Almost ready to SLAM, some questions

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I only have one light, the other is mysteriously gone... our infamous pool guy just said that lights don't really work in concrete pools, and eventually the mounting points corrode away and they come out.

I have not removed the other one yet..

Now 2nd million dollar question... With my results so far how about pool use during the holiday weekend? My CYA should be between 30-35 at this point so I've been aiming for FC of 12-14 per the chart. Can we safely use the pool some with FC of say 10-12 and then just make sure to bring back up to compensate?

Hopefully it will be cleared up some more by then, just trying to plan ahead..
 
wow, you might have had the worst possible pool guy ever. what a complete joke. im guessing the guy never removed a light and actually saw how it works. there is nothing to corrode. the light is in a water tight "capsule" and it has a long cord coiled behind it. the cord should be long enough that you remove the capsule and it will sit on the side of the pool. if the bulb burns out, you have to take apart the capsule to replace and reseal it, but for SLAM, you should just remove the capsule. then you need to brush out the cavity (niche) in the wall. you probably wont past the OCLT without doing so being that your pool was green to start. mine wasn't that bad and I had a ton of gunk behind that light. removed it and cleaned, and voila! pass the OCLT the next day.

at this point you can jump in the pool and get it
 
You can swim, just keep your FC a bit lower than shock level. as long as the pool is clear enough that you can easily see the bottom. might want to shower off after you get out and not use newer swimsuits

it will probably slow down your SLAM but that's ok. honestly though, you may be done with your SLAM by this weekend at this rate. removing that light will help
 
DaninFLA said:
wow, you might have had the worst possible pool guy ever. what a complete joke. im guessing the guy never removed a light and actually saw how it works. there is nothing to corrode. the light is in a water tight "capsule" and it has a long cord coiled behind it. the cord should be long enough that you remove the capsule and it will sit on the side of the pool. if the bulb burns out, you have to take apart the capsule to replace and reseal it, but for SLAM, you should just remove the capsule. then you need to brush out the cavity (niche) in the wall. you probably wont past the OCLT without doing so being that your pool was green to start. mine wasn't that bad and I had a ton of gunk behind that light. removed it and cleaned, and voila! pass the OCLT the next day.

at this point you can jump in the pool and get it
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Well he claims the light fixture that was there kept floating to the top... whatever feature fastened the light bucket to the pool side had disappeared.. No functional lights at the moment either, not sure if burnt out bulbs or some other problem.. Apparently the missing pool light bucket was replaced by some sort of "spa" light stuck back into the bowl a ways.. One of those things that just hasn't been worth the time to investigate yet.

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DaninFLA said:
You can swim, just keep your FC a bit lower than shock level. as long as the pool is clear enough that you can easily see the bottom. might want to shower off after you get out and not use newer swimsuits

it will probably slow down your SLAM but that's ok. honestly though, you may be done with your SLAM by this weekend at this rate. removing that light will help
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Thanks, that's what I was thinking.

Regarding DE addition, what would be the likely rate of it clogging/require backwash? i.e. could I add it as soon as I get home from work and backwash before bed, or is it going to be a longer period than that?

This stuff right?
Shop Clorox Pool&Spa 24-lb D E Pool Filter Aid at Lowes.com
 
I do not have a sand filter, but from reading on here the DE can really clog up fast. that's a good thing, its really good at doing what its supposed to do. It will clog faster at first and less over time. for dirtier pools during SLAM, I have read on here it can be as quick as 30 minutes! that's my kimkats recommended you do it when you are home.

and the ring that hold the light capsule can be replaced...but it sounds like the pool guy might have cut out the line? the lights run off DC power, and if they are in series, the second one wont work unless the first one is hooked up. I hope your pool guy didn't screw it up, if so I would have him fix it free of charge :)
 
DaninFLA said:
I do not have a sand filter, but from reading on here the DE can really clog up fast. that's a good thing, its really good at doing what its supposed to do. It will clog faster at first and less over time. for dirtier pools during SLAM, I have read on here it can be as quick as 30 minutes! that's my kimkats recommended you do it when you are home.

and the ring that hold the light capsule can be replaced...but it sounds like the pool guy probably cut the line?? where is the line now?
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Sounds like it should be OK to do one "DE cycle" as I mentioned above then... put in after work, monitor and backwash before bed (if not before) just to get started...

When I pull a water sample, the color of the water is clear as can be, but I can actually see the little particles floating around in there... would love to filter those out and see what i'm working with!

Well claimed a previous owner replaced the fixture with some smaller fixture that's back in the setting (can't see it from the surface), so wires should be connected to that. The pool vessel doesn't leak so something is plugging the hole.

Apparently the story goes that a doctor bought our house in the early 2000's and then took a job about 3hrs away in 2010 or so... but our house didn't sell... eventually he let the house go to foreclosure in 2013, at which point a "flipper" bought it and did lots of cosmetic upgrades, but clearly didn't put any real $ into the pool. Then we bought it in November 2014...
So nobody that's actually cared about having a pool has monitored it since ~2010/2011. And it appears the Dr. didn't have the stomach to do things right when he did them.

Talking to some of our neighbors it was apparently common knowledge that the pool leaked, and that this light was missing. The only pre-existing leak I fixed in about 20 min with some "pool putty", but apparently that was a known thing for years. But then the PO probably didn't want to learn it himself (lots of people don't I'm sure) and the "pool guy" said the only solution was to replace skimmers and repour concrete.

Still I'm looking at $70k? pool/patio installation that's so far required all of $30 or so in maintenance (excluding chemicals) and some basic research, and we got a very good price on the house regardless of whether a pool was attached... with a "growing family" I think it will be very nice, it's just frustrating trying to figure out what wasn't done right in the past and trying to resolve it..
 
well I have learned that 90% of people don't do things right and/or maintain their property. we just bought a house 4 months ago, which looked great when you walk thru it and bought it. then when you own it, you just see little things that the previous owner did, and I just shake my head. its like, hey, I am can do this repair half-way and spend $15 or I can correct the problem and do it correctly for $20. and they always do the shortcut way. people just don't take pride in their possessions anymore, but will be the first to complain when something stops working that they neglected to maintain.

luckily for me, my pool wasn't in bad shape. im just talking generally...and venting a bit too, lol.

I wish my pool was as nice as yours. its really a nice pool with great dimensions and shape. its going to be a paradise after you are done with it and will enjoy it for as long as you own that house. I know I am my pool with the kids every single day, sometimes multiple times.
 
yes, I find that as well.. it's kind of sad, especially given how nice our house/property are. It needs LOTS of little things, but sadly the "little things" really start to add up. With our previous house still for sale, even these little $20 expenses for things like MPV seal can be a challenge.

That and we went from a home with maybe 100sqft outdoor patio to about 1200sqft of outdoor patio space (3 separate patio areas), so trying to figure out furniture (that naturally doesn't cost anything) has been quite a challenge! It will be great down the road, but boy it's a pain now!
 

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sweet man, you passed the OCLT...but still need to get your water clear. sounds like its DE time! get that water cleared up. I would keep your FC up until you are done though, wont hurt. and I would get that light cleaned out, there is still algae back there probably and if you don't clean it out, its gonna multiply in the future and cause issues. you want the pool basically sterilized.

congrats!

pictures!
 
Yeah, good news! Definitely keep FC elevated as you continue to clear the pool. I would let it drop back to 9 so you can test PH and get it between 7.2 and 7.4 to see if that helps clear up the pool. For some reason that is where my pool likes to be and it makes the water better.
 
pooldv said:
Yeah, good news! Definitely keep FC elevated as you continue to clear the pool. I would let it drop back to 9 so you can test PH and get it between 7.2 and 7.4 to see if that helps clear up the pool. For some reason that is where my pool likes to be and it makes the water better.
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Yep, might let it drift down today and see where I'm at..

DaninFLA said:
sweet man, you passed the OCLT...but still need to get your water clear. sounds like its DE time! get that water cleared up. I would keep your FC up until you are done though, wont hurt. and I would get that light cleaned out, there is still algae back there probably and if you don't clean it out, its gonna multiply in the future and cause issues. you want the pool basically sterilized.

congrats!

pictures!
Click to expand...
Well I have passed the CC and overnight test for quite a while, clarity has been the main issue. I did add about 8oz of DE yesterday, enough to get the 1psi increase in pressure. As of this morning pressure hadn't really increased but the pool is a bit clearer... skimmer socks picking up lots of junk too... Need to get the AquaBot in again... There's still some residual pine needles in the bottom which are also likely part of the problem, but I don't have a manual vacuum and we cheaped out and got the AquaBot junior which does a decent job but isn't very smart and has a fairly small capacity for stuff like leaves and pine needles.

This morning's view, as you can see color is pretty good, I think it's the clearest it's ever been, but still a ways off from TFP clear.

20150702_062435.jpg
 
easy solution...jump in there with a mask and get it out :) you can just hold the hose with your hand and vacuum it directly. not the most efficient way, but good excuse for swimming

that is a really nice setup and view. congrats man and way to stick with the SLAM and TFP methods.

and I agree its not "TFP Clear" yet, haha. maybe add some more DE
 
Yep, that's my plan if Aquabot doesn't finish it quickly, will just go in with the net/rake and scoop it out. I don't have manual vac option at all.. going back to that time when we were told it would be $10k to get our skimmers going, we went with the AquaBot thinking a stand-alone vac would be our only solution... It's just not well suited to large debris.. Now I hate to invest in a manual vac hoping once the initial cleanup is done the Aquabot will be adequate to maintain.

I've got the bulk out, but can't reach the very deepest parts with the net... only have a 12' pole, and I think the pool is nearly 10' deep at the center.. Now the pool is clear enough to at least see where the junk is!

I did pull out a sunken inner tube and half an extension pole though!

Will probably add more DE when I get home today. Either PSI will be up and I need to backwash, or if it hasn't gone up, I'll just add more DE anyway.
 
manual vac might not be a bad option in the future perhaps, but you will get it done without it. you can get a hose/vacuum/pole for around $75 or so after things settle down...or your robot will probably be fine once its cleaned and it can just maintain.

looking good for your pool party this weekend.

have you let your FC drop to below 10 so you can check your pH yet? after that I would get it back up to SLAM level.
 
Why/how would the PH rise? I was expecting it had fallen..

And yes that's what I'm aiming for.. though I'm not sure I've ever seen a pool that clear in real life!

Here's what I had 6/27... You can definitely see the improvment, especially in the deep end.. now light blue and deep blue rather than light blue and deep green lol.


20150627_082513.jpg


20150702_062435.jpg
 

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