want to SLAM this weekend = HELP

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T

texashick

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Aug 29, 2015
10
Midlothian TX
Short story -> bought house with pool (30 yrs old), in-ground, gunite (or plaster if that is the more appropriate name), both hubby and I are new to this pool thing! Kept previous owner's pool guy for a year = fired him about a month ago. We had black algae, and sometimes mustard algae, and he never cleaned the filters UGH! I battled the algae with pool store help -> yes, now I realize that was a dumb idea since I have found TFP!
So -> I have stopped using any pool store chemicals, taken out the 3" puck floater, ordered the test kit, and stocked up on bleach
Now -> noticing green algae creeping up around the skimmers and having very difficult time keeping any FC in the pool at all..... of course the HEAT of Texas does not help.

I will be home most of the weekend, and want to SLAM it - I think this is what I need to do:
~ test water for accurate levels
~ use Pool Math
~ start the SLAM
~ continue to monitor until FC passes the OCLT
***** when do I need to scrub the current green algae? Before SLAM, or during, or what?
***** how often do I monitor? Every hour on the hour?

I have read over the process and the Extended Test Kit Directions, but have to admit I am as nervous as a cat. Any help, or anything I am missing?
 
Welcome to the forum. :wave:

It's actually really simple. During the process, you will add (and keep adding) enough chlorine so that FC stays at SLAM value. Perhaps every 3 hours or so at first and that interval gets longer in time but twice a day is the least you should test.


As the algae dies, filtration carries it to the filter and it is captured in the filter. Brush as often as you can and keep your pump running 24/7.

Just follow the precise steps in Pool School and ask questions as you are into it. You will be amazed at the clarity of the water!
 
Welcome to TFP texashick!

It certainly sounds like you are on the right track. First thing I would do when you get your kit is run a full set of tests to get your feet wet, so to speak, and post them here so we know where you are starting. Also a good idea to run those early in case you have CYA problems so you can start adjusting that before the weekend. Once you do start the SLAM then just follow the instructions carefully. Remember, that means brushing or vacuuming everyday to make sure everything gets mixed up in to the water and exposed to the chlorine. The general rule is to measure and dose every two hours at most, 12 hours as least. Any more will use more reagents for not much improvement, any less and the FC won't Maintain as well.

Good luck, keep us in the loop on your progress. We love to follow people taking control of their pool and making it the sparkling oasis they paid for :)
 
you are on it :) post some numbers up and we will help you out, don't worry, you will get it really fast... I don't even look at the directions any more :)
 
Slam is a simple thing. Bring the FC to slam level for whatever your CYA is, and MAINTAIN the slam FC level. THat may mean testing and adding chlorine every hour.
the harder you hit is, and more you test and add FC, the quicker it will go. Its very important to hit it hard the first couple of days, and stay with it to completion.
 
Yay! Test kit came yesterday and full test results from this morning are below:
FC = 2
CC = 0
TC = 2 (basically 2+0 from above)
PH = 7.8 (maybe higher, hard to differentiate the pink colors)
Calcium = 330 ppm -> it did not turn red, but pink so I continued on - was that right?
TA = 170
CYA = 65
I must say for the record - the Taylor test kit is AH-MAZE-ING! I bought the speedstir as well, holy smokes - that makes the testing go so much faster, and I think more accurate!

Over this week I have been adding some bleach just when the water looked like it needed it, so not sure if I helped or hurt the situation LOL! Water looks really clean and sparkly, even hubby noticed and commented, "the pool has never looked that clear"! Soooo..... I thought maybe we had some algae issues, but maybe not. Don't know.

What do I need to do? Any thoughts please? I am running to town for bleach and Muratic Acid, as I am out of both. The bleach at our local Wally-World is the 8.25% kind.
So so so so glad I found this web-site, you guys are wonderful, so kind, encouraging, and helpful!
 
Last edited:
HI! WOW you are already so on top of things that all we need to do is fine tune some things with you. NICE!

For the PH test what I do is hold a white plate behind the tube under a very bright light. I hold the tube at just about chest high so that it is right under the light (I use the light over my stove). I keep the tube in place and pull the plate back and forth until I am sure of the color. It does take a little experimenting until it works for you.

We would LOVE to see a pic like Bob said! If you have a before and now it would be even better!

How is the black algae looking?

Kim
 

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OK - working on photobucket now...... is there anything I need to do to the pool today with the numbers from the test this morning?
I feel like I may need chlorine, but also think the TA is high....
Should I retest everything just to be on the safe side?

The spa area has a LOT of calcium hardness white stain markings around the edges - will get that pic up as soon as I can too

Thanks!!
 
Hi,
the first thing you need to do is get more chlorine in the pool. with CYA of 65 (lets call it 70), you need to bring it up to 8.
Use pool math to determine how much chlorine to add in order to achieve that goal.
YOu will need to test for FC every day, and replenish the chlorine to maintain your recommended FC level.
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

Use Muriatic Acid and bring your pH down to about 7.5. Test your pH every day so you can get a feel for how quickly your pH rises.

Your CH is good.
dont do anything to the TA right now. After you get the hang of testing a little better and get a better grip on pool chemistry, then you can agressively adjust the TA to a lower level if you want to. - Note - the TA has nothing to do with how clear your water is.

When the sun goes down, test your FC and record it.
BEFORE the sun comes up tomorrow, test your FC again.
If there is more than 1 ppm of FC loss overnight, then you will need to slam your pool.

By the looks of it, you may not need to as your water seems to be clear with no visible alaga. But algae can be invisible until its too later. The Overnight Chlorine Loss Test will verify that. NOTE. IF the OCLT tells you that you need to SLAM, then you will need to lower your pH to 7.2 before starting it.
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

I highly recommend to read the ABCs of pool chemistry. This will be the starting blocks for learning how the different water parameters play together. And continue to play around with pool math. It will be your best friend.



texashick said:
Yay! Test kit came yesterday and full test results from this morning are below:
FC = 2
CC = 0
TC = 2 (basically 2+0 from above)
PH = 7.8 (maybe higher, hard to differentiate the pink colors)
Calcium = 330 ppm -> it did not turn red, but pink so I continued on - was that right?
TA = 170
CYA = 65
Click to expand...
 
The pool looks really clean and clear. Since you CC is 0, then I assume don't have algae. Re-test. Then raise your FC (it is too close to critical level, you need to target 7 and minimum 5 based on your CYA), after lower your PH (I would say down to 7.2 based on your TA and Calcium and assuming your water temperature around 80).

When sample turns red - they mean any shade of red, I have hot pink on my Calcium test, I ad one more drop to be sure, and if the color the same - substract that extra drop.
 
http://s1045.photobucket.com/user/jordantammy/library/?sort=3&page=1

I think this link will work. It shows the overall pool, the REALLY bad scaling around the spa portion, and some brown spots on the gunite in the shallow end.
I feel like maybe those are some type of metal or mineral staining.

Will be adding chlorine and getting the ph lower, then will perform OCLT in a few days to see if it keeps steady. No visible algae but I swear it is hiding somewhere LOL!
 
"will perform OCLT in a few days"

If you suspect you have algae, then you should do the OCLT tonight. Algae can double every 6 hours. If you have it and you give it a few days, your pool will be green by then.


texashick said:
http://s1045.photobucket.com/user/jordantammy/library/?sort=3&page=1

I think this link will work. It shows the overall pool, the REALLY bad scaling around the spa portion, and some brown spots on the gunite in the shallow end.
I feel like maybe those are some type of metal or mineral staining.

Will be adding chlorine and getting the ph lower, then will perform OCLT in a few days to see if it keeps steady. No visible algae but I swear it is hiding somewhere LOL!
Click to expand...
 
The link worked. Good job! You do have some work to do.

First off please post up a brand new set of numbers. I would do an OCLT tonight if at all possible.

Have you rubbed the spots with a chlorine puck or let one sit on a spot to see what happens? How about some crushed up vitamin C (put it in a sock first)?

We can help get most of it fixed! This is the kind thing we love to do!

Kim
 
First Test Results from 9:00 am this morning are above.
Added 3 gallons chlorine at 4:00 pm -> then had to get the kids to rodeo.
Retested 10:45 pm tonight:
FC = 9
CC = 0
calcium = 300
TA = 170
CYA 65-60 range
PH = 7.8-8 -> seems high to me

For the scaling we tried Muratic Acid directly from spray bottle - this was before I found TFP :). Also tried scrubbing with 3" puck, and a pumic stone, with wire brush. Nothing seemed to budge. Have not tried Vit C.... that sounds interesting, how does that work?

Pool Math shows I need about 3 qts Muratic Acid to bring Ph down a bit... adding that before bed and letting pump run all night. Will retest everything in the morning. G'night!
 

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