Pre pool opening (white water mold)

[Badpoolmom]

So 24 is my target . I have added LC 10% according to PM but 23 has been my highest reading . I thought my goal was to reach 24 and hold it there

By not losing any - meaning my fc is climbing every 2 hours

 

[Badpoolmom]

2 pm fc 0
Added 307 oz

4 pm fc 5.5
Added 2 gal

6 pm fc 20.5
Added 64 oz

8 pm 23.5
Added 1 qt (few oz more than called for but it was the end of the jug so I just used it)

5:30 am
Fc 17.5
Added 90 oz

I had this thought after reading tons of threads here …. Maybe the paper towel pattern flakes and shreds are not
Wwm ?!
Maybe it’s dead algae (or dead wwm) and the pattern is from the bottom of the pool (textured bottom fiberglass)

 

[newdude]

So 24 is my target . I have added LC 10% according to PM but 23 has been my highest reading . I thought my goal was to reach 24 and hold it there

It is. 23 is close enough for government work if poolmath fell a bit short.

By not losing any - meaning my fc is climbing every 2 hours

But it lost FC at first.

2 pm fc 0
Added 307 oz

4 pm fc 5.5
Added 2 gal

6 pm fc 20.5
Added 64 oz

In every battle, there comes a time you have killed or mostly killed the target. At that point it shifts from a chemical battle to a mechanical battle, and the focus becomes filtering out all the dead algae / wwm.

You keep the FC up just because, it's simply not worth possibly losing the upper hand in the battle. In algae's case, it grows exponentially so 'just a little' can explode to a swamp in no time. Maybe wwm is easier to keep at bay.

Hold SLAM FC (or reasonably close enough) and keep an eye on the filter. Clean it at 25% psi increases or if you notice reduced flow before that. You simply cannot vac or brush too much, but your shoulders can only handle so much so find a balance. Lol.

Maybe the paper towel pattern flakes and shreds are not
Wwm ?

Got any cottonwoods or similar? We've seen that before where folks were fooled by similar looking debris. The big FC drops at first point to something organic, but it may have been algae plus tree crud. Either way, hold SLAM until it's all gone and the testing proves no organics left.

 

[newdude]

Ok. My coffee has had some time to do its thing. Then I had 3 more.

I'm thinking it's not environmental debis because it was so rampant under the cover. Some can blow under, but probably not as much as you're seeing.

Maybe the chlorine easily killed the outside of all the blobs and the guts are all protected now with the outer layer.

Either way, the filter doesn't care. It's all like :






Net out whatever you can get to speed it along.

 

[Badpoolmom]

Netting is nearly impossible even with a very fine net. It breaks into a zillions of particles , but I keep trying! The pool already looks substantially better and haven’t vacuumed yet . Doing that this afternoon

 

[Badpoolmom]

Things are looking good here !
Made it through the first vacuum pretty successfully…. I’ll watch some more vids but got the setup/ suction right.

Backwashed after and it was gross as expected. all gray water like the piles of funky, flaky, powdery stuff that collected where the “drop zones” seem to be on the pool bottom

Chlorine is holding beautifully compared to what I thought I’d be dealing with. Water has cleared substantially. I can see the steps and the bottom.
We are not crystal clear or even very clear . But I’m astounded the difference 24 hours can make !

Hoping the snow globe is a thing of the past. Saw some flakes today but not zillions.


I got to thinking back … battling the wwm end of last year I did contact the ahhsome guy and used that just a few days prior to closing. Maybe it actually worked!

I’m sure you hear it all the time, but I sure do appreciate all the help here. Very grateful

BPM

 

[Mdragger88]

Pool shop called. Opening us tomorrow !
Wahoo
I asked what they would be using far as chems - you guys will love this :
“Something new this year call E-Z pool a granular product”
Oxidizer
Clarifier
Algacide
Ph balancer
Ta balancer blah blah all in one

I said ty but I will handle the chems myself.
Can you imagine what kind of mess that would end up?!

Bullet dodged!

But I did ask her to send a bottle of filter cleaner with them

You don’t need that either.

 

[Mdragger88]

Just catching up on your saga- cuz
Wanted to point some things out as you’re moving along.
* For the sand filter you can do a deep cleaning- all you need is a water hose. This is something that should be done every season or so anyway & it’s probably time in your case since you’ve had some swamp/wwm action.
When you’re ready we can walk you through it but here’s the just of it

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...

www.google.com

Two hours later :
Fc 5.5
Cc 0.5

Is my fc actually 5 with cc 0.5?

in this instance your fc is 5.5 & your cc is .5 so your Total Chlorine is 6ppm
* To clarify
FC + Cc = tc
We aren’t concerned with TC just the fc & cc separately

* Keep going! You’re doing great

 

[Badpoolmom]

Oh …. I just caught the water features! I’ve been running the bubbler but not the pitiful excuse we have for “fountains”

 

[Badpoolmom]

My fc readings are consistent at 22 the last few checks but my target is 24 …. Is there a place this test “tops out”
Am I still striving for the 24?

It’s dark here now. Tested just before this post fc 22 …. Add according to pool math once more tonight , Or give a break til morning ?

 

[newdude]

Is there a place this test “tops out”

No.

Am I still striving for the 24?

Yes.

Have you tested 15 mins after adding to know you hit target ? There's no need to everytime, but once in a while is probably good. But then again, you're sure testing enough and at worst 22 is close enough, or you were at 24 and lost 2.

Don't forget also, there will be normal daytime loss. It might only be 1ppm a day for you this time of year, but that will be a little missing too.

 

[Badpoolmom]

I’ve never seen 24

 

[Badpoolmom]

I have not tested at 15 min

2 hours is a typical interval

Had to leave today so tested at
5:30 am (fc 18) added LC
7:45 am (fc 20) added LC
9:30 am (fc 23) added LC
Test
3 pm (fc 22) added LC
cover open, sun shine but only abt 65 degrees here today
After vac and brush tested at
5pm (fc 20) added LC
8:30pm (fc 22) waiting to see if you say add

 

[Badpoolmom]

* For the sand filter you can do a deep cleaning- all you need is a water hose

Thanks ! I will see if the hub is on board for this one …. I just know I’d be gagging

We have a very tiny area between the pool and house, where all the plumbing, pump and filter sit I’m not sure where all the crud and water would go!

 

[Mdragger88]

Testing 15 minutes after you add will help you know if maybe your liquid chlorine is not as potent as you think (it degrades over time)
Or possibly your pool volume calculation is off.
Definitely add more to reach slam level if you’re not there then adjust the percentage (if you suspect old bleach) or your pool volume (if you suspect that’s a little off) in poolmath.
As Newdude said- you don’t need to do this each time- just when you suspect something is amiss.

 

[Badpoolmom]

You know the LC could be degraded I suppose. It’s marked 10%
I have a case from the pool store that’s 12.5 % but could be degraded as well.
Suggestions how to adjust ?
Pool size is over estimated at 10k I believe it to be closer to 9500

 

[Badpoolmom]

Testing 15 minutes after you add will help you know if maybe your liquid chlorine is not as potent as you think

I will do this first thing in the morning.

 

[Badpoolmom]

A few pics for comparison

Snapped first few from vid, as I could capture better than actually taking a photo … I’m not tech savvy enough to figure out posting the vid

These are some bigger pieces of “ patterned paper towel” looking stuff


Steps about 1 pm yesterday

Steps abt 28 hours later

 

[Badpoolmom]

Decided to turn the lights on to see what was floating … the lights always show EVERYTHING. I have more slam ahead of me til we are crystal clear but am so pleased with one day of this slam business !

 

[newdude]

I have not tested at 15 min

2 hours is a typical interval

Ok. So you're losing a few ppm to the process, per 2 hours. Add them all up and you went through 19 ppm today.

And you did AWESOME keeping it as near to SLAM all day as reasonably possible. It has shaved time off the end if SLAM, no doubt.