Can I just maintain a good FC level or do I need to slam?

[Drfos]

Hi all,
Here is my morning testing result. And I must say the testing was done about 2 hrs after I added (another) gallon of chlorine. I use 10% bottles that I get at Walmart. I have been losing chlorine like crazy after a lot of activity in the pool (and being gone for 2 weeks and having my kids minimally maintain the chlorine level.) I have probably added 10-12 gallons in the pat 3 days. I also adjusted the pH by adding muriatic acid--it was over 8.2 initially.
FC 1.5
TC 2
CC 0.5
CYA 40
TA 240
pH 7.5
And here is my question:
Do I need to slam the pool OR just get to the "target" range of 2-4ppm for my pool? Meaning do I need to increase the FC to 12 to have safe water and THEN let it drift back to 2-4 and maintain it there or what?
How do I know when I need to slam it?
I have been studying the website but have not figured this one out yet.
Thanks so much for your help. This website presents a whole new way of dealing with my pool! And I am learning a lot but obviously I still have questions!

 

[Mr Bruce]

Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT) That will tell you if you need to SLAM.

Like you mentioned, FC 2 is the absolute minimum. That should be added immediately.

How does the water look?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Hi all, Hiya backatcha! Where is Hudson? It helps us answer when we know your climate. Please add a state to your profile.

Here is my morning testing result. And I must say the testing was done about 2 hrs after I added (another) gallon of chlorine. I use 10% bottles that I get at Walmart. I have been losing chlorine like crazy after a lot of activity in the pool (and being gone for 2 weeks and having my kids minimally maintain the chlorine level.) I have probably added 10-12 gallons in the pat 3 days. I also adjusted the pH by adding muriatic acid--it was over 8.2 initially.

FC 1.5 Far too low for a CYA of 40. Your ideal FC is 5ppm, so if you lose some during the day you hopefully won't go below 3 ever or you risk algae. See this -->[FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]
TC 2
CC 0.5 ok...positive start
CYA 40
TA 240 You have to treat a rising pH frequently with that TA don'tcha?
pH 7.5
And here is my question:
Do I need to slam the pool OR just get to the "target" range of 2-4ppm for my pool? Meaning do I need to increase the FC to 12 to have safe water and THEN let it drift back to 2-4 and maintain it there or what? You need to perform an OCLT (overnight chlorine loss test) to determine if you have something growing in there. Here are the directions: Overnight Chlorine Loss Test If you need to perform a SLAM your FC should be brought up to 16 and *maintained* there until the water is clear, your OCLT is 0.5 or less, and your FC loss overnight is 1 or less. Brush the pool daily and monitor your filter for increased pressure. Then I would make your target range for the day to be 4-6, to allow for daily loss to the sun.

Read me! --> SLAM Process

How do I know when I need to slam it? OCLT as mentioned above
I have been studying the website but have not figured this one out yet. Its a lot to learn, but it will click soon. It gets easier and easier and once you have your water dialed in properly it will be the easiest yet!~
Thanks so much for your help. This website presents a whole new way of dealing with my pool! And I am learning a lot but obviously I still have questions!

Holler back with any more questions

Yip

 

[Drfos]

Great info! Thanks so much.

Hudson is in Wisconsin. (I edited my profile.) The water is very clear and inviting looking!
I will try your suggestions, Yip!