High Phosphate Levels And Low Chlorine Issue...
I have 0 chlorine in my water, however, my cholorinator has tablets in it and it seems to be functioning correctly. I have a history with phosphates and know that it is the cuplprit to my chlorine issue. I do have some issue with algae now. I put in some algae treatment on Saturday AM after we vaccumed and swept pool. Saturday night I put in two 48 oz. bottles of PhosFree as directed. Today is Monday and I still do not have any chlorine in my water and algae is coming back. HELP me before I drain the darn thing and fill it in with dirt!!! Thanks Thanks for the question I had another question about phosphates that I answered in this post: Swimming Pool Phosphate Level Over 1000 Basically, phosphates are food for algae. Many people believe that they need to keep the phosphates down by adding Phosfree. This is to remove the phosphates. But, if your chlorine level is kept between 1.5 - 3.5ppm, then there will be no algae, so it really doesn't matter what level the phosphates are. The post above explains that in a little more detail. First, you need to shock with Dichlor. This is a fast acting chlorine with a stabilizer (cyranuric acid/CYA) in it. You'll want to get your CYA between 30 - 50ppm. Use a Taylor FAS-DPD K-2006 test kit. It's the best and the one most pool professionals use. Water Testing Kit Pool Water Testing No Free Or Total Chlorine In The Pool! Swimming Pool Chlorine Chlorine Tablets The chlorine tab page has the Dichlor information you need and the chlorine page has a chart for shocking your pool. The question says you used an "algae treatment". I will assume this is an algaecide. Remember that algaecides are used for preventative maintenance only. They're not going to get rid of an algae problem or green pool water. While you're shocking the pool, the algae will be eating up the chlorine so you'll need to manually dose and test your pool each day. Try to keep the chlorine level up around 8ppm while this is happening. You can also use a good PolyQuat 60 algaecide as an insurance policy for algae while you're going through the shock process. This contains no copper or other metals and is safe for vinyl pool liners. Make adjustments at night, allow for a complete turnover of the pool water. This is normally around 8 hours, retest, and make another adjustment. The algae will turn a white/grayish color. Brush the walls and floor the best you can to loosen up algae that might be sticking. And backwash once per day. You want to keep the filter cleaned out. And keep an eye on the pool water level. You'll be backwashing and losing some water. The water level should be 1/3 - 1/2 from the bottom of the skimmer. Swimming Pool Algae Green Pool Water Once everything is stabilized there should be any need to add Phosfree because you'll have a constant stream of chlorine in the pool to kill bacteria and algae. Hope this helps and have a fun and safe swimming season. Robert |
