SLAM Crisis of Faith

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J

JPhresh

0
Dec 21, 2014
24
Clayton, CA
Two weeks ago I replaced my filters and had crystal-clear, balanced water. Then, after a weekend of heavy use, the pool started turning cloudy. Running the pump several additional hours a day did not seem to help and instead the pool became cloudier and turned green. Having come to the realization that I needed to SLAM, I started the process 24 hours ago. My CYA is at 30 and I have been maintaining FC between 12 and 14. (Plus lots of scrubbing and vacuuming. Running pump non-stop, of course.) However, I have not seen any change in the color or cloudiness of the pool at all. I know that one must be patient with the SLAM process, but shouldn't I be seeing some kind of visible change at this point? Here's the view of the deep end of the pool, which is 9 feet, from yesterday and today:

IMG_1944.jpg

IMG_1949.jpg

I am worried that either I'm not dealing with an algae problem or that for some reason I'm not getting proper filtration. Any and all input would be appreciated!

Thanks,
-JPhresh
 
Well, the first thing I see is a floater in the pool. Have you been using pucks? Are we sure the CYA is only 30? You don't say it, so I have to ask You are using only liquid chlorine, right?

Filtration does not turn the pool from green to blue, chlorine does.

Have you tested teh FC after a chlorine addition to see that you are actually getting to where you should be?
 
I have been using pucks, but very sparingly. I inherited the pool from a previous homeowner three years ago with a massive CYA problem, so I have been keeping it very low - probably to the point of paranoia. I always manage my FC with liquid chlorine and only put pucks in the floater when I need a little bit of CYA. Before I started the SLAM, I checked my CYA and it was less than 30, so I actually added stabilizer to the pool and waited a day to be sure it came up to 30 -- otherwise I would have been guessing on the target FC.

I used liquid chlorine to get the FC up to target and tested every two hours during the day yesterday after that to ensure it stayed in range. Last test before going to bed yesterday was 14; first thing this morning it was 12. Added liquid chlorine to get it back to 14.

Glad to hear the lack in color change isn't a filtration issue. Of course that assumes my problem is indeed algae. My wife seems to think the issue is pollen from our neighbor's massive pepper tree. Any merit in that idea?
 
POP is what you need (that's pool owner patience, by the way)

Understand, the system we teach is not an instantaneous magic potion the pool store will sell you (which won't work long term, BTW) but a process to eliminate the algae once and for all.

For most SLAM's, 48 hours is just beginning. I tell most folks to think 7 - 10 days at the minimum and a swamp takes much longer. We have had some go into 6 - 7 weeks. But, the defining factor in time is effort. The more often you test and adjust back to shock level the better. Twenty times a day (every 90 minutes or so) would be the best, but no one can keep up that pace.

Keep it up, you are moving in the right direction.
 
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