I can't get any free chlorine for the slam

[Pchase]

I started a thread the other day about the test kit, but now it's more of a straight on SLAM process so thought I would move it over here.
Question about FC reading in Taylor K-2006 test

Pool: 45,000 gal vinyl liner
CYA - 50 (from prior test)
TA - 120
PH - 7.6
CH - 200

Two nights ago, I did a target dump (11 gallons of 8.25%) for a FC of 20, did it again in the morning.

By the evening I had
FC-1
CC-8

I added another 11 gallons of 8.25%, waited 1 1/2 hours and now have this:
FC - 0
CC - 11

I just went through $100 of bleach in 24 hours and am sitting on 0 FC with a steadily rising CC.

Any ideas?

 

[cowboycasey]

you have some ammonia going on and you have a huge pool

you would probably do better getting 10% pool shock liquid chlorine from walmart, you will use less and cost less at 2.50 a gallon.. HASA may be cheaper but I am not sure, it is 12.5% http://www.hasapool.com/dealer_locator_hasa.php

bleach like you are already using will work you just have to use more...

if you use the 10% dump 9 gallons in and wait 30 minutes and test again
if no FC dump another 9 gallons in until your FC goes up and starts holding

once you have FC holding the CC will start going down bring to SLAM level of 20fc

I hope this helps

 

[Pchase]

you have some ammonia going on and you have a huge pool

you would probably do better getting 10% pool shock liquid chlorine from walmart, you will use less and cost less at 2.50 a gallon.. HASA may be cheaper but I am not sure, it is 12.5% http://www.hasapool.com/dealer_locator_hasa.php

bleach like you are already using will work you just have to use more...

if you use the 10% dump 9 gallons in and wait 30 minutes and test again
if no FC dump another 9 gallons in until your FC goes up and starts holding

once you have FC holding the CC will start going down bring to SLAM level of 20fc

I hope this helps

I have an aquarium test kit and just tested NH3 at around 2-3 ppm. Nitrates are also reading about 10-15 ppm.

I'm guessing I need to burn off that NH3 before FC will rise. I probably need to figure out how much on that end. I'll also pull another full test in the morning to see if there are any effects on CYA, PH, and TA.

 

[pooldv]

Yes, it is a little more prevalent this year for some reason. Add FC up to 10ppm, brush and test in 10 min. If it drops below 5 ppm repeat until FC holds up around 10 and then resume SLAM.

 

[Pchase]

Yes, it is a little more prevalent this year for some reason. Add FC up to 10ppm, brush and test in 10 min. If it drops below 5 ppm repeat until FC holds up around 10 and then resume SLAM.

Thanks.

I found some old posts that had a conversion of around 10:1 from FC to NH3. It also talked about CYA converting to NH3, so it would be interesting to see what that level is now. So at 2-3 ppm another 20-30 of free chlorine. Would expect 2-3 rounds of this to start working toward SLAM. I wish I had pulled this to start. Was probably around 6-7 ppm and may have considered draining things down a bit.

 

[duraleigh]

I am going to leave this thread alone since it would be even more confusing now, but you should keep your info under one thread. The responses get confusing to those of us who respond to a lot of posts. Many times, your second thread is skipped because we think we have already answered your first thread and it was the only one.

It's a little hard to explain but frequent responders don'e look at the forum the same way most OP's do. Just as a reminder, it is almost NEVER a good idea to start a new thread when you are in the middle of an old one.

 

[Pchase]

you have some ammonia going on and you have a huge pool

you would probably do better getting 10% pool shock liquid chlorine from walmart, you will use less and cost less at 2.50 a gallon.. HASA may be cheaper but I am not sure, it is 12.5% http://www.hasapool.com/dealer_locator_hasa.php

bleach like you are already using will work you just have to use more...

if you use the 10% dump 9 gallons in and wait 30 minutes and test again
if no FC dump another 9 gallons in until your FC goes up and starts holding

once you have FC holding the CC will start going down bring to SLAM level of 20fc

I hope this helps

I think the NH3 is the answer and I'm still in pre-slam mode. Here is the update.

I went ahead and took the opportunity without any FC to go ahead and vacuum to waste. I got everything cleaned up pretty good and dropped about 7,000 gallons out. I also went to WalMart and got 25 bottles of 10%. I re-tested and starting out had the following:

NH3: 2 ppm
FC: 0
CC: 3.5
PH: 7.2
TA: 120
CYA: 60
CH: 300

My feed water has high TA and with the low PH and room to spare, I went ahead and put on my aerators. The pool is also filling right now. I then dumped in 4 bottles of 8.25% and 5 bottles of 9%.

After an hour:
FC: 0
CC: 4.5
NH3: 0.5

Just dumped in another 9 gallons of 10% and hopefully it will finish off the ammonia and I can start the SLAM.

 

[Pchase]

Right on schedule. After an hour I first tested ammonia. ZERO!!!!


Next,
FC=5.5
CC = 0


Time to start the SLAM. I'm going to target FC=22 as the fill water should drop CYA into the low 50s.

And it only took 55 bottles of bleach for that initial FC of 5.5. Maybe an opening test for NH3 is a good idea to add for a pre-SLAM procedure.

 

[jblizzle]

Leave the pH at 7.2 for now, that is good for the SLAM.

You do not need to wait an hour, 10 minutes should be enough.

 

[cowboycasey]

Right on schedule. After an hour I first tested ammonia. ZERO!!!!


Next,
FC=5.5
CC = 0


Time to start the SLAM. I'm going to target FC=22 as the fill water should drop CYA into the low 50s.

And it only took 55 bottles of bleach for that initial FC of 5.5. Maybe an opening test for NH3 is a good idea to add for a pre-SLAM procedure.

YAY, that ammonia sure sucks when it happens, if only we could bottle it and sell it to people with high CYA

 

[jblizzle]

No need for an ammonia test. Your first FC and CC test after adding bleach will let you know if that is a problem.

You could have cleared it much quicker by testing and dosing every 10 minutes.

 

[Pchase]

No need for an ammonia test. Your first FC and CC test after adding bleach will let you know if that is a problem.

You could have cleared it much quicker by testing and dosing every 10 minutes.

I don't think I could carry from the car and pour fast enough. But your right, I could have saved a few days knowing what I had. If I could have bought a 55-gallon barrel, that would have been perfect.

The nice thing about an ammonia test is it let's you know what you are in for and gives you a target and lets you see progress. I found some old posts by ChemGeek talking about it and had some basic conversions. So when I started this morning, I was looking at about a round and a half to clear it and that's right where it was at. It was nice to see it drop to 0.5 after the first round knowing the next dose would get things going. If I had taken it before starting and seen 8 ppm, I may have drained and filled a bit to bring it down.