Opening day

[vbertone]

Sounds good. I just put the acid in. I will run to the store to get the bleach and stabilizer. I can't thank you enough. This is a serious learning curve for me.


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[Texas Splash]

Remember, you must have the stabilizer too which protects the FC from being burned-off by the sun. To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, simply place the required amount (120 ounces) into a white sock and suspend it near a return jet. Probably best not to allow undissolved granules to rest directly against the pool surface though. You can squeeze the sock frequently to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, consider your CYA adjusted to that programmed (target of 30) level, although the test readings may take anywhere from 24 hours to a few days to fully register. Confirm CYA in about one week before adding any more stabilizer/conditioner.

- - - Updated - - -

Glad to help Vinny. I'll try to watch your thread for updates as the day goes on.

 

[Texas Splash]

Vinny, I have some running around to do as well. SO when you get back home from the store, I want you to do the following before you add any stabilizer:
- Re-check pH. If it's till high (above 7.5), add a little more acid (not as much this time) to try and get it between 7.2-7.5
- Then BEFORE you add any stabilizer, do that ammonia test I mentioned above in post #13. We need to make sure there is no ammonia in the water first. Once you do that 10-min test and can hold FC for 10 minutes, then you can add the amount of stabilizer I noted earlier and you are officially "doing your SLAM".

Make sure to read the SLAM page (link below in my sig) so that you don't neglect some of the important details. The SLAM can take a few days, so try to be patient. As time goes on, your pool should hold FC better and longer as it kills the algae. All of the instructions on the SLAM page help to not only kill the algae, but remove the dead material. It seems like a lot of info, but before too long you'll be a pro at it. Just go back and re-read this and our last few posts and you'll do fine. I'll check back on you later.

 

[vbertone]

**** I just added half the stabilizer before the ammonia test. But ph is good now. Have not added the bleach yet.


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[vbertone]

I think I screwed up, I didn't do the ammonia test first and just added half the stabilizer. Ph is good though, so there is one plus. Should I go ahead and try to add the bleach now?


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[vbertone]

Ok I did add the chlorine already and did almost two gallons so far. FC is now at double what it was. So I'm getting there.


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[vbertone]

Retest with two gallons of 12% liquid chlorine and I'm at 7 and holding. I was at the pool store and figures it would work. But now I need to go get more.


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[Texas Splash]

Okay, good. Since you're using 12% liquid, it won't take quite as much for each application. But now that you've started and the FC appears to be holding, we can rule-out ammonia which is great. So now focus on the SLAM. You can now go ahead and add the remainder of the stabilizer I told you about earlier (originally 120 ounces) and increase the FC a little more to 12. An FC of 12 is what you will need to adequately kill all the algae. It's important to check the FC every hour or two the first day to keep it at 12. No need to test anything else right now other than just FC.

 

[vbertone]

Ok so far so good. Ph good, fc at 12 so far...added the rest of the stabilizer into the socks. Man I can't thank you enough!!!


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[vbertone]

Just out of curiosity how soon can people swim after all this?


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[Texas Splash]

The rule of thumb for swimming is:
- FC no higher than SLAM level (in your case 12)
- You can see the bottom

feel like I'm forgetting something. But please remember that the SLAM itself is not complete until you pass the 3 SLAM criteria on the SLAM page. If you stop too soon, the algae will bounce right back. Now is a good time to keep the ice chest fully stocked next to your test kit.

 

[vbertone]

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[Texas Splash]

Great pic. At this rate, I would hope your SLAM will go smoothly. Maintaining the FC at 12, pump on 24/7, sweeping the walls and bottom, and occasional filter clean will do wonders. When the FC starts to hold well on it's own through most of the day and night, then we'll talk about the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test (OCLT). We'll worry about that last though. Nice!

 

[vbertone]

So update so far is looking good.
FC - maintained at 11 through the night
PH - 7.4

CC - 0

CYA - 40

Nice and clear. Now i think I will bring the fc down on its own as it says in the slam link.




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[Texas Splash]

Well, you still need to pass the overnight test first. That's extremely important and one of the 3 SLAM criteria. Please review the Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT) page for details and let us know if you have any questions. By the way, since you validated your CYA as 40, the actual SLAM FC is now 16. Just wanted to make sure you were aware of that in case your SLAM continues for another day or two. But don't let-up until you are sure all 3 SLAM criteria have passed, or the algae could simply return in an few days. Good luck!

 

[vbertone]

Ok so now I guess I have to raise to 16? I didn't think I had algae to begin with though. I had very little chlorine in there but not sure I ever had algae. Now I'm a little confused.


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[Texas Splash]

Yes, your first post on the 21st clearly showed the green water and the recommendations were to SLAM, but you were waiting on your K-2006 kit to arrive a day or two later. Then we implemented the ammonia test first and proceeded with the SLAM. At first we thought your CYA was going to be 30 ppm, which would require a SLAM FC of 12, but today you stated the CYA was 40, so that requires an FC level of 16. Still in good shape and very safe for the pool, but required (at 16) to ensure the algae is terminated.

You can try the OCLT tonight if you like, but read the page carefully to ensure you get accurate FC testing results. If you do pass, that's exceptionally fast because most SLAMs easily take a week or longer to perform. Hang in there.

 

[vbertone]

Ok gotcha...I had to add conditioner for any cya to show up. So I added the large bucket in the sock with the granules. I added all 4 gallons of that bleach to bring it up to 12. So if any green then always have to slam? Is that the idea? So does everyone do this every opening?


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[Texas Splash]

That's correct Vinny. We should never see green in a pool unless it's a green bikini. Any green tint, cloudiness or anything other than crystal clear water down to the bottom in the deep end is trouble. Will you have to do a SLAM every spring? Maybe. Depends on how the pool was closed, products used, and how harsh the winter was that year. But the better the water is at closing, and properly closed, the better chance the spring opening will go much faster. Your pool wasn't all that bad actually, and you're making great progress, so hang in there. Maintain that FC of 16, continue to sweep/brush the pool, and clean the filter as well. You're doing very well. Have a nice evening.

 

[vbertone]

Ok time to get some more bleach[emoji51] updates later in the week


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