Mustard Algae in salt system pool

[karla]

Thank you so much for you help. You don't know how much we appreciate it. Should we leave the pump running while he is putting the bleach in until we return?
Thanks,
Karla

[PoolDoc]

Yes, the pump needs to be on when he adds bleach, and for a couple of hours after.

[karla]

Will the bleach discolor the vinyl liner?
Thanks,
Karla

[aylad]

Not at the doseage that Ben has given you, as long as it doesn't splash on the sides during the addition. The algae in the water will consume the chlorine pretty quickly, so you're not going to have that much bleach in the pool for very long. And I don't know if you ever got a good stabilizer level or not, but if there's any CYA in the water, the amount of bleach Ben is having you add will probably not even do much to clear up the pool--rather, it will help the situation not get any worse until you get back.

Just make sure that he either pours it in through the skimmer (as long as there is no other chemical in the lines) or pours it slowly, without splashing, into the return stream. Either way will help disperse it through the pool quicker. As a caution, tell him to wear old clothes--I've been putting bleach in my pool for 9 years, and I STILL ruin at least one new shirt each season.

Janet

[karla]

Janet,
Thanks for your help. Will we notice anything after the bleach is put in the pool. My son isn't there but my neighbors are doing what they can.
Thanks,
Karla

[PoolDoc]

Bleach want "discolor" it, but it might 'de-color' it, ie. remove some of the print.

It's not really a function of 'bleach' per se, but rather of how high the chlorine + CYA is, AND whether you have a chlorine bleaching resistant print or not.

There's no way to know whether you do -- Plastimayd seems to have mostly resistant liners but NONE of the liner makers will tell you who printed the sheet, or who made the vinyl sheeting, and without that info, you can't tell.

[aylad]

Janet,
Thanks for your help. Will we notice anything after the bleach is put in the pool. My son isn't there but my neighbors are doing what they can.
Thanks,
Karla

I'm not sure what you mean by "notice anything"...when the bleach is added, you probably won't notice any change immediately. After the bleach is in and has been circulating awhile with the filter running, you may, or may not, see the green color fading toward blue. Honestly, without a known CYA level it's really impossible to know whether that's enough bleach at one time to work on the problem or if it's just enough to keep the problem from getting any worse.

Janet

[karla]

My neighbors have been putting bleach in the pool and following your instructions. I am still going to be out of town for another couple of weeks for work. My neighbors have agreed to work on the pool and put in any chemicals needed. I wanted to ask your advise on what chemicals and steps to take next to eliminate my problem. This is what I had previous done when I was in town a couple of weeks ago and found the pool green per instructions from the local pool store.

1. Added 2 - 6oz packs of Yellow shock & Clear.
2. Brushed pool surface.
3. Added 4 lbs. of granulated shock and left overnight.
4. Next AM I vacuumed the pool, backwashed for 2 - 3 minutes and rinsed.
5. Added 4 more lbs. of granulated shock and left overnight.
6. Repeated #4.
7. Repeated #5

By the next AM the pool looked very clear. I cleaned and backwashed. I then had to leave to go back out of town. In less than a week, the pool was green again. As I mentioned above, my neighbors have been adding bleach for the last two days. It looks much better. I wanted to order chemicals for them to continue trying to fix the problem but wanted your advise on what to get. Should I follow the same steps as above or something different. You have given me such good advise up to this point that I trust your judgement. Again, thank you for all of the help.
Karla