Help - Need to Slam, want to make sure I understand everything

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Got my test kit

FC - 0
CC - 0
TA - 100
CH - think i screwed up, have to try tomorrow
CYA - 0? It was a bit later in the evening so not sunny, and water never seemed to want to cover the dot at all, even when full...In the past 3 months I've done 2 partial drains (one maybe 1/3, the other maybe 1/2) so that could make sense....
PH - 8.3, top of the scales.

Seems like I should get some stabilizer to get CYA up and acid to get PH down first, right? I figure I'll start the SLAM this weekend since I can't really monitor much during the day since I work.

Does my CYA fit with how my test went? water didn't seem cloudy ever at all....
 
Please update your location as climate is an important factor when we are helping you with your pool, more here, Pool School - Getting Started

Yes, add 30ppm of CYA/stabilizer and adjust PH to 7.2 and start SLAMing. Since your PH is off the scale it might take several additions for it to show up. Add muriatic acid with the pump running and test again after 15-20 minutes. No reason to wait til the weekend. I would start now to get it going and then hit it hard over the weekend.
 
Yes, cya test seemed fine and 0.

Click settings upper right, edit profile lower left, type in location, click save bottom right. That way it will show up over there <------- on every post and we won't have to look for it.
 
I just read through and wanted to say welcome to TFP! You're going to be so glad you found this place!

Just a little encouragement :
You're getting ready to SLAM which requires a lot of testing and paying attention to the pool.
Don't let it get you down! Once your SLAM is complete and you're ready to move on to regular maintenance you'll be surprised just how easy it is and how little effort it takes. Once you get to know your pool and it's "habits" it really is easy to take care of.

Yes it will require a bit more attention than you were used to giving it but the difference in water quality and enjoyment is going to be significant.
No more worries about waking up to a mess or spending a bunch of money at the pool store to fix the problem of the week.

You'll see. It's so nice to wake up and look out at a crystal clear pool and know that you did that and you know how to keep it that way.

Welcome again and happy slamming!
 
MarianParoo said:
If you're inbetween on measuring your stabilizer, go lower, rather than higher. All we really know for sure is that your CYA is less than 20 as that is as low as the kit tests.

Yes, please update your location and signature too!
Click to expand...

For CYA probably safe to add the amount for 30 (cause then it'd be under 50 max and that'd be ok).

What else do I need in signature? I inherited the pool. I can look up my pump type, but it's a new variable speed Hayward that got installed when the old pump died completely.

Beens said:
I just read through and wanted to say welcome to TFP! You're going to be so glad you found this place!

Just a little encouragement :
You're getting ready to SLAM which requires a lot of testing and paying attention to the pool.
Don't let it get you down! Once your SLAM is complete and you're ready to move on to regular maintenance you'll be surprised just how easy it is and how little effort it takes. Once you get to know your pool and it's "habits" it really is easy to take care of.

Yes it will require a bit more attention than you were used to giving it but the difference in water quality and enjoyment is going to be significant.
No more worries about waking up to a mess or spending a bunch of money at the pool store to fix the problem of the week.

You'll see. It's so nice to wake up and look out at a crystal clear pool and know that you did that and you know how to keep it that way.

Welcome again and happy slamming!
Click to expand...

Thanks. Picking stuff up on my way home (Bleach, stabilizer, and muriatic acid). For the sock to put it in, does Walmart usually have something in their pool section? Or would i have to go to a pool store?

Figure I'll try and get my PH down and stabilizer in tonight.

Can I start SLAM even though I won't be able to pay a ton of attention due to work? I can check a few times in evenings, but mornings can be rough with a 18 month old lol Can't guarantee I'd be able to keep the FC above the slam level all the time, but over the weekend I should be able to be way more attentive. Just don't want to waste chlorine if it's not effective.
 
Nope. Mine was just a cotton tube sock type sock. I put cya in it and tied it in a knot and tied it to the edge of the pool so it was "blowing" in the return flow of water.

You can reach in and squeeze it every time you feel like it to help it dissolve more quickly. It sort of makes a cloud when you squeeze it. :)
 

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pool dimensions: 30 ft long, 14.5 feet wide, 5ft deep.

The 5 ft is the deepest, and at the shallow end there's built in steps and then it gradually gets shallower. It's a pill shaped pool.

My guess was 12,000ish gallons using some online calculators, is that a good thing to go with?
 
MarianParoo said:
How deep is the water in the shallow end?
Click to expand...

I'd have to measure again, but after the steps probably like 2-3 feet or something.

So, I've done the following (and the pool is dark green, so will probably take time).

Last night I added 3 128oz 8.5% chlorine bottles that were in my garage for a few weeks. Then tested 2ish hours later and my FC was 5, so I added 3 more.

Tested this morning and FC was .5 (shoulda tested CC as well, but was in a rush), so I added 2 128 oz bottles of 10% chlorine I got 2 days ago from Walmart.

I'll test when I get home, but I'm guessing that my FC drops so much just because it's very green and using up the chlorine? Should I double my dosing (like 4 bottles next time?)? Seems impossible to keep it above Shock Level, but that's probably just because of all the algae, right?

**I did do the PH and CYA as I said before...the sock was fairly empty last night, so I think it's getting in the water, maybe it'll take a few days for my FC levels to hold as that settles too?**
 
mgoblue said:
I'd have to measure again, but after the steps probably like 2-3 feet or something.

So, I've done the following (and the pool is dark green, so will probably take time).

Last night I added 3 128oz 8.5% chlorine bottles that were in my garage for a few weeks. Then tested 2ish hours later and my FC was 5, so I added 3 more.

Tested this morning and FC was .5 (shoulda tested CC as well, but was in a rush), so I added 2 128 oz bottles of 10% chlorine I got 2 days ago from Walmart.

I'll test when I get home, but I'm guessing that my FC drops so much just because it's very green and using up the chlorine? Should I double my dosing (like 4 bottles next time?)? Seems impossible to keep it above Shock Level, but that's probably just because of all the algae, right?

**I did do the PH and CYA as I said before...the sock was fairly empty last night, so I think it's getting in the water, maybe it'll take a few days for my FC levels to hold as that settles too?**
Click to expand...

you don't mention it, but are you testing your FC 30 minutes after you add it? are you sure you are ever getting to SLAM level?? you are going to need to test and add more bleach more regularly at first. make sure you test 30 minutes after to confirm you have hit the correct level. you can overshoot a few ppm as well
 
DaninFLA said:
you don't mention it, but are you testing your FC 30 minutes after you add it? are you sure you are ever getting to SLAM level?? you are going to need to test and add more bleach more regularly at first. make sure you test 30 minutes after to confirm you have hit the correct level. you can overshoot a few ppm as well
Click to expand...

Yeah, I tested 1 1/2 to 2 hours after, wasn't able to sooner. I'll try tonight (and definitely over the weekend when i'm home more) to test every 30 minutes. If I'm able to do that, should it only be a night or so where it's really constant, if i'm able to get it up to SLAM, and then the FC doesn't drop as fast? I know it's not an exact science, but just wondering. Hard to monitor like crazy when I'm slammed at work and then have my stuff to do at home otherwise.

Also, since this was evening/night, I'm assuming i wouldn't be losing chlorine to sunlight, so it's just the algae using it up. Which is why I need to get to SLAM level and stay there for an hour, right? That'll actually kill the algae and should make things easier.
 
mgoblue said:
Yeah, I tested 1 1/2 to 2 hours after, wasn't able to sooner. I'll try tonight (and definitely over the weekend when i'm home more) to test every 30 minutes. If I'm able to do that, should it only be a night or so where it's really constant, if i'm able to get it up to SLAM, and then the FC doesn't drop as fast? I know it's not an exact science, but just wondering. Hard to monitor like crazy when I'm slammed at work and then have my stuff to do at home otherwise.

Also, since this was evening/night, I'm assuming i wouldn't be losing chlorine to sunlight, so it's just the algae using it up. Which is why I need to get to SLAM level and stay there for an hour, right? That'll actually kill the algae and should make things easier.
Click to expand...

you don't need to test every 30 minutes, but you should test 30 minutes after you add your bleach/chlorine to confirm you are reaching the correct FC. if you are not, then your bleach is old and not the correct % strength and/or your pool volume is off. if you need to be at say FC of 15, but you are only testing when you are at 3 and then adding enough bleach to get to 15, but really only hitting 11 then you have to add more to get to 15. only way to know that is if you test 30 minutes after you add your bleach/chlorine. after that, then you can wait 2 hours or so to retest and add more chlorine. at that point you will also know for sure that adding X amount of bleach will raise your FC by X amount. until confirmed you are guessing

as far as your second question, yes, the FC loss overnight is due to algae. but you are not holding the level for an hour, you need to hold your FC levels until the SLAM is complete. if you have visible algae, its gonna take a few days a minimum. the idea is to keep your FC level at SLAM level the ENTIRE time
 
DaninFLA said:
you don't need to test every 30 minutes, but you should test 30 minutes after you add your bleach/chlorine to confirm you are reaching the correct FC. if you are not, then your bleach is old and not the correct % strength and/or your pool volume is off. if you need to be at say FC of 15, but you are only testing when you are at 3 and then adding enough bleach to get to 15, but really only hitting 11 then you have to add more to get to 15. only way to know that is if you test 30 minutes after you add your bleach/chlorine. after that, then you can wait 2 hours or so to retest and add more chlorine. at that point you will also know for sure that adding X amount of bleach will raise your FC by X amount. until confirmed you are guessing

as far as your second question, yes, the FC loss overnight is due to algae. but you are not holding the level for an hour, you need to hold your FC levels until the SLAM is complete. if you have visible algae, its gonna take a few days a minimum. the idea is to keep your FC level at SLAM level the ENTIRE time
Click to expand...

Yeah, just hard when I'm at work or sleeping, it's bound to drop below that level. I'll make sure it's up above that tonight though, and then test again 2 hours later and add more as needed.
 

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