

No there is no ladder. Since it's not fenced I pull it out and lock in the shed when not in use.

Good news it didn't look like a lot reformed over night just some sports still thee einciukdnt get to because I didn't want to get in. Getting in now and giving it a good scrubbing. We'll do a oclt test tonight?
 
I just scrubbed and and skimmed everything. I reran a week's tests and have attached the results. Looks like I lost about 3 ppm of fc since last night 830 pm. As I said no new noticeable algae or anything like that. Not crystal clear but could see to the bottom. Thoughts on next steps or just monitor?
 

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I would do as @ping stated especially since you have seen visible algae & you stated its not crystal clear.
Sometimes the higher level Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
Can really show u the truth. Or u can just omit the oclt & begin slam now. Hopefully it won’t take too terribly long as maybe u have caught it early.
 
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Well it got dark on me and didn't get to go back out (don't have lights) I gave it a good scrubbing and skimming and added my nr9mal amount right at dusk. So I essentially did a oclt test... As it was getting dark I was at 8.5 ppm of fc. I tested this morning about 9:30am and was still at 8.5 ppm... So I had 0 loss over night. Which that is a good thing isn't it? Do I just keep giving it a free brushes and keeping eye on chlorine? Or still slam even though I passed the oclt test.
 

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