Phosphates and Relationship To Algae AFTER SLAM

[mmcwhorter]

My pool store print out, which is always very consistent with my TFT-100, says I have 800 for phosphates. Ok, so some fertilizer got into my pool. I get it. Or it's just in the water period. It is what it is....

I just finished SLAM, the pool looks great, and I expect my SWCG will keep the CL in the 4-7 range and no more green stuff on the wall with happen. And...I have read many times how Phosphates just don't matter IF the above is true. The pool store is just trying to gt you to buy a product, I get it.

BUT! After all that hard work in the SLAM....perhaps, I am willing to try to get the phosphates down to give less "food" to the algae........

Question: Is there something that removes phosphates only from water (assuming) the is NO Algae int he pool?

Or am I wasting my time?

Just curious really.

Thanks

 

[aspiringnobody]

The PhosFree stuff the pool store sells is a scam imo. @mknauss has another brand he reccomends for removing phosphates, but it's expensive. There is very very little reason to do this. 800 parts per BILLION (all the other measurements for the pool are in parts per million) is practically nothing.

I wouldn't waste your time.

 

[Donldson]

Phosphate removal is to be done in a clear pool anyway, doing during an algae bloom can make for quite the mess. It will make your water more forgiving by causing algae to grow slower, but phosphate is only one source of nutrients for algae so it does not stop growth. Maintaining FC is always the key to clear (and safe!) pools. 800 ppb is not that high, but if you choose to adjust it I believe SeaKlear is well regarded compared to the liquid profit that is PhosFree.

I wouldn't call it a waste of time, doesn't take much time. A waste of money though? That is a possibility.

 

[justinc]

If you are really worried about algae, use borates or polyquat. Cheaper and more effective than pool store potions

 

[Donldson]

The algaestatic properties of borates aren't especially noticeable until you get up around 100 ppm, so we don't endorse them specifically for that purpose. Rather it is one potential benefit alongside the pH buffering. Polyquat would be fine, but it does require regular additions so I don't really recommend it for use during the swim season. Polyquat is better used during stain treatment when the FC needs to be nearly zero, or for closing if someone doesn't want to raise their FC for whatever reason. Phosphate removal should only need to be done every season or two and works alongside the chlorine rather than being broken down by it like polyquat.

And let us not forget that polyquat algaecide and borate powder is sitting right on the pool store shelves next to the phosphate remover.

 

[Leebo]

I personally view Phosphate removers in the same boat as a polyquat, like an insurance policy. As you mentioned IF you maintain your FC level you’re golden but removing phosphates will help you IF you slip and drop below that level. I’d stay away from most the pool store rubbish as it’s watered down and look for the Orenda PR-10000. I’ve used this for the last 3 years now as I wanted to learn more about phosphates and the stuff lasts a lot longer than one may think. The key benefit of phosphates as opposed to a polyquat is that unless you add phosphates into the water your phosphate level won’t increase, polyquat however will break down in time requiring you to have to add more.

 

[mmcwhorter]

Copy that all. I travel sometimes for 6-8 days and have the neighboorhood kid skim and clean swimmer baskets out daily (my wife is an indoor girl unless she's in the pool)...LOL. So, I didn't state it in the original thread, but if I do fall below min FC while I'm out of town, perhaps getting phosphates out may help. I'll sit tight for now and let's see how it goes.
And I did Borates 2-3 years ago, for one season. Don't recall if I like it or not to be honest.


Thanks...

 

[aspiringnobody]

I personally view Phosphate removers in the same boat as a polyquat, like an insurance policy. As you mentioned IF you maintain your FC level you’re golden but removing phosphates will help you IF you slip and drop below that level. I’d stay away from most the pool store rubbish as it’s watered down and look for the Orenda PR-10000. I’ve used this for the last 3 years now as I wanted to learn more about phosphates and the stuff lasts a lot longer than one may think. The key benefit of phosphates as opposed to a polyquat is that unless you add phosphates into the water your phosphate level won’t increase, polyquat however will break down in time requiring you to have to add more.

The phosphate level in any pool will rise over time as dust and organic matter fall into the pool. It's a misconception that once you remove it it's gone forever

 

[ajw22]

Do your own testing with the TAYLOR TECHNOLOGIES INC K-1106 TEST KIT PHOSPHATE if you get serious about wanting to use phosphate remover like SeaKlear.

And 800 is not a high level of phosphates. At that level I would not worry about it. If you have 5000+ ppb then you can do your own testing.

 

[Leebo]

The phosphate level in any pool will rise over time as dust and organic matter fall into the pool. It's a misconception that once you remove it it's gone forever

A user will never get a true "zero" level, this is correct. Phosphate levels will always increase due to dust and so forth, this is correct. That said, for some this rate is very slow. I find myself only test and removing phosphates once a year at opening and even then the levels are around 250-300ppb. As Allen said, levels under 1,000ppb really aren't even a worry. That said, for users in area's where there's a lot of fertilizer in the air (see Iowa) users MAY see faster increases. I misspoke in my comment above, but the rate it increases is very slow........for some unlike the breakdown of polyquat which occurs for all.