Murky algae pool

[PoolDoc]

When I vacuum or use the leaf rake along the bottom of the pool, you can see a cloud form in the water.

Sounds like mustard algae.

[janbogus]

Levels this evening are chlorine 3.4 and pH 7.2. I figure I've had a couple different types of algae. Will have to read up on the site on how to get rid of the mustard algae as the green disappears.

[janbogus]

Received my Taylor 6200 kit today. Took new readings and if I did the analysis correctly, I got the following levels:
FE: 1.2, CC: 2.2 Ph: 7.0, Alk: 100, CYA: 42, and CAL: >1100.

I added two more gallons of bleach. I did not add the borax the other day because the levels had risen. Looks like I need to add it now. The pool is a hazy, cloudy blue. I can make out the jets and the third step in the shallow end. When I started to vacuum to waste tonight, the billowing clouds returned. So it looks like the mustard algae is still there.

What would you suggest next?

[Watermom]

These testing demos may be helpful to you:> http://pool9.net/K2006-vid/

Raise your chlorine back up to shock level which is based on your CYA level:> http://pool9.net/cl-cya/

[PoolDoc]

Two questions:

1. Are you sure your CH (calcium hardness) is 1,100?

That's 110 drops of reagent! If you haven't already, watch the Taylor videos: http://pool9.net/tk-guide/ and http://pool9.net/tk-interfere/

Also, please test the pH, TA and CH of the water you filled your pool with -- presumably your house water, but upstream of any softener, etc.


2. Can you explain the sequence of the "billowing clouds"? Where were these clouds billowing from?

I don't understand, since vacuuming to waste should have ZERO effect on your pool water, since the discharge water is going out the backwash line.

[janbogus]

I did not test my house water. I did watch the Taylor video and also checked out the website that poolmom recommended.
My pool water is still a cloudy blue (i.e. can't see the bottom of the pool). The "billowing clouds" are brown and come from the bottom of the pool when I vacuum or brush still but not as bad as they were. I do believe I still have mustard algae or else it is dead algae and that's causing the "clouds". (Please note, on the other side of my property, probably less than 50-100 yards from the pool is a drainage ditch for run off water from the city.) It has rained a couple of heavy downpours over the past week and I did add more borax and a couple gallons of bleach throughout the week. I read the levels yesterday morning and again this morning. Yesterday after reading the levels, I put in one box of borax, half a box at a time. Last night I added two gallons of bleach.

Here are the levels over the last couple of days.
7/19: FC: 5 CC: 4.0 PH: 7.0 TA: 120 CH: 375 CYA:80
7/20: FC: 8 CC: 2.5 PH: >8.0 (purplish color) TA: 100 CH: 290 CYA: 90

So the combined chlorine is dropping.
I am going to look over the instructions again. Do I go ahead and use a floculant to drop everything to the ground so I can see what I have left in the pool? When I use the leaf net I don't get anything and when I vacuum to waste I am not getting much debris from the pool floor in the skimmer basket.

[Watermom]

If your numbers are accurate, then your chlorine is no where high enough to kill algae. With a CYA of 90 (and by the way, you do NOT need to test this daily as it won't change that quickly and will just waste testing reagents), your shock level is 20ppm. But, if you truly do have mustard algae, your shock level may need to be even higher. But, since you haven't been maintaining consistent readings of 20, I'd try that first before deciding to go higher. Again, the chart with the CYA/Chlorine connection is here:> http://pool9.net/cl-cya/

Keep the chlorine at shock level until you meet these 3 criteria:
1) You lose no more than 1ppm of FC from sundown one evening to within an hour of sunrise the next morning
2) You have no greater than 0.5ppm of CC
3) Your water is clear and no patches or spots of algae anywhere

At that point, we recommend keep the chlorine high for at least one additional day and then let it drift down but never let it drop below the minimum from the chart which is based on your CYA reading.

I would NOT use a floc at this time. There is no reason to. I think your problem is that you haven't killed the algae because of inadequate chlorine levels.

[janbogus]

I just had a business meeting at my house and one of the individuals used to have a pool company. He said it is dead algae, not mustard algae. I will try what you suggested. Thanks Watermom.