Pollen or Algae?

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flygirl516

0
May 31, 2016
78
Toms River, NJ
Good morning!
I've been SLAMming for 17 days :mad: I had ammonia, but was able to kick that quickly. My pool has been crystal clear for at least a week with the exception of small accumulations of what I believe is algae. I haven't done an overnight test because I keep thinking I have algae springing up, but what are the chances it's pollen? I've kept my FC at 12 with CYA at 30. I lose a lot of FC during the day because my pool is in direct sunlight all day, so by the time I'm home from work its at 6 or 8, then I brush, vaccuum, and bring it back up to 12. My CC is be between 0.5 and 1. I feel like this is a looong time to SLAM, but every day I see tiny accumulations here and there. When I brush, I only see a cloud when I hit one of those spots. I should note that I am also surrounded by large trees and bushes, and my allergies are killing me, so pollen could be a legitamite culprit.

Should I try the overnight test to see what happens? If I don't pass, what should my next steps be?

Thank you!
 
Adding on, so the CC level of 0.5-1 indicates I have algae. I'll admit I haven't checked CC each time because I kept seeing what I suspect is algae. I'll check both FC and CC when I get home later to confirm the CC level. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's not the dreaded mustard algae.

I had a similar problem last year, I felt like it took for-ev-er to pass all three tests, just to have algae again a few weeks later!

My plan of action is:
1. Test FC and CC
2. Maintain SLAM and do OCLT tonight, for giggles, to see what I come back with
3. If I don't pass, I'll bump it up to mustard algae level, again for giggles, to see what happens
4. If I do pass, don't tell fiance Ive been wasting so much chlorine on pollen :D
 
Sometimes I need to write out my plan of action! I will be sure to update though. I actually went back and read my old threads from last year, and recalled I had a ton of algae issues because my FC would dip too low during the day. Perhaps I need to raise my FC higher so it doesn't fall so much during the day, and I can get out of this SLAM before July!
 
I was having the same problem. I see you have a sand filter like I do. I kept getting brown spots, and my pool was crystal clear, and I was passing the overnight chlorine loss test..We were just able to get into our pool for the first time this last weekend, for our water was way too cold to swim. I bought me some goggles and swam to bottom where what I thought was still dead algae, but turned out to be sand, for it was gritty. Ive since put a skimmer sock in my skimmer, and always have a slight hint of sand. Im thinking to put a skimmer sock on my return jet as well..It would always show up daily in exact same spots, but it was caused due to liner bottom, and uneven spots. Now earlier I did battle algae, but after passing the test, I had to check it out when I was bale to get into the pool....That might be your problem ...Just a suggestion..
 
If you're worried about the big chlorine dip during the day and feel that you're getting awfully close to your minimum before you get back from work, you could try raising your CYA to 40 or even 50. You'll have to raise the FC level a bit daily, but it shouldn't get burned up by the sun as fast as it does at only 30 PPM.
 
Good point, I will raise my CYA a bit to help! I had a lot of algae breakouts last year because FC would dip too low before I got home.

GOOD NEWS! This morning, FC was at 6 and CC at 0, so the stuff is not organic (yay!) but I have no idea what it is. Sand? Pollen? I'll try the skimmer sock idea too

From reading other posts, it may just be dead algae, too! Perhaps I'm not vacuuming slow enough (I usually am in a rush, trying to vacuum between homework and snacks and making dinner, etc)
 
Hi all, just did a full test:

FC 6
CC 0
pH 7.2
TA 40
CH 175
CYA 40

My plan is to raise my TA to 60, which may raise my pH a bit. My pH was orange, not yellow, so I'm assuming that's 7.2 even though it didn't match the orange exactly. Everything else looks good!
 

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Since I live in Texas, I keep my CYA at 50, and since I also had a algae problem earlier, I keep my FC no lower than 10. Finally got hot here, and losing a average of 2-3ppm a day...Been adding approx 50oz of bleach every evening,,,So far so good..
 
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