Yellow from pollen

[Joe3]

It’s the oak pollen season in Austin. With heavy rain, the pool turned yellow. I thought I’d try SLAM to clear it up more quickly this year, so I followed PoolMath bleach addition suggestion and added 2 gallons yesterday. Running pump 24/7 and Polaris is scurrying around getting the gunk off the floor. SWG is turned off. Water cleared up today and Cl was 20 this morning. At this point, I‘m going to let the Cl coast down unless the water goes yellow again. Thinking I overshot by using SLAM guidance. Thinking now that yellow from pollen is not the same as green from algae... may be similar but lower on the continuum of organic load and need for high Cl to clear.

I use a ThermoWorks pH meter which gave a reading of 8.6 this morning. Pool School SLAM article says pH testing will be unreliable. Is that based on a chemical test for pH? Is there a reason I‘m not thinking of that would make the meter reading unreliable? Should I be adjusting pH based on the current meter reading?

 

[ajw22]

I use a ThermoWorks pH meter which gave a reading of 8.6 this morning. Pool School SLAM article says pH testing will be unreliable. Is that based on a chemical test for pH? Is there a reason I‘m not thinking of that would make the meter reading unreliable? Should I be adjusting pH based on the current meter reading?

How often do you calibrate your pH meter?

The chemical Taylor pH Test is Unreliable When FC > 10

I would let the FC drop down before you adjust pH. Chlorne is pH neutral but when you add it pH is raised and as FC is consumed the pH drops so it equals out

 

[Texas Splash]

Thinking now that yellow from pollen is not the same as green from algae... may be similar but lower on the continuum of organic load and need for high Cl to clear.

I would tend to agree. If in doubt later, you can always do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. Welcome back to another swimming season .... once these storms pass us. Wow. We're soaked down here.

 

[Joe3]

Thanks!

 

[cparkhorn]

I'm in Cedar Park (just outside of Austin) and have Live Oak trees all over the back yard, and they are hammering the pool. I took my eye off the ball for a 2 day stretch (how since I'm home 24/7 I don't know, dumb on me) and bam. Literally in a 48 hour window I went from normal CL to zero. The amount of pollen is off the chart. If you've never seen it the pollen "worms" that come off these Live Oaks, it's like fishing out 20 pounds of seaweed twice a day.

I didn't slam, just brushing daily, and brought the CL up some, and I'm staying on it. I am out of liquid chlorine, put in my last two days ago, and put tabs in the tower...ugh, not happy, but I'm not walking around Walmarts all over Texas to find it, I'll deal with CYA in the future. To your point on eating CL, from what I'm seeing this pollen is eating more than algae, bold statement, but the amounts of pollen dust are like pouring buckets of the stuff in the water, and now days on end of rain that has been hitting is adding the need.

It's going to get yellow depending on the wind or rain blowing the pollen down into the pool, I'm seeing that running everything longer, I'm going 7 hours full bore, then drop the pump to 80% for 7 hours, and 25% over night has helped. Also back washing twice a week right now. I use pool socks on the skimmer, and can't they are getting so clogged too quickly, but I can tell you the way they get nasty yellow/green so quickly is a good indicator of what's hitting the DE in the filter, so the backwash more often feels pretty key. Trees are good for value, but wow they are a bear right now.