Green swamp at opening

[Newdude]

Babysitting the first 2 or 3 days realllllllly pays off. And during those couple of days, the FC holds longer as time goes on. The more effort you put in, the faster it goes, no matter how bad it was.

You got this.

 

[WhitB08]

Babysitting the first 2 or 3 days realllllllly pays off. And during those couple of days, the FC holds longer as time goes on. The more effort you put in, the faster it goes, no matter how bad it was.

You got this.

Thanks for the encouragement! I’m just stressed about my actual CYA level. I tested so many times and ended up going with 40, but sometimes I thought it was 30. When I had to go to the pool store looking for muriatic acid yesterday, I got him to test it out of curiosity to see what he got. His machine said 20, well actually 18. I hate that test. I found out about the CY/50 standard. I wish I would have known about that sooner, because I just placed an order on TF test kits Sunday and I don’t want to turn around and pay for shipping again. Next time I will grab some. If it’s CYA is actually lower, then I obviously know my CyA is high enough, but I hate to be wasting chlorine if is it’s burning up too fast, or just having such high levels unnecessarily.

 

[Newdude]

I tested so many times and ended up going with 40, but sometimes I thought it was 30.

If it helps you feel better, the test is really only good to +/-10 anyway, so you're dead on.

Test strips and the Biogaurd machine are blindfolded dart throws by comparison of Taylor being off a skootch

I’m just stressed about my actual CYA level.

I can state with absolute certainty that the Googley Eye mocks us ALL.

Sprinkle a bunch of googley eyes on the patio. Crush them with your heel one by one while testing. Establish dominance. Mr funnyman won't be laughing for long.

 

[WhitB08]

No overnight loss! Still green though, so continuing on in 32 degrees this morning. The water is actually a beautiful shade that looks like the emerald water on parts of the gulf. I only have 2 containers of chlorinator left, so off to Walmart again I go.

 

[WhitB08]

I hope there is an end in sight….I started at 1pm monday. Water still just has a hint of green, but it’s so cloudy. We have thick clouds and storms today, but I’m hoping if it were sunny I would be able to notice that the water is possibly a bit more clear than yesterday. Otherwise I don’t see much of a change from yesterday at this time.

 

[Newdude]

Cloudy/milky is dead or mostly dead algae. At that point, the FC mostly holds and it shifts from a chemical battle, to a mechanical battle waiting for the filter to do its thing. The quick visual progress of the first stage often grinds to a halt, so don't get discouraged. Keeping the FC up is much easier and it's just a waiting game. You still keep the FC up because brushing may expose new layers of algae stuck to the walls. Brush, vac, and clean the filter when called for. Hang in there. Stay the course. You got this.

 

[WhitB08]

I just noticed a light yellow staining all over the large tanning ledge. it’s only covered in a few inches of water and has been bleached from the sun and is practically white now so it’s very noticeable. I’m hoping it’s from the algae sitting there for so long and maybe it will lift with a little more time in the high FC water. It has been consistently at FC 16 since Monday though.

 

[Mdragger88]

Keep at it

Don’t forget to:

*Check & scrub every nook & cranny where algae may hide (light niches, steps, drain covers, ladder handrails, skimmer throats/weirs, etc.)
*Run slam level water through all water features & lines for at least a couple hours a day during the SLAM Process.
*Brush & or vac daily (this breaks up biofilms that algae uses to protect itself from chlorine)
*Backwash/clean filter when pressure rises 25%over clean pressure.

SLAM ON!

 

[WhitB08]

I forgot to mention several days ago, when my Taylor test kit refill came in I checked my CYA and it was not 40- it didn’t even register! It Should be up to 30 now. It was close yesterday and I’ll be checking it again this afternoon. I’m just being careful to dissolve a small portion of the dose amount then checking again in a couple of days because I definitely don’t want to overshoot (even with using pool math) considering I am still in a slam. The amount of bleach and test regents I have gone through in 10 days is unreal. I can barely see the bottom step. There really is not a visible change from day to day at this point. we’ve had several cloudy days and my chlorine doesn’t begin to drop off for a few hours, but I am back to testing every couple of hours today because it’s sunny. I have been running the robotic cleaner nonstop and other than one stormy day, I am brushing several times a day. I only had to backwash on the very first day. After that my psi and the flow from the returns has not changed. Does something seem off to anyone with all of this?

 

[PoolStored]

Can you post pictures of the current water? We can tell a lot from pictures. What does the robot collect?

When you turn the pump off, does the pressure gauge go to zero?

Note your pressure now. Do a backwash. Note if gauge goes to zero when you turn off pump. Note the pressure after the backwash. Report on all three items (PSI now, gauge to 0, PSI after backwash.

Oh, and sand filters take the longest to clear a pool during SLAM.

 

[Texas Splash]

It's good you caught the low CYA. That's very important for UV protection. Don't be too discouraged about clarity to the bottom. It can flip a switch overnight. Sand filters take slightly longer to clear dead algae. Try PS's note above about recording yoru pressures. After that, allow the pressure gauge to definitely shows signs of pressure increase before backwashing as they tend to filter better with a little junk in them. Have you been snapping a pic of the same area of the pool every day or two? It helps to illustrate changes we don't see with the naked eye.

 

[Texas Splash]

The water is actually a beautiful shade that looks like the emerald water on parts of the gulf.

I would like to see that as well.

 

[Texas Splash]

I just noticed a light yellow staining all over the large tanning ledge.

As a test, take a Vitamin c tablet and rub it on the stain. Let us know if it removes the yellowing.

 

[WhitB08]

I slacked off on the photos. The first few days are earlier in the thread, but here are some of the most recent. This is Thursday, yesterday and today (l-r). I really feel like it’s looked the same since about Sunday. My psi is at 20 which is where it was when I backwashed last Monday. The robotic cleaner filters have gone from having all kinds of leaves, worms and gunk the first couple of days to a tiny bit of grit and sludge, and now (since about last Thursday) just random small things that don’t make it into the skimmers before sinking. My CYA is still not quite to 30. We are under a flood watch and it’s about to start raining, so it will probably be tomorrow before I can backwash.

 

[reggiehammond]

You're doing great - judging by the transformation, I think you'll be really happy in just a few more days.

 

[Texas Splash]

Being the homeowner it's tough to wait, but I can see the subtle changes. A pool as green as yours was about 1-2 weeks ago doens't change overnight, but it is changing. Stick with it. This is the slow & tedious part of the SLAM where you're getting ahead of it and want it to be over, but it takes time to filter. Meanwhile, continue to inspect any area where algae could potentially hide. In some previous pics I noticed you have a couple handrails/steps that go into the water right? Have they ever been removed? At some point those may warrant a good inspection out of the pool if possible. If not possible, so be-it, we don't want to cause more problems than it's worth right now.

 

[WhitB08]

They have never been removed but I always brush them because the grooves on the rungs collect dirt and algae. I am sticking with it for sure. I was just worried that I was missing something because it’s been a few days since I’ve noticed any change, but it was definitely disgusting when I started. I bet you couldn’t even see 4 inches down. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[PoolStored]

They have never been removed but I always brush them because the grooves on the rungs collect dirt and algae. I am sticking with it for sure. I was just worried that I was missing something because it’s been a few days since I’ve noticed any change, but it was definitely disgusting when I started. I bet you couldn’t even see 4 inches down. Thanks for the feedback.

Take them out!!! Scrub the inside with 10:1 water/bleach. There is likely algae in there. Ask me how I know. Extended my slam time for the same reason. I didn't know it.

I got this brush: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Q8GCGO

My ladder inside was SLIMY (that is algae in there!). My pool sat looking like yours for three days. Looked at the ladder and thought...that thing is hollow! Cleaned the ladder...Boooooooom. Done.

3.jpg

• PoolStored
• Jul 23, 2022

 

[Texas Splash]

And when you get a chance, try that Vitamin C tablet test on the yellowing steps. I'm curious to know if it does anything.

 

[Mdragger88]

Clean every cranny & run water through every water feature - that includes the slide. When you get it a little more cleared up, consumption dies down & have time to babysit the filter you can add a little de to it.

Add DE to a Sand Filter

A clean pool filter will increase the efficiency of your pool! ... your filter are to backwash it, clean the manifolds and grids, and add new DE.

www.google.com

P.s. I your dog !