water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained steady???

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queenofmyswamp

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Jun 8, 2008
114
I have been doing better this year with keeping up with the pool maintenance than I ever have before. However.....my daughter just got in and little water bugs came over and landed on her legs. A bunch of them....yuck! My question is how this is possible with my chlorine level at about a 6? I have never had this before. The water is crystal clear and looks great, but now the kids won't want to get it.

Thanks for any help.

Erin in Ohio
 
Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

What are the rest of your results?

we have one or two backswimmers once in a while but never more than that. You could add borates if they become a real problem.
 
Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

Well, rats...the pool has looked so good I apparently wasn't testing everything like I should have been. I have just been focused on chlorine and I should know better from being on here in the past.

alk 260 (!)
pH 7.9
fc 7
CYA 30

Okay, so I understand that I need to reduce pH and aerate to bring down alk, right? I am doing that now. HOWEVER....does that explain the bugs? There are a BUNCH of them in there. Any advice about fixing the bug issue would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a bunch!
 
Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

I wouldn't be too worried about bringing the alkalinity down fast. It will cause your pH to drift back up over time but as you adjust for that it will bring it down. However that shouldn't explain the bugs. But Bama is right, what kind are they? The backswimmers really don't seem to be too affected by chlorine. If you net them out they will simply find their way back in. I know if you can net them out and into something like rubbing alcohol it will kill them. I don't know how realistic of a solution that would be but found it out from being a stupid teenager with too much time on my hands and too many bugs in the pool.
 
Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

the body is a a little oval shaped thing and they have 2 legs on the sides and they dart around quickly. Are those "backswimmers?" I am a little worried by your answer...I don't know how in the world I can possibly catch them - there are a LOT of them!!!!
 
Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

You can try bringing the pool to shock level overnight and see if that kills them. Also try running the pump longer. I only notice them when I am on the verge of an algae bloom. As bama said, borates may help also.
 
Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

I agree that bringing the FC up to shock level will help.

You don't want to add Borates until you get all the other parameters in line. Work on the alk as you said and keep your FC on the high side of recommended after the initial shock level and once you get the TA down a bit we'll work on getting borates in there if you still have a problem.
 
Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

Yes, those are probably backswimmers. If you ever look at them closely you can see they are upside down when they swim.
 

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Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

I've got them too and since I don't do the winter closing here in south Texas, I have been just dumping in the FC once a week. I net out a few each time and some of them are getting quite big. I don't see any signs of algae so not sure what they are eating. I also tried spraying some diluted dish soap around but didn't seem to help either. Some days when I check the skimmer, there are some huge ones in there. I presume they fly into the pool, lay eggs and then die. I have had them all summer but thought I had them under control for a while as I didn't detect any in my netting, but now they are back. With all the smart folks on this site, I'd think someone has had this issue before and had some success in getting rid of the pesky devils.

Pap
 
Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

Don't have current test results since I am in Idaho until next week. Once I return, I will test, but also was told not to worry much about keeping the water "exact" since we aren't swimming in it for a couple of months. Thoughts???

Pap
 
Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

Sounds like your bug issues may be a result of inadequate chlorine.......post some test results when you get back (before you add any chemistry) and we'll go from there.

An open pool cannot be totally ignored so I think someone may have not given you the best advice.
 
Re: water bugs in pool but Chlorine level has remained stead

not sure if you guys are talking about the same bugs but I had a bunch of these flea size like bugs that hung around the edge of the pool. i just sucked them all up with the pool vaccuum and let the sand filter do it's job. they never came back. :cheers:
 
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