A week and a half ago I installed a new liner and ecosmarte system I have been running the unit on ionizer and high trying to get cu ions up my pH is correct and I have been adding ca. chloride crystals daily since my well water is very hard and we have had a lot of rain lately and there is quite a bit of algae developing what should I do now? thanks for the help Cary
Hi Cary,
Thanks for visiting the blog.
Since you mention a liner, I am not sure whether you have an above ground pool or in-ground pool, since liners are made for both. You are correct in running the ionizer constantly in the beginning to get the copper level up to .7 ppm. In the beginning this can be a challenge - there is a threshold you need to get beyond to get enough copper in the pool. Once you get to .7ppm, it will require ionizing to keep your copper level there.
I was a little confused when you mentioned "high" - if you have a turbo pool system with the high/low switch - you will want it on high all the time. The low setting is only used for water with high TDS (total dissolved solids) because it conducts electricity better and too much copper can get into the pool.
The calcium chloride crystals should only need to be used in the beginning, when you test the hardness of your water and add calcium chloride to bring it up to the right range (if necessary). They are not something you use on a consistent basis.
First off - call the ECOsmarte help line at 1-800-466-7946 and they will lead you through figuring out why you have algae. Phosphates are a possibility because it sounds like you live out in the country, where there are numerous situations in which phosphates could be introduced in the pool - so you will want to get your water tested at a local pool store to see what's in it - then ECOsmarte can help you treat it and get your pool back to sparkling clear.
In general, though I wish I could effectively diagnose each and every pool problem in this blog, it is much more time effective, thorough and just plain easier to call the guys on the help line. We have a new guy named Joshua who is really good at pool problems...you might want to ask for him!
