Mustard Algae: Well, in this post, I would be throwing light on various aspects of mustard algae to help you make an informed decision.
Moreover, whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned professional this comprehensive guide on mustard algae would definitely be of great help to achieve an optimum result.
So, without any further ado, let’s begin…
From the topic of this post, it is quite obvious that the center of our discussion would be the effective ways that you can expedite order to get rid of unwanted mustard algae without any hassle.
Not only that but also we would be highlighting the preventive measures that need to be taken care of to prevent the reoccurrence of mustard algae after the pool treatment.
Does it make sense?
What is mustard algae and why is it bad for my pool?
Even before we dive deep into the mustard algae, I request you all to NOT confuse it with yellow algae.
In fact, both are the same.
Many of you would be astonished to know that mustard algae is a member of the green algae family, and may appear yellowish, yellow-green, or yellow-brown.
Frankly speaking, most of the newbies find it difficult to differentiate between mustard algae and dirt, pollen, or even sand.
The main reason for NOT getting differentiated easily is its overall look and feel.
In fact, it’s not as slim as other algae.
And, its texture resembles specks of dirt to a great extent.
If you would’ve read my post on black algae, then definitely, you would be aware of the fact that almost all algae aren’t directly harmful to humans.
But, they harbor bacteria such as E.coli that can be seen as a potential threat to humans.
In short, algae pave the way for the growth of harmful bacteria by creating a favorable ecosystem.
Similar to green algae, this alga can also make your pool cloudy by invading your pool ruthlessly.
Pool equipment, pool walls, bathing suits, floats, and toys are some of the things that can be heavily impacted by yellowish algae.
Moreover, the mustard algae will make the pool look unpleasant.
Unfortunately, chlorine wouldn’t alone be enough to deal with this algae in a successful manner so you would be needing an additional chemical such as yellow to get rid of this devil.
Did you get an opportunity to read this idiosyncratic article on green algae?
Your pool is at a higher risk of getting invaded with yellow algae if it resides in a hot and humid climate.
The mustard algae are known to grow very fast in warm and fresh water.
Can I prevent mustard algae from growing into my pool?
To be honest, without any doubt, you can prevent mustard algae from growing in your pool.
And, this whole post would revolve around discussing the same.
However, yellow aka mustard algae is difficult to get rid of in case it has badly invaded your pool.
Trust me, the mustard algae are more than capable to cause pain in your butt with ease.
Of course, it will happen only when you’ll allow its growth to get out of control.
Even though the worst has happened still you’ve got loads and loads of options to deal with this devil effectively.
In the worst case, you might have to take the help of draining and acid washing your pool which is definitely a tedious and time-consuming task, isn’t it?
And, trust me, nobody wants to get into complexity, right?
So, the best and most logical thing that you can do is to effectively take precautionary measures which will help you to keep this devil at bay.
Cutting long-story-short, let’s discuss each of these precautionary steps in detail.
Test Your Water
First and foremost, you need to ensure that the pool chemistry is well-balanced, and that all the chemicals including pH levels, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and chlorine are in the prescribed range.
I would recommend you use a test strip or an effective pool chemistry kit to figure out the current status of the aforementioned chemicals.
The ideal pH level for any pool is 7.4, but anything in the range of 7.2 and 7.6 will do the trick for you.
Similarly, the prescribed range for alkalinity is in the range of 80 and 140 parts per million.
It is very important to keep a close watch on pH levels as a high level would encourage algae growth.
Regular pool water testing and proper maintenance will put a check on the pH level surge.
Do you know the effective ways of lowering the alkalinity in your pool?
Lowering pH levels isn’t a difficult task, you can do it on your own in spite of being a newbie.
All you need to do is to add muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate in an appropriate quantity to lower the pH level.
Both surge and drop in pH levels can influence alkalinity.
So, to keep alkalinity in the prescribed range it is important for you to keep a check on pH level.
Once the pH level would be in control the alkalinity will definitely be stabilized.
Shock Your Pool Regularly
If you’re an avid reader of this blog then definitely, you would’ve come across our previous articles wherein we’ve emphasized the benefits of shocking your pool at least on a weekly basis.
Shocking the pool is nothing but super-chlorinating of your pool.
Trust me, shocking the pool is one of the best ways to kill unwanted organisms as well as prevent algae from blossoming.
The market is flooded with products that will help you with the shock.
Most of the products used for shocking aren’t expensive or difficult to use.
So, you can shock your pool at least once a week in order to achieve an optimum result.
Don’t forget to follow the manufacturer’s instructions in order to mitigate the last hour’s misadventure.
Keep the Pool Surface Crystal Clear and Clean
It goes without saying that keeping your pool surface clean and clear is very important.
And, for this purpose, my best bet would be none other than the robotic pool cleaner.
I personally use and recommend robotic cleaners as there is definitely a reason for it.
Can you guess?
Well, a robotic pool cleaner NOT only scrubs the pool surface and tile lines perfectly but also, keeps the pool brushed and free from debris and leaves.
Since the robotic pool cleaners are great at picking up fine and silty debris so you must try it if you’re struggling to get rid of mustard algae.
I’ve used quite a few robotic pool cleaners and have achieved great results so I recommend them wholeheartedly.
Run Your Pump And Filter
As we all know, stagnant water paves the way to the growth and blossoming of algae so you need to be very careful and take all the necessary preventive measures to keep your pool water from getting stagnant.
My advice would be to run your pool filter and pump for at least 8 hours on a daily basis.
How can I get rid of mustard algae?
I know many of you would be abusing me, right?
Well, my intention is neither to waste your time nor money.
Don’t get irritated with the aforementioned preventive steps and the time that you’ve spent going through each of these steps.
Stay with us, I wouldn’t be wasting more of your time if you felt it got wasted.
The mustard algae are highly resistant to chlorine so you need something bigger and smarter, you understood what I mean, right?
Don’t worry, we’ll give a befitting reply to the stubborn nature of mustard aka yellowish algae.
Moreover, I’m attaching a self-explanatory video for your perusal.
The amount of work and effort that you need to put in is directly proportional to the severity of the problem, that is, how badly the yellowish algae has invaded your pool.
In fact, even though the problem is severe and needs imperative attention, you don’t have to worry at all because, in a few seconds, I’m gonna walk you through 6 simple and easy steps that would do the trick for sure.
Disinfect Pool Accessories
It is an imperative step and you can’t afford to ignore it as I’ve found most of the newbies doing the mistake of entering the pool without disinfecting pool accessories including swimsuits, goggles, and toys.
Not only do you need to disinfect pool accessories but also dry them in a hot setting for achieving an optimum result.
Moreover, all the pool accessories need to be wiped in a chlorine-based solution before they are put to use.
By disinfecting pool accessories, you ensure that they don’t get deposited on the swimming pool, goggles, toys, thus, get a chance to enter your pool.
Brush Your Pool
The problem with mustard algae is that you need to come down on it heavily in terms of scrubbing since it is chlorine resistant.
Well, as a pool owner, it is your sole responsibility to ensure that you’ve scrubbed the entire pool surface thoroughly.
Don’t miss to scrub under steps, and around gaskets and seals in order to prevent any last-hour misadventure.
Vacuum the Pool
Frankly speaking, vacuuming is an imperative step that needs to be expedited once the scrubbing of the pool surface is done thoroughly.
By doing so, you ensure that the loose algae spores and specks of dirt are removed.
In layman’s terms, vacuuming your pool simply means that you’ve diverted the pool water to the waste line wherein it will pass through filters and cartridges.
Test pH Level
I highly recommend you use an effective testing kit so that the pH levels are accurate and you can draw some inferences from the test results.
If the reading of the pH level falls in the range of 7.2 and 7.6 then it’s perfect and nothing needs to be done on your end.
However, if that is not the case, then definitely, you need to do the needful.
Clean Pool Filter
Cleaning your pool filters is a must to get rid of tiny algae spores that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
In case, you’re using a D.E. filter or a sand filter, make sure that you backwash them thoroughly, and don’t forget to follow the manufacturer’s attention.
Did you get my point, right?
Shock Your Pool
Depending upon the severity of mustard algae invasion in your pool, you need to decide on the frequency of shocking your pool.
Shock treatment to a large extent also depends upon the success of the previous steps that you’ve to expedite to get rid of this yellowish devil.
For the best results, I would request you to again disinfect the pool accessories.
So, shock treatment is the last step that you need to expedite in order to kill the mustard algae, and for ensuring that the algae don’t blossom again, you need to implement the preventive measures that we discussed earlier.
So, you might be inquisitive to know WHAT NEXT…
Right?
What to do after pool treatment?
I’m more than confident that if you’ve expedited all the aforementioned steps without skipping a couple of them then definitely, you would’ve succeeded in getting rid of mustard algae.
In case, you’re still struggling to get rid of mustard algae then feel free to contact us via email, and our team would revert back in an epigrammatic span of time with a feasible solution.
Moreover, I’m assuming that you’ve succeeded in getting rid of those yellow devils, and so now it’s time to take some precautionary steps to prevent their reoccurrence.
- After expediting the pool treatment, you need to keep a close watch on the pool chemistry, and for the best results, it is highly recommended that you test your pool water for various chemicals including pH levels, alkalinity, calcium hardness, chlorine on a regular basis
- Make sure that the chlorine is in the prescribed range
- For the next couple of days, run your pool filter for somewhere around 18 to 24 hours, and later on, you can reduce it to 8 hours a day in order to prevent pool water from getting stagnant
- Brushing and scrubbing your pool surface should be part of the daily maintenance process
- Don’t forget to vacuum your pool after you’re done scrubbing your pool surface
- Use an algaecide after a week of shocking your pool
It’s A Wrap
First and foremost, I would like to thank you for being with us till the end.
Secondly, I just want to bring to your knowledge that I along with my core team have put loads and loads of effort in order to come up with this comprehensive guide on mustard algae.
And, so, if you’ve liked our effort and want to appreciate us then feel free to rate us on a scale of 1 to 5 with the latter being the best.
Coming back to the post, the chlorine-resistant nature of mustard algae makes it a difficult thing to get rid of.
Moreover, I highly recommend my clientele pay special attention to regular maintenance tasks in order to prevent mustard or other types of algae from blossoming.
Things could turn uglier if you’re residing in a hot and humid climate and not paying attention to the regular maintenance process.
Remember, any type of algae flourishes in warm water.
Last but not least, share this piece of information with the ones who are in need of it.
After all, sharing is caring, isn’t it?
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