water mold

[Backglass]

hey thanks chem geek... i really am grateful for the info. from u & backglass. the 2 of u should teamup and put these pool co. to shame.

Aww. Chemgeek is a real pro. I'm just a fellow pool owner who has been through it before.

[chem geek]

Are you kidding me? When I first got my pool 4-1/2 years ago, I used Trichlor pucks, had them in a floating feeder that was tethered and parked itself near metal bars in the water, rusted their mountings, then when the CYA went high (which I did not know since I only had a simple OTO test kit), I couldn't keep the chlorine up fast enough and put the Trichlor pucks into the skimmer which, when the pump was off, rusted my pool thermometer (lord knows what happened to my heater!), etc. I added clarifier, algaecide, enzymes, pH Up and other products. After a year and half of this foolishness I decided to work out the pool water chemistry for myself.

We were all newbies once. Though I worked out a lot of the chemistry on my own, I also used real-world input from many, many sources, mostly on the Pool Forum to start with. Without real-world experience, all the theory is useless.

[h20 moldy]

Someone mentioned swim assist for baquacil users. I have tried a non-chlorine shock last year which finally killed it. This year after getting the green alge killed the pool was crystal clear....then the rains came and I have the biggest crop of water mold I have ever seen. I switched to Baquacil Ultra to prevent this from happening, but now it seems to have no effect.
I switched to using panty hose on the Polaris cleaner so I don't have to change the bag every 5 minutes to wash out the mold. I have put extra everything baquacil, shock, A/B shock pouches and it seems to grow faster.

To save on money, I am thinking of just switching to chlorine system for the rest of the summer...any other ideas?

[endlessly frustrated]

What an informative site! This is my first year with an above ground pool. I live in the south and have had a myriad of problems since the spring opening, and have also spent much $ on various baquacil products to treat this and that. I have had what I "thought" were fuzzy algae clusters floating at the pool bottom, which dissipate when stirred. I would vacuum the pool to waste weekly, add chemicals as instructed weekly/monthly and had no problems UNTIL my pool supplier reminded me I should shock weekly with a quart of oxidizer and add some right to the skimmer basket as well. That caused white bubbles/air to spurt from the jet return of my pump, into the pool and turned the water milky white. Since then I have shocked and re-shocked, sanitized and cannot clear the water. My oxidizer levels are also not holding steady. I can add 1 1/2 gallons one day, and the next day it's gone. Today I went back to the pool supplier and was told it was white mold that I had and that running oxidizer directly into the skimmer forced it out from the plumbing and the pump. At their recommendation, I purchased baquacil ultra start up (which are in pouches labeled step 1 and step 2), more bacquacil oxidizer, as well as bacquacil oxidizer CDX. I have followed all of their instructions regarding adding the ultra start up, the oxidizer, the oxidizer CDX. I am also told to clean the sand filter overnight tonight. This will be the third time this season (since March) that I have chemically cleaned the filter. I am extremely frustrated and not optimistic that my water will ever be clear again. Any suggestions?

[chem geek]

Perhaps someone else will have better news for you, but if you've used BioGuard SoftSwim Assist and that doesn't work for your white water/tissue mold, then I am out of suggestions other than converting to a chlorine pool. If you haven't tried the SoftSwim Assist, try that first. This product contains sodium chlorite and Dichlor which together in water form chlorine dioxide which normally kills this mold. This is only necessary in a Baquacil pool -- a chlorine pool normally doesn't get this mold and if it does, chlorine shock levels can get rid of it.

robinixie, any status on your situation? Did you get a Taylor K-2006 test kit? Can you post some numbers (FC, CC, pH, TA, CH, CYA)?

Richard

[Backglass]

This will be the third time this season (since March) that I have chemically cleaned the filter. I am extremely frustrated and not optimistic that my water will ever be clear again. Any suggestions?

My suggestion? Dump the Baquacil and convert to chlorine. You will look back and wonder why you waited so long.

[robinixie]

hey chem, i am currently in need for a fc reading. i have exhausted all of my efforts and am seriously thinking of throwing in the towel. i am tossing the idea of hiring someone to take the task off of me. i have recieved the taylor k, i am getting 210 ta. (out of control-right). so i go to pool store to get mur. acid...brought a sample, only to hear that i have a low alk. reading of 70! i am losing sleep worring that i will lose my heater again. i would hire you in a heartbeat if you were in my area. i guess i wouldn't be upset of it was the begining of may. anyhow thanks for all of your advice. i might change my mind (who knows). i will still log on because these posts are almost adictive!!!

[chem geek]

If you lost your heater before, it was probably due to low pH and TA getting close to 0 from using Trichlor (which is highly acidic), does that sound right?

Anyway, your numbers are more likely to be right than the pool stores. Why not take your kit to the pool store and do the test in front of them and ask them to tell you what you are doing wrong (if anything) -- have them read the instructions with you. Maybe they'll get educated! Or take a pool water sample to another pool store and see what they measure.

If you do a full set of tests and post some numbers, we can give you some advice -- for a laugh, if nothing else! Seriously, unless you've shocked at high chlorine levels that were maintained and measured and that you know your true CYA level, then you really haven't combat this water mold yet. Stay with us...please.

Richard

[robinixie]

hello, yeah u r right about the heater--came out one morn. only to find that my exchange had been totally eaten away. i am totally with alot of the "posters" in the fact that these pool companies suck!!! we are basically at there mercy (unless one educates themselves). think about it they truly need to make (rob us) from may until september. they are not really in it for the spas or fireplaces!!! i am a firm believer in the bbb method. i have been had...too many times to count from a discounted filter to a pump that was used (sold to me as new), and was already regeristered with previous owner. i am sooo tried of being taken advantage of it is sick. anyhow i finally have a slight fc reading=0.3 total=1.1 cc=0.8 tds=0 ph=7.5 cya=58 copper=0 iron=0 ta=165 adj ta=147 cal.hard.=231. god only know how much bleach and shock were dumped in all season. i already know that i will be draining next year at least half way. i hope that someone that is employed at one of these rip off joints known as "pool companies" reads this and understands how much you are screwing the consumer. Yeah 2 or 3 drinks at the bar pay for the bottle but the mark up on these chemicals is totally out of control. thanks for listening. good luck to all.

[chem geek]

Though the pool stores need to take some responsibility, most are just doing what the manufacturers tell them to do. It is some of the manufacturers of Trichlor and Dichlor (and algaecide and other specialty products) that tell the pool stores (and APSP that they sponsor) that CYA doesn't matter (at least not until 200 ppm, some of them say), that only 3 ppm FC is ever needed, etc. Or course they would be happy if you bought and used algaecide weekly and they recommend that and if everyone did that then their pools probably would not get algae -- so they aren't completely wrong, but they don't tell the whole truth either (i.e. that sufficient chlorine levels appropriate to CYA levels will also prevent algae).

So if you want to write a letter or E-mail someone, have it be the manufacturers of the products. I've tried contacting several directly and they just don't seem to want to consider facts that are inconsistent with what would maximize profit. Quite frankly, I think they are risking a lot if they just end up making too many consumers mad. Of course, it's not like *spamm* where cancer caused death -- no one died from getting pool algae (as far as I know).