Okay to leave algae until spring?

Thanks for the helpful replies! I'll get this cleaned up before closing. A couple of newbie questions with liquid bleach:

1. Some places say add bleach slowly by the return jet. Others say walk around pool distributing bleach evenly around the perimeter. Which is best?
2. When buying bleach, if it says no splash or low splash, does that indicate an additive that should be avoided? Or is it some kind of spout design that minimizes splash?
3. To avoid splashing and getting bleach on skin I've seen recommendations to pour it through your manual skimmer attachment. Is this really a thing? Would that really reduce splash? Any recommendations on safely adding bleach to pool?
4. Lastly, what bleach do people buy? Name brand Clorox? Generic? What concentration is commonly available? Where do you buy it from and how much does it typically cost? Are there big sales that I should be watching for?

Thanks for the replies! I think things are going as well as can be expected given my limited availability to do pool maintenance during the week. Last Friday I started with pea soup and now I've got no green color at all but still not clear. The water looks blue now (from the liner) but kind of a cloudy/milky blue. I'll hit it hard this weekend. But I do have some more newbie questions:

1. When doing the FC test, how long do you wait to see if pink returns to the sample? I get to the point where the sample appears void of pink color, then I go add the required bleach to the pool, and when I come back in, the sample has become pink again. It's also hard to judge when the sample is totally clear or still has a hint of pinkish color. How accurate is this testing? To me it seems like it's +/- a drop or two, which is plus or minus 0.5 to 1.0 ppm (the difference between passing or failing the overnight test).
2. Where in the pool do you take samples from? My pool is all one depth. So, by the jet where I add the bleach? On the other side of the pool from the jet? Somewhere in between?
3. I've found generic bleach with 7.5% sodium hypochlorite, 81 oz. bottles for $3. Anybody getting it much cheaper? I've bought 20 bottles so far. I'm afraid the Walmart employees and the guys that collect my recyclables are gonna think I'm cleaning up a murder scene!
4. The bleach says 7.5% sodium hypochlorite but also says yields 7.13% available chlorine. Why the difference? Which percentage do I use in Pool Math?
5. It looks like the Pool Math app is related to this site. Why is the 81 oz bottle not one of the pull-down menu options for bleach jug size? It seems like the most common size I'm seeing.
6. Is it safe to swim in a pool at SLAM level? Or should the pool not be used for swimming until after the SLAM has completed and you let the FC level fall into the recommended range? It seems like a heck of a lot of bleach to be swimming in.
7. What happens to the bleach as the FC level falls? Where does it go?
8. After getting rid of the green color, what in the water makes it still be cloudy? And how does bleach alone get rid of that cloudiness? In the past when I got to this point, I would use some algicide and Diamond Blue super concentrated water clarifier. This seemed to work much quicker than bleach and required much less chemical. Looking for reassurance - you're saying I shouldn't be using that stuff, right?
9. Is it true that testing for CYA and pH during the slam process will not yield accurate results?
10. At the beginning I added CYA to get to 30. So my SLAM FC target is 12. I tested yesterday morning, FC was 6.5, and added appropriate bleach to get back to 12. I didn't test again until tonight - FC was 7 and I again added appropriate bleach to get to 12. So I feel I'm getting close. CC is 0. Keep SLAMing, right?
11. Water temp is currently 56 F. Does that kill algae? Can new algae still grow?

I know it's a lot. If you just want to answer some of my questions, that's cool. Thanks!

mknauss said:

Did you read SLAM Process? For a SLAM to be successful in a reasonable amount of time, you should be testing your FC and adding liquid chlorine 3-4 times per day. I suggest you start doing that and things will move along quickly.

FC test is done once the sample turns to clear (no color). Dispose at that time.
Take your samples from below the water surface at the same general location each time.
Liquid chlorine in typically available at Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, pool stores, etc. I suspect you are adding household bleach that normally has additives you do not want. The product you are using is not normally used by pool owners.
You can safely swim in a pool as long as the FC is above the minimum and at or below SLAM level based on your CYA. You must also be able to see the bottom of the pool in the deep end of the pool.
Bleach ends up being salt in your water.
Water is cloudy because you have organics in the water. Algae is not always green.
Algaecide and clarifier are not needed and may, actually will, complicate your process and make a mess.
CYA can be tested during the SLAM. pH test is not valid if the FC level is above 10 ppm.
gggLow temperature does not kill algae. It does limit its rate of growth.

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mknauss said:

Did you read SLAM Process? For a SLAM to be successful in a reasonable amount of time, you should be testing your FC and adding liquid chlorine 3-4 times per day. I suggest you start doing that and things will move along quickly.

FC test is done once the sample turns to clear (no color). Dispose at that time.
Take your samples from below the water surface at the same general location each time.
Liquid chlorine in typically available at Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, pool stores, etc. I suspect you are adding household bleach that normally has additives you do not want. The product you are using is not normally used by pool owners.
You can safely swim in a pool as long as the FC is above the minimum and at or below SLAM level based on your CYA. You must also be able to see the bottom of the pool in the deep end of the pool.
Bleach ends up being salt in your water.
Water is cloudy because you have organics in the water. Algae is not always green.
Algaecide and clarifier are not needed and may, actually will, complicate your process and make a mess.
CYA can be tested during the SLAM. pH test is not valid if the FC level is above 10 ppm.
Low temperature does not kill algae. It does limit its rate of growth.

Click to expand...

I did read SLAM and I understand that I'm not doing it properly. I'm not available during the week to do more than 1 or 2 maintenance checks per day but I figured slow progress was better than no progress. With the green eliminated now, I'm hoping I can hit it hard this weekend and hopefully be done. This article Recommended Pool Chemicals - Trouble Free Pool was shared with me earlier in this thread and it recommended common household bleach with no additives. So that's what I'm using. Why would this article recommend common household bleach if that's not normally used by pool owners? Should the article be updated?

Been slamming for 3.5 weeks now. Using 12.5% pool shock now. The green is long gone and water looks blue. Some nights I'm passing the overnight loss test with a loss of 1.0 ppm. Other nights I fail with a loss of 1.5 ppm. A few days ago I had to go 36 hours between chlorine checks and it only dropped 3.0 ppm in 36 hours. I do have a hint of CC in my results (1 drop of R-0871 is more than enough to turn sample clear again). But my water is not clear. I've been at this point for over 2 weeks now - no green, water looks blue, minimal FC loss, but water won't turn clear. Having trouble trusting the process, lol. Looking for reassurance. So tempted to add Diamond Blue super concentrated water clarifier that I've used in the past. I'm confident it would result in clear water within 12 hours. Why is my water not clearing up? I need to be done and close the pool for the winter ASAP!

Also, I adjusted pH before starting. When do I check pH again? Maybe that's the problem? But I understand you don't get accurate pH readings during SLAM process.

Yes, running pump/filter 24/7 for the last 3.5 weeks. Pressure has not risen above 20% but I've still cleaned the filter once a week (was cleaning it every other day the first week when water was green). Vacuuming and brushing 2 or 3 times a week. There's usually nothing visible to vacuum or brush except a small pile of leaves in the middle. I removed the steps a week ago (there was some very minor algae in the nooks and crannies). There are no lights, steps, or pool toys in the pool. Skimmer and weir door are clean.

kimkats said:

Can you please take and share a pic of the water so we can see what you are working with.

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Here’s a few pics I took today. Thanks!

FYI - the liner bottom has a pattern to it that is visible when the water is clear. Can't see the pattern at all.