When to algaecide & a leaf net cover

I know that it is recommended here to use algaecide as a once in a while preventative. In the 8 years I've been a BBB convert, I have never had to use any. But this year, my mom (whose pool is down the street from me) purchased a leaf net (the kind for covering winter covers) as a last ditch effort to stop the annual sacrifice of small mammals and reptiles that always happens. The baby bunny in the skimmer the day after we opened the pool did it.

I have to say, it is working brilliantly, in spite of the inconvenience:

• We have no solar cover reel, so it takes 2 to put on/off
• We hold it in place with several well-placed bricks - which need to be moved every time

However, I think it is adding other issues:

• Leaves, bugs, stuff doesn't make it to the skimmer, so it eventually rots and small pieces end up on the bottom (algae petri dish)
• The three floating feeders I have are now stationary (worries about liner)

Once I shock/brush/vac the latest bloom, is that when I should apply the 60% polyquat? Is adding during a bloom counterproductive?

She won't get rid of the net, so it looks like I need to buy a $225 reel and figure out a way to deal with the algae.

Here are last night's numbers after adding 1.46 gals bleach the eve before:

• 30-36K (not sure) vinyl IG
• FC=4
• CC=.5
• TC=4.5
• pH=7.4-5 (K2006 kit is reading more orange than pink, but saturation of color leads me to believe it is around 7.4-7.5)
• Alk=70 (steady for 6 weeks)
• CYA= <30
• Calc=70 (I rarely test for it)

There are some cases where adding polyquat during an algae bloom has helped, but the general consensus has been that it's much better as a preventative than to kill an existing bloom. I understand that it tends to drastically lower your Cl after the dose, and that your filter needs to be on recirculate instead of filter for awhile, since it will eventually filter out, so it would make sense to me to add it after your bloom is cleared up.

However, this is only my opinion--my pool stays open year round, so I don't use either polyquat OR a cover, so take it with a grain of salt!!

Janet

Thanks, Janet. I don't have the recirc option on my filter set up (Hayward EC-65 DE filter), so I'll be bleaching the tar out of it.