newby in Walnut creek, CA

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Yesterday I noticed the dreaded black spots are back....can't believe I cannot get rid of this black algae. I have been scrubbing them with a ss brush but the plaster is so old, it is taking off then plaster, and the black spots are still there...ugh.

I've got a terrible feeling that I should have just had it replastered when I emptied it this time. The water is now too cold and too chlorinated to get in and scrape them off by hand, but I might try anyway, since I'm desperate.

Also noticing some green patches forming at the bottom, so I'm guessing that is from the copper in the heater? Is that something that will go away or affect my readings in any way?

Thanks.
 
I tried posting pictures but it says they are too big, and I'm not sure how to make them smaller.

The black dots seem to be spreading, even though the chlorine is high, (it was 15 last night...13 this morning). Does every spot have to be scratched off for this to work? I can't seem to keep ahead of them and no matter how much I scrub them, they are still there. I'm really starting to hate this pool. (tomorrow will be day 12 of this process, with no end in sight)
 
It's been 2 weeks and I thought I was going to pass the OCLT this am but missed the FC by 1 ppm. (CC was .5)

Question...we have a lot of flowers/bushes/trees around the pool - could the pollen from the flowers and other foreign matter from all these things be messing up my readings or creating some of the black spots?

Just wondering if anyone else has taken this long to do a Slam and if I should keep going, or if this stuff is giving me false readings.

Thanks guys.
 

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Are the inside of the black dots green?

stevemac213 said:
Question...we have a lot of flowers/bushes/trees around the pool - could the pollen from the flowers and other foreign matter from all these things be messing up my readings or creating some of the black spots?
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If you are getting a lot of organic material in the pool, it will consume a small amount of chlorine, but as long as you are keeping the FC level up, you should be fine. Remove any debris that you can see. Did you measure CC? How is the water clarity?

stevemac213 said:
ust wondering if anyone else has taken this long to do a Slam and if I should keep going, or if this stuff is giving me false readings.
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Yes, unfortunately others have taken this long and longer (though longer is not typical).

A few questions:
1. When you did your last cya test that you said was 30 (or maybe less), did you do the test outdoors when the sun was out and at your back standing with the vial held about waist level?
2. What minimum FC level are you holding...and is it dropping below that during the day?
3. Have you cleaned out any light niches or other places algae could be hiding?

I missed a question of your previously:
stevemac213 said:
>>Your chlorine loss has nothing to do with whether or not your filter is working.<<

Well, if that's true, why does the pump need to be running 24/7 then?
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This keeps the water circulated so you don't have low or high concentrations of FC different places in the pool.
 
The inside of the black dots seem to be more brown than green.

I try to remove all the leaves and flowers out....the water clarity is really good. The CC was at .5

1. Yes, but I think it was less than 30 so I am trying to get the CYA up to 30. I've been reading the forums so I have a sock with some stabilizer in it, in the skimmer.
2. Trying to hold the FC to 10 minimum...it sometimes drops to 9.5 or 9 during the day.
3. Yes, I am trying to get everywhere.

I changed out the cartridges yesterday just to see if it would help. I'm sure the old ones were way past due anyway...but not sure it made any difference, since I have not yet passed the test.

Thanks.
 
stevemac213 said:
The inside of the black dots seem to be more brown than green.
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Are they slimy feeling? I have never seen BA in person, but every picture and post about it I have read talk about being green in the middle.

stevemac213 said:
I changed out the cartridges yesterday just to see if it would help. I'm sure the old ones were way past due anyway...but not sure it made any difference, since I have not yet passed the test.
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As mentioned before, this will not help with your OCLT.
 
I think I have beat the BA, and for the first time this am, I didn't lose any chlorine. (I actually have .5 more than when I tested last night). Problem is, I also have .5 more CC...so it is at 1ppm...and therefore I still have not passed the overnight test.

Do I add more chlorine at this point or just let what's in there do it's thing and test the CC again later?

Thanks.
 

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This is hopeless. Going backwards. This morning I lost 5.5ppm of chlorine overnight and the CC was at 2.5. After yesterdays test, I thought there was some hope and that this morning's test might be it. But this is not working and I'm at the point now where I'm convinced I will NEVER pass this test so I think I am going to shut it down. Obviously I am doing something wrong but not sure what.

This is day #17 and I'm still spinning my wheels...it's beyond frustrating. Very discouraged.

Thanks for all your help.
 
Thanks linen, but I honestly don't think I will.

It was only 7.5. I went out there and all I could smell was chlorine, which I knew wasn't a good sign.

The pool and plater are old so all this Slamming is taking it's toll on the plaster, which is another reason I am thinking of shutting it down. Both the pool and the owner can't take much more.
 
Actually if you smell chlorine ... that is the CC ... high FC generally does not have much of a smell.

The SLAM process also is not very harsh on the plaster or pool equipment which is the way the process was developed. Unlike the methods many pool companies take where they nuke the pool with astronomical amounts of chlorine.
 
Yes, I realize that....which is why I knew it was a bad sign. (it was the CC test that I failed yesterday morning)

Well, I think this high level of chlorine for this long has been too much as I can see some of the black stone coming through, behind the plaster. At first, I was scrubbing it, thinking it was black algae, but realized it was not. I did have black algae as

well, so it was hard to tell which was which, and I am still having a hard time telling. But the longer this goes on, the more black stone I see coming through, in different places. I know the pool needs re-plastering at some point but I was hoping to

get another season (or two), out of it. At this point though, that might not be possible.
 
I don't see what alternative you have to finishing the process. I think you could continue do it without anymore brushing the damaged parts of you pool surface. If anything during this process damaged it, it would be the brushing, but certainly not the chlorine.
 
That's the dilemma...pack it in or continue to do damage. Yes, brushing is taking off plaster as well but that is part of the Slam process right? I am into this mess so far now that it's hard to quit...even though I probably should.

The time, effort, (and $$), invested so far is ridiculous, which is why I don't really want to stop it but how long can this go on? Has anyone taken this long for a Slam?
 
Unfortunately, yes we have seen SLAM processes take longer, but it is unusual.

We don't normally recommend this, but you have been going fairly long, so if you want to attempt to speed things up more, you could up your FC target a little towards the Mustard Algae level (19 ppm for your 30 ppm cya).
 
The chlorine will not hurt your pool surface (other than bleaching it if you did not add it while circulating and allowed the high concentration to sit in one area), but I would stop brushing those areas that are deteriorating unless there is visible algae attached to it, then I would brush very strategically and minimally.
 

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