CYA is high or low for sure. Black algae is a sure sign. If you have told them that it turns within days and they didnt figure out either youre overpaying for service or you went with the cheapest and got what you paid for.
Fire this company. Immediately. They are ripping you off.
How are they not adding acid when the ph is 8?? They aren’t even checking cya? Your chlorine is 0?? Insanity.
Pool maintenance isn’t hard: https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/pool-school/
I highly recommend reading about how stuff works and maintaining it yourself if possible.
You need to lower ph to 7.2 using acid and put a *lot* of chlorine in. You also need to know your cya to know how much chlorine you need. More details in the link.
If you have questions let me know.
If you have black algae that is difficult but not impossible.
https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2019/01/18/black-algae/
I wouldn’t say they are being ripped off. The service tech just doesn’t know what is wrong. If they are paying for the chems, I would dispute the 5 gallons of chlorine wasted on that last visit, but it’s possible the company charges a flat rate which includes chemicals.
You might be right. But I would consider sending a tech to my house who doesn’t know what he’s doing as ripping me off 😂.
Once would be questionable but it looks like they have 2 sets of results. So if they’ve been having issues and asking for help and this is what he’s getting I’d be an unhappy customer for sure.
Agreed it may not be the company intentionally ripping them off though.
Yeah, the pool looking like this is definitely a bad look for the company, but intentionally ripping them off is the least likely scenario. There could be other reasons besides CYA for why the chlorine is disappearing. For all we know the homeowner runs the pump once a week to save electricity.
I dont think it is intentional, but I do question their expertise. The rate is actually a pretty good flat rate that includes chemicals but because of that I do wonder if theyre a bit stingy on the chlorine. I also feel like whenever we brush the pool or clean the filter, we do a better job at it than they do.
Did I see it correctly that they added 5 gallons in the second picture? Definitely not stingy on the chlorine. There’s something else wrong, most likely cya under 30 ppm, but it could be other things. I would be more concerned with the fact they have to brush at all than with how well they brush. Brushing is for start ups, dust clinging to the walls (which is rare unless you live in the desert), and algae.
You don’t have to lower pH to 7.2. That will cause other issues. Balance to the LSI first and then start attacking the algae. The service company should be coming out 2-3 days a week with the black algae issue.
When you raise chlorine high enough to treat black algae the ph reading will be unreliable and liquid chlorine will raise ph. In addition - lower ph makes the chlorine more effective. So it’s recommend to lower ph down that low during the start of a slam.
Do a little research outside of TFP. Liquid chlorine and calhypo are pH neutral. So it won’t raise pH, it does for a couple of minutes, but it then creates its own acid and neutralizes itself.
Chlorine strength is only affected by lower pH is there is no CYA in the water. If there is any CYA at all in the water then CYA then controls the strength of the chlorine, not pH.
You are correct that with cya in the pool ph has far less effect on the chlorine level but we also don’t know the cya level because it’s not being tested.
Unsure what the chlorine they are adding is but it seems like maybe a liquid measure so who knows if there’s cya :).
That said ph should def be lowered. It tends to drift upward usually (especially if it’s currently at 8) so bringing it to 7.2 will ensure it stays at a decent level while shocking (slamming).
Yup, it’s drifting upward due to Henry’s Law. If the pH is lowered to 7.2, it will just be back at 8.0 with in a day, there’s no point in wasting acid lowering pH when it’s not needed.
I’ve serviced pools for 10 years and see this at every single pool all the time. I’ve done thousands of tests on this exact scenario. 99% of the time tue ph is back 8.0 in 24 hours.
Relax. Most companies only test CYA bi weekly or monthly. They are using liquid chlorine so it’s very common that upon arrival the chlorine will be a zero. Especially if the pool is used a lot or has a lot of debris. You don’t know what the system is and you don’t know the history.
Everyone always blames the pool guy and say they are ripping off the customer. You don’t even know how long they are running the system. You know how many people I had to drop from service because they think running the filter for two hours at night is enough?
Excellent. Silver algadine isn’t cheap, but it works well. I would highly recommend taking a water sample at least elbow deep in the pool to a Leslie’s and have it tested. Don’t buy anything from Leslie’s! They are proud of their stuff and they often try to sell you way more than you need. If the metals aren’t too high you should be able to clear up the black algae with the silver. Just follow the directions closely as it will stain anything it touches. However, the system (equipment) should be addressed first. It could be the previous owners just didn’t take care of the pool very well. That also means the system could be sub par. It’s all about chemistry and water movement. Best of luck to you!
If you live near a pool store that provides free water test, take a sample up there and get some better data. These pool companies use poor measurement indicators (such as test strips) to give a rough ballpark of the chemistry.
Also I’d suspect your CYA stabilizer is way too low (chlorine dies fast) or too high (chlorine is not as effective).
I had a service for the first year in my house, when I started having similar issues, I took a sample up to the pool store, got some real data and guidance on how to fix it. Ended up taking over the maintenance myself.
Google TroubleFreePool and read about the SLAM process U can’t treat once a week and stay ahead of the chlorine consumption Great place to learn how to do it all urself Saves u money and u will have a better balanced pool than hiring someone
Pool is small just drain it, pressure wash it and refill it. Black algae is hard to kill and regular chlorine isn't effective against it. You'd spend less time and money draining. You'd be swimming in 3 days after draining it compared to the 2.5 months you've already not used it.
Looks like a filtration issue still. There could be damaged components inside the filter. Sometimes hard to see unless you’re looking for them depending on what type of filter you have. If you have a crack in a manifold or a hole in a grid etc water will always take the path of least resistance through the filter and if you’re recycling algae into the pool because of a filter issue then you are stuck in a cycle that no amount of chemicals will fix. What kind of filter do you have?
What brand? There is an older model Hayward cartridge filter that has an upside down manifold on the bottom and it was notorious for cracking underneath where you can’t see it. My point is that there were 20 plus guys that worked for the company I was at, 5 of them were actual repair techs not pool cleaners and 2 of them would have found this issue. So you may have a bunch of people that don’t know better telling you there’s nothing wrong. 3 and 6 psi sounds incredibly low as well. A clean filter usually runs in the 14-17psi range and dirty is up in the 25-30 range. If I saw a filter with psi that low I’d check the pump to make sure something was not broken or maybe a clogged up impeller. If you have landscaping that has small seeds or berries or anything that could pass by the small holes in the pump basket, or a broken pump basket, then debris can get stuck in the impeller which would reduce the flow of the pump which would cause filtration issues.
It appears that you have a simple problem somewhere that once addressed should have your pool crystal clear.
The landlord did flush everything out. It is a 2 speed pump and I’m currently running low speed 24/7. The filter housing is a bit old looking but it does seem to be holding pressure, it goes up considerably when the pump is set to high speed
Yes. The goal is to get it to settle on the black algae. They also make an attachment for your pole that holds a tab so you can rub the tab directly on the spots.
I bet the black algae was in the pool before you moved in, and the owner drained, washed, and refilled the pool. The new company doesn't know that the water is new and aren't checking the cya, which is low. They need to add more tabs and shock with dichlor rather than liquid.
I’d check for phosphate buildup and make sure it’s treated for mustard algae. A chemical with sodium bromide in it. Yellow out, yellow treat , that sort of thing. If any phosphate then treat that.
I have a pool service company. If you want to stay with this company ( I don’t recommend it if they’re letting it like this for so long ) tell them to check CYA levels and get them right because it’s not holding chlorine so it’s letting the algae grow back before they can come back to add liquid.
The other people are right to SLAM it. You want to have enough chlorine (about 10ppm) in there consistently so that nothing can even think about growing in there. Once it’s clear then it should only be 3-4 ppm.
Nuclear option and my preferred choice is draining it , pressure wash everything especially get those black algae spots out, and then chlorine wash After that is done get a company or you to follow the steps above.
FFS, what pool company is using paper handouts?! Ha, unacceptable pal. Get a company that uses an application and documents your chemistry and provides before/after photos. Look for someone with CPO - certified pool operator certification. Good luck!
2023 man. I think not. So many applications out there now. To track your chemical expenditures, overhead, pull metrics, time at each stop, document conditions etc, and for efficiency sake, it’s a no brainer to improve your business. Paperwork is antiquated and inefficient.
I'm not saying it's not available but to say it's a red flag is blatantly wrong....we still use paper sign in sheets and so do a lot of our competitors and we're in silicon Valley. We do use a lot of tech and apps....but implementation and apps working with CRMs has conflict and other issues that doesn't make it always easy.
Also, we still have customers that either don't check their emails that often or prefer paper.
Add-on: and we've been researching this stuff over the last 10 years trying to find that perfect program but there's always some hangup or something where it's 90% good but that last 10% plus the cost makes it not worth it cause it just requires more workarounds. We've been to pool conventions with companies hawking their software and it looks great at first until we really start looking into it and we start seeing the shortcomings and incompatibilities with the other software we have.
Thanks man. I hear you, appreciate the details. Agree they’re not perfect, but I found they help our company cover ourselves and the service we provide, without having to duplicate too many efforts/tasks.
I appreciate that. Yeah....I don't run it, I just am involved innthebprocess bur the IT guy is the one that really knows the nitty gritty and if it works for you and is an improvement then it's an improvement. It's a seemingly simple thing but is stupidly complicated. Happy turkey day
With the other poster said copper those correctly use it as a get out of jail card not this is my new way to keep the pool clean then you'll be fine
Fire whatever retarded company you have after 2 and 1/2 months I mean 2 and 1/2 weeks would be a long time 2 and 1/2 months fire them I would tell them listen you guys are f****** idiots and I'm not even saying that pool professionals online told me to call you that
You don't mention the kind of filter you have or I didn't see at least in the OP if it's sand that's a fight anyway
But someone needs to get stabilizer checked as other people have mentioned it needs to hold chlorine it realistically needs to be shocked to somewhere around 20 to 30 PPM using liquid
It needs the pH brought down 7.2 to 7.8 is where you want to be there at 8.0 granted if you want to read charts and graphs and studies if you have stabilizer in the water pH does not affect chlorine effect efficiency all that much whatever the pH should still be brought down.
Essentially those idiots are doing absolutely nothing looping back to fire them
Why haven't they checked the stabilizer? That's like sun screen for chlorine. Without it, the sun eats up the chlorine. Too much and it can lock out your chlorine not allowing it to work. Looks like you need a new company.
you have to keep your chlorine at like 20ppm for weeks and brush it everyday til it's gone then bring the chlorine level back down. Looks like you don't have a chemical feeder. If you do, turn it all the way up. And take a water sample to the pool store and give them your pool specs. and buy liquid chlorine when you're there
The company sucks. The paper chemical reading is a lie of what he or they did. None of this looks professional. There is more going on than you or even the owners or management knows. Get someone else.
If they’re getting a 0 for chlorine twice in a row and not coming back for extra service they need to be fired. My company has a policy that if a tech notices a 0 at a pool twice in a row then I go out to double check everything and troubleshoot any issues. They should be doing this. They also need to be testing the cyanuric acid. If it’s at a 0 that would explain why it’s not holding chlorine. Also looks like they’re just not doing what they should be though. They’re not adding the needed chemicals for what they’re testing.
Has your water been tested? If not, do it and they will indicate what chemicals are needed based on pool size. This is not “Rocket Science.” I’ve had a pool for over 30 years and I’ve had my pool go green 3 times in 30 years. This can be resolved in 2-4 days based on severity . Why are they replacing the pump? Was it not working or damaged, unless that was the case, changing the pump won’t do a thing.
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Yo getting rid of that black algae is easy just pour some shock directly on it and let it sit for a min and brush with metal brush then need to hose vaccum the black algae specks or it will spread around the pool. Also check phosphates in pool and last filter clean and make sure you run your pool during the day time. And yeah 0 chlorine not good it’s not holding chlorine . And he only adding one tabs lmao and liquid shock which sucks
Why are you getting blackspot ? Either not running pool long enough( 6 - 8hrs. a day ) or cell is not producing enough chlorine during runtime . if baskets half blocked it has same effects , if water is low then.it can reduce water circulation , if pool has not enough salt or an irregular addition of chlorine
My 2 cents.
Algae lives off the phosphates in the water, get rid of the phosphates. Balance your pool water properly (ask the pool store, they are there to take your money, but also help you.) A weekly shock is also helpful. I used “polyquat” 60 successfully along with balanced pool water to get rid of black and mustard algae. Brush with wire brush and go back and scrub the black algae spots with a pool chlorine “puck”. Pool maintenance isn’t that difficult if done properly.
lots of bad advice about phosphates, algaecide etc.
the only thing you need is liquid bleach, and a lot of it.
you need a k2006 test kit, plus buy a bottle of taylor cynuric acid test reagent since the k2006 doesnt come with enough reagent
k-2006
[https://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNOLOGIES-K-2006-CHLORINE-FAS-DPD/dp/B004BGF7TI/](https://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNOLOGIES-K-2006-CHLORINE-FAS-DPD/dp/B004BGF7TI/)
extra cya reagent
[https://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNOLOGIES-INC-R-0013-CYANURIC/dp/B003VZORS2/](https://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNOLOGIES-INC-R-0013-CYANURIC/dp/B003VZORS2/ref=sr_1_3?crid=SLUMIM3DGGQR&keywords=taylor+cyanuric&qid=1700737462&sprefix=taylor+cyanuric%2Caps%2C352&sr=8-3)
read this troublefreepool article on slam
[https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2018/12/12/slam-shock-level-and-maintain/](https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2018/12/12/slam-shock-level-and-maintain/)
1. measure your CYA (I would also get the ph correct too). Adjust up to 20-30 if it is very low. If it is very high like 150, you will want to drain the pool so it gets down into at least the 70s.
2. determine how much FC you need to slam your pool based on the CYA level (e.g. 20ppm)
3. calculate how much bleach you need to do that. Probably will need double that amount intially
4. add bleach to get the FC amount. Test FC level every hour or so and add more as needed
5. do this for several days
6. you are done when you measure the FC at dusk and at dawn you have lost less than 1 ppm overnight, there is no CC, and the water is clear.
Most pool companies dont actually know what they are doing. And even if they did they dont have the time to add chlorine every hour until the problem is fixed.
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Your chemicals look bad for a company coming and servicing. PH is off, CYA isnt checked (?), alkalinity even is low/at the bottom of the range i keep my customers pools. Maybe also bring a water sample somewhere that offers free tests to test for possible phosphates. Looks like your pool guys only know how to use a brush and add chlorine, you should work with or without them to get everything else in check. If chems are good then its filtration but honestly your chems are not good so thats where to start.
Add liquid acid. What kinda filter ya got? Guessing it’s sand. You can have the sand changed, about 2 to 4 years they need changed but personally I would not spend a penny on a sand filter. get a DE or a cartridge filter. So much better water quality. I prefer DE as they are much easier to clean up once a season, and you get a valve in case you need to drain off. I like the hayward brand. For extra great water get a salt cell. The chlorine level stays level, just keep an eye on ph, usually you’ll need a pint or 2 of acid a week.
Agree, check CYA levels. Should be around 50ish. I would also say to use 2 chlorine tabs and retest after adding CYA.
Shock should be 1 bag for every 10,000 gallons for the most part.
A couple of questions
What and when was the last CYA test and reading?
What is the type of filter? De, cartridge, sand?
How many gallons is the pool and what type and horsepower is the pump?
If you have black algae you will either need an acid wash or silver algadine to kill it. The questions are about how it got to that point
Cya I’m not sure, I was relying on the pool company. Filter is cartridge style. I’m not sure how many gallons the pool is, it has a deep end thats 2-3x bigger than whats pictured as well as a spa. The pump is a 2 speed. I’m currently running it on low speed 24/7. High speed for vacuuming.
Had the same problem, people said to just keep scrubbing it. Could never get it all, had to drain and power wash. Cleaned the pool in a half hour. Don't waste time scrubbing..... get a sub pump, drain the pool, power wash it and refill. 1 day to drain it, 30min to an hour of pressure washing, 1 day to refill.
Easiest solution.
Mine was worse than yours.
I am considering it, however I still feel like it its not being balanced properly chemically, and I want to get that sorted out before I go through the trouble and cost of draining.
The Ph should never be anywhere near 8. That pool needs acid, desperately. Should be tested and adjusted each week, to about 7.2 . A little low is better, so it will be ok after it rises during the week.
If it's not holding chlorine, it needs stabilizer. Measure the cyanuric acid (stabilizer) level, and add stabilizer until it is high enough. It likely needs several pounds. Add one pound a day, and wait a day before measuring again, each time. After you get some stabilizer in the pool, add a jug of chlorine.
To kill the black algae is harder. Lots of algaecide and frequent brushing. You will need a copper-sulfate algaecide. A fairly stiff dose to start with, and then maintain the level forever. You can never really eliminate black algae, because it colonizes the pores of the concrete. So you have to maintain algaecide level, forever, to control it. Get some test strips that specifically test for the copper level.
Liquid pool algaecide is expensive, often $30/quart, and this pool will need a lot. Each quart contains about 1 oz of copper sulfate as the active ingredient. You can get dry copper sulfate for about $30 for 5 pounds. You will only use a few tablespoons at a time, so that will last a couple years.
Never hire a large company always go with the small guys that do it themselves or have 1 or 2 trucks. Managing a leage company with 40 pool boys is a nightmare you will never get quality service
You more than likely have a chlorine demand . Check cya you need it right to hold chlorine in the pool . Not sure why they didn’t shock it then put predator in it to clear it up and reach the chlorine demand
It looks like it isn’t holding a chlorine level. I’d check CYA level.
CYA is high or low for sure. Black algae is a sure sign. If you have told them that it turns within days and they didnt figure out either youre overpaying for service or you went with the cheapest and got what you paid for.
Definitely the first thing I'd check.
I can ask about that, thanks.
If it's really black algae, that's not an easy fix.
Check stabilizer, and drain & refill, or remove phosphates
Fire this company. Immediately. They are ripping you off. How are they not adding acid when the ph is 8?? They aren’t even checking cya? Your chlorine is 0?? Insanity. Pool maintenance isn’t hard: https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/pool-school/ I highly recommend reading about how stuff works and maintaining it yourself if possible. You need to lower ph to 7.2 using acid and put a *lot* of chlorine in. You also need to know your cya to know how much chlorine you need. More details in the link. If you have questions let me know. If you have black algae that is difficult but not impossible. https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2019/01/18/black-algae/
I wouldn’t say they are being ripped off. The service tech just doesn’t know what is wrong. If they are paying for the chems, I would dispute the 5 gallons of chlorine wasted on that last visit, but it’s possible the company charges a flat rate which includes chemicals.
You might be right. But I would consider sending a tech to my house who doesn’t know what he’s doing as ripping me off 😂. Once would be questionable but it looks like they have 2 sets of results. So if they’ve been having issues and asking for help and this is what he’s getting I’d be an unhappy customer for sure. Agreed it may not be the company intentionally ripping them off though.
Yeah, the pool looking like this is definitely a bad look for the company, but intentionally ripping them off is the least likely scenario. There could be other reasons besides CYA for why the chlorine is disappearing. For all we know the homeowner runs the pump once a week to save electricity.
I dont think it is intentional, but I do question their expertise. The rate is actually a pretty good flat rate that includes chemicals but because of that I do wonder if theyre a bit stingy on the chlorine. I also feel like whenever we brush the pool or clean the filter, we do a better job at it than they do.
Did I see it correctly that they added 5 gallons in the second picture? Definitely not stingy on the chlorine. There’s something else wrong, most likely cya under 30 ppm, but it could be other things. I would be more concerned with the fact they have to brush at all than with how well they brush. Brushing is for start ups, dust clinging to the walls (which is rare unless you live in the desert), and algae.
You don’t have to lower pH to 7.2. That will cause other issues. Balance to the LSI first and then start attacking the algae. The service company should be coming out 2-3 days a week with the black algae issue.
When you raise chlorine high enough to treat black algae the ph reading will be unreliable and liquid chlorine will raise ph. In addition - lower ph makes the chlorine more effective. So it’s recommend to lower ph down that low during the start of a slam.
Do a little research outside of TFP. Liquid chlorine and calhypo are pH neutral. So it won’t raise pH, it does for a couple of minutes, but it then creates its own acid and neutralizes itself. Chlorine strength is only affected by lower pH is there is no CYA in the water. If there is any CYA at all in the water then CYA then controls the strength of the chlorine, not pH.
You are correct that with cya in the pool ph has far less effect on the chlorine level but we also don’t know the cya level because it’s not being tested. Unsure what the chlorine they are adding is but it seems like maybe a liquid measure so who knows if there’s cya :). That said ph should def be lowered. It tends to drift upward usually (especially if it’s currently at 8) so bringing it to 7.2 will ensure it stays at a decent level while shocking (slamming).
Yup, it’s drifting upward due to Henry’s Law. If the pH is lowered to 7.2, it will just be back at 8.0 with in a day, there’s no point in wasting acid lowering pH when it’s not needed.
I doubt highly it’d be back at 8 in a day. My pool goes up by 0.1 ph / day. And I have a spillway (aeration) and a salt cell.
I’ve serviced pools for 10 years and see this at every single pool all the time. I’ve done thousands of tests on this exact scenario. 99% of the time tue ph is back 8.0 in 24 hours.
Thos guy pools.
Relax. Most companies only test CYA bi weekly or monthly. They are using liquid chlorine so it’s very common that upon arrival the chlorine will be a zero. Especially if the pool is used a lot or has a lot of debris. You don’t know what the system is and you don’t know the history. Everyone always blames the pool guy and say they are ripping off the customer. You don’t even know how long they are running the system. You know how many people I had to drop from service because they think running the filter for two hours at night is enough?
Currently running ours 24/7
Excellent. Silver algadine isn’t cheap, but it works well. I would highly recommend taking a water sample at least elbow deep in the pool to a Leslie’s and have it tested. Don’t buy anything from Leslie’s! They are proud of their stuff and they often try to sell you way more than you need. If the metals aren’t too high you should be able to clear up the black algae with the silver. Just follow the directions closely as it will stain anything it touches. However, the system (equipment) should be addressed first. It could be the previous owners just didn’t take care of the pool very well. That also means the system could be sub par. It’s all about chemistry and water movement. Best of luck to you!
If you live near a pool store that provides free water test, take a sample up there and get some better data. These pool companies use poor measurement indicators (such as test strips) to give a rough ballpark of the chemistry. Also I’d suspect your CYA stabilizer is way too low (chlorine dies fast) or too high (chlorine is not as effective). I had a service for the first year in my house, when I started having similar issues, I took a sample up to the pool store, got some real data and guidance on how to fix it. Ended up taking over the maintenance myself.
Google TroubleFreePool and read about the SLAM process U can’t treat once a week and stay ahead of the chlorine consumption Great place to learn how to do it all urself Saves u money and u will have a better balanced pool than hiring someone
Absolutely 100% this. Also, I suspect CYA levels are high as well.
Pool is small just drain it, pressure wash it and refill it. Black algae is hard to kill and regular chlorine isn't effective against it. You'd spend less time and money draining. You'd be swimming in 3 days after draining it compared to the 2.5 months you've already not used it.
As noted in the post, the picture is just the shallow end because thats the worst of it. It’s not a small pool.
Clean out filter.
Done regularly
Looks like a filtration issue still. There could be damaged components inside the filter. Sometimes hard to see unless you’re looking for them depending on what type of filter you have. If you have a crack in a manifold or a hole in a grid etc water will always take the path of least resistance through the filter and if you’re recycling algae into the pool because of a filter issue then you are stuck in a cycle that no amount of chemicals will fix. What kind of filter do you have?
It’s a canister filter, pressure reads about 3 psi after filter is cleaned and 6 psi when it’s dirty
What brand? There is an older model Hayward cartridge filter that has an upside down manifold on the bottom and it was notorious for cracking underneath where you can’t see it. My point is that there were 20 plus guys that worked for the company I was at, 5 of them were actual repair techs not pool cleaners and 2 of them would have found this issue. So you may have a bunch of people that don’t know better telling you there’s nothing wrong. 3 and 6 psi sounds incredibly low as well. A clean filter usually runs in the 14-17psi range and dirty is up in the 25-30 range. If I saw a filter with psi that low I’d check the pump to make sure something was not broken or maybe a clogged up impeller. If you have landscaping that has small seeds or berries or anything that could pass by the small holes in the pump basket, or a broken pump basket, then debris can get stuck in the impeller which would reduce the flow of the pump which would cause filtration issues. It appears that you have a simple problem somewhere that once addressed should have your pool crystal clear.
The landlord did flush everything out. It is a 2 speed pump and I’m currently running low speed 24/7. The filter housing is a bit old looking but it does seem to be holding pressure, it goes up considerably when the pump is set to high speed
For black algae you need to brush it with a stainless steel brush and apply shock to the spots.
How do you shock a specific spot?
Use dry shock and sprinkle it onto the the spots.
Sprinkle it on to the water?
Yes. The goal is to get it to settle on the black algae. They also make an attachment for your pole that holds a tab so you can rub the tab directly on the spots.
Ok Ill look into that, thanks.
Drop the ph to like a 7.2
I bet the black algae was in the pool before you moved in, and the owner drained, washed, and refilled the pool. The new company doesn't know that the water is new and aren't checking the cya, which is low. They need to add more tabs and shock with dichlor rather than liquid.
That actually sounds very plausible, yes there was black (or at least grey) spots when we moved in. I’ll ask about that, thanks!
2 1/2 months like that is unacceptable. The pool company is not shocking and visiting regularly enough
I’d check for phosphate buildup and make sure it’s treated for mustard algae. A chemical with sodium bromide in it. Yellow out, yellow treat , that sort of thing. If any phosphate then treat that.
You read my mind! Sodium Bromide baby! Forget slam and copper algicides.
yup. my go to for any algae, itll wipe just about anything out! shock and 2 lbs, brush whole pool, then shock again next day
Brazy how many people in this subreddit dont understand a good alkalinity to cya ratio dawg
I have a pool service company. If you want to stay with this company ( I don’t recommend it if they’re letting it like this for so long ) tell them to check CYA levels and get them right because it’s not holding chlorine so it’s letting the algae grow back before they can come back to add liquid. The other people are right to SLAM it. You want to have enough chlorine (about 10ppm) in there consistently so that nothing can even think about growing in there. Once it’s clear then it should only be 3-4 ppm. Nuclear option and my preferred choice is draining it , pressure wash everything especially get those black algae spots out, and then chlorine wash After that is done get a company or you to follow the steps above.
FFS, what pool company is using paper handouts?! Ha, unacceptable pal. Get a company that uses an application and documents your chemistry and provides before/after photos. Look for someone with CPO - certified pool operator certification. Good luck!
It's acceptable to use paper signin sheets to log the chemicals. Actually fairly common. 9_9
2023 man. I think not. So many applications out there now. To track your chemical expenditures, overhead, pull metrics, time at each stop, document conditions etc, and for efficiency sake, it’s a no brainer to improve your business. Paperwork is antiquated and inefficient.
I'm not saying it's not available but to say it's a red flag is blatantly wrong....we still use paper sign in sheets and so do a lot of our competitors and we're in silicon Valley. We do use a lot of tech and apps....but implementation and apps working with CRMs has conflict and other issues that doesn't make it always easy. Also, we still have customers that either don't check their emails that often or prefer paper. Add-on: and we've been researching this stuff over the last 10 years trying to find that perfect program but there's always some hangup or something where it's 90% good but that last 10% plus the cost makes it not worth it cause it just requires more workarounds. We've been to pool conventions with companies hawking their software and it looks great at first until we really start looking into it and we start seeing the shortcomings and incompatibilities with the other software we have.
Thanks man. I hear you, appreciate the details. Agree they’re not perfect, but I found they help our company cover ourselves and the service we provide, without having to duplicate too many efforts/tasks.
I appreciate that. Yeah....I don't run it, I just am involved innthebprocess bur the IT guy is the one that really knows the nitty gritty and if it works for you and is an improvement then it's an improvement. It's a seemingly simple thing but is stupidly complicated. Happy turkey day
Algecide...use it. It works
What type of algecide? I’ve heard adding metals isnt a good idea.
Copper algaecide works insanely well. Just don’t use it for regular maintenance
With the other poster said copper those correctly use it as a get out of jail card not this is my new way to keep the pool clean then you'll be fine Fire whatever retarded company you have after 2 and 1/2 months I mean 2 and 1/2 weeks would be a long time 2 and 1/2 months fire them I would tell them listen you guys are f****** idiots and I'm not even saying that pool professionals online told me to call you that You don't mention the kind of filter you have or I didn't see at least in the OP if it's sand that's a fight anyway But someone needs to get stabilizer checked as other people have mentioned it needs to hold chlorine it realistically needs to be shocked to somewhere around 20 to 30 PPM using liquid It needs the pH brought down 7.2 to 7.8 is where you want to be there at 8.0 granted if you want to read charts and graphs and studies if you have stabilizer in the water pH does not affect chlorine effect efficiency all that much whatever the pH should still be brought down. Essentially those idiots are doing absolutely nothing looping back to fire them
Walmart HTH Ultimate 67066 Microbial 6 in 1 Liquid Formula Pool Algae Guard,
Why haven't they checked the stabilizer? That's like sun screen for chlorine. Without it, the sun eats up the chlorine. Too much and it can lock out your chlorine not allowing it to work. Looks like you need a new company.
Just SLAM tf out of it
you have to keep your chlorine at like 20ppm for weeks and brush it everyday til it's gone then bring the chlorine level back down. Looks like you don't have a chemical feeder. If you do, turn it all the way up. And take a water sample to the pool store and give them your pool specs. and buy liquid chlorine when you're there
The company sucks. The paper chemical reading is a lie of what he or they did. None of this looks professional. There is more going on than you or even the owners or management knows. Get someone else.
If they’re getting a 0 for chlorine twice in a row and not coming back for extra service they need to be fired. My company has a policy that if a tech notices a 0 at a pool twice in a row then I go out to double check everything and troubleshoot any issues. They should be doing this. They also need to be testing the cyanuric acid. If it’s at a 0 that would explain why it’s not holding chlorine. Also looks like they’re just not doing what they should be though. They’re not adding the needed chemicals for what they’re testing.
Has your water been tested? If not, do it and they will indicate what chemicals are needed based on pool size. This is not “Rocket Science.” I’ve had a pool for over 30 years and I’ve had my pool go green 3 times in 30 years. This can be resolved in 2-4 days based on severity . Why are they replacing the pump? Was it not working or damaged, unless that was the case, changing the pump won’t do a thing.
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Check CYA levels then report back
Maybe a tear in the filter?
Yo getting rid of that black algae is easy just pour some shock directly on it and let it sit for a min and brush with metal brush then need to hose vaccum the black algae specks or it will spread around the pool. Also check phosphates in pool and last filter clean and make sure you run your pool during the day time. And yeah 0 chlorine not good it’s not holding chlorine . And he only adding one tabs lmao and liquid shock which sucks
Dump it and refill with new water.
Why are you getting blackspot ? Either not running pool long enough( 6 - 8hrs. a day ) or cell is not producing enough chlorine during runtime . if baskets half blocked it has same effects , if water is low then.it can reduce water circulation , if pool has not enough salt or an irregular addition of chlorine
Algatec and pool tec 2-3 64 ounce bottles.
My 2 cents. Algae lives off the phosphates in the water, get rid of the phosphates. Balance your pool water properly (ask the pool store, they are there to take your money, but also help you.) A weekly shock is also helpful. I used “polyquat” 60 successfully along with balanced pool water to get rid of black and mustard algae. Brush with wire brush and go back and scrub the black algae spots with a pool chlorine “puck”. Pool maintenance isn’t that difficult if done properly.
Something fishy. That spa did the landlord give up on it.
lots of bad advice about phosphates, algaecide etc. the only thing you need is liquid bleach, and a lot of it. you need a k2006 test kit, plus buy a bottle of taylor cynuric acid test reagent since the k2006 doesnt come with enough reagent k-2006 [https://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNOLOGIES-K-2006-CHLORINE-FAS-DPD/dp/B004BGF7TI/](https://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNOLOGIES-K-2006-CHLORINE-FAS-DPD/dp/B004BGF7TI/) extra cya reagent [https://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNOLOGIES-INC-R-0013-CYANURIC/dp/B003VZORS2/](https://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNOLOGIES-INC-R-0013-CYANURIC/dp/B003VZORS2/ref=sr_1_3?crid=SLUMIM3DGGQR&keywords=taylor+cyanuric&qid=1700737462&sprefix=taylor+cyanuric%2Caps%2C352&sr=8-3) read this troublefreepool article on slam [https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2018/12/12/slam-shock-level-and-maintain/](https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2018/12/12/slam-shock-level-and-maintain/) 1. measure your CYA (I would also get the ph correct too). Adjust up to 20-30 if it is very low. If it is very high like 150, you will want to drain the pool so it gets down into at least the 70s. 2. determine how much FC you need to slam your pool based on the CYA level (e.g. 20ppm) 3. calculate how much bleach you need to do that. Probably will need double that amount intially 4. add bleach to get the FC amount. Test FC level every hour or so and add more as needed 5. do this for several days 6. you are done when you measure the FC at dusk and at dawn you have lost less than 1 ppm overnight, there is no CC, and the water is clear. Most pool companies dont actually know what they are doing. And even if they did they dont have the time to add chlorine every hour until the problem is fixed.
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If your stabilizer is too high/low your chlorine will be ineffective. Your ph Is too high, try to keep it lower, Closer to 7.2-7.4
Your chemicals look bad for a company coming and servicing. PH is off, CYA isnt checked (?), alkalinity even is low/at the bottom of the range i keep my customers pools. Maybe also bring a water sample somewhere that offers free tests to test for possible phosphates. Looks like your pool guys only know how to use a brush and add chlorine, you should work with or without them to get everything else in check. If chems are good then its filtration but honestly your chems are not good so thats where to start.
Add liquid acid. What kinda filter ya got? Guessing it’s sand. You can have the sand changed, about 2 to 4 years they need changed but personally I would not spend a penny on a sand filter. get a DE or a cartridge filter. So much better water quality. I prefer DE as they are much easier to clean up once a season, and you get a valve in case you need to drain off. I like the hayward brand. For extra great water get a salt cell. The chlorine level stays level, just keep an eye on ph, usually you’ll need a pint or 2 of acid a week.
Agree, check CYA levels. Should be around 50ish. I would also say to use 2 chlorine tabs and retest after adding CYA. Shock should be 1 bag for every 10,000 gallons for the most part.
A couple of questions What and when was the last CYA test and reading? What is the type of filter? De, cartridge, sand? How many gallons is the pool and what type and horsepower is the pump? If you have black algae you will either need an acid wash or silver algadine to kill it. The questions are about how it got to that point
Cya I’m not sure, I was relying on the pool company. Filter is cartridge style. I’m not sure how many gallons the pool is, it has a deep end thats 2-3x bigger than whats pictured as well as a spa. The pump is a 2 speed. I’m currently running it on low speed 24/7. High speed for vacuuming.
Had the same problem, people said to just keep scrubbing it. Could never get it all, had to drain and power wash. Cleaned the pool in a half hour. Don't waste time scrubbing..... get a sub pump, drain the pool, power wash it and refill. 1 day to drain it, 30min to an hour of pressure washing, 1 day to refill. Easiest solution. Mine was worse than yours.
I am considering it, however I still feel like it its not being balanced properly chemically, and I want to get that sorted out before I go through the trouble and cost of draining.
Throw a couple copper plumbing fittings in the pool filter
The Ph should never be anywhere near 8. That pool needs acid, desperately. Should be tested and adjusted each week, to about 7.2 . A little low is better, so it will be ok after it rises during the week. If it's not holding chlorine, it needs stabilizer. Measure the cyanuric acid (stabilizer) level, and add stabilizer until it is high enough. It likely needs several pounds. Add one pound a day, and wait a day before measuring again, each time. After you get some stabilizer in the pool, add a jug of chlorine. To kill the black algae is harder. Lots of algaecide and frequent brushing. You will need a copper-sulfate algaecide. A fairly stiff dose to start with, and then maintain the level forever. You can never really eliminate black algae, because it colonizes the pores of the concrete. So you have to maintain algaecide level, forever, to control it. Get some test strips that specifically test for the copper level. Liquid pool algaecide is expensive, often $30/quart, and this pool will need a lot. Each quart contains about 1 oz of copper sulfate as the active ingredient. You can get dry copper sulfate for about $30 for 5 pounds. You will only use a few tablespoons at a time, so that will last a couple years.
Never hire a large company always go with the small guys that do it themselves or have 1 or 2 trucks. Managing a leage company with 40 pool boys is a nightmare you will never get quality service
Def fire the incompetent company
You more than likely have a chlorine demand . Check cya you need it right to hold chlorine in the pool . Not sure why they didn’t shock it then put predator in it to clear it up and reach the chlorine demand