Please help me diagnose this! Pink bacteria

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TFP Group. I did another measurement at 3PM: Results are below.

Outside temp 93 degrees
Water Temp 84 degrees
8/8/22
10am
Free chlorine 26ppm

3pm
Free chlorine 10ppm
Chloramines 2ppm


The water is crystal clear. The surfaces have no signs of algae anywhere. The pool cleaner is still vacuuming up some sandy material which i assume is due to the DE filter going bad with the grids. I have new grids to put in. Any advice? Should I continue adding liquid chlorine.
 
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ghoover522 said:
Should I continue adding liquid chlorine.
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Yes. If I recall correctly, your last CYA measurement was 50. So your SLAM FC target is 20.

Something organic is in your pool and consuming the FC. You are on the right track.

Is your pool covered? If so, exposing it to sunlight will help burn off the combined chlorine.
 
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SLAM ends when:
  • CC is 0.5 or lower;
  • You pass an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
  • And the water is clear

Based on having 2ppm of CC the SLAM continues. You're still using up a lot of chlorine too. Make sure you're brushing everywhere, checking ladders, etc. If your water is crystal clear something still has the attention of your chlorine.
 
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There have been several instances of the pink slime being on a cover & in pools where the cover stays in use. If u have one, remove it for the duration of the SLAM Process & scrub it with a 50/50 bleach water solution as well.
If it is a solar cover & the bubbles are starting to pop just trash it & get a new one. You will never be able to get all the popped bubbles clean.
 
Yes- check the weir door foam!
Looks like organics are consuming your fc at a rapid rate. Stay on it & it should slow down. The bleach potency issue sucks but it happens some times. There have been some who have gotten their $$ back because of it - ymmv.
Luckily, here i have a local pool store that sells 2.5 gallon refillable jugs & it’s always been fresh 10 - 11%. Comes in handy when u gotta slam.
 
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I appreciate all of the help I'm receiving here so far.

I have just dumped in gallons 9 and 10. I have three more gallons available. Can someone please confirm that it is okay to be putting this much pure chlorine into the pool. For the life of me I just cannot figure out what could be consuming the chlorine when I have crystal clear water and clean pool surfaces.

I have cleaned inside the skimmer boxes thoroughly.
 
If you're testing regularly and taking it back to SLAM level you are OK. I get the frustration level at this point. If you've been brushing the entire pool and the water is crystal clear, it really is toothbrush time. You've got to hit every nook and cranny. Ladders are notorious for hiding algae in the tubes and under the treads. If you have a ladder, pull it out and check it. If you have built in stairs you need to get around the area where the liner meets them. If you have any lights you're going to have to check them. I brush and take a hose in the pool with me to blast the areas I'm brushing. I recently helped a friend whose floor drain had been capped off and was no longer in use. I figured it out by taping a hose to a telescopic pole and blasting it with a stream of water. A huge cloud of green emerged. We had to take the cover off and clean it out. Can you post pics of your pool so we can provide any ideas on where to be looking?
 
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Latest test this morning has combined CHloramines at 1.5ppm. Question for the group here, when I am doing this testing, I mix the powder and let it sit until all powder and chunks are dissolved. I then add the drops until it goes clear, stirring all the time. If i let it sit there it will go back to pinkish after being clear. Same thing happens when testing for Chloramines. Is this normal?
 
ghoover522 said:
If i let it sit there it will go back to pinkish after being clear. Same thing happens when testing for Chloramines. Is this normal?
Click to expand...
Yes, that is normal. If you have any concerns as to how you are testing, here is some helpful reading.
www.troublefreepool.com

FAS-DPD Chlorine Test

The FAS-DPD chlorine test is used to find the level of Free Chlorine in the … Read more…
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
ghoover522 said:
Latest test this morning has combined CHloramines at 1.5ppm. Question for the group here, when I am doing this testing, I mix the powder and let it sit until all powder and chunks are dissolved. I then add the drops until it goes clear, stirring all the time. If i let it sit there it will go back to pinkish after being clear. Same thing happens when testing for Chloramines. Is this normal?
Click to expand...
It is normal for it to go back to pink if it sits. You don’t need to wait until all the powder is dissolved to begin the test. Just begin after it turns pink (after a couple of swirls is fine) , do the drops until clear (about a drop per second) & call it. Do your best to be expedient & not allow the sample to sit.
 
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Chlorine continues to drop after adding a total of 11 gallons now to the pool over the last 48 hours. Is it okay to stop the SLAM process early? I do not see any sign of the chlorine reading holding for any more than an hour or so? I am discouraged at this point to say the least. Every cavity and location in the pool that could harbor algae has been cleaned, brushed, removed. Water is crystal clear and highly chlorinated (yellowish tint depending on the angle that you look at it.

I appreciate the continued support here from the group.
 
ghoover522 said:
Chlorine continues to drop after adding a total of 11 gallons now to the pool over the last 48 hours. Is it okay to stop the SLAM process early? I do not see any sign of the chlorine reading holding for any more than an hour or so? I am discouraged at this point to say the least. Every cavity and location in the pool that could harbor algae has been cleaned, brushed, removed. Water is crystal clear and highly chlorinated (yellowish tint depending on the angle that you look at it.

I appreciate the continued support here from the group.
Click to expand...
I’m totally out of my lane here but I can empathize that you are totally tired and frustrated. Been there many times myself in different contexts. But in your shoes what I’d ask myself is where is all that chlorine going? Like if you stop the slam process, what do you anticipate will happen? I don’t know, many here much smarter than me likely do, but my guess is chlorine will keep dropping and your beautiful, clear water won’t be for long. For whatever it’s worth, I offer my encouragement that you keep on keeping on and also try to figure out as best you can, the “why.” I have no idea, but let the experts know what you’ve tried and maybe they can find your answer. When everything is going well, all the “whys” nobody cares about. When broken needs to get fixed, somebody who understands what’s going on is needed. Guess what my friend, that somebody may soon be you with lots of help from the folks here. The only way to fail is to give up.

You’re in great shape. Water is clear. Nothing really bad is happening but that chlorine is going somewhere. Let’s figure it out.
 
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Something is consuming the fc- have u checked the ladder rails & cups, drain covers, any light niches? Also take a magic eraser to those steps.
 

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