SWG and Bleach

[mkamp1515]

OK...Waterbear...a second view of your posting has sparked a new question. Is Jack's the Purple Stuff something that can add phosphates to a pool? That is the only stuff I am putting in my pool this year that is different than last year and it is a metal sequesterant. I believe it has phosphonic acid in it. Would that be enough to cause problems? I use it as a scale preventative every week per the instructions. Please let me know if you have any knowledge regarding this product.

Thanks,
Mike

[mkamp1515]

Karin, you mentioned you might use a metal sequesterant. I have used Jack's Purple Stuff which is good stuff except I have verified now that is has phosphonic acid which is probably why I continuously have high phosphates (been using the stuff weekly since March). I will cease using it today. Natural Chemistry has some stuff called "Metal Free", I think, and it is phosphate free per the bottle label. Good luck and listen to Waterbear.

Mike

[waterbear]

The purple stuff is fine to use....so is metal free....Metal free is EDTA, a chelating agent. I have used both (along with some other ones)..they all work. My point was that phosphates are not a problem in a pool UNLESS you have recurrant algae that won't go away easily and phosphates are the 'limiting factor' in the algae problem (that means no nitrates and sanitizer levels are in correct amounts for the stabilizer level). In THAT case using a phosphate remover to reduce the phosphates in the water might help solve the algae problem...If there is no problem why try and fix one!

[Karin]

Well last month there was just so much "dust" in the pool from all the dry weather. I live a block off the Atlantic ocean too and when the wind blows, there is dirt and sand....or so I thought. Every day I would brush the brownish dirt and urge my lethargic Kreepy pool boy to suck it all up. The next day it was back...I'm sure you all figured out what I didn't know. I had the infamous yellow algae and wasn't doing anything about it except brushing it around and wishing for some rain..sigh.

Well, I belatedly sprang into action, shocked the heck of the pool and cleaned and cleaned my cartridge filter. Now I'm very wary, hence my "preventative" measures with the algaecide and phosphate remover. I hardly got any sleep that week. LOL

I too had used Jack's Purple stuff and got into a discussion about it with one of the company's tech support. He admitted that there were phosphates, but not the real bad kind. As long as I didn't mix in any nitrates, I shouldn't have a bumper crop of algae. Huh? Why put them in your product in the first place?

I've seen some metal sequestrants which are labeled phosphate free. I will relax on the phosphate remover and only add some sequestrant when I have to add water. (I got some yellow staining last time we did a partial pool refill. Whether it was from the algae, the new water or new salt, I don't know. Most of it seemed to go away after I added the sequestrant and phosphate remover.

Yes, I'm a pool shop's dream customer---GULLIBLE. But I'm learning.....pretty soon someone else will have to walk in my flip-flops.

[waterbear]

I too had used Jack's Purple stuff and got into a discussion about it with one of the company's tech support. He admitted that there were phosphates, but not the real bad kind. As long as I didn't mix in any nitrates, I shouldn't have a bumper crop of algae. Huh? Why put them in your product in the first place?
Because phosphonic acid derivatives are the most effective sequaterants will the least side effect and have a proven track record in the water treatement industry. They are even used in drinking water! The danger of algae blooms is very slight since phosphates are rarely the 'limiting factor' in algae growth in pools! I would continue the seqesterants and not the phosphate remover treatments! Mustard algae usually starts when you get careless with maintaining your chlorine levels or your stabilizer levels get too high!
Nitrates are more of a problem since they are a favorite algae food and nitrogen compouds are constantly being added to pools from body secretions like perspiration!. They are what cause chloramines to form! Even chloramines are algae food! (but some, like monochoramine will kill algae when they eat it...this is how some mustard algae treatments actually work!)

I've seen some metal sequestrants which are labeled phosphate free.
The only one that I know of is NaturalChemistry's Metal Free. It is EDTA, a chelating agent.
I will relax on the phosphate remover and only add some sequestrant when I have to add water. (I got some yellow staining last time we did a partial pool refill. Whether it was from the algae, the new water or new salt, I don't know. Most of it seemed to go away after I added the sequestrant and phosphate remover.

Yes, I'm a pool shop's dream customer---GULLIBLE. But I'm learning.....pretty soon someone else will have to walk in my flip-flops.

Hope this info is helpful!