| Algae
- green, mustard, black, causes &
cures.
Download
FREE brochures to learn about
pool care needs & problems.
Question:
My pool water has been diagnosed with having ammonia in it plus mustard
algae.
We live
in the country and the farm fields are chemically treated. All summer
there has been no
chlorine reading and it has just now been found that perhaps
ammonia has
been blocking it.
What is your opinion and how should I take care
of the ammonia/algae
problem?? We take
water samples regularly to the pool
store for testing. I am very
frustrated with my pool
company...all summer I have
purchased hundreds of dollars worth of
products to take care
of the problem and
no luck so far. They do the Alex testing, but it
has been a guessing
game with us.
Too expensive to guess!
Response:
I wanted to get back to you as quickly as possible. The problem that
you've been
dealing
with is probably a bit more complicated than what you've mentioned. If
there have been
fertilizers added locally, you're almost guaranteed that some of
it has
& continues to drift
into the pool -- and it doesn't take a lot. You may want
to read our
article on
Phosphates & Nitrates (ammonia is a chemical combination of
Nitrogen & Hydrogen). You
can help treat the problem using
PhosFree plus a real
heavy
duty shock - as much as 20 lbs.
(or perhaps more) plus per 20,000 gallons.
If you're not already using it, Optimizer Plus is a FANTASTIC product
that really does
a great
job of inhibiting any algae growth. Optimizer Plus helps snuff out
carbon
dioxide in the water
which is a major food source of algae as it photosynthesizes.
Your problem is the Phosphate & Nitrates (unfortunately you won't be
able to stop
them from
coming in), plus a chlorine demand (from the incessant algae) which
isn't being met & algae
which is basically out of control because it's continually
being fed.
If you've been having a
problem with the water balance, I wouldn't
be surprised.
Get the situation under control NOW & definitely don't winterize the
pool in this
condition.
If you do, next year will be even worse. We have had other customers
with very similar
conditions & have successfully treated their pools so that are
sparkling
& clean & for all
practical purposes, algae free. After the PhosFree is
used, Optimizer
Plus gets in there.
Then it's just a regular weekly shocking with
Smart Shock & a dosage of
Back Up Algaecide.
Question:
We have had more rain and wind this summer and have had to fight
the yellow
algae - we have
brushed and super shocked.
We
have been told two different ways of when to put the algaecide in -so I
would
like your
opinion as to whether it goes in "before" super shocking
or
"after". Have
always done it after
for years. My theory is that when
you super shock it - takes
everything out and if you put
the algaecide in before
it
would take it out.
Response:
Our preference is to use the algaecide first & brush any algae that are
clinging onto
the walls
or floor. Let it circulate for a good 1 to 2 hours, then shock the
pool.
Adding the algaecide first allows it to attack or begin "softening up"
the algae so
that the shock
can better & usually more effectively kill the algae. When you
shock -
you folks are probably
dealing with a chlorine demand as well - you may
have to add 5 to 10
times the normal amount
of shock to effectively treat the
problem. If you don't do that, you'll
keep playing with the algae
for weeks. A
"normal" 5 to 10 lbs just isn't going to do it.
This year 2006, we found that properly treating chlorine demands the
first time
(sometimes adding
25 to 50 lbs of shock at once), treats the problem once & for all.
Oftentimes, that's what it takes.
More Algae Q
& A here (page 2)
|