The Black Algae Bloom Attack(continued) Page 2
Prepare the Water
The chemicals you need are those that you probably already have on hand or have used in the past. This part of the procedure is done with the pool pump working. Your pump will need to run for the next twenty-four hours. A high pH setting will reduce the ability of the chlorine to work on algae. You will need to drive your pH setting to the lowest level in the range(approximately 7.2). You will need to do this as the shock treatment will raise your pH level.
I use a seven-gallon(5-gallon bucket is ok) bucket for this procedure. The bucket is filled with 5 gallons of pool water and acid is added to the water in the bucket. Never add more than 1/4 gallon of acid to the pool at one time. Next, I stir it with a stick, and spread it out at the deep end of the pool, I spread the mixture until it’s gone. After adding acid, wait for several hours for it to do its thing, test again, and add acid again if needed until the proper pH level is achieved.
pH
The pH is a measure of the acidity of the water. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14, where pH 7 is neutral. If the pH is above 7, the water is basic; if it is below 7 the water is acid. The optimum pH for pool water is 7.4, since this is the same as the pH in human eyes and mucous membranes. A pH of 7.4 also gives good chlorine disinfection.
http://www.pahlen.com/users-guide/ph-and-chlorine
Once the water pH is at the right level you will introduce the black algae to a high level of chlorine. If you have an auto chlorinator fill it to your normal level.
Check the chlorinator
If you have an automatic chlorinator make sure that it is working at top performance. Check that there is no flow blockage in the chlorinator system. Add the proper amount of tablets to the auto chlorinator. Run the pool pump with the cap off the unit until the chlorinator is almost full of water and then cap the chlorinator.
Related Article: My Pool Chlorinator
Related Article: Troubleshooting the offline automatic chlorinator
Wire brush it
Ok, the filter system is now clean, check, the water’s pH is at the lower end of the range, check, and the chlorinator is filled and working, check, its time to go to work. With your small wire brush, brush every spot of black algae you can see. If you suspect that a spot may be black algae, brush that as well. By brush I mean to get at those spots with an attitude of “I hate black algae and I want to see it gone”. When you have finished brushing all suspected and actual black algae spots now is the time to add your shock to the pool.
Continued on Page 3
