Struggling with Algae

Such a low cya in sunny florida will allow your fc to drop quickly & possibly go too low.
Get that up a bit & aim for maintaining high target 🎯 for your cya. Some pools just need more fc.
Can you remove the tab feeder & scrub it out?
 
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Such a low cya in sunny florida will allow your fc to drop quickly & possibly go too low.
Get that up a bit & aim for maintaining high target 🎯 for your cya. Some pools just need more fc.
Can you remove the tab feeder & scrub it out?
That's not what's happening. I did clean tab feeder before SLAM and left a TAB in there with valve closed. If you read back I never have more than 1 - 1.5ppm FC drop per day. Everyday I test it's at 5 - 5.5 and I put enough Chlorine to put it to 7 per pool math. Two pool stores say my CYA is 40 and 43.
 
That's not what's happening. I did clean tab feeder before SLAM and left a TAB in there with valve closed. If you read back I never have more than 1 - 1.5ppm FC drop per day. Everyday I test it's at 5 - 5.5 and I put enough Chlorine to put it to 7 per pool math. Two pool stores say my CYA is 40 and 43.
Have you tried using the cya standard to get a better idea of how the cya test is supposed to look? It can be really helpful, then once you know you’re golden & can trust/feel confident in your own results.

The point I wanted to make was that running fc a little higher may be needed for your pool. There’s really no harm in doing so. Every pool is different.
 
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Have you tried using the cya standard to get a better idea of how the cya test is supposed to look? It can be really helpful, then once you know you’re golden & can trust/feel confident in your own results.

The point I wanted to make was that running fc a little higher may be needed for your pool. There’s really no harm in doing so. Every pool is different.
No I have not, didn't know about that. Is that just a solution you put into the tube without mixing anything or do you put that to 7.5ml in place of pool water and add the other reagent? Confused about how that would work but it's a great idea!
 
No I have not, didn't know about that. Is that just a solution you put into the tube without mixing anything or do you put that to 7.5ml in place of pool water and add the other reagent? Confused about how that would work but it's a great idea!
You treat it like pool water. It is "pool water with 50ppm of CYA"

Fill to first line with this solution, fill to second line with reagent, mix and read the value. Shows you what 50 looks like.
 
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So do I put that into the "view tube" and fill it to 50 after it's mixed?
NO. Go back to the instructions.

They say
Fill the mixing container with pool water to first line/bottom of sticker depending on kit.
Fill the mixing container to top line/top of sticker with the reagent, shake.
Fill the view tube until dot is obscured.

With the standard, the first line would read:
Fill the mixing container with standard to first line/bottom of sticker.

Second and third steps are the same.
 
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NO. Go back to the instructions.

They say
Fill the mixing container with pool water to first line/bottom of sticker depending on kit.
Fill the mixing container to top line/top of sticker with the reagent, shake.
Fill the view tube until dot is obscured.

With the standard, the first line would read:
Fill the mixing container with standard to first line/bottom of sticker.

Second and third steps are the same.
I think you misunderstood me or I didn't ask my question correctly.

I will substitute the R7065 in place of my pool water and follow the instructions for the test as you described. So now I'll have the first line with this solution and up to the second line with the reagent, shake, wait 30 seconds like the instructions say. That part I get.

But now I take this and fill the view tube to 50 and look at what the dot should look like? In other words I just fill it to 50 and stop there, it's simply showing me what it should look like at 50 correct?

Thank you.
 
But now I take this and fill the view tube to 50 and look at what the dot should look like? In other words I just fill it to 50 and stop there, it's simply showing me what it should look like at 50 correct?
Yes! Fill to 50 line. That is what it should look like when the "dot is obscurred." Yes, showing you what 50 looks like.
 

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I think you misunderstood me or I didn't ask my question correctly.

I will substitute the R7065 in place of my pool water and follow the instructions for the test as you described. So now I'll have the first line with this solution and up to the second line with the reagent, shake, wait 30 seconds like the instructions say. That part I get.

But now I take this and fill the view tube to 50 and look at what the dot should look like? In other words I just fill it to 50 and stop there, it's simply showing me what it should look like at 50 correct?

Thank you.
Yes 👍🏻
 
So I got the R7065 50ppm Cya water and if that's what it looks like the instructions in the tf pro kit are incorrect. To make that dot fully covered at waist level the water needs to be all the day up to 20... See attached picture.

According to a comparison of this now I'd say my cya is 30.

Hopefully the Algae stays away this time!
 

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Yeah, the Taylor instructions say “just dissapears” it’s tricky. But for now, it’s still the best option for testing cya.
IMG_6337.jpeg
 
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The fun is back. Crystal clear yesterday and today when brushing algae on walls and bottom. This doesn't end, back every 2 - 3 weeks and I'm 100% I've executed the SLAM process to a T the last few times. The last time I even went higher then called for my CYA levels and for two extra days on the CL. Went through every corner of the pool and no trace of algae anywhere. For what it's worth I tested a couple friends pools that use pool service, one the FC was 16 and the other 20 with a CYA of 50. The pool companies here dump gallons of CL weekly or every other week no matter what - it's a disgrace what they do but they must do it for this reason. I don't know what else to do here but maintaining CL levels of 5 - 7 with CYA of 40 does not prevent algae, at least in my pool. Pool store says my water is perfect aside from my FC being too high - as we know they don't like seeing FC above 4.

Do I maybe have mustard algae? I'm afraid to go to those shock levels with plaster that's about 10 months old and still curing.
 
- it's a disgrace what they do but they must do it for this reason
They have to spike it high enough on their weekly visit to make it the whole week until the next visit. Well, that's the hope at least. FC burns off faster at higher levels and it really becomes noticeable in the 20s. It rarely lasts all week, no matter how high they shock it.
I don't know what else to do here but maintaining CL levels of 5 - 7 with CYA of 40 does not prevent algae, at least in my pool.
Then you pool is telling you that it needs more than the average. 'Run hot' at 7-10. Try never falling below 7 and road test that.
 
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They have to spike it high enough on their weekly visit to make it the whole week until the next visit. Well, that's the hope at least. FC burns off faster at higher levels and it really becomes noticeable in the 20s. It rarely lasts all week, no matter how high they shock it.

Then you pool is telling you that it needs more than the average. 'Run hot' at 7-10. Try never falling below 7 and road test that.
Agreed on the spike until next visit but ugly long term this kind of pool maintenance.

Why would that be? At 5 it's okay, I can go under water and stuff and not smell the bleach. At 7 it's not very nice and smells like bleach. Won't be very nice if I have to run this at 7 - 10. Also concerning for equipment and plaster.

What about switching to SWG, does the salt in the water help to alleviate this a bit?

How would I test to see if it's mustard algae?
 
At 5 it's okay, I can go under water and stuff and not smell the bleach. At 7 it's not very nice and smells like bleach. Won't be very nice if I have to run this at 7 - 10. Also concerning for equipment and plaster.
With TFP balanced water, there is no smell up to SLAM FC for any CYA level.

Screenshot_20230327_210207_Chrome.jpg

If the water is funky and the chlorine gets to work, you will smell CCs at any FC level.
What about switching to SWG, does the salt in the water help to alleviate this a bit
No. A SWG simply adds chlorine on your behalf without having to buy and lug jugs. Everything else applies. If you let it go south, it will smell and swamp up just like a regular pool.
 
With TFP balanced water, there is no smell up to SLAM FC for any CYA level.

View attachment 500409

If the water is funky and the chlorine gets to work, you will smell CCs at any FC level.

No. A SWG simply adds chlorine on your behalf without having to buy and lug jugs. Everything else applies. If you let it go south, it will smell and swamp up just like a regular pool.
Very familiar with that chart at this point but thanks... With CYA at 40 I've been keeping it 5 - 7. Check and add daily. When I did SLAM it was 16. Since it last happened 2 - 3 weeks ago it has never been below 5.5. I loose 1 - 1.5ppm/day typically. When I see it at 5.5 I put it back to 7. The algae I'm talking about wasn't visible until I brush and then I can see puffs of it. It's not enough to make water cloudy and will not drop overnight more than .5ppm FC, but the gift keeps on giving. My wife thinks the puffs she sees when brushing are yellow, I think they're light green. Dunno but been tough to make this go away. Could try keeping it at 7 and see what happens.
 
So I got the R7065 50ppm Cya water and if that's what it looks like the instructions in the tf pro kit are incorrect. To make that dot fully covered at waist level the water needs to be all the day up to 20... See attached picture.

According to a comparison of this now I'd say my cya is 30.

Hopefully the Algae stays away this time!

Something about this post just seems to snag my attention.

Are you saying that when you use the 50ppm standard you would read the resultant solution as 20ppm based on the way you have been previously considering the dot obscured?

Then you advise that your pool CYA level should be a 30ppm result, down from 40ppm.

Now I may well have the wrong end of the stick but if I am reading correctly the logic doesn't follow to read the standard low and then revise your CYA level down.

More importantly if my first interpretation is correct and you see the 50ppm standard solution as a 20ppm result this means your prior 40ppm result could be a significantly higher CYA value (scale is logarithmic) and your target FC levels could be inadequate/below minimum...which would express itself as recurring algae.

I'm probably just missing your intent but maybe there is something there?
 
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