POP Please????

[Alynn]

Hello All:

I've been away for quite awhile, but alas, I am back again! Things have been up and down with my pool, and life in general. My stepson (Age 20) had brain surgery in June to remove a non-malignant tumor and he, his girlfriend and their 2 1/2 year old daughter stayed with us through surgery and recovery. He is doing great. He is still staying with us for the time being (long, long story.....)

So..... Pretty, emerald green pool! And my other son decided to "help mom" by dumping 2 gallons of Pool Store Algaecide (ughhhhh) in the pool on Thursday.

I looked up what he bought (dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride), and I am hoping that it has not messed things up too badly..... I started the regular slam process on Friday night. I will say that the algaecide did turn the water from emerald green to blue.....

My beginning numbers using the TF-100 test kit were:

FC -0-
CYA -0-
pH 8.4

So I lowered my pH to 7.2 and proceeded to start dosing, brushing and vacuuming. By yesterday, I lost 5 ppm from 11:00am to 5:30 pm. I had my FC up to 17, so it never got below 10.

I also purchased enough stabilizer to get my CYA to 70, and started adding it via the sock / return method. (I have a SWG).

I have not attempted an OCLT. My water is still very, very, very cloudy, but improving a little at a time. I cleaned my cartridges 3 times yesterday, and ran my vacuum all day.

I'm getting there, just need some of that POP (pool owner patience) as well as PP (Parental Patience!!!!!).

My only question is: Will the Algaecide that my son dumped in the pool cause me any problems with my slam?

Thanks, if you have read this far!!!


Alynn

 

[Texas Splash]

Good morning Alynn. The algaecide may/may not be an issue. If the water isn't displaying an unusual emerald green or tint you may be okay. But for the SLAM, you'll want to focus on that FC. Now if your stabilizer hasn't dissolved yet, you may want to remove that first. A lower CYA (i.e. 30-40) will save you some bleach so that you don't have to maintain such a high FC SLAM level. For example, a CYA of 40 requires an FC of 16, but a CYA of 70 requires a SLAM FC of 28. Once you pass the SLAM then you can raise the FC as needed.

In any case, may sure to keep that FC where it needs to be until you pass ALL 3 SLAM criteria on the SLAM page. Good luck!

 

[Alynn]

Thanks for your quick response! No, the algaecide did not turn the water green As a matter of fact, it helped to turn it very blue......

I have already dissolved about 160 oz. of the stabilizer. According to Pool Math, that will raise my CYA up to about 54. I will adjust my shock level when I get home tonight. I checked the CYA/Chlorine level chart and I see that I should raise my FC level to 24 (for CYA of 60).

I can't do anything right now, as I am at work, but I will make the adjustment when I get home tonight. Oh, man, I thought I was doing the right thing by adding the stabilizer, as it tested (twice just to make sure) at -0-.

I'll need another shopping trip for more chlorine!

Thanks again. I will post numbers and a photo when I get home this evening.....

Alynn

 

[Alynn]

OK, I have increased my SLAM FC level to 24. And actually, I increased it a little more for today, as I won't be home from work until late afternoon. Boosted it and checked, it was at 30.

I am running my cartridge filter 24/7 and so far there hasn't been much improvement in the cloudy. The water is BLUE, but I only have clear visibility to the second step. I guess this is where the POP comes in....... Now that the water is blue, and I'm killing all of that algae, I'm ready for sparkly!!!!!

I am cleaning my cartridge at least one or twice a day, as well as running my vacuum. If anyone has any ideas for me to help the cartridge along I am open!!!

Thank you all for your patience and willingness to help!!!!!

Alynn

 

[Texas Splash]

Now just stick with it and check/adjust the FC when you get back home to maintain that FC of 24. Don't forget to review the SLAM page daily just to refresh your memory on things to do (i.e. scrub really well). Take a pic each day, preferably near the steps so you can see your own progress. Remember a SLAM can take days to complete, so just hang in there. Focus on the FC and CC results and don't worry about an overnight (OCLT) until the water is clear and you're close to completing the SLAM. Good luck!

 

[Alynn]

2 Out of 3. - Almost There!!!!!!!

Yay! passed OCLT last night! AND my CC's are at .5!!!!! Now for the water cloudiness to clear up! The water is clearing, slowly but surely! So I will keep the FC up until it's all sparkly! I will have a case of sparklyitis for our Labor Day/ End of Summer Gathering!

I did notice an oddity, though..... I have a Digital Nano SWG, and the salt reading (before SLAM), was 3500. I bought a bag of salt to boost that a little after the SLAM.....I have NOT added it, yet. I just checked the reading via the Nano, and now it reads 3800.

I did bring the purifier percentage to 0% for the OCLT. I can't really turn it off as it is tied in to my pump timer. Any idea of what would make the salt reading go up? I don't have any way to test other than the unit reading. I used to test with strips, but they alwys matched my unit.

Also, I have never really worked on dialing in my SWG, by testing and adjusting.... So I am off to read up in pool school and search the forums for step by step instructions for getting it setup correctly for my pool.

Thank you all at TFP for the education, patience and understand, in helping to clear the green swamps of the world!!

Alynn

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

I'm coming late to the party but wanted to let you know it would have been good to go to 30 on the CYA and then do the SLAM. It would just save you some bleach. Once you're done then you'd want to bump it up to the 70 or 80 range running the SWCG.

Are you cleaning the filter due to the recommended 20-25% pressure rise or just cleaning it often because you think it needs it ?? If you're going by pressure it will actually filter better than constantly cleaning it. A slightly dirty filter because it's a bit restricted will actually filter better. That's the reason I actually add a little DE to my sand filter.

I remember reading there is salt in bleach. Not saying it's why your reading jumped but it might be. Someone a little more versed in chemistry might be able to shed some light on that.

 

[domct203]

While it's true that bleach will also add salt, it's a very low amount.
One gallon of plain old 8.25% bleach added to 22K gallons will add 6.3ppm of salt. You would need to add about 48 gallons of bleach to get a 300ppm salt increase from the bleach.

 

[Alynn]

I am using 10.5% bleach and have been slamming, but I've only added about 25 gallons in the last week. Also, my son added 2 gallons of dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride algaecide when I first started the slam. Cannot find any info on if this algaecide adds salt. Doubtful. Or I could have misread my unit's salt reading... (always a possibility, and I didn't write it down!!) I'm going with it for now and will keep an eye on it to make sure it stays within range.

Thanks for the responses. I'll post a photo when I'm sparkley!!!!!

Alynn

 

[pooldv]

Salt readings on SWGs are not particularly accurate and also fluctuate with water temp. No chemical that you are adding will add 300 ppm of salt in a few doses. Salt reading on SWGs and tests tend to be +/- 300-400 ppm. They are really just a ballpark measurement to make sure you are in range. I believe my SWG will produce chlorine with salt between 2800 and 4500 ppm. So, anything in that range is fine. A 40lb bag of salt only adds 239 ppm of salt to my pool.

You can add your pool info to your sig so that we can better help you. More here, Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post

 

[domct203]

I am using 10.5% bleach and have been slamming, but I've only added about 25 gallons in the last week. Also, my son added 2 gallons of dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride algaecide when I first started the slam. Cannot find any info on if this algaecide adds salt. Doubtful. Or I could have misread my unit's salt reading... (always a possibility, and I didn't write it down!!) I'm going with it for now and will keep an eye on it to make sure it stays within range.

Thanks for the responses. I'll post a photo when I'm sparkley!!!!!

Alynn

According to Pool Math, 1 gallon of 10% sodium hypochlorite will add 7.5ppm of salt, X 25 gallons is 187.5ppm of salt added.

This is all moot, as long as the SWG is happy, you are at the right salt level.

 

[Alynn]

Thanks for all of the replies! I am still Slamming, as the water is still not clear. It is better, I could see the brush head somewhat, when brushing the shallow end. I hope I can get it clear by next weekend. Is there anything else I could be doing to help the clarity?

Thanks, again!

Alynn

 

[domct203]

The best thing you can do is to be sure and keep that FC at (or slightly above to anticipate any drop) shock level. Keep brushing & running the filter 24/7.

You will be amazed how clear your pool will become. I would think that if you really keep at it you should have a pretty clear pool by this weekend. Remember, once you can see bottom in the deepest part of the pool, it's perfectly fine to swim with FC up to your shock level. If you find yourself still SLAMming when the weekend comes, but the pool is somewhat clear, simply ride 1 or 2 ppm below shock level for the weekend, then ramp it back up afterwards to complete the SLAM.