Ongoing Algae Battle

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J

John_and_Val

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Mar 30, 2018
304
Sunrise/FL
So - the pool is going into its 8th month of water in it. I had a issue in August - where of course, we went on vacation....pump stopped running for some reason.....and ALGAE. I did a SLAM when we got back and all was good for a couple of months. I guess between monsoon rains and water fills, I let my CYA down a bit (30) and boom! ALGAE! Did another SLAM....passed the overnight test - crystal clear water - but high level of chlorine. I brought my CYA up to about 70 -80 (I have SWG). And it took forever for the chlorine to come down from the SLAM level (about 30). I am talking at least a month! When I got to around 7 on the chlorine - BOOM!!!!!! Algae!!!!! I can't figure this out. Now I am at a 80 CYA and currently SLAMMING AGAIN.
The algae is a very subtle, green algae. I can barely see it until i brush it. And then it dissipates into a cloud.....I dont see a lot of algae on the walls, skimmers, or waterline. I definetely notice it first on the sun shelf and steps...
Current levels:
FC - 32
CC - 0
Ph - 7.6
TA - 90
CH - 260
CYA - 80ish
Temp 76
I just cleaned the filter yesterday (it was green, but not terrible) - and I brushed floor, walls, EVERYWHERE - I also have my robot doing double time on the floor and walls to keep things stirred up.
I live in South Florida and the pool gets sun from 10 AM to 5 PM (winter) and 7 PM (summer) - Pool temp can creap up to the 90 degree mark in summer. I have Pebble Tec Brilliance "Clearwater" which is a little on the darker side as far as finishes go. It is also a bit more "Porous" than most finishes. By that I mean it has a lot more "nooks and Crannies" in the finish (due to glass beads, round aggregate, etc). Could this be an issue with the algae having more places to "hide"??? I am at a loss here - Hoping for input.
 
J&V,

It sounds to me like you have never really gotten rid of all the algae, even after your SLAMs..

Unless water is real expensive, I would have drained the pool down to the point that my CYA was in the 30 to 40 range and then started the SLAM. It is much harder to maintain an FC of 32 than an FC of 16..

If this were my pool, I would do two things..

1. Look behind the light and under possible algae hiding places, like a ladder or maybe a water feature???

2. I would run the SLAM at the next SLAM level up and run the SLAM for two days longer then required. This would make up for any error in reading your CYA.

That said, I am not sure why you would take any advice from me, as I have never performed a SLAM. :) I have three saltwater pools and in the past 6 years they have never had algae... I suspect that one of the things that I do differently from you is that I look at the Minimum FC level, in the CYA/FC chart, as a cliff that I never ever want to fall off.. I try to always keep my FC at my target range or higher.. I do not try to keep my FC between the Minimum and the Target. In my mind, there is no penalty for the FC being a little high, but there is a death penalty for having your FC go too low.

Let's see what some of our SLAM experts have to say,

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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I am with Jim.........there is a bit of algae hiding somewhere.............have a good warming drink ready and a hot towel from the dryer in a cooler to keep it warm so you can take the light out to brush behind it just in case it is here. I would also make a point of brushing the pool once a day for a while. THEN once you have finished the SLAM I would keep the FC on the upper end for a while to make sure it is really gone.

Do you have one of the rounded brushes? If not think about getting one (I get mine from Home Depot around here) as they are good for corners and small places in the pool.

I would keep the CYA down for a little while just in case :(
 
Just so you do not frustrate yourself - do not worry about the lights you have. They are nicheless lights and thus not the issue.
 
3 Fire/Water Bowls, 3 Magic Stream Laminars, 2 Shelf Bubblers, are all breeding places for algae if you do not run them during the SLAM Process
 
Jimrahbe said:
That said, I am not sure why you would take any advice from me, as I have never performed a SLAM. :) I have three saltwater pools and in the past 6 years they have never had algae... I suspect that one of the things that I do differently from you is that I look at the Minimum FC level, in the CYA/FC chart, as a cliff that I never ever want to fall off.. I try to always keep my FC at my target range or higher.. I do not try to keep my FC between the Minimum and the Target. In my mind, there is no penalty for the FC being a little high, but there is a death penalty for having your FC go too low.
Click to expand...

I must have learned this here, as I too have never had to slam and keep my FC a bit high. I use "Target" as my minimum cliff, to make sure I never get anywhere near "Minimum." You'll get there. Once you figure out the culprit and rid yourself of algae, run your FC a bit higher. Remember, these TFP recommended levels are based on lots of pools, sort of an averaging, and should be used as a good starting point. But there is no guarantee that using the levels as is will work for your pool and the way you use it. Pools are individuals and need to be treated as such. Some pools can run some chemicals lower than what TFP recommends, others must run higher. There are too many variables involved for TFP recommendations to work perfectly in every pool: sun exposure, number of users, pool finish and shape, equipment setup, etc, etc, etc.

Yes, you could have some algae hiding that is "re-infecting" your pool each time. Or it might be that your setup is such that you need more chlorine than you've been using. Nothing you've been doing wrong, your pool is just hungrier than others.
 
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Thank you for the replies.....I guess I need to crank the heater up and get in there!!!!! I do have 2 5G lights with niches - so i will remove those and clean. The water features are run an hour at a time to let the "SLAM" levels get through them. And I will bring my CYA down by dumping some water.....

I will keep you posted..........
 
John_and_Val said:
The water features are run an hour at a time to let the "SLAM" levels get through them.
Click to expand...

J&V,

I am not saying that the water features are the problem, but if they are, then I would not think that running SLAM water through them for an hour is going to fix them.

The whole point of a SLAM is to maintain a high level of FC over a long period of time ..

Jim R.
 

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