SLAM Complete: Still Milky

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LordNorth

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Jun 24, 2017
76
York/PA
I started my SLAM on Sunday and by about Tuesday or Wednesday I wasn't seeing any visible algae on the walls or floors, but the water just isn't clearing up. It's clean and 'clear' (not green) but still hazy. So I have continued the SLAM, checking my numbers and adding chlorine 3-4 times a day. I've been brushing what I can see (difficult when you can't see the bottom) running my multispeed pump on high 24 hours a day, backwashing the filter every day, sand was new last year.

Overnight last night, I lost zero Free Chlorine and it tests at zero Combined Chlorine. CYA is at 30 and pH is like 7.7-7.9 range. (Haven't bothered with alkalinity or hardness since directions didn't mention and historically I've always had really great numbers - no reason to believe they would have changed).

Everything looks PERFECT when I test the water, but I still can't see the bottom of the pool, even in the shallow end. I thought it was just a matter of letting it filter since I had a LOT of algae... but it seems like it should have at least STARTED getting better by now.

What else should I be checking that I'm not?

Thoughts? Thanks!
 
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Post pictures of the pool.
Have you done ALL of these?
  • Brush and vacuum the entire pool once a day if you can. Brush inside skimmers, under main drain covers, on weir doors, inside ladders, and behind removable lights if applicable.
Sand filters take the longest to clear the pool.
What RPM are you running on your VSP? Running lower RPM will filter better.
Backwash your filter, note clean pressure. When your pressure rises 25%, clean it again. When you check your filter pressure run your VSP at 3000, then turn down to low speed to aid filtering efficiency.
 
PoolStored said:
Post pictures of the pool.
Have you done ALL of these?
  • Brush and vacuum the entire pool once a day if you can. Brush inside skimmers, under main drain covers, on weir doors, inside ladders, and behind removable lights if applicable.
Sand filters take the longest to clear the pool.
What RPM are you running on your VSP? Running lower RPM will filter better.
Backwash your filter, note clean pressure. When your pressure rises 25%, clean it again. When you check your filter pressure run your VSP at 3000, then turn down to low speed to aid filtering efficiency.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have done ALL of those... EXCEPT running on low speed. I have been running high speed on the pump trying to turn over the water as fast as possible.

As I posted, I am brushing as much as I can see. I run the brush over the bottom of the pool, but who knows if I am anywhere close to getting everywhere.

I don't have any ladders or doors installed yet.

This is at least the 8th year that I have opened the pool and slammed and the first that it has ever taken this long. I will take some photos when I get home this evening.

Thanks!
Chris
 
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LordNorth said:
I have been running high speed on the pump trying to turn over the water as fast as possible
Click to expand...
I am firmly on team 'more flow makes more mixing'.

You can also speed it along by adding DE

www.troublefreepool.com

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.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
Here's photos. Not that you can really see much. It's clean. Just cloudy.

Losing zero FC overnight. Reading 0 CC. CYA is 30. Been keeping FC at 16ppm, checking adding chlorine at 3-4 hour intervals. Bushing what i can see.

This is at least the 8th time opening and i have never had it take this long. 20250503_103852.jpg20250503_103905.jpg20250503_103912.jpg
 
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PoolStored said:
I can't see the entire pool in those pictures, do you have a ladder? Light?
Click to expand...
Here's the entire pool. Sorry it was taken through a screen.

I don't have ladder installed, but i do have lights. I cleaned them out when i started but apparently they gunked up again. I just have them another clean out and did get a load of algae out of them.

I added some DE the filter, hopefully the lights were the big problem. Not sure why I am getting zero FC drop and zero CC though if it is still an algae problem. Thoughts?

Thanks for the help. I'm thinking at this point I'm going to let the FC levels come back to normal, double check all of my values and start from scratch unless cleaning out the lights makes a serious/ quick difference.

Chris

20250503_114529.jpg
 
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PoolStored said:
We don't recommend the use of clarifiers, except in edge cases (fire ash, etc.)
If you pass 3 OCLTs, then, and only then, I'd recommend SeaKlear CHITOSAN clarifier. Don't use anything else. Backwash often.
You should not use clarifiers regularly.

Click to expand...
I never use clarifiers. Usually I can read the date on a dime in the deep end. So far it has passed OCLT twice (other than the clear water part).

As I said, hopefully it was the lights that just needed another clean out.

Thanks for the help.
Chris
 

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LordNorth said:
hopefully it was the lights that just needed another clean out.
Click to expand...
That and and a tall glass of patience. The testing says you have killed the algae. (Or the bulk of it at least).

Now its mostly a mechanical battle. Waiting for the filter to do its thing tests everyone's patience. Sand filters are a special kind of punishment. Lol.

Keep the FC up but its mostly precautionary to guarantee you retain the upper hand in the battle. Brush and vac daily. Wait it out.
 
When was the last time you checked the sand level in the filter? The sand level decreases overtime due to loss during backwashing. If it has been several years, you might want to check the sand level.
 
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