pink algae and other problems

[chem geek]

I'm unclear about something. The HTH Spa Non-Chlorine Oxidizer Tablets that were added are potassium monopersulfate (MPS), not bromine or bromide. I don't see where any bromine has been added to this pool. Bromine is often effective at killing pink algae and especially so in this situation since the CYA is so high that chlorine is simply not going to do the job (unless there is significant water dilution first to lower the CYA level). So adding some sodium bromide to the pool will, when activated by chlorine, produce bromine to kill the pink algae.

[PoolDoc]

I'm unclear about something. The HTH Spa Non-Chlorine Oxidizer Tablets that were added are potassium monopersulfate (MPS), not bromine or bromide.

@ Chem_Geek: Thanks for catching that, Chem_Geek. I didn't follow the link -- I just saw that they were tablets and assumed that it was bromine. So that's new info for me, that MPS is being formed into tablets. I see why he THOUGHT they were bromine: apparently they are intended as a MPS + bromide spa system, and are labeled that way.

@ Matthew: The fact that you do NOT have bromine means you can try that, as an option. Adding 1.5 ppm bromide to your pool -- 1/8 of a 2# bottle -- might help. If you want to try it, here are a couple of links:

Nava Chemicals 652072097 Yellow Algae Remover, 2-Pound Bottle @ Amazon
Tropi Clear TC-4402-1 2-Pound Yellow Eliminator @ Amazon

It might be a good thing to try, even if you do drain. Adding the bromide before you drain might allow you to get a lot of it cleaned up, BEFORE you drain. Using it in conjunction with the foamy algaecide might well allow you to eradicate it, and then remove 50% of the algaecide and bromide, so it wouldn't take to so long to get rid of them otherwise.

[matthew64]

Thanks for the replies. I think I sent the wrong link for the bromine tablets. I am 99% sure that it was brominating tablets (at walmart). The link I sent looks similar, but I was looking for bromine specifically and Im really pretty sure thats what I bought and put in the pool (x3). Thanks for looking up my pool, its cool(and sort of creepy at the same time) you can do that on google maps (that picture was taken the day of my birthday last year). I do have steps in the lower left corner of the pool in the shallow end. does that effect if I can drain down to the deep end?

So Im pretty sure it was bromine tablets. So my options are try a foamy algaecide and maybe something like yellow out. I found pink treat which seems to be just really bromine. http://www.swimpool.com/PinkPoolAlgae-pinktreat.htm. We also have been having to add water every week because its been so hot. If I had to add it up its probably been maybe 2ft of water loss that may have brought the cya down some (havn't checked it recently)

[aylad]

Water loss due to evaporation won't bring your CYA down--it just concentrates the CYA in the remaining water in the pool until you refill, then the refill just dilutes it back to the same level it was before the evaporation. If you're wanting to bring the CYA down, it'll have to be done by water actually removed from the pool--splashout, backwashing, draining to waste, etc.

Janet

[matthew64]

Thanks for that piece of info. So can I safely drain half my pool even if I have steps into my shallow end? Also any thoughts on "Yellow Out" vs "Pink Treat"

[PoolDoc]

So long as the steps are fiberglass, and not liner covered. If the steps are liner covered, you can't drain at all.

[PoolDoc]

Yellow Out is ammonium chloride, which creates chloramines. I don't know what Pink Treat is, but most of United Chemical's products are sodium bromide + detergent type phosphates. Make sure you know what you're in for, before you use them!!