Newbie with ?'s (mustard algae) (Deb)

[debs_pool]

Looks like it's getting better - just a few spots on the top step and a few on the floor -- don't see much on the walls now. I'm going to vacuum and backwash -- I think it might rain later today! Geesh!


I'd love some FEEDBACK from on the following:

My Numbers (Wal-Mart) (AM)

TC 5+? (orange color)

pH 7.3

Total Alk 160

CYA (didn't have any reagent to test)

NUMBERS FOR TODAY - FROM POOL STORE READ OUT

Total Chlorine: 10

Free Chlorine: 8.6

pH: 7.7

Total Alk: 130

CYA: 30

(The print out recommends I add 2.3 pt(s) of Muriatic Acid (because printout says my pH needs adjustment) -- but the pool store person told me I didn't need to add any acid.) We didn't discuss anything else the "test" suggtested. Also told me my pool was swimmable.

My printout printed out the following shopping list for me:

3 - 1 qt bottles scale inhibitor
1 - 1 qt bottle strip kwik
1- 1 qt bottle Kleen It
1 - 1 gal bottle Muriatic Acid
1 - Chem Out

I left with MY PRINTOUT!

[debs_pool]

debs_pool: I am also a newbie but can answer a few of your questions. Hopefully, more knowledgeable advice will continue to follow from others.

Thanks Dawn.

I used the hTh 6-way Wal-Mart test kit prior to receiving Ben's.

Yes, I'll be glad when I get Ben's kit! Carl probably will be too -- then I'll quit bugging him (maybe) so much! LOL

When I was trying to kill the "stuff" in the pool,
I would like the "stuff" in the pool to be ME -- swimming. I'm tired of the other "stuff!"

I called the 800# on the package to see what color my chlorine test would be if I had MORE than 5ppm. They said it would be an orange color.

Thanks for that tip.

How are you measuring chlorine at 10+ with the hTh Wal-Mart kit? Are you using the shot glass method?

I think I must have accidentally read the Bromine line. What's the shot glass method? If I drank, I might use that method --test -- drink a shot -- test drink a shot -- Heck, this may drive me to drink!

To know how much bleach to put into your pool, follow madty's advice and use the Bleach Calculator, referenced in various threads. Based on your pool size and how much you want to increase your chlorine reading, it will calculate how much 5.25% bleach or 6% bleach you will need. It will even calculate how much bleach if you use a bargain brand with a much lower concentration. There are lots of other very helpful calculations available with that tool, as well.

I'm working on figuring out the bleach calculator. Yes, it has lots of helpful calculations available -- and when I know what I'm doing they'll be very helpful! LOL

Follow CarlD's advice...that's it in a nutshell! Good luck!

I will certainly follow CarlD's advice -- he has been very kind to respond and I certainly appreciate his help very much -- and anyone else who has helped me -- thanks to you too!

Sandy

Thanks again and I'm looking forward to some feedback on my numbers from the pool store!

[brent.roberts]

Here's where to get the bleachcal program that we've been talking about.

Note that this program is designed to give you the amounts of chemicals to add to achieve the desire CHANGE. Not the end level.

So if you want to increase the chlorine from 10 to 15ppm you put in 5. That's the increase you want.

http://home.earthlink.net/%7Emwsmith...achCalc262.exe

This great little program was created by a forum member. Micheal Smith.

Also when you get your chlorine levels above 5 everything reads the same .. as you've discovered. ORANGE.

To get a better indication until Ben's kit arrives, get some distilled water.

Make a 50/50 mix of distilled water and pool water, put that in the test vial and run the test as instructed. Then if you get a color in the test range, multiply the result by 2.

If you still get an orange Over Max reading then change the dillution to 3 parts distilled to 1 part pool water. Multiply the result by 3. This should get you close. At least it will tell you if you're closer to 20PPM than 6PPM

Good luck.

PS The brushing is real important with this kind of algae. It will form a layer of dead stuff that sheilds some live stuff underneath. You need to brush that dead layer off real well and frequently to expose everything you need to kill.

[debs_pool]

Here's where to get the bleachcal program that we've been talking about.

Note that this program is designed to give you the amounts of chemicals to add to achieve the desire CHANGE. Not the end level.

So if you want to increase the chlorine from 10 to 15ppm you put in 5. That's the increase you want.

http://home.earthlink.net/%7Emwsmith...achCalc262.exe

This great little program was created by a forum member. Micheal Smith.
I've downloaded the calculator. And, yes, I need to thank Michael Smith. That was kind of him to do that.

So I put these numbers in:

Pool Size (gal): 22,655
Chlorine Strength: 6
Quantity (gal): 1
PPM Increase Desired: 11.4 (I THINK this is right -- not sure? Because Carl said I needed to get the FC up to 20 and my pool store read out today said it was 8.6. So is this the correct # to put here?

Then when I hit CALCULATE it reads

PPM Increase
2.6
and
Bleach Required
4.3 gallons

????

Also when you get your chlorine levels above 5 everything reads the same .. as you've discovered. ORANGE.
Thanks - yep - that's what I saw - ORANGE.

To get a better indication until Ben's kit arrives, get some distilled water.

Make a 50/50 mix of distilled water and pool water, put that in the test vial and run the test as instructed. Then if you get a color in the test range, multiply the result by 2.
I don't understand WHAT KIND OF TEST AM I DOING?
If you still get an orange Over Max reading then change the dillution to 3 parts distilled to 1 part pool water. Multiply the result by 3. This should get you close. At least it will tell you if you're closer to 20PPM than 6PPM

I guess I better "be patient" and wait on some answers ! I am planning to brush my pool again tonight? Should I pour this "4 gallons of bleach" according to the calculator in first?" I'm reading and reading and now I'm just confusing myself I think.

Good luck.

PS The brushing is real important with this kind of algae. It will form a layer of dead stuff that sheilds some live stuff underneath. (Oh so that's how it SNEAKS back in the pool! That tricky devil!You need to brush that dead layer off real well and frequently to expose everything you need to kill.

Again, thanks to EVERYONE who is helping me with this!

I don't guess I have an accurate way to "measure" the CC until I get Ben's kit.

Oh GREAT ... now there's lightning outside ... don't think I ought to be ought by the pool with metal poles to brush! Geesh!

[brent.roberts]

You on track with the bleachcalc.

The test is the same as you have been running to determine the chlorine levels.

Two things can happen here
1) when you get very high chlorine the indicator dyes seem to bleach out and give you a false low reading. Watch it when you first mix it. The color will be very intense for a couple seconds and then fade. It happens pretty fast. Diluting with distilled water can help avoid that.

2) you max out the test and have no idea how much you have gone beyond the limit.

This is important to understand with Chlorine levels but critical on the PH test.
You could be beyond the range ( most go from 7 to 8 ) and be dangerously acidic or basic and only thing you are at 7 ( or 8 ) when in fact the water could be 6.1 and look like 7. So with this test if you get a 7 or 8 do not swim until you fix it and fix it soon because you could be damaging your pool gear.

and yeah ... that's how it sneaks back and why some folks can fight it for 2 weeks and others will blow it away in 24 hours.
Get the chlorine levels up to the right level and keep them there. Don't wait 12 hours overnight to retest to see if its back down. Nail it again in 2 hours. If it has gone down its killing algae. When it stays high, you've got enough in there and you've almost killed it all.
The second half is not just having there, but make sure every last bit gets exposed to the chlorine with brushing. Most pool store sell a small round brush, somewhat like the pot scrubbers you use in the kitchen. Get one and use it in the corners, folds in the liner, around the drain and skimmer etc.

Good luck. I got a feeling you're going to blow it out fast.

[dawndenise]

Regarding the Bleach Calculator...When you input your numbers in this instance, the "quantity = 1 gallon" was unnecessary. Had you just input your pool volume, the 6% bleach concentration you planned on using and the desired ppm increase of 11.4, and then clicked on "calculate," you'd have only seen the 4.3 gallons of bleach needed to raise your pool's chlorine level 11.4ppm.

On the other hand....if you had input your pool's volume, the 6% bleach concentration you planned on using and indicated that you had just the quantity of 1 gallon of that bleach to use, the "calculate" function would have told you that your 1 gallon of 6% bleach would increase your pool's chlorine level 2.6ppm.

In essence, you made the calculator give you 2 different calculations at the same time. Hope this helps.

[Simmons99]

Just my $.02:

You cannot let the chlorine level go below 20ppm - otherwise the algae with start growing again - and you will never get rid of it.

Have some POP (pool owner patience) - my understanding is that if you truely have "mustard algae" - it is more resistant to chlorine and will take longer to kill it all.

[debs_pool]

REQUESTING FEEDBACK AND ENCOURAGMENT! : )

My NUMBERS FOR TODAY: (7/12/06) (ABOUT 4:30 PM CST)

With [B] ME[B] testing: (with Wal-Mart Kit) (Ben's kit has been ordered!)

pH 7.5-7.8

Cl 5+ (ORANGE color)
(It was still 5+ when I dilluted pool water by 1/2 with distilled water -- but was at least at the HIGHEST YELLOW level.

Total Alk: 170-180

CYA: Not Tested (don't have enough reagent) (I tried to buy some at a pool store today and the kid told me I didn't "want" that -- it was too expensive -- like $30 or something)

(He also said he prefered the "strips" to the drop kit -- OMG -- I think he may have "tested" my water with "strips" -- here are those #'s (written on an AquaCheck Pool and Spa Test Strips Page!):
(BTW - this is NOT my regular pool place.)

Total Hardness 1000 (he wanted be to buy some stuff for this -- but I didn't because I want to continue learning about this before I "do" anything on this one)
Total Chlorine: 5 - 10
FC 3 - 5

pH: 7.8
Total Alk: 180

Iron: 0 Copper: 0

I did buy a bottle of ALGICIL - ALGAECIDE (Poly) (oxyethylene (dimethylimnio) ........ 60% (I won't use it unless I need it but it was $19.99 plus tax and the 60% from Wal-Mart here is $25.88!

So -- I'm trying to keep my Chlorine (bleach) high -- but I don't really have the "correct" number. Carl told me I needed to keep at 20 ppm until this "mustard" algae is gone. I'm hoping I'm doing the right thing -- I will be glad when Ben's kit gets here (wish I'd found the site sooner! I'd have ordered sooner! LOL)

[aylad]

It's going to be next to impossible to accurately measure 20 ppm with the OTO kit, and I have zero faith in the pool store's numbers, so do the best you can until Ben's kit gets here with what you have. ..
The bottle of polyquat is the only type of algaecide we recommend on the forum, so it's not a bad buy--but I"ll let someone who uses it advise you on when to do so--I don't use it in my pool at all.

I doubt seriously your hardness number is 1000 (unless it's total hardness and not just calcium hardness), otherwise with your TA and ph where they are you'd have a pool full of milk. Don't buy anything to adjust it.

And I'd hate to see what happened to a sales person if I told him I wanted a bottle of CYA reagent and he said I didn't want that!!!!!!! Stick to your guns, if you ask for something, insist that they sell it to you--have confidence!!

Janet

[brent.roberts]

If you can find another pool store to do a test ... do it.

Your PH is higher than it should be at a time when you're trying to kill an algae bloom. You want to shoot for the low end of the range, like about 7.2

This makes the chlorine more effective as an oxidant and can almost double the effectiveness of PH near the 8 level.

Sure hope you get your kit from Ben real soon. It would be a big help now.

Sounds sorta ... kinda like you've got the chlorine level in the right ballpark. Keep the brush active. The algae the grows ON the pool is the hardest to kill off. The brush is critial.