Could algae be produced from a child peeing in the pool?

Question

I let some non potty trained children swim in my pool the other day
and I noticed that green algae was starting to grow on my liner. They had on pamper swimmers but I don't believe they do much!
I added extra chlorine and a gallon of algaecide but am not seeing any difference. Any Ideas??

Answer 1

The algae in not from the pee. It's a growth from incorrect chemicals.

Answer 2

Chlorine reacts with urine and gets "locked up" in the form of chloramines. This registers as chlorine on a test kit, but is virtually useless. Only way to get rid of it is to oxidize it out of the water. Superchlorinate the pool heavily to achieve the desired result. As for the algaecide-- IF IT COMES IN A GALLON JUG it's garbage!!!! Stop using that stuff immediately. It will only cause you more and more problems without fixing anything. Make sure the granular chlorine you are using contains at least 65% chlorine. Otherwise you aren't getting the job done. Green algae is the easiest one of all the algaes to kill. If you are having trouble killing it then I suspect it's the chemicals you are using. A good shot of "real" chlorine will make it go away.

Answer 3

Pee would increase the nitrogen content of the water, which would encourage algae growth; one often notices the same thing after a large party (someone always pees). If your ph and chlorine levels were properly adjusted, it shouldn't get started.

You may need to use a shock treatment to clean up the problem.

Answer 4

liquid chlorine is the best method. I found that adding too much algecides actually reacts with the sunlight and chlorine and ends up FEEDING the algae. Just ask your local pool store for advise and they'll help ya with the specs for your size pool