I need help with my swamp.
- Thread starter krbryant22
- Start date
I am not new to pools but I am new to this system. The pool I am working on was not cleaned or used since August of last year. It has great shade from a giant sweet gum tree that has dumped leaves and sweet gums balls in it for months. I got a leaf bagger and I have been vacuuming for a few weeks. I have the about as much as I can get out but I know there is still stuff in there. Over the weekend I fished out an entire wheelbarrow of tadpoles and I have seen a turtle twice so it is truly a swamp.
My test results last Friday were:
FC .5
CC 0
TC 0.5
CH 225 ppm
TA 70
P.H 8.3
CYA - I filled the tube up and I could still see the dot.
I brought the PH down to 7.3
I started Bleach on Sunday morning after making sure the PH was still good. I did three bottles of bleach and checked two hours later and my FC was .5 and my CC was .5. I added three more gallons of bleach and checked in an hour and my FC and CC were the same so I added three more gallons. I did this once more and still had the same results.
I have started a thread on the Just Getting Started page and I realized this might be a better place to post. I had doctor's appointments that went too long on Monday so I was not able to spend the day working on the pool but on Monday evening the FC and CC were both still .5 although when running the tests the water was not near as pink has it it been on the day before.
I know I need to do the 10 minute drill to figure out if I have an ammonia issue but I have a couple of questions about who to do the 10 minute drill.
Do I have to get the FC up to 10?
Do I just start pouring the bleach in and measuring every ten minutes until I get to 10 or do I need to wait long before I start testing after first adding the bleach?
Am I doing the right thing?
The pictures are from when I first started using the leaf bagger. After adding the bleach on Sunday the pool color has lightened some.
My test results last Friday were:
FC .5
CC 0
TC 0.5
CH 225 ppm
TA 70
P.H 8.3
CYA - I filled the tube up and I could still see the dot.
I brought the PH down to 7.3
I started Bleach on Sunday morning after making sure the PH was still good. I did three bottles of bleach and checked two hours later and my FC was .5 and my CC was .5. I added three more gallons of bleach and checked in an hour and my FC and CC were the same so I added three more gallons. I did this once more and still had the same results.
I have started a thread on the Just Getting Started page and I realized this might be a better place to post. I had doctor's appointments that went too long on Monday so I was not able to spend the day working on the pool but on Monday evening the FC and CC were both still .5 although when running the tests the water was not near as pink has it it been on the day before.
I know I need to do the 10 minute drill to figure out if I have an ammonia issue but I have a couple of questions about who to do the 10 minute drill.
Do I have to get the FC up to 10?
Do I just start pouring the bleach in and measuring every ten minutes until I get to 10 or do I need to wait long before I start testing after first adding the bleach?
Am I doing the right thing?
The pictures are from when I first started using the leaf bagger. After adding the bleach on Sunday the pool color has lightened some.
- Mar 24, 2014
- 2,455
- Pool Size
- 32000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-55
I don't think you have to guess if you have ammonia, I would bet a lot of money you do. So you should be doing the 10 minute thing to kill it, not test for it 
I would get 9 bottles of 10% or 10 bottles of 8.25%. If 10% add 1.5 bottles each time, if 8.25% then 2 bottles.
Add, wait 10 minutes test (record)
Add, wait 10 minutes, test (record)
...
When you get 5FC or greater, I would do one more addition (1 bottle) and test in 10 minutes.
This is the quickest way I think anybody can kill it. Let us know how it goes.
I would get 9 bottles of 10% or 10 bottles of 8.25%. If 10% add 1.5 bottles each time, if 8.25% then 2 bottles.
Add, wait 10 minutes test (record)
Add, wait 10 minutes, test (record)
...
When you get 5FC or greater, I would do one more addition (1 bottle) and test in 10 minutes.
This is the quickest way I think anybody can kill it. Let us know how it goes.
I don't think you have to guess if you have ammonia, I would bet a lot of money you do. So you should be doing the 10 minute thing to kill it, not test for it
I would get 9 bottles of 10% or 10 bottles of 8.25%. If 10% add 1.5 bottles each time, if 8.25% then 2 bottles.
Add, wait 10 minutes test (record)
Add, wait 10 minutes, test (record)
...
When you get 5FC or greater, I would do one more addition (1 bottle) and test in 10 minutes.
This is the quickest way I think anybody can kill it. Let us know how it goes.
Thank you! I searched for all the mentions of 10 minute drill and I was still not clear on what I needed to do. I wasn't comfortable with just starting to pour a bunch of bleach in without clarification.
To simplify, keep adding the massive doses of chlorine until your pool starts to "hold" the FC better....it'll be pretty obvious.
Next Read the SLAM article in Pool School and follow it very precisely. If you deviate or hesitate to keep your FC up, you will just waste time and money.
It takes a correct "mindset" to put that much chlorine in your pool but that is what needs to be done.
Ask lot's of questions and we'll follow step by step to make sure your
SLAM is successful.
Vacuum, Clean, brush, add FC. Vacuum, Clean, brush, add FC. Vacuum, Clean, brush, add FC. Vacuum, Clean, brush, add FC.
Next Read the SLAM article in Pool School and follow it very precisely. If you deviate or hesitate to keep your FC up, you will just waste time and money.
It takes a correct "mindset" to put that much chlorine in your pool but that is what needs to be done.
Ask lot's of questions and we'll follow step by step to make sure your
SLAM is successful.
Vacuum, Clean, brush, add FC. Vacuum, Clean, brush, add FC. Vacuum, Clean, brush, add FC. Vacuum, Clean, brush, add FC.
It's a slamming Saturday. I've been out by the pool all day. I think I've finally hit the point where it's holding the chlorine better. I'm sitting at a 6FC right now. Does the FC need to stay above a certain level through the SLAM process? I'm so happy the water is finally starting to look blue.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,787
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
It sure does. What's your CYA? I don't recall. But if you look at the Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below), you'll see where you are supposed to match your "SLAM/Shock" FC to the current CYA. For example .... if your CYA is 30, then your SLAM/Sock FC should be 12. If you're at 6 right now, you're only half the SLAM limit, therefore the SLAM will take longer.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,787
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Looking back at your first few posts, it appears you managed to get FC to hold to rule-out ammonia, so ........
Now you definitely need to add some stabilizer. The CYA is what protects your hard-working FC from the sun. Use the Poolmath calculator to determine how much you need to add for a CYA target of 30 ppm. Add the stabilizer to a white sock and put it in the skimmer to soak/dissolve. Squeeze it occasionally to help it along. At the same time, your FC needs to stay at 12 until the SLAM is completed. But it's important to get that stabilizer soaking. You can get it at Wal-Mart of the hardware store pool sections.
Also, don't forget to update your signature.
Now you definitely need to add some stabilizer. The CYA is what protects your hard-working FC from the sun. Use the Poolmath calculator to determine how much you need to add for a CYA target of 30 ppm. Add the stabilizer to a white sock and put it in the skimmer to soak/dissolve. Squeeze it occasionally to help it along. At the same time, your FC needs to stay at 12 until the SLAM is completed. But it's important to get that stabilizer soaking. You can get it at Wal-Mart of the hardware store pool sections.
Also, don't forget to update your signature.
The CYA is in the skimmer. I went out and squeezed it once already. It's dissolving fast.
For some reason my signature is not working when I post from my phone.
For some reason my signature is not working when I post from my phone.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,787
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Stabilizer - great! Don't forget to adjust pH to 7.2, then tomorrow you should be able to maintain the FC at 12 for your SLAM. As for the sig, that may be a phone thing. I think there are some specific instructions for IPhone and Androids. If I can find it I'll post.
When testing the CYA does the water get so cloudy you can't see the dot? Mine is getting cloudy but not so cloudy that I can't see the dot.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,787
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Yes, the sample water will be cloudy and the dot needs to completely disappear. Especially important to test outdoors under the sun (at your back).
I got my CYA up to a 40 and I've been slamming for almost two weeks. I've been keeping the FC above 16 which is what the pool calculator recommends. The pool water is now a pretty cloudy shade of blue and it hasn't changed much in the last week. I can see shadows on the bottom of the pool so I know there is still debris down there but I am not having any lock getting it up with my leaf bagger or dolphin vacuum. Both bags are coming up green and slimy with a handful of partially decomposed leaves and that's about all. Any advice for getting the rest of that out of the bottom of the pool?
It sounds like it's time for an old-fashioned filter-clogging manual vacuuming. Actually, about two weeks ago would have been the right time. The more debris you remove, the less there is to waste the FC. Chlorine doesn't differentiate. If there;'s something organic, whether algae or rotten leaves, it attacks it.
I'm ready to give up. I went out and bought a standard vacuum head and hose and set out to vacuum today. It's not going to happen. The vacuum hose is bigger than the hole in the skimmer. Any make- shift solutions I have tried don't work with the water for long enough to vacuum. There are no pool stores open on Sunday's within a two hour drive. All the adapters I am finding in on line look like they are for attaching two hoses together and not to make the end of the hose smaller. I keep seeing the plate adapters but I don't know if that would work. And sort of paying someone to lay on the side of the pool and hold the hose over the hole I'm out of options for another week. Sorry for the whining I'm beyond frustrated at this point.
Is there any way to install a finer mesh -- like pantyhose -- inside the leaf bagger bag so you can use that?
Got a hardware store with PVC fittings open today? Measure the hole in the skimmer and the ID of the vacuum hose and go browse the plumbing aisle. Don't neglect the bathroom sink tailpieces, either. This is what I rigged up for mine. My hose was too small for the hole.
It's working! It's working! I turned my entire skimmer basket into an attachment by adding a lid and so thankfully the basket is catching the big debris. I'm on my fourth basketful of yuck.
