Is this an Algae Issue

[Yb322]

G'day everyone

Just a few weeks back I posted about having cloudy water. With the assistance of the people on this forum, I was able SLAM and my water was looking clearer than ever. However after some storm and wind activity in the area, I started to notice the water had lost some of the clarity.

I did a OCLT and came back with with no loss overnight. CC is also 0. I raised the FC to 10 just a a precaution, and have run the filter for the past 24 hours. The water is now looking crystal clear again.

When I cleaned the cartridge it has a greenish look to it. I took the attached picture. I have kept the FC at 10 for now, filter still running.

Testing with a Clear Choice labs kit.

FC 10
CC 0
PH 7.4
CYA 50

Any thoughts or advice appreciated. Is it possible I missed something last time?

 

[Texas Splash]

That does look like algae, or perhaps organic staining post-SLAM. How long ago did you perform the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test?

 

[Yb322]

That does look like algae, or perhaps organic staining post-SLAM. How long ago did you perform the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test?

Did the OCLT the night Saturday night/ Sunday morning. Ran filter sunday through to Monday afternoon, when the photo was taken

 

[Texas Splash]

Passing the OCLT recently is reassuring. The paper pleats in that cart may just be stained from all the previous algae. I would monitor for a few days to ensure you see no unusual FC demand later. Keep the FC level slightly elevated just to be safe. It may take some time for the chlorine to bleach that stuff out a bit. If it remains and bugs you later, you can try a good soaking in TSP or a dishwasher powdered detergent (i.e. Cascade).

 

[Yb322]

Thanks appreciate the advice. I hosed the cartridge and it washed out, back to mostly white.

I will keep the filter running, the FC slightly higher and keep an eye on it all for a few days and see if anything changes.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Bperry]

Thanks appreciate the advice. I hosed the cartridge and it washed out, back to mostly white.

I will keep the filter running, the FC slightly higher and keep an eye on it all for a few days and see if anything changes.

Thanks again for the advice.

If the filter cleaned up after washing with a hose it means junk (or algae) was floating around in the water. Did you keep the SLAM going until the water was crystal clear with no signs of algae dead or alive?

 

[Mdragger88]

What fc level were you maintaining after the slam?

 

[Yb322]

What fc level were you maintaining after the slam?

Once the FC dropped ot was at FC 7 with CYA 70

 

[Mdragger88]

Maintaining fc at 10% is fine & usually provides a good buffer between you & minimum.
It’s possible that the organic materials that fell in from the storms consumed your fc & allowed it to dip too low letting some algae grow for a minute until you got a dose in. Especially if there was a lot.
Another explanation for the color of your filter is simply the organic material itself.
We had a quick & crazy 4th of July storm last year & in minutes my pool was filled with green leaves & twigs - the color of the water changed to greenish very quickly even though I immediately started scooping & adding xtra bleach as soon as the storm passed. I also always “run hot” with fc so I know I never went below minimum. It was just the color from the leaves. I have a sand filter with an opaque backwash hose so I couldn’t really see the color of what was caught by the filter but I know what the pool water looked like. Leaf tea!

 

[kul]

Did you clean the filter during/after the slam that you did?

 

[Yb322]

Did you clean the filter during/after the slam that you did?

Yes, I was cleaning it out daily during the slam process.

I will take another look at the cartridge when I am back home and see how it looks.

 

[Yb322]

This afternoon the pool looks crystal clear once again. I checked the cartridge and although it is still a little off looking, nowhere near like yesterday.

I will keep an eye on the FC and see how it goes.

 

[kul]

Was it that green color when you were cleaning it during slam? Your most recent picture looks good. Maybe just keep an eye on it. Could be metal staining or could have been the algae.