Confused now. I was under the assumption that a vinyl liner pool can't be drained without damaging the liner?
SLAMing
- Thread starter Dannyp02908
- Start date
You can take it down to about 1 foot in the shallow end.
If you add the pool details to your signature under my profile it is easier for us to make suggestions.
If you add the pool details to your signature under my profile it is easier for us to make suggestions.
The details are in the thread. But. Above ground. Vinyl liner. 15ft across. 4ft deep. It's roughly 10 years old. I don't know that the liner has been ever replaced. I bought the house and the swamp was already here. I tried to save the water but I see now that I simply don't have the time to clean it. I could easily maintain it but I simply can not get it clean.
Above ground pools can be drained totally as long as they are not left empty for an extended period of time. Since the pool is above ground floating the liner is not possible. There is a possibility of the liner drying out and shrinking if it is left empty in the hot sun for too long. If the liner is brittle there is greater likelihood of damaging the liner while draining the pool. Also above ground pools get their structural strength from the water pressing against the walls. When the pool is empty it may collapse in strong winds.
You can decrease the chances of damaging your pool when draining by using a pump to drain the pool while filling with a water hose at the same time. It will use more fresh water this way and may not remove 100% of the algae, but the water will be much easier to clean up once the pool is full again.
You can decrease the chances of damaging your pool when draining by using a pump to drain the pool while filling with a water hose at the same time. It will use more fresh water this way and may not remove 100% of the algae, but the water will be much easier to clean up once the pool is full again.
You could drain 1/2 and refill then do it again that would make it almost all fresh fill.
Hi Danny. Welcome to TFP!
Sorry you inherited a green mess. :-( There are a lot of people on here that have been in your shoes. I had a green mess that was my own doing. I had no idea what I was doing. I was trying really hard. I had a wal-mart test kit and I really thought I was understanding it. Then I found TFP and saw what I had been missing.
There is a ton of information here and a lot to read so it's pretty normal to be overwhelmed. But that's why were here in the threads to answer all the questions that will come up when a new member starts trying to absorb all of this information at once.
I think your confusion on the SLAM process is probably due to the fact that the pool store has given you a formula (which has to do with FC and CC) and that is just not a workable formula as you noticed.
The biggest thing to understand is the CYA/Chlorine relationship. I know it's in the links that have been posted but a very quick simplification is that CYA (Also known as stabilizer or conditioner) is in a lot of "shock" products that are sold for pools as well as the chlorine pucks that they always recommend to float in the pool (Or in an inline chlorinator)
CYA is good. At the appropriate levels. It buffers the harshness of chlorine and protects it from being burned off by the sun immediately. The problem is...it builds up. It pretty much doesn't go away. Chlorine is consumable and gets used up while it "works" which means it needs to be replenished. So what happens is your CYA can get so high that the chlorine is pretty much too protected and can't work. Voila, green pool!
The way to prevent that is to add chlorine that doesn't also have CYA in it. That is why we almost exclusively use liquid chlorine (aka bleach) as it has no CYA in it and only adds chlorine to the water. (and a tiny bit of salt which has no negative effects)
We have a chart that shows what level your chlorine (FC) has to be kept at to be effective in relation to your CYA level.
It is very very important to know that CYA level. It is unfortunately the test that pool stores are the most inaccurate with.
Everything for a SLAM is based on that level. How can a person get their chlorine to an effective level if they don't know what level that is? Without a reliable test result it's only guesswork.
Once you know the CYA level, all you have to do is look on the chart to figure out what level your chlorine needs to be kept at to rid yourself of the green mess.
To keep that chlorine level you test and add liquid chlorine, aka bleach, as needed until the pool is clear. To test that level you need a chlorine test called an FAS/DPD test which can measure your chlorine levels all the way up to 50. Most kits only go to 5 (which is not high enough) and don't have the accuracy required.
This is why a proper test kit is needed. This is also why we have specific test kits we recommend. The pool store will sell you one but it will almost never have the right tests in it.
We're always here to help! Read around and you'll find a bunch of active threads where people are going step by step to clear their pools. (Some of them have even started with tadpoles and frogs!)
Post any questions you have and someone will jump in to help. If you decide to move forward in the cleanup get us some accurate test results (from a kit with the recommended tests) and we'll help you step by step! You'll learn along the way and you won't believe how easy it is.
Welcome again!
p.s. random useless fact, I have a horse named DannyBoy. Good name!
Sorry you inherited a green mess. :-( There are a lot of people on here that have been in your shoes. I had a green mess that was my own doing. I had no idea what I was doing. I was trying really hard. I had a wal-mart test kit and I really thought I was understanding it. Then I found TFP and saw what I had been missing.
There is a ton of information here and a lot to read so it's pretty normal to be overwhelmed. But that's why were here in the threads to answer all the questions that will come up when a new member starts trying to absorb all of this information at once.
I think your confusion on the SLAM process is probably due to the fact that the pool store has given you a formula (which has to do with FC and CC) and that is just not a workable formula as you noticed.
The biggest thing to understand is the CYA/Chlorine relationship. I know it's in the links that have been posted but a very quick simplification is that CYA (Also known as stabilizer or conditioner) is in a lot of "shock" products that are sold for pools as well as the chlorine pucks that they always recommend to float in the pool (Or in an inline chlorinator)
CYA is good. At the appropriate levels. It buffers the harshness of chlorine and protects it from being burned off by the sun immediately. The problem is...it builds up. It pretty much doesn't go away. Chlorine is consumable and gets used up while it "works" which means it needs to be replenished. So what happens is your CYA can get so high that the chlorine is pretty much too protected and can't work. Voila, green pool!
The way to prevent that is to add chlorine that doesn't also have CYA in it. That is why we almost exclusively use liquid chlorine (aka bleach) as it has no CYA in it and only adds chlorine to the water. (and a tiny bit of salt which has no negative effects)
We have a chart that shows what level your chlorine (FC) has to be kept at to be effective in relation to your CYA level.
It is very very important to know that CYA level. It is unfortunately the test that pool stores are the most inaccurate with.
Everything for a SLAM is based on that level. How can a person get their chlorine to an effective level if they don't know what level that is? Without a reliable test result it's only guesswork.
Once you know the CYA level, all you have to do is look on the chart to figure out what level your chlorine needs to be kept at to rid yourself of the green mess. To keep that chlorine level you test and add liquid chlorine, aka bleach, as needed until the pool is clear. To test that level you need a chlorine test called an FAS/DPD test which can measure your chlorine levels all the way up to 50. Most kits only go to 5 (which is not high enough) and don't have the accuracy required.
This is why a proper test kit is needed. This is also why we have specific test kits we recommend. The pool store will sell you one but it will almost never have the right tests in it.
We're always here to help! Read around and you'll find a bunch of active threads where people are going step by step to clear their pools. (Some of them have even started with tadpoles and frogs!)
Post any questions you have and someone will jump in to help. If you decide to move forward in the cleanup get us some accurate test results (from a kit with the recommended tests) and we'll help you step by step! You'll learn along the way and you won't believe how easy it is.
Welcome again!
p.s. random useless fact, I have a horse named DannyBoy. Good name!
Thanks Beens,
The bigger issue at this point is that if free chlorine is going to be exhausted that extensively due to the amount of organics in the water column, I will not be able to maintain the shock level. I just don't have the time to put forth. I can not guarantee that at any given point in time that I would be able to add more chlorine to maintain the slam. I have less than 20 CYA. The pool store came up with 3 on 2 separate days. It is my understanding that less than 20 is inaccurate on any test, but if it were over 20, inaccuracy or not, I would not be told 3. So, I based my slam on the less than 20 value in the chart which is 10pp free chlorine. But, further reading (not the pool store) suggested that I would need to slam at a free chlorine value of 10 times my combined chloramine levels (hence the need for a fas/dpd test). Again, this wouldn't be an issue, but I cant be at my pool every hour during the week to test and add. I work all day.
The bigger issue at this point is that if free chlorine is going to be exhausted that extensively due to the amount of organics in the water column, I will not be able to maintain the shock level. I just don't have the time to put forth. I can not guarantee that at any given point in time that I would be able to add more chlorine to maintain the slam. I have less than 20 CYA. The pool store came up with 3 on 2 separate days. It is my understanding that less than 20 is inaccurate on any test, but if it were over 20, inaccuracy or not, I would not be told 3. So, I based my slam on the less than 20 value in the chart which is 10pp free chlorine. But, further reading (not the pool store) suggested that I would need to slam at a free chlorine value of 10 times my combined chloramine levels (hence the need for a fas/dpd test). Again, this wouldn't be an issue, but I cant be at my pool every hour during the week to test and add. I work all day.
having to be at my pool hourly until it is clear is not trouble free in my opinion. I am not lost on all of this. I get it. I just don't have the time to clean it. I thought it would be easier, but it requires an immense amount of devotion. I understand that once clean, everything will go much easier, but, I am not able to get it clean.
I completely under stand where you are coming from. I'm nearing the end of the SLAM of my pool (my own fault) that has taken nearly a month. I work all day as well, and can't check and add bleach hourly. I believe that's why it's taken longer for my SLAM process than others you see on this forum. I just want you to know it can be done. I check and add bleach in the morning before I go to work, I add between 5ppm-8pmm above shock level in the morning because I know the sun will be working on it too. Then I check and add when I get home from work, and usually only have time to check add 1 more time before bed. I have a wife and 3 kids, and it's a rare occurrence when we don't have an extra curricular activity in the evening.
The good people on here suggest hourly testing because it gets things rolling in the right direction pretty quickly, and they know most pool owners are impatient (especially towards the end!). But everyone knows, that for most people the pool isn't their life, and everyone is completely understanding of that. There is no "belittling" that I've seen on this site, because you aren't giving us Test results every hour!
If you decide to do the SLAM just do the best you can at keeping the FC above the recommended level. If you know you'll be away from home for an extended period, raise it a bit higher (within reason). Just know ahead of time, the process will likely take a while. Keep the patience.
You should get you a pool leaf rake and start clearing the debris off the bottom...
The good people on here suggest hourly testing because it gets things rolling in the right direction pretty quickly, and they know most pool owners are impatient (especially towards the end!). But everyone knows, that for most people the pool isn't their life, and everyone is completely understanding of that. There is no "belittling" that I've seen on this site, because you aren't giving us Test results every hour!
If you decide to do the SLAM just do the best you can at keeping the FC above the recommended level. If you know you'll be away from home for an extended period, raise it a bit higher (within reason). Just know ahead of time, the process will likely take a while. Keep the patience.
You should get you a pool leaf rake and start clearing the debris off the bottom...
I got a pool leaf bagger and got every thing from the bottom I believe. last time I ran the bagger, it came up clean.