Been SLAMing for 5 weeks... pool turned green overnight!!!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

Shannon L

0
Apr 26, 2016
13
Solomon, KS
I'm at a loss here... really. Current numbers.
FC 22
CC 5
PH 7.2
TA ? (turned a weak light orange color, tested twice)
CYA 90 (my test and pool store test 11 days ago said 35)

The history...
Started SLAMing around April 15 after my tf100 kit arrived. Pool was very much a swamp. Checked FC levels a minimum of 3 times a day, more often on the weekends. Really started clearing up a couple weeks ago but could not pass the test, so I kept going. All this time been battling PH drop. Tested PH at least every other day when FC levels were low, kept adding borax. 10 days ago paid more attention to TA and noticed it had dropped to 65, not sure why. Had it up to 90.

Last Saturday, since I thought I was close, I focused on TA & PH. Using Pool Calc (have been this the whole time) I brought the TA up to 100 and PH up to 7.5.
Yesterday, dosed chlorine up to 16 again, few hours later it was back down to 2 so I let the kids swim. Dumped a jug in after they were done that evening.

This morning...It's green. I can still see the lines on the bottom just fine but it has a dark green tint to it. It got pretty warm here yesterday, and windy, so I'm thinking alge bloom. Since I can't hold my FC levels up (it was 1 this morning) and wanted to jump on this right away, I dumped 2 jugs in. 8 hours later it's still 22 FC. Poll hasn't been holding the FC levels but now it's green and I only lost 1 ppm per hour??


Lots of things I don't understand but my biggest question is why is my pool green and TA test orange?

Help please!
Shannon
 
That CC is very high. Have you been scrubbing and paying attention to the stairs or wherever else in your pool that algae can hide? Also have you been adding anything other than bleach that could make your CYA go up? Powder shock or anything of the sort? Silly question, but are you waiting long enough after adding borax to test your CYA as to ensure that the borax is not clouding your reading?

Also how did your FC get low if you did not pass overnight test?
 
I believe I have been scrubbing enough. No lights or ladder to harbor algae. I had one floater with trichlor but ditched that plan after the first week, so no, nothing but 12.5% bleach, baking soda and borax the last 4 weeks. My FC drops to those lower levels overnight (bump it back up at daybreak) or being at work during the day.

I've only tested cya a couple times. Three weeks ago, and today. Biggest reason I went to the pool store 11 days ago, wanted a 2nd opinion. I raised the cya to what I thought would be 35 3 weeks ago. So 7 days after adding conditioner, their test (and mine) confirmed it was where I wanted the cya level to be.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, I'm still in the SLAM mode... since I can't pass the overnight test.
 
You are trying to do way too much.

In the SLAM you should only be worrying about the FC and CC. Forget about the TA and pH (which should have been adjusted before you started).

Also with the high CC (that is rare), I would not have been adding any CYA into the mix, why did you raise it all the way up to 90? 35ppm was perfect for a SLAM
 
Why did you raise CYA? If I read this correctly you were a little over 30 three weeks ago and now you are at 90??

If your CYA is 90 the. Your shock level you need to maintain for the SLAM is 35.

Adjust pH to 7.2 and SLAM away. During a SLAM the FC should not be low enough to be testing pH, you need to keep the FC up or the SLAM just goes on forever as the algae begins to recover when the FC drops. You have to keep it as close to Pshock level as much of the time as you can.
 
if you think your CYA is 90, I'd go ahead and rerun the test in 1:1 dilution mode (7 oz pool water, 7 oz tap water, mix well, dump out half so you have 7 oz of 1:1. Then add 7 oz of the r-013, complete the test and see what number you get (say, 45) and multiply by 2). It will be less precise, but at least you'll eliminate the possibility that your CYA is over 100.

If you used the pool math "effects of adding chemicals", added the right amount, and overshot your CYA target by 55!, I can only assume that your CYA was higher than you though to start out with.

SLAMMING with a CYA of 90 will use a lot or the test reagents, as that's 70 drops each time you test.
 
The CYA thing is a mystery. I started at zero. Thought I would use the trichlor puck to add chlorine AND CYA. My first post here I was advised to forget the pucks. I did. A week later I added enough stabilizer to raise it to 35 (mathmatically). a week later (5/12) i tested again and pool store confirmed, I was at 35. I have not added any CYA since that initial does to 35. ONLY bleach, baking soda and borax. Period.

I'm second guessing it being algae since the water is still so clear. Not cloudy at all. Could the green be affecting the cya test?

- - - Updated - - -

I did adjust the TA & PH before I started. When the FC level got below 10 i would retest PH. It was always low, like 6.5, so I would bump it up to 7.5 per pool calc. I adjusted the TA up since I thought it was the cause of my consistently low PH.
 
I do fill from a well. BUT, I only have this pool at about 3 ft deep right now. Approx 8500 gals now. Between cool days, clouds and rain this spring, I have not added any water for 2 or 3 weeks. Pool test on 5/12 showed 0.2 copper and 0.3 iron.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
I'm not one of the pool experts here, but just from reading here for a couple years it is safe to say that if your losing 14ppm of chlorine in a couple hours u have alot of something alive in your water. If your pool is that empty, how are you filtering it?
 
Its about 2 inches above the intake. After a week into the slam, I surmised that I had very high cya levels convert to ammonia. This is the 3rd season for this pool. 1st 2 years it saw nothing but trichlor pucks and dichlor powder. I'm sure my cya levels last year were beyond high going into last winter. 0 cya to start this year.
 
Good morning, Shannon, and welcome.

I'm not sure I understand how you can only have 3 feet of water but your filter is operating correctly...I guess my first concern is whether the filter is operating correctly and whether or not its well-mixed water you're testing. Going forward, even if you drain first to get the cya sorted, please be sure the water is halfway up the skimmer intake.

Re:
Lots of things I don't understand but my biggest question is why is my pool green and TA test orange?
Click to expand...

Did it turn orange from green when you added the subsequent reagent, or did the green drops turn it orange? First, on the TA, the test can run more yellow than red if high chlorine interferes...which, since you were at 22, is entirely possible. If you add an extra drop of R7 it might read better, but so long as you're slamming and so long as there's reason to believe its not crashed, I wouldn't bother.

Re: green -- can you post a picture? That might help.

"Instant green" in very clear water can indeed be metal or copper oxidizing, BUT you also have these crazy high ccs which suggest either a high organic load being fought OR some kind of chemical battle the FC is fighting. Eg. MPS, "non chlorine shock" will show as cc, and in a few odd cases last year, some people noticed inexplicably high ccs in clear water when antifreeze from winterization got into the pool.

Also, since you're on a well, and do have metals, have you historically use a metal sequestrant like Jacks Magic or Metal Magic or anything with stain and scale in the title? Metal sequestrants wear off and need to be topped up, but not during a slam, as the slam also breaks down the sequestrant.

The tough part is that since we don't know what's in a Winter Pill (checked the msds) etc. We don't know exactly what reactions are going on here.

If you've not added cya but your cya has increased to 90 and you confirm this with a diluted test things become even more puzzling.

How did you add the cya...to the filter, or via a sock in front of the return? Did it seem clumpy when you added it?

If the cya really is 90, (test on well mixed water, dilute test and regular test to see if there's concordance) I think its time for a reboot via a 50% water change, which will help whatever's going on anyway.

Then test, report, adjust ph to 7.2, slam and focus on slam only.

The well water might cause tint while slamming even if fresh, depending on metal load in well, but filtering will help reduce it, and once you've passed the OCLT, you can add sequestrant which will likely also remove the tint.

For extra filtering and pre filtering when you add new water, some people have reported good results with this filter: The Slime Bag | The Easiest Way To Maintain Crystal Clear Pool Water.
It also has a separate ring you can buy to fit it on return jet for in-pool filtering. It goes down to 1 micron, which helps reduce iron to some extent.

Let us know on the cya tests and then we can figure this all out.
 
I am wondering about your test results. What you are seeing is really not typical.

Can you post a complete set of test results and your method of doing each test? I think maybe we can better help is we understand all of the chemistries involved.

ETA: State things like "added 10 ml of pool water to tube, added 2 scoops of powder and it turned bright red, added 28 drops to turn clear 28 x .5 = 14 ppm Chlorine..." etc.
 
This morning the FC level was down to 9, brought back up to 15.

Tonight's numbers are..
FC 8
CC 4.5
PH 7.2
TA 120
CYA 70
Found this pic and my pool is a tick cloudier and deeper shade of green but can still see lines at the bottom easily. Color has not changed at all since yesterday morning. Metal?
attachment.php


- - - Updated - - -

Forgot to add that the kids report no slime or slick anywhere in the pool and the wife says the water has a metallic taste.
 
Shannon L said:
This morning the FC level was down to 9, brought back up to 15.

Tonight's numbers are..
FC 8
CC 4.5
PH 7.2
TA 120
CYA 70
Found this pic and my pool is a tick cloudier and deeper shade of green but can still see lines at the bottom easily. Color has not changed at all since yesterday morning. Metal?
attachment.php


- - - Updated - - -

Forgot to add that the kids report no slime or slick anywhere in the pool and the wife says the water has a metallic taste.
Click to expand...


Is this your pool?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply