Using Sodium Bromide to Treat Yellow or Mustard Algae
A
Sodium Bromide product will work effectively in treating Yellow Algae in your
pool. As long as the active ingredient is Sodium Bromide it will work in clearing
up the algae. The percentages vary by product and the Knock Out product shown
here in granular form is 99% Sodium Bromide. They also make a Knock Out
Problems liquid which is about 30% Sodium Bromide and part Clarifier also but
no less effective.
One of the things that you need to do is to make sure you have a very high chlorine level
before you start this treatment. Bring
the chlorine up to what we refer to as "Blazing High" if it is at
zero ppm. This means you need to have a chlorine level of 5-10 ppm before you
start using the Sodium Bromide product. If the chlorine level is already at
3-5ppm you should be okay with just the Sodium Bromide dosage and sanitizer to
be added such as liquid chlorine.
One common mistake is not starting with a good chlorine level. Sodium Bromide will
convert the chlorine to bromine and the Sun will also burn some off as the
Bromine Molecule does not bond with the Cyanuric Acid molecule (conditioner
does not protect Bromine) so even more chlorine will burn off. And some of the
chlorine will be "eaten" or used up by the Yellow Algae itself. Basically,
a Bromine bank is created with the active chlorine in the pool and since it is
no longer protected by the Conditioner it will burn off very rapidly. Thus, you
need to have plenty of chlorine in the pool, to begin with, to prevent all of it from burning off. It’s a bit complicated so just remember the higher the chlorine
reading the better.
When
you add any Sodium Bromide product you must follow up the application with some
type of chlorine. I prefer liquid chlorine but you can use Cal-Hypo, Dichlor or
other chlorine shocks. You would want to add 1 lb. of a powder shock for every
4 oz of Sodium Bromide. The Knock Out lid is actually 2 oz. so you will need to
add 2 capfuls per 10,000 gallons of water that you are treating to make 4 oz of
the product.
Step
One:
Bring
the chlorine level up to 5-10 ppm if chlorine is zero or lower than 3 ppm.
Step
Two:
Brush
the affected area really well, removing as much algae as possible from the walls.
Step
3:
Add
the Sodium Bromide product directly over where the algae was before you brushed it. 4 oz per 10,000
gallons of water. If in two separate spots split the dosage over each spot. If the entire pool is covered in algae you will have to quadruple the dosage. For example,
if the pool is 20,000 and full of algae adding 8 gallons of liquid chlorine and
16 oz of the Sodium Bromide may be called for to be effective. You just need to
multiply the amount of Sodium Bromide depending on how severe everything is in
the pool.
So
broadcast the Sodium Bromide over the area and then follow it with either a
gallon of 12.5% liquid chlorine, 2 gallons of 6% bleach, 1 lb of Cal-Hypo or 1
lbs of Dichlor. It is crucial that you follow up the Sodium Bromide dosage with
some type of chlorine to ensure the product won’t eat up the entire active
chlorine in the pool. In that case, the pool will get worse and not better.
Step
4: Run pool through the entire cycle or as long as possible – 12-24 hours is
optimal.
If
you follow the procedure in the video below the yellow mustard algae will be
destroyed and you can use a maintenance dose to prevent it from returning -
about 1 oz. per 10,000 gallons. I use Sodium Bromide on my route and week to
week it is the most effective way to treat algae.
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