Is it algae?

[Dizzy2908]

Hello,
I have green in my pool. And what I mean by that, is it will be churned up and hazy green for a few days, then it ALL settles to the bottom. I vacuum it up, and then it happens again. Is it possible to be too small for a cartridge filter and still be this visible? I automatically thought it was algae. BUT, my FC is holding like it normally would. So I then thought it was pollen (we had a really bad spring in regards to pollen), but it keeps coming back. Is there an algae that doesn't deplete your FC?! If not, what can this be and how do I get rid of it?

 

[Newdude]

Hey Dizz !!!

How are you testing ?? If it’s a reliable drop based method you can trust your results and it’s most likely pollen. Your 100 sq ft filter works fine for normal pool filtering, but if the debris added is heavy, the filter will require several cleanings while it does its thing. The pool is like a pollen magnet. It gets the fair dusting that everything else gets, but as the pollen blows around, more and more and more blow into the pool. So in the end it takes on way more than it’s fair share, like a dam in a river, because the pollen stops at the pool instead of continuing onto the neighbors yard.

The only thing you can do is run the pump to remove it, and it takes a week or three. If you are on an 8 hour runtime schedule (for example) it will take 3 times as long to clear it as running 24/7. You want the most amount of volume going through the filter and it will STILL drag on. I had this battle every year with a lot of oak trees.

It will be real hard to tell by eye if it’s pollen/algae on any given day so stay on top of the testing to prove it.

 

[Dizzy2908]

Hey Dizz !!!

How are you testing ?? If it’s a reliable drop based method you can trust your results and it’s most likely pollen. Your 100 sq ft filter works fine for normal pool filtering, but if the debris added is heavy, the filter will require several cleanings while it does its thing. The pool is like a pollen magnet. It gets the fair dusting that everything else gets, but as the pollen blows around, more and more and more blow into the pool. So in the end it takes on way more than it’s fair share, like a dam in a river, because the pollen stops at the pool instead of continuing onto the neighbors yard.

The only thing you can do is run the pump to remove it, and it takes a week or three. If you are on an 8 hour runtime schedule (for example) it will take 3 times as long to clear it as running 24/7. You want the most amount of volume going through the filter and it will STILL drag on. I had this battle every year with a lot of oak trees.

It will be real hard to tell by eye if it’s pollen/algae on any given day so stay on top of the testing to prove it.

Hey Dude,
I use a Taylor K2005, so it should be pretty accurate. I seem to remember the "pollen" every spring (this is only my third year with the pool), but this year is extremely bad/green. I agree that your methods worked every other year, and I guess I am just looking for affirmation because this year's has lasted about a month and a half at this point and continues to get darker the longer it sits on the bottom between vacuuming.

 

[Newdude]

The K2005 is a good kit but not that accurate for FC testing, especially above 5PPM, and there is a lot of room for user error / miscalculation with the color matching like the standard PH test. If you haven’t already, upgrade to the FAS-DPD powder kit and post a full set of test results so we can verify what you’re experiencing. See here from further reading :

Taylor K-2005 / Leslie's 81330​

The Taylor K-2005 is a test kit that gets pushed by many larger “pool stores”. It tests pH, TA, CH, CYA VERY well, but it’s shortfall is how it tests chlorine levels. The K-2005 uses a “DPD” chlorine test which has three very large pitfalls:

1. The DPD chlorine test will NOT show accurate results above 5 ppm. This is an issue if you wish to follow TFP methods, as we teach that it’s best to maintain a ratio of chlorine to CYA, see the Chlorine/CYA Chart, not just a firm 1-4 ppm.

2. The DPD chlorine test uses “color-matching.” You add a few drops of reagent to the water and then match the pink sample color to the comparator. It’s easy to mismatch the true levels.

3. Perhaps worst of all, the DPD chlorine test's pink sample color can "bleach out." If the chlorine is well above the 5 ppm limit, the pink sample color after the reagent is added can fade out or even remain clear. This can lead one to believe the chlorine level is MUCH lower than reality, potentially leading to adding even more chlorine to the pool.

In short, the K-2005 is a good kit.........it’s just not very accurate in chlorine testing.

TFP Methods requiring FC of more than 5 ppm, such as the SLAM Process and higher CYA levels, cannot be tested with the DPD chlorine test in the K-2005. You need the FAS/DPD chlorine test found in the TF-100, Taylor K-2006 or K-2006C.

If you have the K-2005 you can separately buy the FAS/DPD Chlorine Test to make your kit equivalent to the K-2006.

 

[Mdragger88]

Definitely get the fas/dpd & do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test.