I have been doing a slam attempting to get a 3 yr neglect pool back up

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Crackerjack4u

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TFP Guide
Jul 17, 2015
1,134
Kentucky
Hello All,

My pool had been uncovered, and untouched for 3 years. The inside was a disgusting, slimy, algae invested swamp. After about a truckload of dead rotting leaves, etc. was removed, I began Slamming the pool on 7/18 with the help of the people on this site.

The pool is looking A LOT better, but I have been shocking at higher levels per suggestions d/t my being disabled, and having to make less checks than usual slammers, yet the pool still remains cloudy. I originally upped FC to 17 and ran that a few days, and have been running my FC right at 22 to decrease my checks even further d/t further medical issues. I increased to 22 when my CYA went from 30 to 40, and have been running that level for the past few days. The pool has been being brushed 2x's daily, and vacuumed daily with very little remaining debris being removed, pool has been being maintained at SLAM level. The pump has been running 24/7, except when a pump malfunction required it to be shut off, and repaired, also requiring a lot of water to have to be replaced d/t leakage.

Current levels are: FC-22, CC-.5 (probably actually lower because sample is just barely pink), TA-40, pH-7.2 (prior to slam), CH-100, CYA-40 (I have within the past week because of a leak causing me to slowly lose water daily, and then recently causing me to lose 4-6" over night, approx. 80% of the water has had to be replaced. Also, the entire piece that has the multiport valve on top of it was replaced,and new sand was added at that time too.

Here are my questions: Is it possible the algae I am trying to kill off is actually Mustard Algae, and that's why I can't seem to get the pool to get uncloudy?

Is it cloudy from all the stuff I put in before starting even though so much water has had to be replaced?

I looked at a lot of pics online of mustard algae, and some look very much like what mine looked like, but I'm not certain.

Should I actually increase my FC level to the 23.8 or above range necessary to kill Mustard Algae as per the CL/CYA chart to see if that takes care of the issue?

Should I continue to run the high FC levels I've been running, or should I decrease back down to a FC of 17 to prevent liner, and accessory damage?

I'm kind of at a stand still right now, and not sure which direction I need to head from here, or if I just need to give it more time to clear the pool.

Here is a link below to the pic of the algae I had in there before beginning Slam, but when the pic was taken it was after I had already poured in a lot of algaecide, Calcium Hypo, dichlor, trichlor, clarifier, etc. Because to be honest, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing at that time.

The algae pic is at the bottom of this link page.- http://www.troublefreepool.com/thre...-for-letting-me-join-your-awesome-group/page4

Does that look like Mustard Algae to you?

LOL I still have little clue what I'm doing, as I'm sure you can tell, but I'm am learning more, and more every day thanks to the TFP site, and all the wonderful people here who are always willing to steer me in the right direction. If I don't know anything else, I know not to use those "Bad chemicals" in my pool anymore. Thanks for any suggestions you might have, and have a wonderful day!!!
 
With your CYA at 40, 16 ppm FC is enough to kill algae. I would say that what you're waiting on now is your filter catching all the dead algae and remaining particulates, which can take quite some time with a sand filter. As long as you're maintaining 16 FC or slightly above, any remaining algae will continue to perish and will allow your pool to clear. How often are you backwashing now? Is the pressure rising on your filter much? Keep on circulating and keeping things stirred up as much as possible to help the filter catch everything.

Have you tried an OCLT yet? How much FC are you losing between doses?

You can also try adding DE to your sand filter, which can sometimes speed up the end of the SLAM process with a sand filter. See: Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter
 
+1^. You are likely on your way to a clear pool. Keep brushing, filtering, and backwashing. Doing the OCLT will tell you if you are done with the SLAM. You are almost done, just a little while longer. Good job!
 
I had the exact same situation. Lots of dead algae and cloudy water that was clearing up very, very slowly. I followed the advice to keep my FC at SLAM levels and add some DE to my filter. That cleared up the cloudy water in just a few days.

Once I had the DE in there I had to backwash and add new DE every few hours because it was catching so much more gunk. So make sure to do it when you have time to be around to monitor it.

Good luck!
 
Thank you all for the info.

JVtrain-

OK I'll drop my FC back down to the 17 that I was running. I read today on here that anything above the SLam level FC that is added , ie) above 16-17, is wasted chlorine anyway that the sun will rapidly remove anyway. Did I understand that correctly?

As far as Backwashing, I backwashed 2 hours after the filter was restarted yesterday with the new parts, and new sand because LOL I just had to know how well it was working, and WOW, the amount of stuff picked up was unbelievable in comparison to what I'd been getting with the Old part, and the old sand. The pressure does rise accurately on this when backwashing is needed (my old pressure gauge that I replaced yesterday, not so accurate sometimes).

As far as backwashing the only other time I've had to do a backwash was after this morning's vacuuming. At the time the pressure had gone up by about 8, and the backwash reveal some algae, but noting like yesterday after the new sand initial 2 hours pump period.

Also I read somewhere, (not sure where), that sand that is slightly dirty in a sand filter actually cleans better then clean sand. Is this also accurate?

JV I have read the article on DE and asked some questions about it too because all I had here was food grade and everyone was like OH NOOO, don't use that kind, lol so I haven't tried DE in it yet, and am really hoping it will just go on with it's bad self, clear up, and be done with on it's own. Here's to hoping lol.

Thanks for the DE info Boko because I may end up having to add DE-LOL NOT FOOD GRADE, to get this process completed.

As far as OCLT-The FC does hold within range overnight, but the CC will occasionally jump back to 1-1.5ppm when it finds something else in there to grab hold of (but it's not done that for a couple nights now so I think about all the yuck is out of there, finally

As, F3 said, I'm very close that's why with the continued waiting and shocking (even at extended intervals with high levels ) I was like good grief, come on already.

I will check OCLT again in the morning too to see how it holds overnight.

ALSO, can someone Please let me know if I am understanding OCLT properly, -

1)In order to fully pass the OCLT, In addition to my FC dropping less than 1ppm over night, and my CC-being .5, or less, the water does in fact have to also already be CLEAR in order for me to Stop slamming too, is this correct?
OR
2) Is the algae dead already as reflected by the numbers holding at appropriate levels over night, and if I passed the 1st 2, I can go ahead and allow my numbers to start slowly coming back down, and the water will clear more as the numbers fall?

I think it's #1, if I understand it correctly. I don't want to prematurely jump the gun, and do Anything incorrect that could allow a regrowth, or a backslide at this critical stage of the process.

Thank you all again for your help, it is truly appreciated. Have A Wonderful Night.
 
I used to have a sand filter before I got my quad DE, and I can tell you from experience that it takes a lot longer to clear a cloudy pool with sand. As the other posters have indicated, adding some DE will help the filtration effectiveness, but will also require you to backwash more frequently. With a lot of algae in the water, I would not leave the filter uncleaned for very long since the algae stuck in the filter will add to your chlorine demand and ultimately take you longer to clear the pool. Keep backwashing & adding more DE, vacuuming, brushing and with a steady FCL at SLAM levels you should have it cleared up soon.
 
My levels before daylight were holding steady FC17, CC.5. SO those 2 things have been met but still waiting for it to become clear.

I did just now find some DE at one of the I'm going to say it, (Pool Stores). So, I'm getting ready to start slowly adding it in there shortly, using the directions in the Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter post that JV Train linked to me yesterday. Thanks again for the link JVTrain, hopefully the DE will clear it right up. I'll let you all know, thanks for the help.
 
OH MY GOODNESS!!! What a mess adding DE to my sand filter for the 1st time was.

My Initial PSI was at 13 after I backwashed prior to adding the DE.

I slowly added the 1/4 cup diluted in water DE through the skimmer without my knee high in there (that I use as a skimmer sock), as instructed.

Then I began my 2 min wait for it to stabilize, watching the gauge the entire time. In the 2 mins I watched it go not from 13 to 14, but from 13 to 15, I thought ok it's not stabilized yet I keep watching it to stabilize back down to 14. Nope, it continued to rise within 5 mins of adding the diluted 1/4 cup of DE it rose from 13 to 18 PSI, and was headed towards the 20 PSI mark. I'm thinking I know this can't be "normal" for t to do that. Well it answered my question for me as at that point it just stopped putting out any water from the return line at all. So I shut it off, of course, as to not risk burning up my pump. LOL I was at the point that I suspected it was not going to stabilize anyway at that point, especially with no water pumping through it.

So I thought, Ok I've got to backwash this stuff back out of here before it seizes my pump completely up. Well as I mentioned in another post the other day, my waste hose consists of several hose pieces put together, instead of being one long solid hose. Well LOL that went over like a ton of bricks, as apparently that's what was trying to be backwashed out of my pump at that time. I attempted to start the backwash, and one section blew apart, I duct taped it back together, then the next blew apart lol piece after piece, all the way down to the end of my waste hose. After every piece was duct taped Again (because they were already taped then entire time I've been using it for waste, and I've not had any major problems with them until this), I thought alright now maybe I can get this backwash completed now.

LOL Nope, since it couldn't push any other hose parts in two now, it just decided to blow the entire hose section off the waste port where it connects to the pump itself. Needless to say, water went everywhere. I was completely covered in water, DE, and whatever else was spewing out of there. (oh and DE doesn't burn as bad as they say it does but it could be because what I got hit with was so diluted).

Anyway, After the big blow out it did start back washing correctly again. I did a thorough backwash, rinse, and set it back to filter. It is again currently pumping without issues at 13 PSI. I have no clue if there is or isn't any DE left in it, but I'm still not taking any chances, I keep checking the gauge every few mins because I saw first hand how fast the PSI can climb in a very short period of time. Luckily I continued watching the gauges after the 2 min mark, or I most likely would have a burnt up pump right now.

I'd still love to have the cleaning abilities that the DE can provide in my sand filter, but certainly not like this.

I'm not certain if this happened because of the new sand, or because there was so much junk in the filter that the DE immediately bound to it, if maybe I didn't dilute it enough, or poured it faster than I should have, or ????

I won't swear that I won't try adding DE again, but 1st off I will have a solid waste line/hose- (lol no section hoses screwed together then duct taped), the part it hooks to will be extended out away from the pump and ME, and will be firmly clamped in place. 1/4 cup diluted DE certainly won't be added to start because it is apparently too much for my filter, lol my filter doesn't like it. If I do use it again, I will start the amount very very low, the time it is being added will be very, very slow, and I move up from there. I can always add to it but once it's in there you're pretty much up the creek, lol especially if your stupid hoses keep blowing apart from the pressure.

Another thing I'm curious about that could be the culprit is:
Does anyone know what size sand filter the add 1/4 c diluted DE to start, wait, then add 1/4 c, wait, repeat, until PSI raises by one (which usually take 1-2 cups of DE), calculated from? (My filter holds 100 pounds of sand, I'm not sure what size filter the 1/4 cup diluted DE to start was based off of, or if that would even make a difference, but I know there are much larger sand filters than mine out there, and I'm curious if that could be have been the issue)?

Anyway, I just wanted to bring the issues I had to everyone's attention, and let them know the things that can happen, because they happened to me.

I also want to see if anyone has any suggestions, or pointers to prevent further issues should I attempt using DE again. If I don't use it, I'm not sure what I'll end up doing with the rest of the 25 pounds, lol I suppose only time will tell. Thank you all for your help, and suggestions.
 

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By the way, you were nowhere near burning up your pump. Your backwash pipe/tube/hose/connectors sound like they were too restrictive to allow for a proper backwash and possibly there was a blockage in that line that cleared by blowing the whole thing apart. Suggest you give it a good 2 minute backwash and add DE again, maybe half that amount to start with. You have a lot of dead algae and other particulate in your water and your filter pressure will build quickly. Get used to it until your water is clear. You may need many back washes to keep the clear the filter periodically.
 
Thank you gtemkin for the info.

I'm very glad to know, that even though no water was coming out of the return line, I wasn't going to burn my pump up, that makes me feel safer attempting to repeat the DE process using a lower start amount, and going up from there. I agree, from what everyone has told me, a pool that won't clear after 2 of the OCLT perimeters are met, adding DE to the filter can be very beneficial in catching all the little particles that sand can't, and this should then allow me to achieve that 3rd perimeter and be able to stop Slamming.

The waste hose is 1 1/2 inch just like the pool hoses, but instead of it being just one long continuous 40 Ft hose, it is about (20), 2 foot sections that kind of screw into one another, but lol apparently they don't stay that way under high pressure backwashes.

I plan on getting one of the flat vinyl waste hoses tomorrow (they are flat when I'm not backwashing, and then they are not flat when water is going to waste through it). I recently had a water leak through the waste line that went undetected causing me to lose 4-6" of water overnight, so the flat hose will also help prevent that from happening because if there's any water going through it at all, the hose will not be flat, so it will be more noticeable of a leak becomes present. I do plan on eventually going all PVC as to not have to mess with hoses at all except to vacuum. I'll post how the repeat DE attempt goes tomorrow. I'm so looking forward to a Clear Pool. Thank you again, and have a wonderful night.
 
That's good to hear pabeader. I hope it does do well in there. Actually the pool looked a little clearer late this afternoon when I went out to check the FC level. We also had a thunderstorm with a lot of rain this afternoon, so I don't know if some of the DE was still in the pump causing it to filter better, if the heavy rain we had pushed everything to the bottom making it appear clearer, or a combination of both, but something made it look clearer. I'm curious to see what it looks like in the morning, and hopefully it won't be much longer until it's completely clear. Have a nice night.
 
The pool this morning looks the same as yesterday, I still can't see the bottom. Levels this morning remain stable at FC-17, CC-.5 with no overnight drops.

I did in fact add DE again this morning as suggested without any major mishaps. Whooo Hooo, go me!!! LOL

It took about 1/4th less than 1/4cup of DE, or 3/4 of 1/4 cup of DE to raise the PSI by one. (The process I used to complete it today was: I added 1/8th of a cup to approx. 2 1/2 gallons of water, stirred well to dissolve, and poured that diluted DE into the skimmer about 1 cup at a time, while watching the gauge for rise. I waited about 1-2 mins between each pour to ensure no drastic jump occurred again. After the 1st 1/8th of a cup was in, and had stabilized, I then added an additional 1/16th of a cup of diluted DE the same way as above to get my PSI increased by 1).

I do have a question about the PSI now though: About the 1st hour that the DE was in the PSI remained stable at 14, (up from initial 13 PSI before DE being added), But after about an hour with it in there the PSI actually Dropped back down to the original 13. I'm not sure why this happened, but when it does that should I just continue to run it with what DE is in it, until it needs to be backwashed, Or should I add more DE at that time to raise the rate back up to 14 again?

Thanks for your help. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the pool will be clear soon. Have A Wonderful Day!!!
 
You might even what to put a little more DE in the same way. You might want to check your skimmer sock and any other prefilter you may have inline before your filter. When these get clogged, you can see a pressure drop. Check for stuff in your pump basket area, too.
 
Thank you for the info pabeader. I'm going to do a backwash on it here shortly anyway, so I'll actually do another test phase on the DE (instead of just adding what I used this morning), to ensure I am adding enough in there, yet not adding too much. I also now have one complete waste hose instead of 20 sections, so that hopefully will be a lot better too.

I did check my knee high pantyhose that I use in the skimmer basket, it had a little stuff in it, but nothing major, and everything else looked clean. The pressure did in fact eventually bring itself back up to 14 PSI so, I don't know if it did that because of what it's collecting in there, or if whatever caused the drop down just unblocked or whatever? With me having new sand in the pump, is it possible the sand could be shifting some too causing a slight pressure change?


I also have a couple of questions, but they are about my SLAM in general. My levels have been holding overnight, at 6:30 AM I added a gallon of 10% liquid shock to hold the stable rate because of the sun.

I just checked it (3 hours later) at 9:30 AM, and my rate is still where I want it, so I added a Half Gallon this time to see at what level it will hold me at because of the sun.

When the FC level is exactly where you want it how much Liquid Shock/Bleach should actually be added to maintain/hold that rate because of the sun?

(I actually ran out of reagents early on in the SLAM process, and had to do blind Liquid Shock adds for about 3 days. My 1st TFP helper Texas Splash in my Introduction Post said that we've kind of seen a pattern during the testing and to just stick with that during the blind adds too. So just add a gallon every 3 hours and that should pull you through until the reagents arrive to check the exact numbers, which worked out perfectly. Also "But at the very least, 1 gallon won't hurt anything based on your pool size and the condition of your water. At the very worse, if your FC started to hold better, you might have a slightly higher FC level by the time your kit (R-0871 refill) arrives, but it's better than being too low." ) This advice had me right on my numbers when the reagents finally arrived, so it was definitely great advice.

But I'm just curious if there is a way to calculate to know exactly, or is it kind of a hit and miss thing depending on your pool size, direct or indirect sunlight, rain, etc., and I just have to learn what works for my pool?

During the day, when levels are stable, I've been adding a gallon every time, and my levels at the 3 hour checkpoint, are generally right where I want them to be, but if less than a gallon will get me the same results, then of course, I'd rather use the least amount necessary.

Also, say for example I want the pool to hold for 6 hours instead of just 3 hours, will adding 2 gallons get me there, or will the sun burn up the higher amount of chlorine at a faster rate? I was running at 22 to be able to not have to test as often, and JvTrain told me to bring it back down because 16 ppm with a CYA of 40 is all that I needed to kill the algae.

(I also read in a post somewhere on TFP site that any chlorine added above Slam level is actually just wasted chlorine. lol or something similar to that. Is that correct?)

I know a gallon will hold it for 3 hours, but not sure if anything less will, and I'm afraid I'll drop it below my SLAM level. With the half gallon add I'll check it in about an hour and 1/2 -(that would be the half way mark of my normal 1gallon/3 hour to see where the level is at that time.)

Anyway, sorry about all the questions, I'm just trying to figure out how all this works. Thank you, and Have A Wonderful Day!!!
 
so i've been wondering this question..you put the DE in your *POOL* skimmer basket, not the pump basket correct?

it would make its way to the sand filter regardless..but if you open the lid on the pump basket you have to have the pump off.

i bought some DE but was hesitant to try it out until i was sure about the process and where to insert it.
 
nyvram, as pabeader said, the "pool skimmer" is the one you need to pour it into with the pump running on filter setting.

Start low, pour slow, and watch your gauge. I never thought 1/4 cup would be too much for mine, so as it was rising the 1st time I tried it, I assumed that was "normal" because I wasn't even close to the 1 or 2 cup mark yet, so I thought it would stabilize back down but nope it just kept rising.

So once your gauge increases by 1 PSI, even if it happens after the 1st tiny bit is added, stop pouring, and wait to see if it stays there, or drops back down.
If it stays there just set what's left in a safe place for the next time.

If the number on the gauge drops back down, continue to slowly add a little more, wait a min or so, add a little more, wait a min or so, until it raises by 1 PSI. Also be sure when your adding it to stir what's still in your bucket with a stick, or something, each time before adding the next little amount because it does tend to settle on the bottom of the bucket, and around the edges.

Today went much better on the technique, and the DE in there really does seem to clean well. I could actually see my vac hose about 2 ft under the water today.

The 1st time I added the DE in this morning the amount I used yesterday was about right (see above post for how much), but the next time I added it, the amount was again too much, so I stopped pouring it in, and set the rest aside for after the next backwash.

LOL we can't get the stupid rain to stop long enough this Summer to get too much accomplished, and I think with you being in Franklin, which is South/West of us, you all have had more storms then we have.

I did get to try out my new flat waste hose today, and I'm not sure as far as using it for waste that I'm going to like it because it has a tendency to curl up like birthday streamers when not in use, then you have to turn the pump to waste without it being turned on, go straighten up all the curls out of it because it pinches it off, then go back, and start the filter so it's really going to be a pain I think. It starts out flat, and then fills up like a 50ft long water balloon when it has water going into it.

BUT one good thing did come out of having that particular hose today, and that is it's also a tattle tale. It told me that when my waste hose is down in the dependent position water is still slowly leaking out of my waste hose even with the whole new Multiport value part on it. To stop that with the waste hose being flat vinyl when the water is pushed out of it, I just spun it around and around like the top of a bread bag at the top where it comes out of the pump, tied a bow in it under that, and propped it up on a high back chair above the level of the pump, until I can figure out what the heck is going on with it. I might actually put a clothes pin on it tomorrow to keep it closed off since I don't have a shut off there yet. I'm just curious as to why the new MPV is leaking out the waste hose too. I also wonder how many people have this issue with their MPV too, and aren't even aware of it. Have a nice night!
 

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