Will adding borax to 50ppm kill Mustard algae

[fuelman]

I am having a hell of a time this year with Mustard algae.
I think I'm gonna add Borax to 50ppm asper the posts I have searched.
Will this kill off the algae or must I kill it before I add the Borax?
How much Borax and how much acid will I need to reach 50ppm?
I come up with 34 LBS. Borax & 2 GALS., 17oz. of acid.
Could I try Seaklear Algae Prevention & Remover or SeaKlear Yellow Klear and if so, Which? I'm kinda leaning towards the Algae Prevention & Remover.
Thanks for any help!

[waterbear]

I am having a hell of a time this year with Mustard algae.
I think I'm gonna add Borax to 50ppm asper the posts I have searched.
Will this kill off the algae or must I kill it before I add the Borax?
How much Borax and how much acid will I need to reach 50ppm?
I come up with 34 LBS. Borax & 2 GALS., 17oz. of acid.
Could I try Seaklear Algae Prevention & Remover
This is chelated copper sulfate. I would not recommend it, although copper is the ONLY algaecide that actually kills algae besides chlorine and bromine. All the others just inhibit it.
or SeaKlear Yellow Klear
This is sodium bromide. It would be my first choice but be very careful NOT to overdose. It will take repeated shocking before your FC holds since it temporarily converts the pool into a bromine pool. This is an effective product if your CYA is high and not as effective if it is in normal range. If you have mustard algae then I suspect that you either have higher than average CYA or you are not maintaining your FC.

and if so, Which? I'm kinda leaning towards the Algae Prevention & Remover.
Thanks for any help!
If you would post a full set of test results I could make a better recommendation. Often plain chlorine is all that is needed but with a vinyl pool you will have to bring the levels up fairly high and might suffer some bleaching of the liner.
The borates, to the best of my knowledge, won't really kill the mustard but are very effective at inhibiting it once it is under control. However, I don't know for sure so it could be a worthwhile experiment. I seem to recall some people on this forum saying last year that borates were the only thing that kept the mustard from returning but I don't know if that is what they used to kill the outbreak.

Are you SURE that you have mustard and not pollen? They are often confused and I noticed that you have in your sig that your water is cold. Mustard is much more common later in the swim season when the temps are much warmer.

[fuelman]

If you would post a full set of test results I could make a better recommendation.
Waterbear,
here are my numbers;
TC-3.0PPM
FC-3.0PPM
CC-0.0PPM
PH-7.8
TA-125PPM
CH-175PPM
STA.-50PPM
TDS-3600PPM
SALT-2500PPM
PHOS-500

That TDS & PHOS level is kinda high ain't they?
The water has a salty taste to it.
What do you recommend?
oh, by the way, my sig."Man!,this water is cold! is just me trying to be funny.

[waterbear]

Waterbear,
here are my numbers;
TC-3.0PPM
FC-3.0PPM
CC-0.0PPM
PH-7.8
TA-125PPM
CH-175PPM
STA.-50PPM
TDS-3600PPM
SALT-2500PPM
PHOS-500

That TDS & PHOS level is kinda high ain't they?
The water has a salty taste to it.
What do you recommend?
oh, by the way, my sig."Man!,this water is cold! is just me trying to be funny.
Do you have a SWG? If so, what kind? Salt level of 2500 is below the taste threshold (and too low for most SWGs to operate well, which could be the reason for the Mustard, along with a CYA of only 50 ppm, which is also low for a SWG. Your TDS is only 1100 ppm above your salt so that is your actual TDS (which is a bogus measurement anyway). Phosphates are a non issue in 99% of cases. Mine ore over 3000 ppb!

[fuelman]

Nope, I don't have a SWG.
I have thought about one but I haven't jumped on board that train.
I have only ever added a mixture of city water and well water at the first fill, then only city water since to keep the level. Bleach, liquid Chlorine, baking soda, Muriatic acid, Yellow-out, and about 4 doses of all-in one algaecide till I found this site.
I take it that the salt level is from the bleach?
The pool has only been up and running since 8/06.
Thanks for your help

[fuelman]

BUMP for answer to above

[CarlD]

You know, you could simply take our standard route and raise your FC to shock levels and keep it there until your pool sparkles. Use bleach or Liquid Chorine for that.

First, lower your pH a bit to 7.2 or 7.3. Chlorine is more effective the lower the pH but too low has other issues.

Shock your pool with bleach until FC reaches 15ppm and keep it there, checking it twice or 3 times a day. Brush and vacuum your pool everyday.

Expect it to take a week to 2 weeks to clear. Since you haven't done this, I suggest you do this BEFORE you play with copper or bromine additives. Notice that after you use bromine, you have to use lots and lots of chlorine just to get rid of the "fix"--the bromine. IMHO, it's better to use the bleach to kill the algae.

My reason for this is we have a tried-and-true method that has worked for thousands of people. If it works, (and it usually does) then it's the easiest and most reliable way to clear your pool. If it doesn't work, then it's appropriate to seek more drastic measures, like the bromine algaecide or addressing the TDS or phosphate levels.

Once the algae is dead and gone and your pool is sparkling THEN you should add PolyQuat to inhibit further growth. It's sometimes called Mustard Algaecide, or black Algaecide--whatever. Look at the ingredients. The SOLE active ingredient should be Poly....<something long>..... 60%. Whatever they call it, if it's Poly....60%, that's PolyQuat.

If it were me, I'd raise the pool to 15ppm, add the entire quart, wait 48 hours, then check the FC (it will have dropped ALOT) and then shock again to 15, and consider it done. If it were me.

You can swim in the water at that level, but wear old bathing suits because they will fade.

[Tredge]

Borax "Helps" and in my experience it does a great job. Certainly better than all the algecides I've dumped dollars into in the past. I dont need to keep insane levels of chlorine anymore since 50ppm borax.

But thats all it does. Helps.
Chlorine, proper PH and CYA levels are what does the heavy lifting and if you don't have those stable at least twice a day all the borax in the world isnt going to keep the algae away.

My advice is to add the borax to 50ppm and get your Chlorine much much higher and KEEP it there till the algae goes away.
After that my guess is that your current chlorine levels and borax will prevent the problem from recurring.

[KirstenHW]

How does one test for Borax & dissolved solids levels? I have the Taylor kit k2006 kit.

[waterbear]

fuelman, I am confused a bit by your test results. If you don't have a SWG then why are you testing for salt at all?
I am also a bit concerned by the fact that you have no CC yet you think you have mustard algae. If there was mustard in the water you would have some CC. How was your water tested? something does not seem right.

[waterbear]

How does one test for Borax & dissolved solids levels? I have the Taylor kit k2006 kit.
Best test for borates for home use is the LaMotte borate test strips. They are far superior to the AquaChek and Protream strips.
TDS is a bogus measrement for the most part. The only way to test for it is with a conductivity meter, which is an expensive piece of equipment. Don't worry about TDS.

[fuelman]

confused a bit by your test results. If you don't have a SWG then why are you testing for salt at all?
I am also a bit concerned by the fact that you have no CC yet you think you have mustard algae. If there was mustard in the water you would have some CC. How was your water tested? something does not seem right.

Waterbear, My neighbor has a SWG and a very expensive Taylor K-1741-C test kit. The Mustard algae turned out to be pollen. As for the salt test he just tested it out of habit. The phos level and the TDS level was tested at the pool store.
I have been using a lot of bleach lately, 1/2 gallon a day. Seems more than I used last year. Do you have any idea why?

[waterbear]

Probably the pollen. It is an organic that will increase the chlorine demand.

[CarlD]

The pollen has been very heavy this year, like last year. I find the BEST thing for pollen is a skimmer sock and cleaning it out twice daily. Sometimes it looks like yellow spackling paste!

BTW, That's why I like Evan. He's a pool store guy who doesn't lie to us or give us the usual BS (Barnyard Slush :rolleyes: ) about "TDS" and, now "Phosphates". I had one guy go on and on about how bleach is bad for TDS. I nodded, figuring, "Why prick this guy's bubble?" knowing FULL well the "TDS" bleach adds is....salt. If you use bleach for 5 years your salt level STILL won't be as high as you'd need it for an SWG.

(Bleach is made from saltwater--NaCl and H2O--and is dissolved in it--that's what the other 94% is of the 6% ultra Bleach)

[waterbear]

Aw, shucks!:o