First time owner opening up pool

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M

mhiggy

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Bronze Supporter
Apr 23, 2018
20
Maryland
Hey all!

I'm opening up a pool for the first time so I thought I'd look to the experts for advice. Here is what I'm working with:

2018-04-28 09.47.04.jpg

Just a little on the green side! Here is what I measured using Taylor 2006C:

FC - 0
pH - 8.0
CYA - 90

Since the CYA is high I am in the process of draining right now. Other than scoop out gunk and brush, anything I should do while I wait for it to drain and refill?

Thanks!
 
Hi, welcome to TFP! If you could complete your signature with the equipment information for your pool that would be very helpful for us. You should be able to click on your user name and go to your profile to add a signature. Do you have a saltwater chlorine generator? That will determine how much the CYA needs to come down.
 
For now just keep an eye on it and let the pool drain down about 2/3s. It looks like you have a plaster pool? You never want to completely drain a pool, and should leave at least a foot of water in the shallow end. While you are draining read up on the SLAM Process process and ask any questions that pop up.
 
Aye aye! Still pumping out. Yes the pool is plaster/concrete/gunite. I’m not sure if there is a difference between those. It’s definitely not vinyl and I’m pretty sure it isn’t fiberglass because the finish is rough.
 
Plaster/gunite/concrete are all included in what we call a plaster pool. Also an all tile pool is a plaster pool for the sake of chemical balance issues. Sometimes a fiberglass pool will have waterline tiles and stone or brick coping, but usually not.
 
Ok drained and refilled overnight. Here are my results:

FC - 0
CYA - 45
pH - < 7.0
TA - 120
CH - 170

CYA is still a little higher than what the SLAM page recommends. Should I drain some more off or should I be ok to SLAM with this CYA? pH is low so I know I need to get that squared away as well. Anything else?
 

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Okay, so here's your challenge ..... with a CYA of ~50, we'll call it 50. That requires a SLAM (FC) level of "20". So now you need lots of bleach on-hand and ready, not only to increase it now, but to test frequently (about once an hour in the early stages) and bump it back up until it starts to hold closer to 20 on its own. The FC will drop fast at first, but in time begin to take over and holds much better. But you need to increase it to 20 to really see the benefits of the SLAM. Also, keep brushing. Have the Tylenol ready too. :)
 
Don't be concerned I just worked on a pool that needed 35 gallons of bleach over 3 days to clear up. Crystal clear now though! Keep on keepin' on! Where in MD?

FYI: You will need to clean your cartridges when you are done. Perhaps more than once.
 
And for Heaven's sake .... stay patient. Especially when you begin to see positive changes, don't let up. The SLAM can take a few days. Keep that FC at 20, brush all parts of the pool, clean the filter when the psi gauge increases by about 20%, and inspect any area in the pool exposed to water for algae. The more aggressive you are with those things the better the SLAM will go.
 

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