Noob:Algae with good test results

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pjku79

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Apr 17, 2015
163
San Antonio
I'm sure this is an easy fix but I'm not sure why I have algae to begin with. My fc has been at about 5 for months now. I checked cc and I was less then 0.5. below are my latest results. I plan to slam it today after I go get more bleach.

Thanks ahead.

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Morgan
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Build Type: Fiberglass
Volume: 11200 gallons
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Latest Test Result Summary:
FC: 5.0 (2 days ago)
pH: 7.6 (2 days ago)
TA: 120 (2 days ago)
CH: 375 (2 days ago)
CYA: 50 (2 months ago)
SALT: 3800 (one month ago)
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Some times stuff just happens. Don't beat yourself up over it. Sounds like an easy enough deal to SLAM it. Gotta remember it's been a heck of a lot hotter around your parts lately vs. the last few months. Always a good idea to bump it up for higher air and water temps. Consider raising your CYA level to 70 or so. I'm betting it's not 50 now since that result is 2 months old. Normal CYA loss is about 5 ppm per month.
 
Morgan, it's been hot in our area lately so algae can sneak-in on us if we're not careful. Your numbers above look good on any given day, but correct me if I'm wrong ..... Are you still in the middle of the SLAM Process? If so, your FC level should be "20" based on the FC/CYA Levels. The SWG could also bee turned off. But if you are not in a SLAM right now, your numbers look pretty good.
 
Very good. Now many will simply leave the SWG off during the SLAM Process to save cell life and use regular bleach to maintain the FC, but it's your call. Maintain that FC of 20 as best as you can 24/7 until you pass all 3 SLAM criteria. Don't bother with the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test part until the other two criteria are met. Save the OCLT for last. When you do the OCLT, make sure the SWG is off overnight.
 
woodyp said:
Some times stuff just happens. Don't beat yourself up over it. Sounds like an easy enough deal to SLAM it. Gotta remember it's been a heck of a lot hotter around your parts lately vs. the last few months. Always a good idea to bump it up for higher air and water temps. Consider raising your CYA level to 70 or so. I'm betting it's not 50 now since that result is 2 months old. Normal CYA loss is about 5 ppm per month.
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When you say it's a good idea to bump it up, how much do you mean? I was already at 4 to 6 pretty consistently.
 
pjku79 said:
Is there an issue with running the swcg because of the high chlorine? I just left mine at my normal settings. Should I turn it off?
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Most people usually leave it off simply because they aren't designed to produce that much chlorine (FC SLAM level). Liquid chlorine/bleach is generally easy to dose and predict.

pjku79 said:
When you say it's a good idea to bump it up, how much do you mean? I was already at 4 to 6 pretty consistently.
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I think Woody was referring regular summer maintenance and erring on the side of caution by keeping the FC on the slightly higher end of the daily range as noted on the FC/CYA Levels. But I just realized that your CYA was last tested at 50 which is below the TFP recommendation of 70. 70-80 generally provides a bit more protection and consistency for pools with an SWG, so I wonder if on one of our hots days your FC didn't drop a bit low? For now though, focus on the FC of 20. Once the SLAM is complete, then you can fine-tune those figures.
 

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Texas Splash said:
Most people usually leave it off simply because they aren't designed to produce that much chlorine (FC SLAM level). Liquid chlorine/bleach is generally easy to dose and predict.



I think Woody was referring regular summer maintenance and erring on the side of caution by keeping the FC on the slightly higher end of the daily range as noted on the FC/CYA Levels. But I just realized that your CYA was last tested at 50 which is below the TFP recommendation of 70. 70-80 generally provides a bit more protection and consistency for pools with an SWG, so I wonder if on one of our hots days your FC didn't drop a bit low? For now though, focus on the FC of 20. Once the SLAM is complete, then you can fine-tune those figures.
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My I added more conditioner after I tested cya last time. I actually tested it today and it was about 55. I added some to get it to 75.
 
I upped the FC as pool math said to. It was up about 28 for a few days. Last night I didn't add any fc before bed and it dropped from 21.5 to 20, so I think I'm good. Pool has been clear for 3 days now and I've been running my bot like crazy. I'm going to slowly let the FC fall now. It dropped to 17 today.

So, now back to why this happened in the first place. Should I keep my fc higher then 5? I was measuring it daily at night for a while until I was comfortable that it was stable. Then started doing it twice a week.

The other possibility is how much I run the pump. I have it running on medium for about 10 hours. That's split between spillover from spa and straight pool.
 
For the time-being, I would check the FC more than twice a week and keep it on the top-end of your daily range as noted on the FC/CYA Levels. I still have my concerns about the CYA being less than 70. That will be okay in a couple months when things cool down, but this past summer has been pretty brutal in our area. The water (SWG) may have struggled with a CYA of 50. Run time? ... perhaps if you get a lot of junk blown into the pool that is there long enough to decay. But if you clean it out quickly, that shouldn't be an issue. Good water circulation and brushing all of the pool surfaces at least weekly is something else to consider.
 
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