Removing algae dust that settles

[whatdidigetmyselfinto]

Just wanted to get a better understanding on what is the best approach for this situation where
we had a green pool with some debris all around the pool and after a round of brushing / robot cleaner / and a dose of shock (pump circulating 24hr etc) things do settle back down - admittedly less - pool still green. Did another round of brushing that lifted that greenish/yellowish dust back up, another round of chlorine.

Do I have to vacuum the bottom to clear it from those dust like particles?
Does that algea get trapped in the sand filter, requiring the filter to be backwashed?

Or Is it enough to keep brushing and adding chlorine to deal with the issue? (without vacuuming) (And maybe also run the robot again)

 

[PoolStored]

Do I have to vacuum the bottom to clear it from those dust like particles?

That would work.

Does that algea get trapped in the sand filter, requiring the filter to be backwashed?

Yep.

You should follow the SLAM process to clear the pool. Link-->SLAM Process

Being a longer term member, how are you testing the water?

 

[whatdidigetmyselfinto]

I have the Taylor test kit.
What caused all this was not doing any cleaning any testing for couple of weeks, with the pool covered. I didn't even notice the color changing as a result. And now I have to deal with it.

You haven't directly answered but are you basically saying it will NOT work without the backwash and vacuuming ?

 

[whatdidigetmyselfinto]

Example :

 

[Donldson]

That doesn't look entirely dead.

Why are you just blindly dumping "shock" in and not following the SLAM Process?

 

[Newdude]

You haven't directly answered but are you basically saying it will NOT work without the backwash and vacuuming ?

No amount of skimming/filtering will suck stuff off the floor. Doesn't matter if its alage, pollen, leaves, acorns, whatevs. If it's heavy enough to sink, it's there until you vac or robot it out.

When the filter pressure increases 25%, it's time to backwash.

 

[whatdidigetmyselfinto]

Re: SLAM : in terms of maintaining the right FC levels? I figured a dose of HTH (higher FC then needed) would not hurt.

I think my question was mostly about vacuuming and accumulation of algae in the sand filter.

I don't want to lose too much water so i'm trying to avoid backwashing.
Similarly, my vacuuming setup is not ideal, and one of my connections is broken, so I am trying to do without vacuuming if I can.

Hence my questions.

 

[Donldson]

I think my question was mostly about vacuuming and accumulation of algae in the sand filter.

Yes, and the answer is that you will have to vacuum it up but it will continue to accumulate because the algae is still alive and growing. Hence my question, which haven't really answered.

 

[reggiehammond]

Re: SLAM : in terms of maintaining the right FC levels? I figured a dose of HTH (higher FC then needed) would not hurt.

Doesn't work that way. The SLAM Process is a process, not a one-time addition of a random amount of chlorine. I'd encourage you to take it seriously unless you want to continue to deal with algae. It will drive you crazy as you continue to vacuum for days/weeks.

 

[whatdidigetmyselfinto]

OK. Point taken re: "the process"

I will admit I was trying to take shortcuts where I could.
I need to dedicate the time somehow to get the regular testss/dose calculations in.
The discussion was useful in helping me understand that vacuuming and backwash cannot be skipped.

Thanks again!

 

[reggiehammond]

Do you have a robot with fine filters? If so - it would both remove dead cells but also kick them up so they're more easily filtered. Many pools do not have a vacuum and backwash method, so this is how you'd do it.

 

[whatdidigetmyselfinto]

i have a TigerShark with fabric filters. it turns green when I run it and I do run it regularly as well.

One question though with the CC test. if have an FC of 18 for CYA for 30ish. After the FC tests and 5 drops DPD, solution barely turns pink. I notice the ting of pink but it is very faint. Adding a drop of R-0871 briefly takes the pink away, but it quickly comes back. Mind you we are talking about a barely noticable pink. And i can keep repeating this for multiple drops. So is my CC around .5 or less (I use a 10ml sample) or a lot higher? Because it clears momentarily, I want to say it is 0.5 but considering my green pool, how can CC be that low?

Am I misinterpreting something?

 

[TinFoilHat]

That's probably .5 or so but if your filters turn green then you need to keep slamming until you can get all green out of the pool and meet all three criteria for ending the SLAM.

 

[Donldson]

Barely any CC is created when chlorine kills algae. It typically is a byproduct of oxidizing other chemicals like ammonia.

 

[whatdidigetmyselfinto]

Barely any CC is created when chlorine kills algae. It typically is a byproduct of oxidizing other chemicals like ammonia.

ah ok. didnt know that. expected CC to be high becuase of killing algae. makes sense now....

 

[MWC]

I used skimmer socks and vacuumed what I could into those when I did my slam this summer. Worth a thought imho.

 

[whatdidigetmyselfinto]

Just to continue with this SLAM process :
It has been 5 days now i think. Daily robot, 24h circulation, etc. Vacuumed / backwashed twice during this period.
Pool is now clear.
There isn't any chlorine loss overnight (at least in the error range of much measurement)
But I am still seeing "small amount" of algae debris at the bottom of the pool.

Does that make sense considering little to no FC loss overnight? Or should I attribute that to measurement error?

 

[PoolStored]

But I am still seeing "small amount" of algae debris at the bottom of the pool.

Does that make sense considering little to no FC loss overnight? Or should I attribute that to measurement error?

Any visible, dead or alive algae, = SLAM ON!

Scrub everything. INSIDE and outside ladders, remove and scrub inside main drains, check weir doors for algae, scrub skimmers, scrub the intersections between vinyl and stairs/skimmers, scrub behind lights...everything.

 

[whatdidigetmyselfinto]

I guess it just needed one more day - bottom is clear now

And i guess a final question : with FC around 13 (CYA 30) and our pool not getting to much sun during the day, is it safe to swim with these elevated FC levels? It will probably take at least 3-4 days before it gets down to 5-6 FC... Should we wait it out?

 

[TinFoilHat]

You can safely swim in water up the SLAM level.