Question:
I have a 20,000 gallon pool and we are about to close it for the winter.  Over the summer we got the pink slime in our pool and had a lot of trouble with it.  We shocked our pool several times with 4 times the normal amount of shock.  The pink slime would go away for a week but then it would re-appear.  We live in Pennsylvania and we are about to close our pool for the winter.  I am wondering if the pink slime in our pool will die over the winter months.  If you could answer this question I would highly appreciate it!  Thanks!                        
Response:
In a nutshell, no.  The pink slime will only go dormant.  It will be there waiting for you in the spring - especially if you don't open it until late May or early June.  You could probably get away with it IF you opened BY April 1.   Any later than that & you'll be dealing with a pretty severe case throughout the pool.

I presume that you're using a biguanide like Soft Swim or Baquacil.  If so, you'll need to clean the pool well, including under the ladder treads, in the nooks & crevices of the skimmer, in back of the return eyeballs, in back of the underwater light.  Any "hidden" place where there is poor water circulation.  Be sure to shock thru the skimmer to clean out the lines.  When adding a peroxide shock like Soft Swim "C" or Baqua Shock thru the skimmer be very careful & add it slowly.  Treating the pool's plumbing lines with Soft Swim Assist will also help.  Essentially, you want to get your peroxide shock level over 60 & keep it there for about a week - at least.  This treatment would require about 8 to 12 gallons of shock.  By the way, don't use the cheaper generic stuff; it just doesn't seem to work as well (that's what our customers tell us).

If your pool is treated with chlorine, you'll need to hit it well with Burn Out Extreme for a good shock (12 lbs or more).  Again clean, clean, clean.


Question:
I have an above ground 10,000 gallon pool.  I have had problems with pink slimy mold around underside of ladder rungs and around underside of skimmer and hoses.  After draining pool and refilling we changed to chlorine and have "shocked" it 3 times this week.  We had formerly used Baquacil products and I am very leery about going back to this product.  Are pool molds as prevalent with chlorine pools? 

Thank you for the info you have on your website regarding pool molds.  I have gotten very little info on it from our local Baquacil dealer. 

Response:
Make sure that the chlorine holds on the high side (3.0 or more) for several days.  You may want to run some of the shock treatment through the skimmer (be sure to remove any slow dissolving tabs or sticks from the skimmer) to purge the hoses between the filter & pool.

As far as White Water Mold (WWM) & Pink Slime (PS) are concerned, both conditions used to be more prevalent in biguanide (Baquacil or Soft Swim) pools.  However, we have seen more & more cases of them in chlorine pools over the past couple of years.  Most of the WWM & PS is more than likely coming from the make up water you add to the pool (especially city / municipal water).  You've probably noticed a lot more pink rings in your toilet & shower over the past couple of years.  The stuff is not pathogenic, but it looks awful.

The keys to controlling WWM & PS are regular shocking of the pool AND good old' elbow grease with brushing & cleaning of all the pool surfaces.  Using additional products such as BioGuard Optimizer Plus is great because it will take away some of the "work" of sanitizer in better algae prevention & allow the chlorine, bromine or biguanide to "concentrate" on bacteria.  Follow a good weekly 3 step care program PLUS the Optimizer Plus AND good water balance (pH, total alkalinity & calcium hardness) & you'll have a pretty easy to care for pool.

Follow up question:
I wanted to change out my pool filter at the end of the summer. I have chemically cleaned it several times in the last month as we have been battling the water mold issues.  

1.   Is super chlorinating the water harsh on the filter?  I wasn't sure if I should hold off on tossing the old filter and putting in the new filter until I have completed the frequent shock treatments, or if it is better to start the new filter now as the water is clearing (does mold linger in the filter?).  The old filter still seems to work fine.  I was just going to change it prophylactically as it is 2 swimming seasons old (just use pool during the 3-4 summer months). 

2.   Also, do I need to chlorinate/disinfect the bathing suits? I had read on another website that normal laundering does not kill the mold. 

Follow up Response:
Super chlorinating is not hard on the filter.  They can take it.  However, you may want to consider putting ones in next season.  Biguanides & the stuff they trap can be hard on filters, so when anyone is converting from one system to another, we always recommend putting new filters in & keep the old ones as spares (like for when you're first starting up & have a fair amount of junk in the pool).  Also put new hoses on the filter system next spring when you get started. It just makes sense. 

As far as the bathing suits are concerned - I wouldn't worry about them.  I've never heard of transmition of WWM or PS between pools due to bathing suits.  Is it possible - possibly?  If you wanted to wash them using a bit of bleach, it certainly wouldn't hurt. 
 

Question:
I have pink algae [slime - remember that it is NOT algae, Par Pool & Spa notation] as well as at least one kind of green or black.  I have three floating chlorine dispensers going but no matter how much chlorine granules I add on top of the dispensers, I can’t seem to keep any chlorine in the pool so after I brush and adjust chemicals and add algaecide, the algae keeps returning.  I have a Hayward C-1250 cartridge filter which I run for about 6 hours a day.  I live in San Jose Ca. not exactly hot and right now the pool temperature is pretty cool.  Usually the cool weather ends the algae season but not this year.  This is the 1st summer for pink algae in the pool.  The pool is 19 years old and has never been drained.  I notice you don’t recommend draining by Leslies says to drain.  HELP.   Also, when I use the wire brush to scrape off the algae from the sides and when I clean the filter a chalky pasty green white stuff comes off. Is this me scraping the plaster off my pool?

Response:
It sounds like you have a serious chlorine demand issue caused by the algae & the pink slime.  The algae provide a terrific bed for the pink slime to breed & flourish. The ONLY way to combat this is to AGGRESSIVELY shock the pool with chlorine.  Depending on the pool size, you may need to shock with possibly 25 to 50 lbs. of chlorine at one time to completely kill it. Unless you thoroughly eradicate the algae, it WILL come back.  Once you get it cleaned up, the pool MUST be shocked & algaecided weekly.  Don't skip.  When you skip, that's when the problems begin.

As far as the filter goes, for best results, we always recommend running the filter a minimum of 10 hours daily.  That icky looking stuff would be a normal color for the algae that is being trapped.

In regards to your concern about the plaster walls, you may be getting close to needing the pool replastered after 19 years.  There's no set time, it all depends on the look of the plaster, but more importantly, how the pool has been chemically treated & balanced over the years.  pH, Total Alkalinity & in particular the Calcium Hardness MUST be maintained in their proper levels otherwise, etching of the pool's surfaces WILL occur - sometimes sooner than later.
 

Question:
I have an 18 X 36 IG pool with a Hayward DE filter. I noticed that when I turn on the filter, a sudsy-type of film appears on the water surface. This condition only occurs when the filter is running. When the filter is off, the film dissipates. The water is clear. This film is white in color, similar to what you would see in a bathtub after shampooing your hair. You can actually skim this substance up with a skimmer and it is milky, in nature. I had this problem last season, also. What is this phenomenon? Is it the chlorine, DE? Something has to cause this condition. It is real. I used spa sudsing chemicals last year. They were minimally effective. I have pool water samples that I am going to take for testing. The only problem with that, is that some pool dealerships are worst than car salesmen. They will sell you all sorts of chemicals for the sake of making a profit, rather helping you find a solution. Finding competent help from part-time teenagers working in pool stores is a problem. Anyway, I will seek professional help, if it is available, with this crisis.

Another condition that I have observed is a white, fungus -like growth that grew on the liner. (sort of like toilet paper suspended in water in appearance). With vacuuming and brushing, that condition has been removed for the time being. PH and Chlorine levels are OK. I use filter, shock, and algaecide. Any suggestions?

Right now, the film on the water surface is concern # 1.

Response:
It's very possible that you have White Water mold - that's the white "fungus - like growth" you see on the liner.  WWM usually starts in the filter system in the pipes.  By the time it reaches the pool, you have a problem.  I would recommend doing the following:

1. Add shock through the skimmer.  Just 1 or 2 lbs.  If you get a lot of stuff coming back out into the pool, you have found its source.  At that point you'll need to add more, slowly to get the full effect.  Be very careful adding shock through the skimmer.  If you have an automatic chlorinator in-line, shut it off or remove the slow dissolving chlorine from it while you are shocking the lines.  You don't want a chemical reaction that could hurt you or the equipment.

2.  Take the filter completely apart & clean every bit of it.  Chemically clean the filter grids using Strip Kwik.  If they are older than 5 years, you may want to consider replacing them.

3. Maintain good water balance.  Keep the chlorine level on the high side (over 2.5 ppm) for the next several days.

Keep in mind that this is going to be a "long -haul" treatment. It's not going to clear itself in a couple of days.  Unfortunately, WWM is difficult to diagnose until it's really made itself known. 
 

Question:
Hi and thank you for your information on pink slime. We had this condition in our pool when we were using Baquacil, but switched over to chlorine several years ago and seem to have been able to keep it under control. I do not believe we had ridded ourselves of it, however. This past spring we had a new liner put in our pool. Sorry, it is an on ground pool with vinyl liner and de filter. with all the water out of the pool, I poured as much chlorine product as I could in the pipes and filter, as well as cleaning the cartridge out of the filter. Any way, my question is we have a solar cover that was used back in the day but has not been on the pool for several years. Do I have to worry about pink slime surviving without water for 4-5 years or if I put it back on the pool will it "reconstitute" itself? I do plan on cleaning the cover before had but would like to know if pink slime can survive in a non-aqua environment.

Response:
As you know, dealing with pink slime & water mold is bad enough.  There just isn't any point in chancing it.  Although the blanket may not have been used, you're still going to pick up mold, mildew & other stuff just by staying in storage.  The small amount you may spend for a new blanket could be a whole lot less than trying to treat/cure pink slime & white water mold.
 

Question:
My problem is also pink slime. I have a 15 x 15 above ground. I used Vanquish a couple of years ago and that seemed to have worked because last year I didn't have any pink slime.   The vanquish directions says to pour 1 gallon of liquid chlorine in the skimmer 4 hours after using the Vanquish. I use soft swim, won't the chlorine mixed with Softswim cause added problems? I don't remember adding chlorine to it 2 years ago.

Response:
To treat pink slime in a Soft Swim pool use Soft Swim Assist.  For future preventative measures, I would recommend using BioGuard Optimizer Plus.  Optimizer Plus will significantly reduce your Soft Swim B usage & help the Soft Swim C work more effectively.

Remember to follow all of the mid-season pool care ideas & keep that water balanced. 
 

Question:
We have pink slime and it is getting worse all the time.  When we took the sample to our Baquacil dealer they didn't know what it was.  I just found a reference to pink slime while looking for a new pool cover, and in doing a search on it, found your site.  We have a pool and a hot tub, both enclosed in the same room.  As of this writing the slime is only in the hot tub.  Both our covers are well over the time to be replaced.  While doing that I want to be sure that the new covers are not contaminated.  We have spent thousands of dollars on Baquacil which is the only product ever used here, and the hot tub is an embarrassment.  We are talking thick pink goop twice a month, with a couple of days unusable as we dip out the slime! 

What do we do???? 

Response:
Unfortunately, I'm not going to have much good news for you.  Way back in the '80's we found that using biguanide (Baquacil, Soft Swim, Revacil, etc) just didn't work in indoor pools & are not a good choice.  Assuming you have a truly indoor pool & spa, sunlight can't get into the pool & help with the oxidation process.  Once you see pink slime in the pool itself, you can be guaranteed that the entire filtration system is contaminated, plus it's coating any lights, light niches, skimmer weirs, blankets, covers, etc.

Convert the pool to chlorine (follow the instructions at our website regarding biguanide conversion). You have liked (?) using Baquacil because of the nice feel to the water & the ease of upkeep (although not now).  In an indoor spa it's not as bad because you're changing the water every 3 months or so.  That helps.

If you like a chlorine-free bathing and soaking environment, I might suggest Nature2 in both pool & spa & make it a "low chlorine" system.  Combine Nature2 with BioGuard Optimizer Plus in the pool and SpaGuard Spa Silken in the spa & you've got nice, soft water with less upkeep problems.  For greater detail, I would suggest you calling our store & speaking with me or Justin & we can walk you through the conversion process.  Spending a little time with us on the phone would be really helpful to you & worth your time.  The best time to speak with us would be afternoons (mornings are a little crazy) from 4 to 6 pm Eastern time.  Our number is 203-377-0100.  We'll be able to suggest products & procedures to get you through this.