Anyone have experiance with swimming pool chemistry (especially chlorine-free pools) and how an algae turf scrubber might interact if used on one?
Algae Scrubber for Swimming Pools
- Thread starter SantaMonica
- Start date
What about big sized ponds that host Koi etc. Could the energy of the sun be used for an algae turf scrubber?The maintenance guys at the complex that I work at have an uphill battle with algae on a pond that stretches a good 100m but it isn't that deep(probably 600mm deep by 4m wide). Every couple of months depending on the condition of the pond they empty the pond and do a rigorous cleaning exercise. Only the bigger sized fish are caught and saved so it isn't a very exciting experience
Remeber if your water does not contain the correct amount of stabilizer the clorine would not last one day. The sun and storms etc. seriously contributes in depleting chlorine in your pool when the stabilizer is not in par. So do yourself a favour and have the water tested for this and all the chemicals. I had the same problem with mine, adding all the stuff daily just to have lighting strike and green it was the next day. But since Nov, Dec last year i changed the routine, had it tested at the pool place cause i was tired of doing the algae routine once or twice a month spending R300 a shot. Thats how i found out about the stabilizer part. Spent thousands for nothing, now i merely add a new hth floater once a month and my water has been crystal clear ever since. Ill find out the product i used to get rid of the algae initially but believe me it worked.
I have a 77 000L pool, had a chlorinator going for about 1 1/2years and it somehow kakked out, it just keeps tripping the mains, something isn't well and I just don't know what it is. Since I disconnected that lot, my system has been all over the place.
It doesn't help that I have been spending my time by the tank opposed to the pool like I used to. I used to have to give about 30min every day to keep it shining well - I just don't have that sort of time in my days anymore. I think my life is just too busy...I need to stop doing something to free up some time during the week.
It doesn't help that I have been spending my time by the tank opposed to the pool like I used to. I used to have to give about 30min every day to keep it shining well - I just don't have that sort of time in my days anymore. I think my life is just too busy...I need to stop doing something to free up some time during the week.
What about big sized ponds that host Koi etc. Could the energy of the sun be used for an algae turf scrubber?The maintenance guys at the complex that I work at have an uphill battle with algae on a pond that stretches a good 100m but it isn't that deep(probably 600mm deep by 4m wide). Every couple of months depending on the condition of the pond they empty the pond and do a rigorous cleaning exercise. Only the bigger sized fish are caught and saved so it isn't a very exciting experience
Yes but first of all is this pond built with a bottom drainer like it should be for kois to suck water from the lower end of the pond. Then passing through a filtering system and a uv correctly rated for the flow and size of the pond and then returned. And the filter im talking about is a huge 3 stage filtering system. And after the uv you add a pool filtering system where you can backwash and rinse the filter for convenience. Let me have a look if i still have some papers lying around regarding ponds when i still used to build these down in the south coast.
Maybe if you lucky i find it.LOL maybe if you have a cold beer
i come around one afternoon and i bring a tester and we find what it stripping the thing. 
These plans may help me too because I am considering a pond in my front yard as an entrance feature but initially don't intend on having any fish, it will also need a certain amount of filtration - of which I have just waiting to be put into action. That could be up my sleeve for the next DIY around the house.
I have a friend with loads of cement which he has been holding onto for some time, I just need to get the piping and the plastic for the base then it is just simply digging a hole and getting some rocks for a nice effect around the feature.
I have a friend with loads of cement which he has been holding onto for some time, I just need to get the piping and the plastic for the base then it is just simply digging a hole and getting some rocks for a nice effect around the feature.
O and just as a matter of interest, you do know that a chlorinator screws up a marblite pools lining after a while and then you have to re-marblite your pool. The salt has a distruction property that grinds it off with time and it seriously screws up the entire lining. I know cause my aunt had the same problem and after the RE-lining and spending a fortune, cause they dont believe in utalizing family to run erens, they are back to doing it the old school floater way. Ripleys believe it or not.
Honestly, I'm not sure. But send me those papers as I would like to build a big pond one dayYes but first of all is this pond built with a bottom drainer like it should be for kois to suck water from the lower end of the pond. Then passing through a filtering system and a uv correctly rated for the flow and size of the pond and then returned. And the filter im talking about is a huge 3 stage filtering system. And after the uv you add a pool filtering system where you can backwash and rinse the filter for convenience. Let me have a look if i still have some papers lying around regarding ponds when i still used to build these down in the south coast.
I always got a few .
It would be great if you can help me figure the thing out because loading in some salt every now and then is so much simpler than constant chlorine dosing...I got totally pee'd with it and have left it for about 3 weeks and it looks like it is almost ready for the koi...seriously nasty at the moment.
It is even harder to maintain in winter for some odd reason, maybe it is because there is never anyone out by the pool because of the cold so it just seems so much more of a chore. Also considering no-one swims so it leaves the feeling of loads of work for little reward.
.It would be great if you can help me figure the thing out because loading in some salt every now and then is so much simpler than constant chlorine dosing...I got totally pee'd with it and have left it for about 3 weeks and it looks like it is almost ready for the koi...seriously nasty at the moment.
It is even harder to maintain in winter for some odd reason, maybe it is because there is never anyone out by the pool because of the cold so it just seems so much more of a chore. Also considering no-one swims so it leaves the feeling of loads of work for little reward.
I always got a few
It would be great if you can help me figure the thing out because loading in some salt every now and then is so much simpler than constant chlorine dosing...I got totally pee'd with it and have left it for about 3 weeks and it looks like it is almost ready for the koi...seriously nasty at the moment.
It is even harder to maintain in winter for some odd reason, maybe it is because there is never anyone out by the pool because of the cold so it just seems so much more of a chore. Also considering no-one swims so it leaves the feeling of loads of work for little reward.
LOL pm me your number ill call you tomorrow so we can meet your a stone through from me.
Interesting to know, considering I have a marblite pool...
Maybe just getting the parameters up to scratch and sticking to chlorine sould be the better route. I have to empty the pool over the winter becasue there are ares there the grouting has come out over the years by the mosaiques and needs some work. Then the guy who owned the place before me abviously left the pool at one point to get really bad and ther are soem algae stians which I would like to try get off...
The idea was to drain completely, fix up all the mosaiques where needed and power wash the whole thing. At the stained areas I was going to scrub with chlorine blocks - basically strip them from the inside of those floaters. Then near spring time, fill it up again and go from there. I am certainl nervous of it cracking so I have put this idea off for 2 years now
Maybe just getting the parameters up to scratch and sticking to chlorine sould be the better route. I have to empty the pool over the winter becasue there are ares there the grouting has come out over the years by the mosaiques and needs some work. Then the guy who owned the place before me abviously left the pool at one point to get really bad and ther are soem algae stians which I would like to try get off...
The idea was to drain completely, fix up all the mosaiques where needed and power wash the whole thing. At the stained areas I was going to scrub with chlorine blocks - basically strip them from the inside of those floaters. Then near spring time, fill it up again and go from there. I am certainl nervous of it cracking so I have put this idea off for 2 years now
Honestly, I'm not sure. But send me those papers as I would like to build a big pond one day
Ill have a look tomorrow, i seriously hope i still have them. But if all else fails ill see if i cant find the guy that helped me the first round.
I need to find a trustworthy and reliable "garden engineer", then I will do away with my garden service and jobs like building the pond become possible. In winter, the work load slows down so it is a nice time to get in with the DIY around the house build things like ponds and so on. I however often need a second pair of hands over the week-end to acomplish some of the more labor intensive work...
When i visit ill take some water samples and have them tested where i buy my stuff from, they have some nice high tech testers and stuff there for accurate readings. Im serious once you get it going and believe me i was laughing at them when they told me at first, cause in five yrs i didnt believe anything. NOTHING WORKED UNTIL I HAD IT TESTED. And strues bob there it is. Mine was empty for 5yrs when i baught the place, then i fixed it lol. It had a crack in the middle, patched it up and its been 5yrs not a leak. HEHE. But yes it can crack, the shorter the period without water the better, i had mine empty twice now for painting and cleaning, but mine is black and painted with road marking paint, i made mine a rock art pool with a rock water fall, looks cool and its about 2.5m high. Looked smaller when i did the metal work, until i had it plastered. The base is like 4m x 3m just for this monster. Ill bring you a pic, you said you wanted a rock feature at your main entrance, maybe youll like this.
Getting back to the topic, I recall my old man was big into koi ponds and he didn't have an ATS per say n the system. He did however use massive plastic drums with shredded plastic sheet and it became a DIY bio-filter which worked an absolute treat. It limited but didn't completely remove the algae. The then added a swimming pool filter to the setup whch has a sand filter and things improved considerably, with the ability to backwash the junk away, his system picked up very well and he sustained a very neat koi pond for a long time.
Never mind the
...if you can get this pool of mine sorted I got Johnnie Walker which goes down a lot smoother. My concern is the timing, this is the last month of the recession so purchasing pool chemicals is gonna be difficult - apparently we need food or something like that to live, the "minister of finances" is keeping me on a tight rope because she knows that if I get my way that I will got to the local pool shop with a bottle of water and come home with like R500 worth of stuff to throw in - which only makes the pool lekker blue for 3 weeks...then it is back to the pool place for anoter dose of chemicals. That is how the chlorinator story came about originally.Yip same as the so called new filter systems works the same way just in 3 stages with the uv and the the pool filter. It works great.