Test Results

Don’t forget the spa too! They can have a lack of circulation so be sure slam water is going through there & the spillover. Check all the little jets (they are generally removable)
Thanks for the message. I have adjustment things in such a way that SPA water is circulated continuously. I did this by shutting the drains from it 100% while waters keeps returning to it and spills over in the pool.
 
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Just tested the water. I had 10.5 FC and 0 CC. I little dip in FC might be due my not using the smart stir properly. But I did put 1 Gallon of LC right now to raise it to around 15.
Will keep measuring throughout the day.

I strongly believe, I will be fine tomorrow morning.
 
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Just tested the water. I had 10.5 FC and 0 CC. I little dip in FC might be due my not using the smart stir properly. But I did put 1 Gallon of LC right now to raise it to around 15.
Will keep measuring throughout the day.

I strongly believe, I will be fine tomorrow morning.
And then give it one EXTRA day of slam just for insurance.
 
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And then give it one EXTRA day of slam just for insurance.
Will sure do. Thank you.
Nothing wrong with swimming in the pool while SLAM process is ongoing right?

what is considered safe FC levels for swimming? How much is considered too low? how much is considered too hight?
Also......is there some page where I can read about safe levels for all the other chemistry? i.e. ph, Alkalinity, CYA, FC, Calcium Hardness.
 
So it seems like I can stop the SLAM process now. I have a few questions:

1) Once the SLAM process is stopped. How do you continue the process of maintaining FC and other chemicals. What is recommended? How often to test what? What levels to bring FC to?
2) What if you continue to maintain the SLAM level of FC all the time? if SLAM level of FC is safe to swim and the best FC level to to kill all organic stuff, then why not?
 
To be clear, have u passed ALL 3 end of slam criteria?
* Crystal Clear water (no visible algae, dead or alive)
* passed Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
* cc’s of 0.5 or less
If so, you allow fc to drift down & from here on out maintain Target 🎯 fc levels for your cya with liquid chlorine FC/CYA Levels
You will need to test fc daily for a while to get an idea of your daily fc loss (which fluctuates with high uv, bather loads etc,)
You should dose to the high target on the chart or a scootch above to ensure that your fc stays above minimum until your next dose.
Minimum is hot lava.. lol.
Once u “get to know” your pool u can go to every other day.
Keeping at fc SLAM level all the time isn’t necessary or practical & will get quite expensive.
Higher levels of fc get depleted more quickly by the sun as u likely experienced during the slam process. Also, the ph test is inaccurate at fc levels above 10ppm so it would make maintaining ph regularly impractical as well.
With a normal cya for the time of year it is (mid summer 40-50ppm)
the average daily fc loss is around 2-4ppm give or take a ppm.
Once fc gets below 10ppm you can check ph & keep it in the 7’s.
Ph should be monitored every couple days if it rises frequently or about once a week otherwise.
Ta needs to be checked & recorded weekly or so (as you need to know your ta to adjust ph)
Any TA 50 or above is fine.
Monthly monitoring of ch is generally acceptable unless you add calcium containing products or have high ch fill water in which case you would need to check it more frequently. You need some ch because of your heater but too much can cause scaling.
Ch only leaves the pool through water replacement.
Cya should be tested at least monthly, or more frequently if you have exchanged water (backwash/refill), added cya containing products, or are adjusting it.
Cya also mostly only leaves the pool through water replacement. It does degrade a little with high temps (a few ppm/month)

Use this to get an idea of acceptable ranges👇
 

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Fill to a line and then take a quick glance -- don't stare trying to see the dot. If you don't see it right away, that's your level.

If you do, fill to the next line and repeat.

Don't get too hung up on it, it's not an exact science. Plus or minus 10 is the best we can get.
 
What is the best CYA number to have to be most economical? I ask this because my understanding is that if this is too low then FC does not work, if it is too high then you need more FC to do its job. What is the ideal number? Is it a good idea to maintain the ideal number? I mean lets say, you are around 10 higher than ideal......then you lower it by replacing the water....if you you are lower than just add CYA.
Want to know your thoughts.
 
Assuming that you are using Liquid Chlorine, 40-50 (some use 60) is fine, I wouldn't go much higher.
For a SWCG pool, most of us find 70-80 to be about right.
Just keep it in that range, test 1-2x per month. If you are not using pucks, you should never have to drain your pool because of CYA, unless you added too much!
 
What is the best CYA number to have to be most economical? I ask this because my understanding is that if this is too low then FC does not work, if it is too high then you need more FC to do its job. What is the ideal number? Is it a good idea to maintain the ideal number? I mean lets say, you are around 10 higher than ideal......then you lower it by replacing the water....if you you are lower than just add CYA.
Want to know your thoughts.
Don't overthink this. Again, it's not an exact science. Anywhere within the range 30 to 60 is okay for a manually chlorinated pool. What is important is that you maintain FC appropriate for whatever CYA level you are at. I like to target 10% of CYA.

In a hot, sunny climate, a higher CYA might result in you using less FC each day. But in Ohio, 30 might work well for you. If your pool is consuming more FC each day than you think it should (2 - 3 ppm per day for most people), try raising CYA by 10 and then FC accordingly. Again, there is no correct answer. It's just whatever works best for you.

I start off the year with CYA at 80 and then never add any more. By the end of the season it may be down to 60. I just lower my chlorine production accordingly.

What matters is that you have enough FC for your CYA. I try to keep mine at 10%, so I'm currently at 8 ppm FC.
 
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If your CYA is at 80 and if you need to SLAM, you would need to maintain FC of around 31. Wouldn't this be very expensive?
If you will note in the FC/CYA Levels the recommendations are a bit different for a Salt Water Chlorine Generator pool. 70-80 is the recommendation. That WOULD NOT be the recommendation for you with a Liquid Chlorine pool. Keep it 40-60 and you will be fine.
 
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I think Jeff is confident in his water management enough that he doesn't expect to SLAM. SLAM is always the end product of poor practices or perhaps life getting in the way but mostly the former.
Correct! I SLAM each year to open my pool because I leave it uncovered over the winter. At that point, my CYA is usually very low. Once the SLAM is complete and the pool is open, I boost my CYA and have never had to SLAM again during the swim season.
 
What are the effects of low pH or high pH with respect to swimming in the pool and maintaining overall water chemistry?

I noticed my reading showing high pH at this time. What causes this? What is the best way to fix it?

pH = 8.2
ALK = 80
 
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Aeration raises pH. 8.2 is unnoticeable to humans. It would have to be much higher for you to experience any detrimental effects. Some foods and alkaline waters for drinking are 9.5 to 10. The biggest problem is calcium scaling is promoted at higher pH levels. Use muriatic acid to lower it.
 
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