My levels are good and water is clear but I keep seeing small algae spots on my thermoplastic stairs and the corners of the skimmer opening. I'm also seeing dust on the bottom when I vacuum/brush but I assumed it was pollen because we've had a ton of it and the pollen gets dumped into the pool when I take the solar cover off. The only other thing I can think of is that we've had a lot of rain so I've been leaving the cover on and the pump running at low speed so maybe I'm not getting enough circulation? I'm doing an OCLT tonight.
What Am I Doing Wrong?
- Thread starter awstevens
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Oly
Gold Supporter
Checking your logs......
Odd.
Do check the OCLT.
Do you use a pool cleaner? Brush?
Odd.
Do check the OCLT.
Do you use a pool cleaner? Brush?
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I vacuum once on the weekend and brush once during the week. The only other thing I can think of is the algae spots in the skimmer were there when I opened. Maybe the SWG is keeping a full algae bloom at bay but I should have done a SLAM when I opened the pool? I'll update in the morning after the OCLT but I'm ready to SLAM tomorrow in any case.
Oly
Gold Supporter
I'm even more confused now. 10FC at 5am which is the same as last night so I passed the OCLT but there is definitely algae on the stairs and a green/yellow cloud kicks up when I brush the bottom of the pool. It's rained the past two days so I think I can rule out pollen as the cause.
I attached a few pictures of the stairs but I'm 90% sure it's algae so I'm going to go ahead and slam. Just confused as to how I passed the OCLT and how we got to this point since my FC has consistently been on the upper end of the range for my CYA. Also, the water is clear.
The only other thing I should note is the water line is above the skimmers because of all the rain we've had. I'm lowering it now.
I attached a few pictures of the stairs but I'm 90% sure it's algae so I'm going to go ahead and slam. Just confused as to how I passed the OCLT and how we got to this point since my FC has consistently been on the upper end of the range for my CYA. Also, the water is clear.
The only other thing I should note is the water line is above the skimmers because of all the rain we've had. I'm lowering it now.
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More than likely those are areas with pool circulation, not uncommon at all. Brushing those areas gets that little bit of algae into the water table where the chlorine can kill it. Our pools are constantly bombarded by everything under the sun in an attempt to turn our pools green. Regular brushing is and should be part of your regular maintenance. Do you brush around the trim on your steps, that normally grosses ppl out with the resultant green cloud lol.
I do brush around the stairs and swimout trim as part of my normal routine because I've observed algae there in the past but I'm only doing it once a week right now so maybe I need to bump that up. Usually I would do it more often but the weather has been so lousy we just haven't been using the pool much.
The thing that's throwing me off is the clouds when I brush the bottom of the pool. It's green/yellow color and is a bigger cloud than I would expect from the small amount of algae on the stairs/skimmer.
The thing that's throwing me off is the clouds when I brush the bottom of the pool. It's green/yellow color and is a bigger cloud than I would expect from the small amount of algae on the stairs/skimmer.
If you have algae, you need the SLAM Process and part of that is frequent brushing and vacuuming. Algae develops a slimy biofilm (like a scab, almost) that protects it from the bleach, Brushing breaks that off so you can kill it. It also spreads the chlorine around. Vacuuming removes the sediment because ultimately what you're after is crystal clear water and you can't have that with a bunch of bleached algae carcasses floating around.
Yep, I started the SLAM this morning.
The water has been clear since I opened the pool in May and I've maintained an FC at or above the target for my CYA. Any thoughts on how I got algae to begin with given the high level of FC?
The water has been clear since I opened the pool in May and I've maintained an FC at or above the target for my CYA. Any thoughts on how I got algae to begin with given the high level of FC?
What ended up happening with the algae on the stairs? My pool has also been crystal clear since opening, but I'm currently in the process of a slam and have algae in dirt like form on my stairs.
I would guess circulation. Maybe try taking a FC reading next to the stairs before the water is disturbed much.
If it runs lower than the regular reading, maybe add a bit of bleach near that area occasionally, especially after brushing.
If it runs lower than the regular reading, maybe add a bit of bleach near that area occasionally, especially after brushing.