Green algae? Mustard algae?

I'm going nuts this year with my pool. I get algae every time I look at it. My CYA is at 75 - is that too high? Alk is 120, Ph is 7.2, Chlorine is now 6.0, I've already begun to boost that. What's a normal CYA number? I have no choice but to use 3" pucks, as I'm away from home a lot and my pool has to be somewhat self sufficient. Does anyone make pucks without the chemical that makes the CYA number get too high? I keep the chlorine levels up according to the chlorine/CYA table that appears elsewhere on this site.

I keep the pool very warm, about 86 to 88 degrees. I did the same last year, and never had this problem. I just can't seem to get rid of the algae problem this year. I don't know if it's green or mustard algae - it's about half way between green and mustard in color. How do I tell the difference? The water is clear, I just get the algae on the floor and slanted parts of the side of the pool. I clean it all up, use the pool then cover it with the solar cover. A few days later I take off the solar cover to use the pool again, and there it is again - algae all over the floor of the pool. I then vacuum it all up, and shock the pool. Last time I super shocked it all the way up to about 30PPM, figuring that this would kill anything left behind. I also backwashed the filter and put in new DE so there would be no algae in the filter. I took the cover off today to use the pool, and you guessed it - ALGAE again! I can't vac to waste as the pool is just too darn big and takes too long to vac, I'd run out of water level at the skimmer half way through. How do I know if it's green or mustard algae? What should I do? I'm lost. PLEASE, any advice is appreciated. I'm tired of hand vacuuming this thing.

CYA of 75 is ok, as long as you keep your chlorine in range (5-10 pmms). You say that you shock - but do you shock only once??? You have to be very consistent if you want to get rid of the algae once and for all. You have to test the water 3x a day and make sure you take the chlorine back up to shock, which with a cya of 75 is 20-25ppms. If it is mustard algae, you have to take it up higher and longer, and use polyquat 60 to prevent it from coming back. You also have to make sure that anything that was in the pool is cleaned - bathing suits, toys etc. and then put in when the chlorine is at shock level. You may have algae on the cover which is not getting killed and then introduces the algae back in the water when you put the cover back on:( You also have to brush the pool, and backwash the filter. I am not sure how you tell the difference between mustard or green algae - I have read that the mustard algae looks like sand, but when you rub it between your fingers, it looks green. In any case you will have to be very consistent with the chlorine levels until your chlorine holds overnight, and then give it a couple of more days at shock level just to be sure:D Good luck and let us know how you make out:)
You can also look at this thread - it may be something you would be interested in, about how borates keep algae away:

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=7480

I have been fighting this all summer too. It sounds like mustard algae. I too wonder if someone makes pucks without stabilizer. It would make sense to me.

There are some slow-dissolving Cal-Hypo pucks, but they tend to fall apart near the end and leave residue and they increase Calcium Hardness (CH). Unfortunately, there is no slow-dissolving source of chlorine that doesn't add CYA nor CH. The Trichlor pucks aren't literally separate CYA and chlorine put together -- they are a compound molecule that in water forms separate CYA and chlorine.

You do have choices for automatic injection or production of chlorine without adding CYA or CH. You can add a saltwater chlorine generator (SWG) to produce chlorine from salt water or you can get The Liquidator that is discussed in this thread and adds bleach or chlorinating liquid or you can install a peristaltic pump as discussed in this thread (and other threads).

Richard

I have a Hayward DE filter with a Hayward Super Pump. I also have a Rheem electric heat pump for heating the pool. Given all this equipment, can I pour bleach right into the skimmers, or do I need to remove the solar cover and distribute bleach into the water every time I need to add it? I'm worried that having the bleach circulate through the filter, pump and heater in such high concentrations will damage this equipment somehow. The heater has a copper coil, not titanium, unfortunately. Perhaps even more importantly, the bleach will be going through my Hayward Chlorinator with 3" pucks in it. Will this cause some sort of chemical mismatch? I know there are some types of chlorine you can't put into the chlorinator.

As for the solar cover, it's a necessity as I pay the highest electric rates in the country (0.19 KwH !!) , and it saves me over $1000.00 per season in electric to use it. It is, however, a major hassle to use, as I have an unusually large "L" shaped pool and the cover has to come off and on manually in three separate pieces. Any info on the perils, if any, of adding the bleach right through the skimmer would be appreciated. Thanks!

Well you don't have the highest rates. Ours are about 0.35/kwh in Northern California if you hit over 300% of baseline. The baseline is set so low that you would have to live in a cave to meet it. It is not adjusted for large family or anything. I have energy star appliances. My new pump keeps me below the rate, but just barely so I ONLY pay 0.32/kwh!

Do you have an electric heater or a water well with a pump? Is that how you are saving on electricity? I have a gas heater (along with my solar heater) and municipal water so I can't see where a cover would save me anything but on my water bill. It would also allow us to swim much longer around here, but my pool is a large, odd shape so it would be cumbersome to use.

I have brownish algae spots every now and then in a dead area of my pool, but brushing allows the saltwater chlorinator to keep it at bay.

From what I have learned on this forum, it is safe to add bleach through the skimmer as long as you don't have a trichlor chlorine injector in use. The bleach makes a short trip through the filter and heater and is quickly followed and diluted by pool water. As long as the pump is running for a few hours after you add bleach, it shouldn't be a problem.