I need some help.

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epxroot

0
Jun 7, 2012
167
Indianapolis, IN
I am having a very hard time understanding what is in my pool. You can find my last post here with pics of the pool floor before I started to SLAM What is this?

Anyway, last night I vacuumed to waste as much as I could, lowered my ph to 7.2 and began the SLAM process.

CYA 30
FC 15
PH 7.2

I brushed the entire pool last night while at shock levels. Let my pump run over night. This morning I wake up, pool is a little cloudy and I can already see whatever it is starting to settle on the bottom again. Checked my filter and my gauge has not rose at all. Checked FC levels and no loss since last night. I start to brush again and the floor is all ready covered with this green looking dust, the entire pool floor and slopes, nothing on the walls. It is almost as if whatever is in my pool my filter cannot filter it out. Should I change the sand in my filter? I have no idea when the sand was last changed, I know a lot on here believe it is not necessary, but I am having a hard time understanding why I cannot filter this out. I just added 1/2 cup of DE to help filter a little more. Please, any ideas would help. :confused::confused:
 
I hope the DE helps, it should. Just watch your pump to monitor .You can add an amount that makes your pressure gauge go up one pound. Mine takes about one cup. DE seems to catch microscopic things well when added to my sand filter, the water sparkles more.

Sand filters RARELY ever need changing of the sand. Perhaps washing the sand will help. There is a procedure for doing that with a hose in Pool School I believe?

Just keep at it with the SLAM, keep brushing which will encourage the mystery dust to enter circulation and be caught. Backwash if needed, but you'll then have to add the DE back in again if you do.
 
Well, it may still be a little too early to know for sure. Let's recap:
- I couldn't tell from your original post What is this? when exactly you started/finished your first SLAM, although you were clear to say that you passed all 3 SLAM criteria. Now (yesterday) you initiated an new SLAM. Based on everyone's input from before and your original pics, a SLAM is the best course of action at the moment. Regardless of the type of algae, a steady, consistent SLAM is the first step.
- Your FC is certainly much higher than your last post when you were around 3-4, so that's good. I know you're SLAMming so it will be high anyways, but that 3-4 range is always dangerous.
- Unless I missed it somewhere, something I don't see under your profile name is your location. What part of the country are you in?
- A positive thing I see on this post is that just after one night of a SLAM, you are seeing improvement with the white (probably dead algae) and better visibility to the bottom.
- The fact that you are seeing returning green "dust" could be algae or pollen I suppose. Do you catch any of it in your skimmer or skimmer sock? Do you use a skimmer sock? And if you can feel it, does it feel fluffy or slimy to the touch? Do you see any pollen-like sediments laying around the perimeter of your pool area (decking, furniture, vehicles etc)
- Normally you would think the filter would play more of an active role once the algae is killed and the dying algae gets brushed/disturbed during cleaning, thus being caught in the filter media. Adding DE is certainly commonly used to assist, so keep an eye on your pressure.
- While the sand may never to need to be physically changed, it is a good idea to inspect it and do a sand cleaning every year or so. See this post: My sand is how to fix it?

A lengthy reply I know, but perhaps something here will trigger some improvement or discussion. But for now, you are committed to the SLAM, so stay with it. Keep the FC at SLAM level 24/7 with pump on, and continue with the pool "babysitting" and cleaning.
 
Thanks for the replies!

Let me be a little more clear. The link is to what occurred recently before I started to SLAM last night. My levels on the link are what I keep at during normal use. I put them in there because I didn't understand why I would have that stuff all over if I was keeping my water balanced everyday. My pool water is clear, its just that there is a layer of something all over the floor. My skimmer sock is normally cover with this strange, I want to say brown cotton substance that when I use my hose to spray it off it kind of rolls up and down off the sock.

I had this issue last year close to closing time in my pool. I would SLAM, deep clean my filter, add DE, brush and vacuum everyday and it would still appear. I don't think I completed the SLAM process last year though and may have let my levels drop down earlier than they should.

I guess Ill keep the SLAM up until the water isn't cloudy. I've been passing the OCLT but I did notice my CC is 1 right now. I didn't think that the green stuff would be back all over the floor so quickly. Is that normal for algae?
 
epxroot said:
I guess Ill keep the SLAM up until the water isn't cloudy. I've been passing the OCLT but I did notice my CC is 1 right now. I didn't think that the green stuff would be back all over the floor so quickly. Is that normal for algae?
Click to expand...

Whoa~!
If you've been interrupting the SLAM process before your water is clear you're not in fact finished with the SLAM.

The 3 requirement to consider a SLAM successfully completed are: Water Clear, CC <0.5 and you've passed the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test (OCLT) as described in Pool School.
 
Well I have kept my FC up to shock levels, brushing and vacuuming every day. Pool is clear right now but my CC is still at 1 so I will continue to keep my shock levels up to 12 until my CC is .5 or less.

I do have one question though, is it OK to swim in my pool with the FC at 12? I've read it should be fine with my CYA at 30. I imagine that I would just drop in FC quicker than usual but shouldn't harm anyone.
 

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