Hi all,
I have been fighting green algae accumulation and proper LSI balance in our pool all summer without success. Any help would be appreciated!
I live in the San Fernando Valley in California - temperatures are very high - we've been over 100 all week and the pool water temp is often 82+ Fahrenheit.
My System:
Salt Water Generator system = Solaxx PureChlor 40k --> manufacturer recommended salt levels = 3500-4500 (this is higher than other brands)
Pool Gallons = 8,750
Surface = plaster
Pool has a spa section
New Filter Cartridges - Spring 2020
Pool vacuum= Barracuda MX8 Elite
Normal pool filter duration daily = 7 hours
In process of shocking, but the algae does not seem to die! I scrub the algae off today. I have also been reading this site regarding LSI, does anyone have any experience with this?:
Pool Dosing and LSI Calculator by Orenda
Here are my measurements over the last month using Taylor 2006-c kit:
I have been fighting green algae accumulation and proper LSI balance in our pool all summer without success. Any help would be appreciated!
- The pool water is not green, but green algae is slowly growing on the pool sides despite good FC levels and slamming.
- I started in mid July (prior to measurements below) by shocking with chlorine and the algae was removed.
- Then I sought to balance the water by bringing the pH down to recommended levels (I was shooting for 7.6). The algae came back.
I live in the San Fernando Valley in California - temperatures are very high - we've been over 100 all week and the pool water temp is often 82+ Fahrenheit.
My System:
Salt Water Generator system = Solaxx PureChlor 40k --> manufacturer recommended salt levels = 3500-4500 (this is higher than other brands)
Pool Gallons = 8,750
Surface = plaster
Pool has a spa section
New Filter Cartridges - Spring 2020
Pool vacuum= Barracuda MX8 Elite
Normal pool filter duration daily = 7 hours
- During Shocking: 24 hours (this has been 3rd day of shocking with highest output of SWG)
- Note: I normally don't shock with the SWG, rather use granules, but have been unable to get to Leslie's Pool Supply so used the SWG.
- pH is constantly pushing above 8.
- Over the month of July and August I have been battling this with Muriatic Acid, but it simply shoots up quickly in a day to 8 without maintenance.
- I have dumped over 6 gallons of MA into the pool over this time!
In process of shocking, but the algae does not seem to die! I scrub the algae off today. I have also been reading this site regarding LSI, does anyone have any experience with this?:
Pool Dosing and LSI Calculator by Orenda
Here are my measurements over the last month using Taylor 2006-c kit:
| Measured Date | Salt | FC | CC | TC | pH | CYA | TA | Calcium Hardness | Action Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, July 18, 2020 | 4,200 | 5.0 | 0.4 | 5.4 | 8.2 | 50 | 190.0 | 290.0 | Tested 11 am. pH and total alkalinity are too high, can cause algae. Stabilizer is low for saltwater pool. 1) Add stabilizer to increase CYA to 65 2) Add 5 Cups Muriatic Acid (over 2 days) to bring down ph 3) Retest Conditions on Wednesday |
Sunday, July 19, 2020 | 4,200 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 4.8 | 8.2 | 50 | 160.0 | 290.0 | Added 6 Cups of Muriatic Acid in pm. Added ~1/3 of gallon of stabilizer in am. Turned Salt Cell production to 3/8 (was on 4/8) |
Monday, July 20, 2020 | -- | 4.0 | 0.2 | 4.2 | 8.2 | 50 | 160.0 | -- | tested at 10 am. No pH movement from acid yesterday, added another 6 cups today. No increase in CYA despite 1/3 gallon added yesterday. Retest tomorrow. |
Monday, July 20, 2020 | -- | 4.8 | -- | -- | 8.0 | -- | -- | -- | |
Tuesday, July 21, 2020 | -- | 4.8 | -- | -- | 8.0 | -- | -- | -- | |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 | -- | 4.4 | -- | -- | 8.0 | -- | 150.0 | -- | Tested @ 8:30 am. Adding another 6 cups of muriatic acid. |
Thursday, July 23, 2020 | -- | 4.6 | -- | -- | 8.0 | -- | -- | -- | Tested @ 9:00 am. Added another 6 cups of muriatic acid, then another 6 in late afternoon. Kept pump running til 10 pm. |
Friday, July 24, 2020 | -- | 8.0 | -- | -- | 7.4 | -- | 140.0 | -- | Tested @ 8:45 am and ph was still between 7.8 or 8.0, added a half gallon of MA. Tested again at 10:30 am and ph at 7.4 and TA at 140. will test again in eve (7.8 ish). FC high as left pump running in evening. Turned salt cell to 2/8 |
Saturday, July 25, 2020 | -- | 7.0 | 0 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 52 | 130.0 | 270.0 | After 9 am testing, added 6 more cups MA. Will retest ph and FC tomorrow. |
Sunday, July 26, 2020 | -- | 7.2 | 0 | 7.2 | 7.6 | -- | -- | -- | Added 9 cups of MA in the morning and tested at 2 pm - only down to 7.6! Nuts. Added 2/3 gallon of stabilizer. The pool still has algae grown and the FC is at 7.2. Craziness. Added another half gallon of MA at 2:30 pm! |
Monday, July 27, 2020 | -- | 6.8 | 0 | 6.8 | 7.6 | 75 | 140.0 | -- | Tested at 8:30 am. Looking better! Will add 3 more cups MA, add the Perfect Weekly and see if ths algae comes down. CYA is now at recommended levels for Salt Water generator and pH SEEMS to be getting stable. TA is in the upper range of normal. Let's see how this plays out! |
Tuesday, July 28, 2020 | -- | 6.8 | 0 | 6.8 | 7.7 | -- | 120.0 | 280.0 | |
Saturday, August 1, 2020 | -- | 13.00 | 0 | 13.00 | 7.7 | -- | 100.0 | 290.0 | Added Perfect Weekly. Scrubbed the algae off the walls of the pool on Sunday. |
Monday, August 3, 2020 | 4,200 | 9.8 | 0.2 | 10 | 8.0 | 75 | 100.0 | 280.0 | pH sky rocketed to 8 missing a day for acid. Put in a half gallon of MA. Concerns as algae seems better, but it still present. May need to shock with ChlorBrite. May have to start watching TA from dropping too much lower. The acid is reducing the TA |
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7.7 | -- | -- | -- | Letting it ride today and will test pH tomorrow |
Thursday, August 6, 2020 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8.0 | -- | 90.0 | -- | pH shot up to 8 again after 1 day without acid treatment. Will put in 3 cups MA today. TA is starting to come down with all the acid treatment. Need to start thinking about how to raise that without raising pH. |
Saturday, August 8, 2020 | -- | 11.0 | 0.2 | 11.2 | 7.7 | -- | 90.0 | 290 | |
Thursday, August 13, 2020 | -- | 7.5 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 | -- | 90.0 | -- | On a schedule of 3 Cups MA every other day (Mon, Wed). Has maintained around 7.8 pH. Algae still accumulating slowly and requires brushing weekly. |
Tuesday, August 18, 2020 | 4,000 | 16.5 | -- | -- | 8.2 | -- | 90.0 | 310 | Left pump on all night on SuperChlor setting to try and get rid of the algae. FC was high, but not high enough to kill. Shooting for 30 FC |
Wednesday, August 19, 2020 | -- | 22.5 | -- | -- | 8.4 | -- | -- | -- | Left pump on all night on SuperChlor setting to try and get rid of the algae. Added a half gallon of MA. |
Thursday, August 20, 2020 | 31.5 | 8.0 | SuperChlor now at shock levels. Algae still present. Scrubbed algae off the sides. Added another half gallon of MA. |
Hats-off for tracking everything so well. Welcome to TFP! 
