something on the bottom of the pool

[aylad]

If you look at the top of the multiport handle, sometimes water will leak out around the handle if the gasket is bad. It also only takes a few minutes to take the handle and top off the multiport and actually look at the gasket--it will be obvious if it has twisting or tearing and needs to be replaced.

If you had a "huge cloud of brown" under your steps when you moved them, then the brown settling you see might just be dirt or dead algae. Again, the only way to tell for sure would be the overnight chlorine test, as I described above. Do you see any of this on the sides of the pool, or just on the bottom? Do the sides of your pool feel slippery?


Janet

[bjaeram]

It's all back this morning. I don't know if it grew back or just settled. I kind of think just settled.

So if it is just dirt or even dead algae how do I get it out? Vaccuming even as carefully as I can stirs it up into the water.

It is only on the bottom and the steps. None on the sides of the pool. It does not feel sllimy at all. I tried to get some off of the steps to put in a container so I could look at it better and take a picture of it and I couldn't get any. I barely touch it and it just disolves. I tried to get it under my finger nail too and just can't get it.

I'm getting ready to go out of town for the day but I'll do the chlorine test tonight. I'll also see about checking the gasket. I put two gallons of chlorine in last night but I didn't put it in the skimmer. I'll do that tonight.

Thank you for your help!

[PoolDoc]

Sound's like dead algae. I don't know what sort of vacuum you have or why you can't vacuum it up.

To vacuum it easily you need:

1. A wheeled vac head (a brush head stirs it up, unless you've got super-suction)
2. Good suction
3. Patience to move slowly enough so you DON'T stir it up.

We do it every week, on a 200,000 gallon pool.

Brush type: Poolmaster 27514 Triangular Vinyl Liner Vacuum
Wheeled type, medium duty: Poolmaster 27200 Heavy-Duty Flexible Metal Handle Vacuum
Wheeled type, light duty: Swimline 8150 Weighted Flex Vacuum Head, Blue
Hydro Tools 8365 8- to 16-Foot Adjustable Fluted Premium Fluted Telescopic Pool Pole, White
Poolmaster 33430 Premium Vacuum Hose with Swivel Cuff, 30-Feet by 1-1/2-Inch

[bjaeram]

I took some much better pictures today. I'll attach them here. The problem remains the same. I think if it's algae it's dead and I just have to try to get it out. I have a vaccum similiar to this. http://www.amazon.com/Hydro-8130-Wei...s=pool+vaccuum. If a wheeled one will work better I will get one of those. I also have an aquabug but I think he really stirs things up so I've been using the manual one. I have very good suction so I don't think that is a problem. I think the problem stems from inside my wedding cake steps. Would it be helpful to put chlorine directly in there every week?

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o...eram/pool%202/

The one picture has a baggie of water from the top of the pool and the bottle is the stuff from the bottom. Seems so weird that the water is so clear but this junk stays on the bottom.

Todays results

PH 7.8
Chlorine 4.5
Alk 180

[aylad]

Have you tried testing for overnight chlorine loss, like I suggested in post #12? If there's no chlorine loss, there's no live algae!

Janet

[bjaeram]

Thanks for all the help! I think I'm almost good! The vaccuming to waste is really working. It's a slow process though because I lose so much water that I have to stop and refill my pool before I can vaccum the whole pool. I can't vaccum too fast or it stirs the stuff up but at the rate I'm going it is taking a lot of refilling. I've probably got 80% of it out. A couple of more vaccums and hopefully I'll have it.

Is the key to avoiding this mess again just to really make sure I don't get low on chlorine?

I did the chlorine overnight test and I didn't lose chlorine so I think it's just dead algae that I have to get out, my filter doesn't seem to trap it.

[aylad]

Is the key to avoiding this mess again just to really make sure I don't get low on chlorine?

.

Yep, the easiest way to deal with algae is just to not let it get started in the first place!