First time SLAM-ing, question about CH.

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javaverses

javaverses

0
Aug 6, 2014
49
Pearland, TX
I have had some MPV issues I just got fixed recently. My pool is very green (bright and milky), and I am brand new to the BBB & SLAM stuff. My signature has my pool details and I'll attach my test results (I am lacking a FAS_DPD test but have everything else test wise) I have the following supplies: New: Baking Soda, Liquid Chlorine, DE, Natural Chemistry Instant Pool Conditioner, Left over from using the pool stores recommendations: Muriatic Acid (Liquid) Leslie's Power Powder Plus Shock (Calcium Hypochlorite) , Leslie's 3 in Triclor Tabs (Trichloro-S-Triazinetrione),Natural Chemistry Pool Perfect + Phosfree. I plan to order online the Borax, but can not seem to locate it locally so far (checked Walmart and home-depot)., except Borax, which I can't find locally)

I know from other recommendation on this forum I need to bring my pH down to 7.2 before SLAM, and that at least while on a SLAM that my CYA is ok to be on the lower end. What I don't know is how it can effect the CH. I ran the test twice and still got an oddly low CH. Should I go ahead and lower pH and start slam, or raise CH before dealing with pH and SLAM? I just don't know where to start on this and I don't want to damage my pool.

test 1.jpg
 
Since you have Cal Hypo, you can use that to start the SLAM and raise the CH at the same time. Use PoolMath to determine how much CH is added with each dose.

As an aside, even tho adding CH can sometimes cause cloudy water, it will probably not be noticeable since the pool is already cloudy and green.

So, now you can adjust the pH first and start the SLAM process.

You will most likely not need borax or baking soda.
 
Good point Butterfly. I didn't realize that the pool store shock would raise my CH. Well I just added my acid, I'm going to give it 4 hours to circulate, then I'll test the ph again before starting my SLAM. So since I don't have lot of the pool store shock, I will start with it, and then add the liquid chlorine for any adjustments after that in the SLAM process. Do you think that will work ok? Am I missing anything?
 
javaverses said:
Good point Butterfly. I didn't realize that the pool store shock would raise my CH. Well I just added my acid, I'm going to give it 4 hours to circulate, then I'll test the ph again before starting my SLAM. So since I don't have lot of the pool store shock, I will start with it, and then add the liquid chlorine for any adjustments after that in the SLAM process. Do you think that will work ok? Am I missing anything?
Click to expand...
Sounds good. Four hours is a little long to wait, 30 minutes is the normal suggested period to wait, but seeing that you are starting a SLAM an hour or a little longer may be in order.
 
I've been brushing, vacuuming, testing every couple of hours, back-washing, adding DE, all day long. I'm so tired, but ...... I can see a difference. Its gone from dark green to a lighter green and now we are beginning to see some of the milkiness dissipate in the water. I've been making my kids come help too. Told them that it would probably be a couple more days before its read to swim in again, but at least we can start to see a light at the end of the tunnel. My most recent test results:

FC 4
TC 4
CH 200
CYA 20
pH 7.8

I had to run to the pool store for more DE and they got the same results I did, although I am only testing the chlorine right not during SLAM. I added more liquid chlorine to get back up to a 10 for slam.

Does it sound like I am doing everything right so far?
 
Here are the results we are seeing so far. Here is a picture from 6 days ago when my equipment was down,

20140806_160126.jpg


then 4 days ago,
20140808_140125.jpg


and then this afternoon. I started my SLAM last night.
20140811_160422.jpg
 

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We have been brushing and had our robot vacuuming, and must have changed the de at least 4 or more times today alone. At one point I had to get in the pool to retrieve a brush head dropped in the murky waters, I could feel the slime coating still in patched all around the pool.

I've read a little about floc and was wondering if I might be able to speed up the process of getting my pool back in swimming condition with it. We have a robot for vacuuming, but also have a hose and vacuum head for our pole so we could vacuum straight to waste.

Any opinions or suggestions about using floc in conjunction with a SLAM? I've never used it before, but thought maybe it would help in our kinda extreme case.

Oh and thanks DogsHouse_MyPool, I will check that next time I am there. I was looking on the laundry aisle, and I thought it was odd they didn't have something so common.
 
Floc isn't generally recommend here... the slam will clear it up.... with the de filter it will clear up quicker once all this algae is dead... I wouldn't consider yours an extreme case... mine looked like coffee when i stated this summer with about 20 lbs of de on the bottom (my grids needed to be replaced) and now it looks great
 
Nuvene said:
Floc isn't generally recommend here... the slam will clear it up.... with the de filter it will clear up quicker once all this algae is dead... I wouldn't consider yours an extreme case... mine looked like coffee when i stated this summer with about 20 lbs of de on the bottom (my grids needed to be replaced) and now it looks great
Click to expand...
:goodpost:

The basis of TFPC is to teach you how to maintain your pool. The key tenant of that is to only use what your testing and knowledge says your pool needs. Right now your pool needs a continuous diet of chlorine. As Nuvene stated, in the grand scheme of things yours is not that extreme, but to you it is horrible! Resist the call to pour in the magic which fixes everything. Floc, sequestrants and other agents have their place, but again should only be used when called for.

You are making progress and it is looking good! Keep it up.

:calm:
 
Was thinking theyshould add a "P" to the SLAM letters, for "patience", lol. SLAMP Part of the process is making sure all the algae is dead and removed, which takes extreme amounts of patience, sometimes! Good luck on your SLAM, looks like you have got a good start!
 
If you look at some of the posts about "Green Monsters" or owners asking if they should just pump it dry and fill it in you will see some extreme cases. Or the frustration of people who can't pass the OCLT night after night but have a spotless blue sparkly pool only to find a small patch of green under the stairs of their ladder, behind a pool shimmer weir door or hiding behind an in pool light fixture.

Your filter is reaching the backwash pressure so often because you are killing off so much of the stuff that's making it green. It's a pain, but it's progress and a good thing.
I ended up ordering on line from Walmart the big bag (12lb ??) of baking soda only to find they stocked it in the pool isle. Didn't think to look there, looked in food, looked in laundry and cleaners but nope they actually had a display of it on the shelf with the algaecide, floating toys, brushes, stabilizer, ... and of course the magic potion to end all magic potions, HTH's "Green to Blue" which they say will: "In 24 hours your pool will once again be blue and transform your green water to a clear, sparkling sea of blue". Can't even imagine how much of that gets sold before a person finds their way here and actually fixes their chemistry :pale:

In every case if the owners follow the SLAM process and the advise and have a reliable way to test they get through it and never look back. By the time your SLAM is done you understand most of the relationships between what you need to put in and what that addition will do to your pool and you no longer have to relay on someone at the pool store saying "Try This" and not really knowing why. You won't become one of the horror stories of owners hiring a "professional" pool person to come in and spending hundreds of dollars on the person and hundreds on chemicals and then when it doesn't work and it's still murky the professional saying something like you have "Chlorine lock" and walking away with your money leaving you in the same spot you started except for all the chemicals they've tossed in which may actually cause more problems then they cure.

You are on your way to a better and less expensive way to pool care that will give you a nice blue and sanitary pool to enjoy. You just need to have the patience (thanks PAGirl) to ride out the SLAM, it should all be downhill after that.
 

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Ok I'm sold, no floc for me. Kind sounded like a pain anyways!

This morning I woke up a little late so my pool was sitting in full sunlight for a couple of hours at least before I tested. It is starting to actually look blue again, but still very cloudy. My chlorine levels are way down now. Did a full round of tests:8-12 test 10 am.jpg

I have used so much liquid chlorine that I am now down to 1 128 ounce jug of 10% chlorine and 121 oz jug of concentrated bleach (8.25). I am a little confused how to calculate the right amount to put in. I know I can find it on the forum somewhere but can someone point me in the right direction or give me a formula? For now I am going to add the whole 128 oz 10% to the pool, and wait for some advice on the other jug.
 
Here's one way to do it.
Try different values in the Target until you see 128 oz of 10%. Target of 6.6 gives 126 oz of 10% (close enough).
Then put 6.6 in the Now and 10 in the Target, and change strength to 8.25. PoolMath then says add 113 oz of 8.25%

So to go from FC of 2 to 10, add the whole jug of 10% and 113 oz of 8.25%.
 
There is a place to change the strength of the bleach. It will then change the amount based on what you put in as your current and target. At the bottom of pool math, there is a place that says Effects of Chemicals Added. You can choose the strength there, too. Make sure you have the correct pool volume entered, as that is an important step.
 
Ok, I'm blind apparently. I just saw the last part of the pool calculator where you test effects of adding things. So I calculated that my 128 oz jug of 10% would raise me by 4.5 ppm, then I calculated that my 121 jug of 8.25 % would raise me by 3.6: for a total of 8.1 ppm. Given that my FC was a 2, I am going to add all my 8.25% and head to the store to stock up on bleach! If anyone sees an error in my calculations, please let me know. Thanks!
 
So after I get the pool clear and sparkly, I pass an Overnight cl loss test, and my cc is .5 or lower, then I can worry about adjust my other chemicals, right? Just so I am sure that I under stand the relationship between cya & chlorine, if I have higher cya, I need to keep my chlorine higher, but won't lose it as fast? So it would make sense to bring my cya up to a 30-40 level, and then I will add more chlorine, but less often? Is that about the jist of it?

Based on my last tests I would also want to bring my pH just a little and raise my CH a little too.
 

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