Problem with mustard algae

[CarlD]

Mustard algae is VERY easy to brush off -- but it's apparently hard to remove 100% since it tends to return to the same spots.

I'd just dose with 4 gallons of plain 6% household bleach AND 1 lb of dichlor each evening, till you get the reagent. And, brush your spots daily, preferably right after adding the chlorine.

(I'm sure that somewhere there's a pool store that sells Taylor FAS-DPD reagents, but I've never heard of one that did so.)

I actually found the FAS-DPD powder in a Leslies near White Plains. The clerk couldn't find a price anywhere in the system...and just gave it to me. That must be 10 years ago because it was just after my Dad passed away, in 2002. I was building my current pool and had taken down my Intex Donut for the last time.

[NREAGAN]

I have trichlor tabs (4) I was going to put in for the week I was away...is that ok? My dad can add bleach periodically, and the shock I have is, "hth super sock it" it is 62.4% calcium hypochlorite, can I use that? I have that in one lb bags...I am trying to ,are it as simple for him as I can. Thanks!

[aylad]

The trichlor tabs will be okay for the week that you're gone--just test your pH (you need to do that anyway since you've been using dichlor, which is also very acidic) and push it up to the 7.6-7.8 range before you leave, so that the trichlor won't push it down too far. It's okay to use the cal-hypo if your calcium hardness levels aren't too high--if they're less than 200 or so, then they should be fine to use.