New pool and I have Algae.... I think! Help!

[FixMePool]

Hello all,

I recently bought a house with a pool in Orlando. The pool is kidney shaped and holds around 16000 gallons.

By the time I got to working with the pool it was green. The guy at the pool store gave me two jugs of Chlorine and a bottle of Stop Green. That treatment took care of the green color and the cloudiness disappeared in a couple of days.

Since then however, there is "something" on pool floor...



I think it is algae. I went to the pool shop again and they gave a Yellow Out and four bags of Chlorine (granular) which I applied as directed... including brushing the floor and washing the cartridge.

Next morning... same algae... same place...
I went to the shop again 2 days ago and they tested the water and said that I have no Chlorine at all (which was strange because I had shocked the previous night) and gave something called Stop Green and said to put 10 ounces in and they gave something to adjust the PH and 2 containers of Chlorine. I applied all that over the weekend and this morning the algae is in the same place again.

Notes:
I have a cartridge filter POSI PTM100, which I've been cleanining regularly.
The algae brushes off easily just like brushing off dirt off a tile floor. I vaccumed it a couple of times as well.
I can't tell what color it is.. closer to dark gray I think.
It is growing in other areas as well.... like the steps... but the area in the picture is the largest.
The filter is running 24*7 for days now... I'm sure my electric bill is going to give me a stroke if this algae thing doesn't kill me first.

I will go to test my water again today but they'll give me more stuff to buy and I don't trust them anymore. I did a simple test for chlorine and color test shows that I'm good on Chlorine (dark yellow).

Any advice?? Help!

[FixMePool]

Sorry... I couldn't get the post to link to the picture directly. Please copy and paste the link to see what I'm talking about

http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p7282058ai6.jpg

[South TX Poolguy]

If the stuff looks like a fine dust do this:


Get your vacuum hose set up and ready to use.
If you have a hayward filter, take off the top but try to make the filter stick to the bottom. Turn on the pump and vacuum the stuff out. It will go onto the ground if the filter will stick. Remove the vac hose. Let the pump run for a minute to clear the lines.

If the stuff returns, you know it is not dust.

Then shock if needed and get the chemistry back.

Good Luck

[FixMePool]

Thanks for the tip, South TX Poolguy.

I think I solved the problem... it wasn't algae... it was indeed dust.
The filter wasn't catching the tiny particles and the inlets keep pumping them in at the same spot.

I took an old sock and attached it at one of the inlets. Then brushed the pool and let the pump run for 24 hours. Next day the floor was clean. Over the next day or so, I saw some more dust build up, nothing like the original situation though. I washed the sock and put back for another 24 hours and it took care of the remaining dust. It's a clean blue pool for the past week now...

Hope this helps someone out there.

[Backglass]

Thanks for the tip, South TX Poolguy.

I think I solved the problem... it wasn't algae... it was indeed dust.
The filter wasn't catching the tiny particles and the inlets keep pumping them in at the same spot.

I took an old sock and attached it at one of the inlets. Then brushed the pool and let the pump run for 24 hours. Next day the floor was clean. Over the next day or so, I saw some more dust build up, nothing like the original situation though. I washed the sock and put back for another 24 hours and it took care of the remaining dust. It's a clean blue pool for the past week now...

Hope this helps someone out there.

Some DE in a sand filter will get this "pool dust" as well.