Phosphates

[rivers]

What should I do for high (>1000 ppm) phosphate levels ? Are the test strips accurate enough ? The pool dealer tests my tap water at 300-800 ppm. They keep pushing commercial Natural Chemistry PhosFree brand product that is very expensive.

[aylad]

In short--ignore them!! Phosphate removers are the lastest and greatest way to sell you a product that may, or may not, actually do anything--but will scare you into buying it just in case. In almost all cases, phosphate removers are competely useless, except to increase the profit margin at the pool store.

Welcome to the forum!!

[rivers]

Thanks Aylad

[rivers]

Does high phosphate levels impact my SWCG's ability to generate chlorine ?

[Watermom]

No. The main thing high phosphates impacts is your wallet when pool stores get people to buy unnecessary products.

[PoolDoc]

Very low phosphates can make it harder for algae to grow. Phosphate removers can achieve this low level, but it's hard to maintain it, since OTHER chemicals your dealer tries to sell CONTAIN phosphates.

A properly maintained and chlorinated pool doesn't usually have algae problems, REGARDLESS of phosphate levels.

[rivers]

Thanks PoolDoc and Watermom. I suspected as much. After months of phosphate removers and stain removers that need "chlorine removal" and contradictory instructions I got very suspicious of the whole mess. My first algae bloom in 25 years with 5 pools on 5 different states was the final straw as I had always managed my pools by ph and chlorine levels. I should have known better !