Shocking Algae

[GMusic]

A raccoon pooped in our pool so we need to drain the pool for health reasons. Also, due to a variety of subsequent issues, we also now have a major green algae problem.

I am having a pool service handle this. They are recommending putting in like 50 pounds of shock in order to kill off the existing algae and letting the pump run for a couple of days before it is drained. The pool will probably also need to be acid washed after it is drained.

Is that the best course of action? Will the high level of shock damage my plaster (8 year old Durazzo)? Will acid washing the plaster damage it?

I have to make the decisions on this today. Thanks.

 

[DorsalSpine]

Why would you bother shocking the pool if you are going to drain it and acid wash the surface?

 

[mknauss]

Will acid washing the plaster damage it?

Yes it will. The act of acid washing a plaster surface damages it.

 

[Texas Splash]

"G", here are some other discussions if you haven't already seen them.

Raccoon Feces In Pool

Hi, I have been a salt water pool owner for about 11yrs now and this is the first time I have experience a raccoon using my pool as its latrine. My husband was able to remove the fecal matter from the pool but we did not get the fecal matter tested. We did have our pool guy shock the pool and it...

www.troublefreepool.com

Raccoon Poop.... Really Scared!

Hello everyone, Several years ago I found what I assumed to be a raccoon poop in the pool. I skimmed it out and shocked the pool and didn’t really worry about it. Just now I got in the pool and was walking around vacuuming with a pool blaster (battery operated vacuum with its own filter bag)...

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Raccon poop in pool

So, this morning i found a few large pieces of poop in my pool near the steps. I was solid but some parts disintegrated into dusty, nasty.....yuk! I was going to bring my FC level up to 40% of the 60ppm of CYA in the pool. Which comes out to 24pp of FC for 24 hrs and a PH of 7.5 or less. I got...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[GMusic]

Why would you bother shocking the pool if you are going to drain it and acid wash the surface?

That was my question. He said it would kill the stuff in the filter and rest of the pool and make it easer to clean. I was trying to figure out why you would ever drain a pool because of bad algae if super duper shocking it could kill all the existing algae.

 

[GMusic]

Yes it will. The act of acid washing a plaster surface damages it.

Thank you. I guess the question is how much. And I wonder what options I have at this point.

 

[mknauss]

Why are you acid washing the pool surface?

 

[GMusic]

Why are you acid washing the pool surface?

Good question. One reason was to kill any ringworm that might have remained in the pool and the other reason was I was to get all the algae off. I don't see why that is going to be needed for the second and am trying to decide about the first. We are in the process of heavy shocking/slamming.

 

[mknauss]

Acid washing a plaster surface is a dramatic decision. It will reduce its life span and will make the plaster rough.

I have no knowledge around the ring worm thing. That has popped up a couple times in the forum this year. Did not know it was a big deal. As far as algae, chlorine is needed for that. Follow the SLAM Process

 

[GMusic]

Acid washing a plaster surface is a dramatic decision. It will reduce its life span and will make the plaster rough.

Thank you. Then we will not do that.

Can slamming take care of algae even if the algae problem is really bad? Is there a point that slamming will not work with algae?

 

[mknauss]

Only if the chlorine cannot get to the algae. Say delaminated plaster that algae grows under. For algae embedded in very rough plaster, you may have to run an elevated FC for a period of time as well as brushing.

Algae does not 'stain' per se. Stains are nearly always metal related. For many pools, iron (if in the fill water) or copper (if added by using pool store potions) are typical.