My first SLAM

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I feel like I'm losing too much chlorine overnight...what am I doing wrong during the day? I'm testing every couple/few hours and adding as needed. I brush and vac as best I can from outside the pool. Do I need to get in and clean to do a better job? Is that even safe with the baddies growing?
 
CarverGirl said:
feel like I'm losing too much chlorine overnight
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You have to keep in mind, if you don't wake up at you daily testing intervals, you skipped 3 or 4 of them. If there is still stiff left to kill, that's a long time for the chlorone to go to work.

Out of curiosity, did you verify the nightime FC with a test, or just assume the last add of bleach got you to XX FC ?
CarverGirl said:
what am I doing wrong during the day? I'm testing every couple/few hours and adding as needed
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Then you are doing GREAT !!! No matter how bad it may seem, it would be worse if your weren't as vigilant.
CarverGirl said:
Is that even safe with the baddies growing?
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Algae although unsightly is harmless. FC is safe for you and the pool at SLAM level. If it's not too cold you can definitely be more thorough from inside the pool, assuming you aren't 6 foot 3 like me. :)
 
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So, I thought I retested last night to confirm levels but it appears I didn't enter it. All these tests are running together. I will FOR SURE record that final test tonight. On a good note, I'm starting to see the pattern on the floor of the pool. :) Thanks for all your encouragement, Newdude. The good news is I won't be so freaked out during my next SLAM. (Hoping like heck there isn't one, but you know how it goes.)

I will add the DE today since I will be home this afternoon to babysit my pressure readings. Hopefully that helps with the cloudiness a bit. Water temp this morning is 81.1 degrees. I might wait a bit, but I'll probably get in later to clean.

Since we are our tallest in the morning (from gravity flattening us out all night), on my best morning I'm 5'6-1/4". LOL
 
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CarverGirl said:
Since we are our tallest in the morning (from gravity flattening us out all night), on my best morning I'm 5'6-1/4". LOL
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Funny! That last few days before the water clears up seems to take forever. Not sure if it's the excitement of knowing your almost there but it really does take a long time and with a sand filter, even longer. I didn't add the DE to my filter as I didn't have any but it did eventually clear. Now it's crystal clear and we watch FC like a hawk to ensure we don't fall back. I don't think you'll be too much longer now.
 
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Edge70 said:
Now it's crystal clear and we watch FC like a hawk to ensure we don't fall back.
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I love teaching SLAMs for two reasons. First and foremost, it's a crash course in testing/adding and when the time comes to mess with the other levels, it's a joke.

Secondly, most people want to never ever have to SLAM again and will be more diligent than they were prior before we met.
 
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Edge70 said:
Funny!
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It's true, though! That's why people have to adjust their rearview mirrors in the morning and after work. Our spines compress during the day with that same gravity pushing down on our heads. Always get measured as early in the morning as you can if you want to be your tallest. Anyway, sorry....I'm mixing my pool self with my Massage Therapist self. I digress...
 
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@Newdude, all valid points especially the not wanting to do it again! Here's my success photo which happened about a week after I could start seeing the bottom. I think it's even a little clearer now but I think we've reached maximum clarity and it's all about keeping it there. I don't have the rags photo. My daughter does and shows it to her friends for laughs. Wasn't something I wanted to remember LOL. @CarverGirl, you'll be posting something even clear shortly. I have faith :)

IMG_6400.jpg
 
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I think I'll do one more day of my SLAM unless you all see something to keep going. I couldn't test FC after adding chlorine last night because I am too low on R-0871 and it's arriving today. Anyway, I was at 25 this morning with a SLAM target of 28 and .5 CC. The water looks very clear to me.E9A67A58-9C08-45FD-A010-9048563BD1C8.jpeg
 
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You need :

Clear water (check)
CCs of .5 or less (check)
Pass OCLT (confirm tonight)

With all you've been through, I would hold SLAM for a day or even 2 more just to be certainly certain. It's real easy at that point to maintain and given the choice of ending too soon or too late, pick too late everytime. :)
 
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Our ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry article in Pool School is missing one entry, and it's an important one...

POP - pool owner patience

You've done a great job, but as suggested, keep it up another couple of days. I see just a slight bit of haze remaining in that picture. You'll know the TFP sparkle when you see it.
 
Thanks, sounds like good advice, ND and jeff. I also see a slight haze, but it cleared up 95% after getting in and doing a better cleaning yesterday. Hopefully we can get it to sparkle again in the next few days. I wasn't being impatient exactly, just anxious to be done with this...but trust me, I won't rush this process. If I wanted to buy all the chlorine I would probably even do another week just to be sure! I do another day or three and check back in. :cool:
 
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CarverGirl said:
No. It's been turned off during the SLAM.
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A lot of people advise otherwise, but I keep my SWG running during a SLAM unless I'm doing an OCLT. I figure I've already paid for it, why spend more money on chlorine?

Plus from what I understand, the concentration of chlorine within the SWG itself is much higher than the overall level within the pool. To my mind, this can only help to kill algae that much faster.

Just my two cents worth...
 
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Running the SWG during a SLAM can be a bit confusing for the new SLAMmer so TFP doesn't suggest it. Does it save any money? Perhaps, but we know that the SWG has a fairly fixed amount of chlorine it can produce so running it at high percentages burns it up a little bit quicker.

So mainly for newbie simplicity, TFP suggests to SLAM your pool with the SWG off. Then, when your OCLT finishes up the SLAM you can't forget to turn off the SWG because you already had it off! :)
 
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