Killing Algae and taking names, my slam experience(leaving town soon too)

[MikeLikesPools]

Im making the switch away from the leslies pool method shock weekly + tablets to liquid chlorine and other methods listed on this site. My question is I leave town in a week or so I havent learned everything I need to yet to fully maintain the pool in the new methods. Continue leslies Crud until I get back so I can easily tell a friend how to maintain it? I dont think she would be able to do the test kit/not trying to make her spend a whole day here. What do yall do when you leave town?

My CYA is 60-70, and when I get back I plan to dump about half the pool to deal with the calcium hypo Ive been shocking with which should also deal with the cya issue. What would you do in my shoes? Ill definitely have someone who can probably stop by 2times or so but not sure she would be okay with the test kit.

 

[PoolStored]

You are in a tough spot. Looked at your logs, your CYA (though you logged as 65) is really 70. The test is only valid on the lines (10s). It is logarithmic scale, so fill to line, look, fill to next line, look.

At 70, if you continue to use pucks while you are away, it is likely it will just add more CYA and not keep enough chlorine in the pool to sanitize.

Do you have any idea how much FC your pool uses on a daily basis?

In a pinch, get your FC to the high end of target for your CYA before you leave. Use PoolMath to figure out how much chlorine you need to add 5ppm per day. Instruct your friend to add that much chlorine per day while you are away. Doesn't require testing, but will require LC additions.

 

[MikeLikesPools]

i get about 8hours or so of direct sunlight on the pool, yesterday did my first test fc was 8.5 yesterday then this morning was 7 Ill check it after a full day today. I think the 9.5 read was a fluke. my friend lives about 15miles from here not sure she would be so happy to drive here every day for two weeks. I need an automated dispenser .

I Iike your idea to high side of chlorine/cya using LC with poolmath / cya chlorine chart and if I can figure out my burn off she can be here like every 4th day or so as I shouldnt be needing LC everyday if I do that right?

 

[PoolStored]

You can drain, that will give you some room. 1/4 will get you down to about 53, round up 60 for comfort. You still need to maintain sufficient FC while you are gone. Do you have a friendly neighbor? Neighborhood kid you can pay $10 to add it? You could add up to SLAM level for the pool before you leave, and have them add your recent FC usage x the number of days between additions if they can't get here every day.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

I can easily tell a friend how to maintain it?

Make it easy on you and your friend. Just adjust pH before you leave and have her add 5ppm of liquid chlorine daily, while the pump is running. Deal with the other problems when you get back.

Did you happen to do the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test last night?

 

[MikeLikesPools]

great advice, I think i will drain today 1/4 then put the pool on the upper end of the range for whatever cya level prior to leaving. Ill then track FC usage the next few logged days(6days till I leave) to get an idea how much will need to be added on the days she gets here and use poolmath to get the number.

Only other concern here is my pressure issue while Im gone , as suspected by other posters it jumped back to "clean" levels pressure after I did a brief back wash/opened the lid. I should be ok to leave it at that pressure level, obviously not ideal but I dont really have a choice. I guess we will see what the results are tonight of the overnight free chlorine test.

Do clouds slow the use of FC for tracking purposes?

 

[reggiehammond]

With a salt water chlorine generator, I just empty the skimmers and robot basket, then leave town for two weeks. Come home to full skimmer baskets and clear, perfect water.

For your situation, I'd just get the pool clean, shock it and throw a few more tabs in. You're going to drain a bunch anyway, so why bother now. The pool won't go too far on you in the time you're gone (unless we're talking 10+ days), and you're going to fight it when you get back anyway.

Clouds less effect, but temperature yes; we're entering a 10 day heat wave, so FC will get eaten up as fast as possible.

 

[MikeLikesPools]

I see you have a salt water, Ive considered switching. In terms of maintenance how often do you have to add stuff? I need less work not more work. Id be willing to drop the money on a salt water but I worry about "corrosion" ive read about, is that nonsense and just because people dont maintain it correctly?

 

[PoolStored]

I see you have a salt water, Ive considered switching. In terms of maintenance how often do you have to add stuff? I need less work not more work. Id be willing to drop the money on a salt water but I worry about "corrosion" ive read about, is that nonsense and just because people dont maintain it correctly?

Would be a great solution for you. No, you don't have to worry about corrosion. A chlorine pool is a salt pool. I used only LC and my salt was 2000+ at the end of last year. Every gallon of LC adds ~2lbs of salt. It is all the same.

I installed mine in less that two hours. I'm pretty handy. If you do go SWCG, get one that is 2X the size of your pool. There are really only two that will fit the pentair intellichlor IC-60 and the circupool RJ-60+.

Here is a good comparator and ratings: Compare and Review Saltwater Chlorine Generator Prices and Features | DSP

 

[reggiehammond]

I see you have a salt water, Ive considered switching. In terms of maintenance how often do you have to add stuff? I need less work not more work. Id be willing to drop the money on a salt water but I worry about "corrosion" ive read about, is that nonsense and just because people dont maintain it correctly?

Everything good you've heard it true. Everything bad you've heard is BS. Many here would say the same thing, but I'd fill my pool in with dirt before I took out the SWCG.

It's virtually maintenance free and has zero ill effects. In the Spring, I get CYA and Salt back to proper levels if we've had a lot of Spring rain. Other than that, every week or two I add a gallon of muriatic acid because my well water is high in TA (when I top off due to evaporation.) That's it. Nothing else.

 

[MikeLikesPools]

Everything good you've heard it true. Everything bad you've heard is BS. Many here would say the same thing, but I'd fill my pool in with dirt before I took out the SWCG.

It's virtually maintenance free and has zero ill effects. In the Spring, I get CYA and Salt back to proper levels if we've had a lot of Spring rain. Other than that, every week or two I add a gallon of muriatic acid because my well water is high in TA (when I top off due to evaporation.) That's it. Nothing else.

Im not handy on the pool plumbing and youre on my side of town. Leslies only installs stuff you buy from them (they dont sell circu pool rj-60 which is what Im eyeing), While this install seems pretty simple, you know anyone around town that would install? It seems like less than an hour of work and it sits inline with the return.

 

[MikeLikesPools]

Make it easy on you and your friend. Just adjust pH before you leave and have her add 5ppm of liquid chlorine daily, while the pump is running. Deal with the other problems when you get back.

Did you happen to do the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test last night?

Yes, I tested at 11a yesterday when I first got my kit FC 8.5 / O on CC or maybe 0.5 could not quite tell. then after sundown I tested and got 9.5 FC (which I think could have been me still getting used to swirling or until later in afternoon I hadnt removed the tablets) then this morning I got FC 7.0 and CC 0.

Based on above sounds like I should SLAM?

Adding 5ppm would raise my FC by 4.4 if I added daily per what you said...I dont think Im burning that much a day. did you mean on each visit? I think I can track the FC loss the next few days to get a FC loss count then if she comes every 4 days do FC loss x 4 days then add LC to compensate for the loss. When you said adjust PH, Im at 7.6, adjust to 7.2?

 

[PoolStored]

Yes, I tested at 11a yesterday when I first got my kit FC 8.5 / O on CC or maybe 0.5 could not quite tell. then after sundown I tested and got 9.5 FC (which I think could have been me still getting used to swirling or until later in afternoon I hadnt removed the tablets) then this morning I got FC 7.0 and CC 0.

Based on above sounds like I should SLAM?

Adding 5ppm would raise my FC by 4.4 if I added daily per what you said...I dont think Im burning that much a day. did you mean on each visit? I think I can track the FC loss the next few days to get a FC loss count then if she comes every 4 days do FC loss x 4 days then add LC to compensate for the loss. When you said adjust PH, Im at 7.6, adjust to 7.2?

Yes, you should slam. However, if you CYA is 60-70 as you indicate, slamming can be harder and more expensive, but likely can be done, kinda right on the edge. Anyway you can replace 25% now?

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

You really want to slam before you leave if possible.

Yes, if you can get a decent FC loss, I would take that and add 1 to it before you multiply by 4. You really don't want to flirt with the lower end or you will get algae. Also, make sure that you are at the high end of the recommended range before you leave. Running all the way up to slam levels. Will not hurt. Running below recommended levels is flirting with another slam. FC/CYA Levels

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Yes, I tested at 11a yesterday when I first got my kit FC 8.5 / O on CC or maybe 0.5 could not quite tell. then after sundown I tested and got 9.5 FC (which I think could have been me still getting used to swirling or until later in afternoon I hadnt removed the tablets) then this morning I got FC 7.0 and CC 0.

Based on above sounds like I should SLAM?

Adding 5ppm would raise my FC by 4.4 if I added daily per what you said...I dont think Im burning that much a day. did you mean on each visit? I think I can track the FC loss the next few days to get a FC loss count then if she comes every 4 days do FC loss x 4 days then add LC to compensate for the loss. When you said adjust PH, Im at 7.6, adjust to 7.2?

My advice was based on the assumption that you do have algae. Unless you prove otherwise, 5ppm a day will keep it at bay. I missed the part earlier where she lives 15 minutes away. That may be a little difficult for her to handle everyday.

If you can get the slam done before you leave, you can better estimate your daily loss and plan dosing while you're away.

 

[reggiehammond]

Im not handy on the pool plumbing and youre on my side of town. Leslies only installs stuff you buy from them (they dont sell circu pool rj-60 which is what Im eyeing), While this install seems pretty simple, you know anyone around town that would install? It seems like less than an hour of work and it sits inline with the return.

Post up a picture of your equipment pad and folks here can recommend the easiest placement. Might be as simple as cutting out a small section of existing pipe, gluing on two couplers, and done. You can easily buy parts at Home Depot, even just to practice on.

Or if you have a sprinkler guy - they are pretty skilled with PVC obviously.

 

[MikeLikesPools]

Post up a picture of your equipment pad and folks here can recommend the easiest placement. Might be as simple as cutting out a small section of existing pipe, gluing on two couplers, and done. You can easily buy parts at Home Depot, even just to practice on.

Or if you have a sprinkler guy - they are pretty skilled with PVC obvio

Yes, you should slam. However, if you CYA is 60-70 as you indicate, slamming can be harder and more expensive, but likely can be done, kinda right on the edge. Anyway you can replace 25% now?

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

You really want to slam before you leave if possible.

Yes, if you can get a decent FC loss, I would take that and add 1 to it before you multiply by 4. You really don't want to flirt with the lower end or you will get algae. Also, make sure that you are at the high end of the recommended range before you leave. Running all the way up to slam levels. Will not hurt. Running below recommended levels is flirting with another slam. FC/CYA Levels

Yup, dumping 25% right now. To slam my PH is 7.6 need to get it to 7.2 per slam doc. I should wait till I fill the pool then test with new water before adding the acid right, the city water should be less acidic so dont want to add too much at once right?

Also, Ive got just the main drain pumping and getting air in the pump basket, is that normal?

 

[PoolStored]

Yes.

Should not be getting air after prime. Prime should clear air quickly.

 

[MikeLikesPools]

25% dump complete, filling in progress. waiting till appropriate level before testing again and adding anymore chemicals, will update in 3-5hours.

 

[PoolStored]

25% dump complete, filling in progress. waiting till appropriate level before testing again and adding anymore chemicals, will update in 3-5hours.

Might want to run the pump for a while when you have enough water to run again, or if you have main, run pump off main while you are filling to mix. If you have a dolphin throw that in. Water temp likely to be different and will somewhat stratify. Maybe let pump run an hour to two after filled before testing.

 

[PoolStored]

Deleted.