HELP - Greenish colored water, semi-clear

[Mdragger88]

This chart has me so confused. Once I start the SLAM, assuming my CYA is 30 for instance, it says SLAM Level 12. Is that 12 gallons of chlorine?

No - 12 ppm fc level
Use PoolMath to determine how much liquid chlorine/bleach to use to get your fc level to 12 ppm from where you are now

 

[Mdragger88]

In
PoolMath you press the fc card then put in your current cya & fc & toggle on slam - it will show 12ppm.

Then it will show you how much to add depending upon your bleach strength

 

[sande005]

When doing the powder/drop test for Free Chlorine, the result is the parts-per-million (ppm) strength. So 6 drops to get the test color clear = 3 ppm
The chart shown is the ppm goal you want to get to. So "12" would be 12 ppm, or 24 drops in the test vial to get it to become clear.

Hence the PoolMath app - it does the math for you, to tell you exactly the amount of liquid chlorine to add to get to your goal.

 

[TXPoolmom6]

When doing the powder/drop test for Free Chlorine, the result is the parts-per-million (ppm) strength. So 6 drops to get the test color clear = 3 ppm
The chart shown is the ppm goal you want to get to. So "12" would be 12 ppm, or 24 drops in the test vial to get it to become clear.

Hence the PoolMath app - it does the math for you, to tell you exactly the amount of liquid chlorine to add to get to your goal.

I am getting there. I think.

So here are todays results … I put the rest of the stabilizer that came in around 8 o’clock this morning and just checked it… Along with all the rest of my levels I can’t believe it I finally have chlorine in my pool!!! AND stabilizer!

Test block
Chlorine- 5
pH - 7.5-7.8? was super hard to determine exact color

Using TF kit
FC - 5.5 (it was Barbie pink when I added the powder)
CC - 1 (it turned a very very very pale pink when I added the R0003) but two drops to get to
clear

TA - 70
CYA - was between 30 and 40 line

I no you said don’t overshoot…I did my best weighing out the 4lbs. The black dot definitely became not visible right in between those two numbers.

It hasn’t been a full 24 hrs with the pump running. The pool is showing signs of
improvement but still cloudy. I will have to go back and read through all the threads to see what I continue to do, but should I still be adding the liquid chlorine?

Also is it swimmable yet? I am fine if the answer is no just want to be safe.

Also, Today I noticed a very faint high-pitched hum coming out of one of my shallow and returned jets I did turn the pump off and turned it back on to see if maybe there was an air bubble trapped in there and it’s still hear it, I doubt that’s what’s causing the pool to be this color but just a sidenote if there’s something else I need to be watching out for.

For reference the first two pics are
today and the other what it looks like when clear.

 

[wireform]

I think you need to slam just due to the clarity and color. You also need to consider the CYA "40" and therefore the FC is on the low side of target which is 5-7 and I also think you will have to check the CYA tomorrow as it can be higher just too soon to register.

 

[HermanTX]

Using TF kit
FC - 5.5 (it was Barbie pink when I added the powder)
CC - 1 (it turned a very very very pale pink when I added the R0003) but two drops to get to
clear

It is best to use the TF Kit (Powder with drops) to measure FC. Your CC is a little high but not terrible. Also, if you let the 10ml sample sit, it will turn back to pinkish - so do the CC test direcly after the FC test.

TA - 70
CYA - was between 30 and 40 line

Call it 40 CYA. But CYA takes a day or 2 to settle out so it may creep higher - do not add any more stabilizer.
TA is good.

I will have to go back and read through all the threads to see what I continue to do, but should I still be adding the liquid chlorine?

Yes - are you starting the SLAM Process? with CYA of 40, you need to maintain a FC level of 16ppm. So you need to keep adding LC until you reach that level.
Now before you do that - add some MA to drop your pH to the 7.2 to 7.4 level. The reason being that testing pH when FC above 10ppm is not very accurate. Then prepare to SLAM. Read it thoroughly!!! Print it out.

Also is it swimmable yet? I am fine if the answer is no just want to be safe.

You can swim up to SLAM level, so in your case, up to 16ppm of FC. However, you need to be able to see bottom - this is a safety issue as you want to be able to see anyone that may have a health issue and sinks to bottom.

Also, Today I noticed a very faint high-pitched hum coming out of one of my shallow and returned jets I did turn the pump off and turned it back on to see if maybe there was an air bubble trapped in there and it’s still hear it, I doubt that’s what’s causing the pool to be this color but just a sidenote if there’s something else I need to be watching out for.

Hard to tell what that is but just ensure your pump is working fine. It needs to be running full time throughout the SLAM.

Come back and ask questions to ensure we are aligned on any next steps.
I would test your CYA again tomorrow to ensure it is no higher than 40.

 

[TXPoolmom6]

It is best to use the TF Kit (Powder with drops) to measure FC. Your CC is a little high but not terrible. Also, if you let the 10ml sample sit, it will turn back to pinkish - so do the CC test direcly after the FC test.


Call it 40 CYA. But CYA takes a day or 2 to settle out so it may creep higher - do not add any more stabilizer.
TA is good.


Yes - are you starting the SLAM Process? with CYA of 40, you need to maintain a FC level of 16ppm. So you need to keep adding LC until you reach that level.
Now before you do that - add some MA to drop your pH to the 7.2 to 7.4 level. The reason being that testing pH when FC above 10ppm is not very accurate. Then prepare to SLAM. Read it thoroughly!!! Print it out.


You can swim up to SLAM level, so in your case, up to 16ppm of FC. However, you need to be able to see bottom - this is a safety issue as you want to be able to see anyone that may have a health issue and sinks to bottom.


Hard to tell what that is but just ensure your pump is working fine. It needs to be running full time throughout the SLAM.

Come back and ask questions to ensure we are aligned on any next steps.
I would test your CYA again tomorrow to ensure it is no higher than 40.

Thank you!

Yes I have been using the TF Kit w/powder and doing the CC immediately after testing the FC.

Yes I started the SLAM (numbers below). My FC was 11 this morning (as I understand it that means 11ppm). If I add one more gallon this morning the PoolMath app says that will raise my FC by 4.0ppm which gets me super close to 16.

I added MA and it definitely dropped the pH maybe not as much as needed.

Pump working very well and it is running full time.

Here are todays numbers (have not added anything as of yet)....waiting for your amazing and helpful advice ;-)

pH 7.5 (definitely lighter color than yesterday so now I believe yesterdays was truly 7.8)
FC - 11
CC - .5
TA - 70
CYA - still between 30 and 40 line (same exact spot as yesterday) so call it 40

Pool same color, maybe only a tad better, still pretty cloudy but visible bottom shallow end, hard to see deep end. Like a thin layer of dust in water. Brushed this morning AND have vacuum running.

I am thinking I need to add one more gallon of liquid chlorine this morning, then check levels this afternoon and again this evening and add liquid chlorine to reach the 16ppm as suggested. Am I on the right track? It seems like it is taking a whole lot longer to get this back up and running than it used to or is this to be expected.

Also, should I check the filters again and even possibly hose them down to get them squeaky clean? Or can I wait on that?

Thanks again!!!

 

[TXPoolmom6]

Checked FC/CC and it is now 10.5/.5, I added one gallon of liquid chlorine to see if I can get my FC up (says the effect should be a rise of 4ppm)

 

[HermanTX]

am thinking I need to add one more gallon of liquid chlorine this morning, then check levels this afternoon and again this evening and add liquid chlorine to reach the 16ppm as suggested. Am I on the right track? It seems like it is taking a whole lot longer to get this back up and running than it used to or is this to be expected.

Try to stay at 16ppm for FC. Test every 3-4 hrs if you can. Letting the FC drift down for any length of time will just prolong the SLAM process. That is why SLAM has M in it =. MAINTAIN. The closer you stay to 16ppm the better. As your FC is fighting the algae.

Monitor your filter pressure. If it goes over 25% of baseline then best to clean your filters.

 

[HermanTX]

Checked FC/CC and it is now 10.5/.5, I added one gallon of liquid chlorine to see if I can get my FC up (says the effect should be a rise of 4ppm)

After adding that gallon of LC - wait 30 minutes and test again. Ensure you reached 16ppm on FC.
Don’t worry about testing pH, TA, CH as we can deal with that when your pool is CLEAR.

Ensure you brush the sides to release the algae from the walls. Brush inside of skimmer, around light, any ladders, etc.

Also if you have any water feature — circulate through those couple times a day to ensure no trapped algae.

 

[sande005]

Don't be too shy on the chlorine. You really should get it to 16 as fast as possible, and keep it there until the pool is crystal clear (and doing an overnight test shows no drop). In the 10-11 range, it is killing some algae, but not as much as you need it to, and the algae is fighting back! 16 sounds like a lot - but at your CYA level, it is what is needed to be effective. It may take a few days, but maintaining at 16 solidly will give faster visible result. You should also start to see accumulations of piles of "dirt" on the bottom (dead algae), that will cloud the pool when you brush - but the filter will pretty quickly take care of that issue.
Keep running the pump on full speed all the time, and as long as the filter pressure does not exceed about 20-25% of what you see when it is on high and clean, no need to clean it. Moderately dirty filters actually filter better than really clean ones! BTW - filter pressure is very dependant on pump speed, so running on low will give much lower pressure than high. Hence why knowing what a "clean" pressure is at a given speed is the benchmark starting spot for deciding if it is time to clean, or not.

Can't speak to your filter, but cartridge filters can usually absorb a huge amount of "stuff" before needing to be cleaned.

 

[TXPoolmom6]

After adding that gallon of LC - wait 30 minutes and test again. Ensure you reached 16ppm on FC.
Don’t worry about testing pH, TA, CH as we can deal with that when your pool is CLEAR.

Ensure you brush the sides to release the algae from the walls. Brush inside of skimmer, around light, any ladders, etc.

Also if you have any water feature — circulate through those couple times a day to ensure no trapped algae.

It's been one hour and the FC is 12.5/CC .5

It has been brushed twice today plus the Nautilus ran for two hours. I just scrubbed the skimmer all over and around the light an step curves as well.

Since it's not up to 16 yet I just added another gallon of liquid chlorine. I'll wait 30 minutes and check again. Pump is running between 3,000-3,200rpm.

Am I on the right track?

 

[TXPoolmom6]

Don't be too shy on the chlorine. You really should get it to 16 as fast as possible, and keep it there until the pool is crystal clear (and doing an overnight test shows no drop). In the 10-11 range, it is killing some algae, but not as much as you need it to, and the algae is fighting back! 16 sounds like a lot - but at your CYA level, it is what is needed to be effective. It may take a few days, but maintaining at 16 solidly will give faster visible result. You should also start to see accumulations of piles of "dirt" on the bottom (dead algae), that will cloud the pool when you brush - but the filter will pretty quickly take care of that issue.
Keep running the pump on full speed all the time, and as long as the filter pressure does not exceed about 20-25% of what you see when it is on high and clean, no need to clean it. Moderately dirty filters actually filter better than really clean ones! BTW - filter pressure is very dependant on pump speed, so running on low will give much lower pressure than high. Hence why knowing what a "clean" pressure is at a given speed is the benchmark starting spot for deciding if it is time to clean, or not.

Can't speak to your filter, but cartridge filters can usually absorb a huge amount of "stuff" before needing to be cleaned.

and yes I am starting to see that cloudy dust when I brush, hopefully I am on the right track (see reply to @HermanTX)

 

[wireform]

Don't bother cheking the "CC" either for now until the FC starts to really hold, totaly unnecessary.

 

[HermanTX]

It's been one hour and the FC is 12.5/CC .5

It has been brushed twice today plus the Nautilus ran for two hours. I just scrubbed the skimmer all over and around the light an step curves as well.

Since it's not up to 16 yet I just added another gallon of liquid chlorine. I'll wait 30 minutes and check again. Pump is running between 3,000-3,200rpm.

Am I on the right track?

Yes. Also you do not need to run your pump at 3200rpm. Running this high does not hurt, other than energy cost. You want circulation but my guess you could obtain that at a lower speed - trying to save some energy costs. My mid speed is 2400rpm (for my pool and plumbing) and I get good flow over the weir door of the skimmer.

Great work on brushing and scrubbing the small areas.

The key is keeping FC as close to 16ppm as possible.

 

[TXPoolmom6]

Yes. Also you do not need to run your pump at 3200rpm. Running this high does not hurt, other than energy cost. You want circulation but my guess you could obtain that at a lower speed - trying to save some energy costs. My mid speed is 2400rpm (for my pool and plumbing) and I get good flow over the weir door of the skimmer.

Great work on brushing and scrubbing the small areas.

The key is keeping FC as close to 16ppm as possible.

OH MY GOSH!! It's 16.5ppm I did it! Okay I overshot it by .5

Now it's time for the OCLT yes? Should I check tonight before I close up shop for the evening. Today has been a beating to try and wrangle this beast. It wasn't so hard last time. Okay...thank you for cheering me on through this, just if you don't mind letting me know if I am on the right track.

 

[wireform]

No, you're not ready to call quits on the slam just check in the morning where it's up to and add back as per poolmath. Before you retire for the night check the FC and add back to slam level trying to shorten the amount of time between night and morning.

 

[TXPoolmom6]

No, you're not ready to call quits on the slam just check in the morning where it's up to and add back as per poolmath. Before you retire for the night check the FC and add back to slam level trying to shorten the amount of time between night and morning.

Oh no I am not quitting! Just seeing if I am on the right track. This is where I see if I lost chlorine overnight right? The OCLT? I'll check tonight and in the morning before the sun gets to it haha

 

[wireform]

The term OCLT is for the finish state end of a slam and checking the FC in the morning is doing the same thing with the intention to keep going. You could use the 5ml level on the vial while you're in the slam as you don't need such crazy accuracies so then each droplet is =1ppm. At the end of slam when the loss is next to non you go back to the 10ml measurement.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Feel free to do the OCLT, but remember there are 3 tests you must pass to end the SLAM including the visual test. Until your eyes tell you the water is crystal clear and you pass that test, there is not much sense in doing the others just yet (unless you like setting an alarm to do pool testing before the sun comes up )