Hi all, I have a 40000gal vinyl inground pool that I have been SLAMing for a week now after some stagnation due to a liner repair. The water is finally looking blue again, but it is severely cloudy, almost milky white with visibility of 4 in or so. I try to vacuum, but I literally can’t see the bottom of the pool to know if I’m doing anything or not. Brushing just stirs up chunks of dead, white algae. I have a sand filter that has been running 24/7 for almost 10 days now and it feels like no progress is being made. I am backwashing frequently as well. Is there anything I can do besides sit and wait or am I doing something wrong? I work during the day so I can’t babysit the chemicals , and I am losing faith that I will be able to get this thing swimmable in a reasonable amount of time. Any help I’d appreciated, thanks
At wit’s end during SLAM
- Thread starter alex.reinhardt98
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 58,477
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Welcome to the forum.
Your Poolmath logs are empty. Can you post a full set of test results from your own test kit?
Your Poolmath logs are empty. Can you post a full set of test results from your own test kit?
- May 3, 2014
- 58,477
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I hope you are not trying to do a SLAM Process with test strips.
You need a proper test kit. See Pool Test Kits - Further Reading
You need a proper test kit. See Pool Test Kits - Further Reading
Do you have one of the recommended kits? Guess strips aren't sufficient for a SLAM (or our general methodologies). Do you have a Taylor K-2006C or a TFTestKits.net TF-100/TF-Pro?
I do not. So I need an $80 kit during this process? Is there anything I can do while I wait for it to come in? I feel like my issue is filtering the dead stuff out. Unless I am misunderstanding the process
- Feb 6, 2015
- 6,154
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
It takes more than filtering.
While waiting for one of the recommended test kits to arrive, add 5 ppm of liquid chlorine daily. Use PoolMath to determine that 5 ppm dose.
You need one of the recommended test kits for testing your pool all year - not just during the SLAM Process.
By proper timely testing, you can avoid ever having to SLAM Process your pool.
While waiting for one of the recommended test kits to arrive, add 5 ppm of liquid chlorine daily. Use PoolMath to determine that 5 ppm dose.
You need one of the recommended test kits for testing your pool all year - not just during the SLAM Process.
By proper timely testing, you can avoid ever having to SLAM Process your pool.
- Feb 6, 2015
- 6,154
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
The general recommendation is to add 5 ppm per day. With algae, the pool will eat thru that 5 ppm daily.
Thanks, I’ve been adding several gallons a day to keep the chlorine up above 10ppm. From what I understand, white debris is dead algae and needs to be filtered out. When I brush none of the matter is green.
reggiehammond
Gold Supporter
- Oct 4, 2020
- 1,509
- Pool Size
- 30000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Without a kit, you don’t know your CYA level. Without knowing your CYA level, you don’t know the effective SLAM level needed to kill algae. You are likely knocking algae back with FC addition, but not maintaining enough level. The algae bounces back, you kill a little, rinse and repeat.
Once you can get proper SLAM levels, you’ll gain the upper hand. But right now there’s nothing you can do to prevent the yo-yo effect of the algae bouncing back. Cloudy water is a good indication, but filtering alone can’t fix it.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,775
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Doing the slam at the right fc level for your cya is the most efficient use of liquid chlorine. Too little doesn’t quite cut it & too much just wastes chlorine & risks damage.
While flying blind with such a big pool you’re liable to waste $80 on chlorine by being inefficient, not to mention possibly damaging your liner in the process.
so the test kit has a pretty good roi, especially since it’s really needed all the time to maintain your pool properly anyway.
When your kit comes post up all the results & we’ll be right here
While flying blind with such a big pool you’re liable to waste $80 on chlorine by being inefficient, not to mention possibly damaging your liner in the process.
so the test kit has a pretty good roi, especially since it’s really needed all the time to maintain your pool properly anyway.
When your kit comes post up all the results & we’ll be right here
The process is fairly simple to understand. Please read…
www.troublefreepool.com
SLAM - Shock Level and Maintain
We’ve all had to deal with a green pool. Clear algae from your pool with a SLAM! Read here to use shock level and maintain to clear your pool.
www.troublefreepool.com
I just ordered a test kit. I guess I thought I understood the slam process but didn’t know I needed to be that precise beyond using poolmath and checking chlorine frequently. Once it comes in I will post the results and get recommendations. Thanks
Your in good hands here. It's very frustrating at the beginning learning, but once you understand the science and how your pool works, it'll be much easier.
Ask as many questions as you want. I did.. I bet even @PoolStored was dreading logging in to see if I asked another question for the 100th time
Ask as many questions as you want. I did.. I bet even @PoolStored was dreading logging in to see if I asked another question for the 100th time
In addition to the test-related advice here...
Keep brushing. The filter can't capture what doesn't flow through it. Brushing stirs it up and allows your filter to capture it.
Adding liquid chlorine is a pH-neutral process. pH is one of the test strips that are actually pretty accurate, but if your chlorine levels are high, they may affect the test.
Interesting, I thought adding a basic solution like chlorine/bleach would raise the ph. I’ve kept the FC pretty high while waiting for my kit so that might have affected it.
Makes sense, right?
So when you add bleach it dissociates into hydroxide (-OH), which is a strong base and would increase your pH. However, it also dissociates in to Hydrochlorous Acid (HOCl-). HOCl is the active part of chlorine that does the killing and oxidizing. It is a weak acid and would not offset the affect of the -OH, but when HOCl oxidizes something, it loses that O atom and becomes Hydrochloric Acid (HCl), which is a strong acid and offsets the -OH. Because these reactions are happening constantly within your pool, that pH balance occurs almost instantly.
Hi everyone, I have an update in my situation. My test kit came in finally, and after using it I found out my TA was very high (250-300) and CYA 0 (I knew this already). Also, after going through many gallons of chlorine over the weekend, I was also convinced everything is good and dead and the continued cloudiness was a combination of dead matter and due to high TA (I still had FC of .5 and CC of 1 even after not adding more chlorine for a day or two). To address these, I added enough muriatic acid to drop my ph to the 7-7.2 range and set up my utility pump to recirculate the water through a hose above the pool to add aeration. Additionally, I know it is frowned upon here, I used some water clarifier to help coagulate the particles and help clear things up. This morning I checked things out and the cloudiness was reduced significantly, enough that I could see the bottom of the shallow end clearly and the piles of dead matter due to the clarifier. I will vacuum to waste and continue to maintain chlorine levels per the TFP method. I also got some CYA granules that I will add as well. The end is in sight finally, thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,775
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Alex,
Get 30ppm worth of cya in the water via the sock method (cya in a sock hanging infront of a return- squeeze the sock to dissolve)
so you’re not sacrificing all your fc to the sun
Raise fc to slam level (12ppm)
Do an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tonight at slam level to ensure you have eradicated the algae.
Don’t stop the
SLAM Process until you pass all 3 end of slam criteria
You are done when:
CC is 0.5 or lower;
You pass an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
AND
the water is clear.
(Crystal Clear w/no algae dead or alive)
*Check & scrub every nook & cranny where algae may hide (light niches, steps, drain covers, ladder handrails, skimmer throats/weirs, abandoned lines, autofill, overflow drains, etc.)
*If water can go there, algae can thrive there.
*Run slam level water through all water features & lines for at least a couple hours a day during the SLAM Process.
*Brush & or vac daily (this breaks up biofilms that algae uses to protect itself from chlorine)
*Backwash/clean filter when pressure rises 25%over clean pressure.
The clarifier is frowned upon for a couple reasons-
1- its use can gum up your filter media
2- it is a bandaid that can make the water look better temporarily even if all the algae isn’t really dead leading you to quit the slam too early.
Dead algae was recently alive, when no more dead algae is produced (as evidenced by its absence to accumulate) you can check off the crystal clear criteria.
Get 30ppm worth of cya in the water via the sock method (cya in a sock hanging infront of a return- squeeze the sock to dissolve)
so you’re not sacrificing all your fc to the sun
Raise fc to slam level (12ppm)
Do an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tonight at slam level to ensure you have eradicated the algae.
Don’t stop the
SLAM Process until you pass all 3 end of slam criteria
You are done when:
CC is 0.5 or lower;
You pass an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
AND
the water is clear.
(Crystal Clear w/no algae dead or alive)
*Check & scrub every nook & cranny where algae may hide (light niches, steps, drain covers, ladder handrails, skimmer throats/weirs, abandoned lines, autofill, overflow drains, etc.)
*If water can go there, algae can thrive there.
*Run slam level water through all water features & lines for at least a couple hours a day during the SLAM Process.
*Brush & or vac daily (this breaks up biofilms that algae uses to protect itself from chlorine)
*Backwash/clean filter when pressure rises 25%over clean pressure.
The clarifier is frowned upon for a couple reasons-
1- its use can gum up your filter media
2- it is a bandaid that can make the water look better temporarily even if all the algae isn’t really dead leading you to quit the slam too early.
Dead algae was recently alive, when no more dead algae is produced (as evidenced by its absence to accumulate) you can check off the crystal clear criteria.