pink algae and other problems

[matthew64]

alright so tonight:

FC-21.5
CC- 3
pH - 7.2
CYA - 300 (at least, using the dilution method (x3) it still wasn't quite to the 100)

So what are my options? continue to run the chlorine at high levels for the foreseeable future or drain the pool? Did that much bromine seal my fate? My wife and I were talking, I think if we have it drained (professionally), we probably would just go ahead and replace the liner as its a year or two from that anyway. I don't really don't want to do this if I don't have to, but that CYA level is not going to be fixed anytime soon with "splashout" and the bromine is in there.

An unrelated question, when I am logged in to the website I can't seem to browse the site other than my post here, when I log out I can access the whole site. Is this a setting I should be changing or do I not have the privileges? Thanks for all the help!

[PoolDoc]

I've upgraded your membership, so some of the problems should be resolved. We've just been hammered with new traffic since just before Memorial day.

You have two options:
1. Drain now, and lose the use of your pool for a month or so.
2. Try to run the pool as is till fall. It may not work, but I'm guessing it will.

If you want to try to run it, you need to
1. Brush the pool completely.
2. Tell me what your water LOOKS and SMELLS like, and what the status of the pink 'algae' is.
3. Do a 24 hour chlorine test, testing at 7pm, 7am, and again at 7pm. Tell me the results AND whether the day was sunny. Make sure the chlorine level is at least 20 ppm when you start.
4. Tell me -- as best you can -- the weight of the bromine tabs consumed in the pool.

Using bromine in an over-stabilized pool is a potentially effective alternative to running FC levels between 15 and 40 ppm. If you add borax to 60 ppm, you can possible go somewhat lower, and can run the pool successfully over the summer.

[matthew64]

Ok so a 24hr chlorine test my results were:

6/7/12 7pm
FC - 21.5
CC 1.5
pH - 7.2

brushed the pool because the pink algae was returning (see below)

6/8/12 7am
FC 21.5
CC - 1

6/8/12 7pm
FC 8
CC 2

So my chlorine loss (use) was 12 ppm in 12hrs! But its a complicated story. I was attempting to do this 24hr test several days ago and had gotten as far as checking 7pm and 7am (FC was around 20 unchanged overnight), but I then had a family emergency and had to go out of town and did not touch the pool for 36hrs. 36hrs later when I did check it the FC was 14! So it had only dropped 6ppm over the course of 2 sunny (these were all sunny days) days! BUT the pink algae had returned and so spent 2 hours scrubbing the pool (again) and got it up to 21.5ppm for my 7pm check. Today the FC is much lower, the pink algae maybe looks somewhat better after scrubbing and the bottom of the pool is cloudy. Most of the time the water is clear, smells chlorinated but not too powerful.

Its obvious that the pink algae is not inhibited by anything less than 20ppm.

The weight of the bromine tablets were 5lbs (total over a course of 2 weeks).

I feel like my pool has the plague!

[PoolDoc]

oh and I had a question about a product called "aquafinesse" several places claim this would really help with biofilm and thus pink slime. Anyone have an opinion of this product?

Here's their MSDS page: http://aquafinesseone.com/msds-2/ There's nothing special in their products!

Do the pool chart, and I'll look at this in more detail this afternoon:

Pool Chart Entry Form
Pool Chart Results

Post when you've completed it, so I know to look back at this thread. I'm afraid you put enough bromine in to be a real problem. It certainly is enough to explain a high chlorine loss rate.

[matthew64]

chart is filled out.

I would agree about chlorine loss, but then again the loss was only 6ppm over the course of 2 sunny days! Only after I scrubbed the pink slime again did that next day the loss was greater (20 to 8) and the water was slightly cloudy that day after scrubbing.

[PoolDoc]

My bad on the chart -- still got to add better indexing.

Yeah, algal and bacterial 'goo' has a HUGE chlorine demand, that must be satisfied before you can make everything 'all better'. However, given your high CYA, the bromine may be helping more than it's hurting, since the bromine creates a larger 'active' halogen residual than you'd have otherwise.

Given that you have a vinyl pool, draining is not a practical option.

But you likely don't have 35K gal; I'd actually flagged that. Here's the calculation:
18 x 40 x 3.5 x 7.48 gal/cft = 18.8K gal (top 3.5' slice of your pool)
18 x 18 x (8-3.5)/2 x 7.48 = 5.4K gal (assumptions: break at 20'; hopper volume is 1/2 of a non-angled bottom - reasonable for most liner pools)
Total gallons = 24.3K gallons.

Still, that's a fairly large volume, and the bromine may not be a long term problem. If it is, you can do a fairly effective drain, if you buy an over sized winter cover. I'll explain how, if that becomes necessary.

[matthew64]

Thanks for the correction. The 35,000 gallon was a quote from the previous owner and I just never questioned it. Anyway so I guess just try to continue to keep it a high chlorine level (20ppm) for the foreseeable future and see how it goes. thanks for all the help.