Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Algae problems in swimming pool water.
Green (cloudy) water or slimy pool walls.
Black algae. Mustard algae. Pink or white pool mold.
bc21bc

Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Postby bc21bc » Mon 18 Jul, 2005 13:40

We have a 22,000 gallon, inground pool with correct chlorine and PH levels - shock every week - even use algaecide occasionally. But EVERY morning - these black, cloudy spots come back in the same places - and spread in a similar pattern. If I vacuum - they come right up - but then they just come back the next day!


Doubled1

Postby Doubled1 » Tue 19 Jul, 2005 15:31

Could be algae growing on the outside of liner.
sheila
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Postby sheila » Wed 10 Aug, 2005 13:07

You need to clarify, the bottle will say how long it takes to drop all the stuff down, vaccum to waste which gets it right out and shock the pool, this always works for me! good luck!
Kaye in Illinois

Clouds in pool water

Postby Kaye in Illinois » Sun 04 Jun, 2006 02:46

My neighbor has had a recurring problem for 5 years with gray clouds forming as you said. Now our pool has it this year. She has taken samples in to many pool supply stores and noones seems to know what it is. It seems to be floating in clouds at the bottom of the pool and can be vacumed up but disipates if you stir it. After you vacuum it clean it reappears the next day or later that day in the same places. We have shocked and clarified and vacumed to waste. With no luck, she has had a pro come out and drained her pool scrubbed the liner replaced the filter. Tonight with only about 18 inches of new water we could see it already returning on the floor of her pool. HELP! If anyone reads this and has an answer we would love some help. Ours showed up when we opened the pool this year. Her started at the end of the first year they had their pool and has never gone away. Our water tests correct for all the chemical levels. The pool places said that algae would be adhered to the liner and would not be suspended in the water in cloud like formations and be able to vacume it up. We don't know if it's algae or a fungus or if it's dangerous. We now fear we will be doomed as they are and never be able to get rid of this problem. Somewhere I read there are resistant algaes and fungi and that a chlorine/bromine combo might work.
elaine

black dust like algae in pool

Postby elaine » Tue 06 Jun, 2006 21:18

I currently have an above ground pool with a vinly liner.
I have been having an ongoing problem since last year with a black algae dust that collects at the bottom on my pool and no amount of vacuuming will get rid of it. It seems that every time that I vacuum the fine black algae from the pool using the filter, the next day the pool is dirty again with the black algae. It seems that when using the vacuum I am not only dissipating the black algae and whatever I can catch with the vacuum seems to just get blown thru the filter. I have tried vacuuming to waste which seems to help but does not solve the problem completely. Any advice? Are there any type of special vacuums or chemical that can help??
WoodyWoody

Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Postby WoodyWoody » Thu 14 May, 2009 16:24

Mine has a layer of gray dust that reappears no matter how much I filter (sand filter). I think it's some kind of precipitate like iron dust (we use high alkaline well water to fill it). The acid and chlorine levels are standard. The filter doesn't remove this black dust for some reason. It doesn't spot, it's just an even layer of this dust that looks like a gray cloud when I brush it to the drain.
Nancylou22
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Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Postby Nancylou22 » Fri 12 Jun, 2009 17:42

Black dust? Anyone heard of "Dirt Algae"? I've been fighting this for a year and a half, I was first told it was mustard algae. As time went on, the color has turned from a sand color to dark brown or black, even with new sand in the filter. When you brush it or vaccuum it dissappears only to come back and settle a few hours later. I had someone come out and tell me it was "Dirt Algae", very rare and comes from the dirt underneath the liner (just as weeds can grow through an above pool liner). I have never heard of this and am looking for more information. Any help out there?
Ruzz

Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Postby Ruzz » Wed 24 Jun, 2009 13:35

May be a phosphates problem. Try PhosFree
http://www.poolcenter.com/chemicals_poo ... micals.htm
short term fix

Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Postby short term fix » Sun 09 May, 2010 17:04

I have the same thing - and have been able to get rid of it by slowly vacuuming over the "puddles" of fine black dust and bypassing the filter, evacuating it right out of the pool into the yard. You will have to refill the pool a little but it's worth it because as everyone has said, it seems to go right through the filter and back into the pool. I don't know what the stuff is, but try it, it works! :D
angie

Clouds in pool water

Postby angie » Tue 27 Jul, 2010 10:23

Kaye in Illinois wrote:My neighbor has had a recurring problem for 5 years with gray clouds forming as you said. Now our pool has it this year. She has taken samples in to many pool supply stores and noones seems to know what it is. It seems to be floating in clouds at the bottom of the pool and can be vacumed up but disipates if you stir it. After you vacuum it clean it reappears the next day or later that day in the same places. We have shocked and clarified and vacumed to waste. With no luck, she has had a pro come out and drained her pool scrubbed the liner replaced the filter. Tonight with only about 18 inches of new water we could see it already returning on the floor of her pool. HELP! If anyone reads this and has an answer we would love some help. Ours showed up when we opened the pool this year. Her started at the end of the first year they had their pool and has never gone away. Our water tests correct for all the chemical levels. The pool places said that algae would be adhered to the liner and would not be suspended in the water in cloud like formations and be able to vacume it up. We don't know if it's algae or a fungus or if it's dangerous. We now fear we will be doomed as they are and never be able to get rid of this problem. Somewhere I read there are resistant algaes and fungi and that a chlorine/bromine combo might work.
Did u ever find out the problem.I have the same issues and have spend thousands of dollars trying to fix this?
floridapooltech
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Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Postby floridapooltech » Wed 28 Jul, 2010 09:56

That does not sound like a phosphate problem. Also, "Phosfree" is not a good choice of phosphate removers as all natural chemistry products contain even more phosphates, defeating the purpose to begin with. The best phosphate remover on the market is made by SeaKlear http://www.swimnsaveusa.com/phosphateremover.html. Have you tried cleaning out your filter and running the pump for a full day? This may help as you will need to cycle your entire pool water several times to clear out any contaminants.
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Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Postby chem geek » Wed 28 Jul, 2010 10:51

I don't believe that Natural Chemistry products contain phosphates. Do you have a specific product you believe does? I can show you the MSDS for its ingredients. Phosphates aren't a problem anyway if one maintains a sufficient Free Chlorine (FC) level relative to the Cyanuric Acid (CYA) level since chlorine alone can kill algae faster than it can grow regardless of phosphate (and nitrate) level.
b

Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Postby b » Tue 09 Aug, 2011 12:59

We found out our lifeguard kids were bringing home lake algae and introducing it into our pool when they dived in after work..
Do not let anyone dive into your pool who has been in a lake or natural body of water. wash hair take a soapy shower also.
As a matter of fact we have seperate bathing suits .or you can wash your bathing suit before going in a pool with it.
Good luck/ We still battle brown algae dust anyway. I vaccumm it before we go in
over thinking

Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Postby over thinking » Wed 10 Aug, 2011 09:10

Black dust will most of the time be from someones roof dust that gets blown into the pool. If you had black algae it would not vacuum up nor any stains.
bajllc

Black dust - could be algae - on bottom of pool

Postby bajllc » Sun 17 Jun, 2012 20:14

over thinking wrote:Black dust will most of the time be from someones roof dust that gets blown into the pool. If you had black algae it would not vacuum up nor any stains.

I have the black dust in the bottom of my pool too. I use the saltwater pump system with a sand filter pump. Not too long after I vacum up the "dirt" it comes right back. What did you do for yours? I am certainly hoping it is not any kind of algae. It seems to form in the seams of the pool but brushes and vacums right up. It looks like dust when it is stirred. No clouds or water problems that I see

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