Hello. I have been maintaining 26 FC for the past 3 days I had hit octl a day ago and have been just maintaining at 26 FC my cya is between 60 and 70. I did a check last night and it was at 26 I checked this morning and it had dropped down to a 22 FC. Is this normal to lose after hitting octl? I added chlorine to get it back up and maybe a little over cuz I have to go to work today.
Failed OCLT?
- Thread starter Chaz1991
- Start date
JessBlount617
Silver Supporter
Can I ask a potentially dumb question - are you in SLAM and that's why your FC is so high?
If so - then the OCLT showing a loss indicates you still have algae present. Keep brushing, sweeping, SLAM'ing until you can pass all 3 SLAM Criteriat at the same time.
If so - then the OCLT showing a loss indicates you still have algae present. Keep brushing, sweeping, SLAM'ing until you can pass all 3 SLAM Criteriat at the same time.
Hello jess. Yes I am in the middle of a slam. My cya is at 60/70 this is why I am trying to keep FC at 26/28. Was a bit surprised that it dropped this morning to an FC of 22. I will keep brushing and vacuuming till I hit the oclt again. As I vacuum and refill my cya seems to come down. Which is a good thing. Thank you so much for your help. Chuck
I will keep matching my FC according to the chart considering cya. And I keep doing this until it gets clear correct? I started this process Friday night it seems to be working all the green is gone it's just a cloudy blue now so just keep at it correct?. Anyway to tell how long this usually takes?
JessBlount617
Silver Supporter
Hey Chuck!
You gotta pass all 3 SLAM Criteria to begin the process of lowering your FC to "maintenance level". If you see any change in water appearance as you're coming down into maintenance level, then you're not done SLAM'ing and you need to bring your FC back up.
SLAM Criteria:
www.troublefreepool.com
We're all here to help you through the process though! You have all the right tools and a crew of people who want to see your crystal clear pool!!
You gotta pass all 3 SLAM Criteria to begin the process of lowering your FC to "maintenance level". If you see any change in water appearance as you're coming down into maintenance level, then you're not done SLAM'ing and you need to bring your FC back up.
SLAM Criteria:
SLAM - Shock Level and Maintain
We’ve all had to deal with a green pool. Clear algae from your pool with a SLAM! Read here to use shock level and maintain to clear your pool.
www.troublefreepool.com
- Combined Chlorine is 0.5 or lower
- AND your overnight chlorine loss test shows 1.0 ppm of loss or less
- AND pool water is crystal clear with no visible sign of algae (dead or alive) on floor and walls
We're all here to help you through the process though! You have all the right tools and a crew of people who want to see your crystal clear pool!!
Don't forget to go on a full blown algae treasure hunt. It hides many places in plain sight. Ladder rails, light niches, all up in the skimmer, etc. Somebody a while back eventually found their auto fill all gunked up when they couldn't pass the OCLT. They probably stepped over it 100 times during the slam, but it never dawned on them to check it. Or us, because we weren't there, as much as we wished we were to help.
Cloudy/milky means you've killed or mostly killed the algae. You keep the FC up while it shifts to a mechanical battle from a chemical battle so you don't lose any ground. Brush and vac at least once daily because each pass will remove another layer of biofolm if there's any algae left on the walls/floor.
Watch the filter PSI and bacwash/clean at a 25% rise.
You got this.
Cloudy/milky means you've killed or mostly killed the algae. You keep the FC up while it shifts to a mechanical battle from a chemical battle so you don't lose any ground. Brush and vac at least once daily because each pass will remove another layer of biofolm if there's any algae left on the walls/floor.
Watch the filter PSI and bacwash/clean at a 25% rise.
You got this.
So helpful thank you so much. Question for you is it swimmable at this point with the FC at 26. ?And can I get into to search for algae around the ladder.? Just keep it at 26 until it clears up I guess. Well actually as I vacuum and replenish the water the cya will come down and then use the chart for the corresponding FC??
Swimming is safe between min and SLAM per your FC. Many of us SLAM for large get togethers and our guests remark how nice it is with no chlorine. Shhhhh. They don't need to know.
The ladder needs to come out if possible. Each rail holds a gallon or two with little/no circulation. If you can't get it out, pull the lower bumpers and get all up in there with a turkey baster. Be carful that the ladder doesn't hit the liner with force when you move it around though, the bottom edges are sharp, hence the bumpers.
The CYA will come down with repeated vac to waste so keep an eye on it, but any given vac job will only lower it a little. 4 inches of 48 is only 8% each round and maybe not even noticeable as less than 10. But they add up.
The ladder needs to come out if possible. Each rail holds a gallon or two with little/no circulation. If you can't get it out, pull the lower bumpers and get all up in there with a turkey baster. Be carful that the ladder doesn't hit the liner with force when you move it around though, the bottom edges are sharp, hence the bumpers.
The CYA will come down with repeated vac to waste so keep an eye on it, but any given vac job will only lower it a little. 4 inches of 48 is only 8% each round and maybe not even noticeable as less than 10. But they add up.
Yes the ladder. I have a plastic four step with a round end with steps that I could take the post out and put some of my HTH shock Advantage down in there granular that will kill it? Have you heard that the HTH shot advantage does not raise cya?. That's what it says on the package. If I run short of liquid chlorine can I use that HTH? You think?. Thanks again so much.
Sorry I hit post instead of this so you got that twice. Let me ask you something. Because I have to work for 12-hour days when I leave at 4:30 AM.if the FC is below my 26 should I put more in there to compensate till I get home at 4:30 in the afternoon.? Of course then when I get home check it and see where it's at and adjust accordingly.I can check it again like 9:30 at night. Take that FC reading and then see what it says again at 4:30 in the morning to see if I lost any.?
JessBlount617
Silver Supporter
"get all up in there with a turkey baster" Sounds aggressive - but it's the truth!
Can you see the bottom of the pool? Maybe toss us some pics so we can see what you see too!
Can you see the bottom of the pool? Maybe toss us some pics so we can see what you see too!
If it's this stuff, it's just Calcium Hypochlorite, and will not raise your CYA levels. It will raise your Calcium levels slightly (not an issue with a Vinyl pool typically)
Is it okay to use this along with the liquid chlorine? To keep the FC where it needs to be? If it is my plan would be to use this during the day as it is granular and will not get heated up as quickly as the liquid chlorine. Do you think that is correct?
I am running my robot switch brushes in the morning and when I get home to help brush the pool. What do you think about that?
It's supposed to be thrown in the pool. Mixing it in a bucket (or down stair tubes) needs care and I personally wouldn't because it's not a necessary risk. It can wait until you have more bleach.
It's totally fine to throw in the pool if it's your only available source of chlorone at that time.
Aiming above slam target doesn't help to the extent everyone expects. You're still killing algae anywhere above min, if it dips below slam it's better than going over. We all have life in the way, just do the best you can, when you're around.
JessBlount617
Silver Supporter
I'm no chemistry nerd - and don't pretend to play one - but I would think with "chlorite" in the name it's going to change your chlorine count. Can you stick with Liquid Chlorine for SLAM - that's the "best and preferred" method of keeping chlorine in check.
Thank you so much. I just have so much work into it I want to keep doing the right thing. Appreciate your help
I can keep using the liquid chlorine. It is 10% I got it from Walmart. Started with 35 gallon and have 15 gallon left at this point. So I'll keep adding an order more if I need to. Thank you