A Canadian Please and Thank you!!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Hi again, here is the latest update, yesterday FC: 11, CC 0.5, topped it up to 12, this morning, FC: 12, CC 0.5, water still somewhat foggy though I started to see the drain in the deep end bottom. There also seems to be much less dirt coming out overall. Hopefully one or two days to clear.

I have been trying without success to find some guidance on what happens next once the water fully clears and we pass the overnight test and SLAM is officially complete. Do I then just complete a full set of tests and adjust chemicals to recommended levels and just keep monitor and adjust going forward? Or do I have to wait for FC to go down first and then perform the tests and adjust?

Also, when is it safe to start using the pool? The girls are dying to jump in.

Last question, I read about adding Borats and it seems like a good thing to do. Should I be doing this next before adjusting all? My understanding is that it raises TA somewhat so thought might be better to do before anything else.

Thanks!!
 
When the water is clear, the FC is above minimum but below SLAM levels for your CYA level, and the Ph is between 7.2 and 7.8, it's safe to go in.

Don't touch borates until you've had a chance to get the water in balance, and to get your TA lowered as well. For now, focus on letting the FC come down, and then let's look at your full test results once that's happened and see what the next step is.
 
Thanks Triptyx! Appreciate the advice. I will forget about the borates for now.

To clarify, my min FC is 2, SLAM FC is 12 (CYA is 30), for both swimming in the water and for testing, is any level below 12 good enough. For example is FC of 10 or 11 good enough for swimming and for testing? This is of course assuming SLAM has already completed.

I am asking because my kids are really hoping they can play in the pool this weekend and I expect that SLAM will complete on Saturday or Sunday.
 
Get FC below 10 for testing - the Ph test is known to read inaccurately above 10 FC. Since you're not sure about your Ph, I might hold off swimming until it's below 10 and you can get a good Ph reading (I know, the kids are a force majeure about swimming NOW!). :)
 
Thanks again! I know pH was 7.0 just before I started the SLAM and though I know pH readings during SLAM are not reliable I did one today morning for no good reason. It showed at 7.2 pH but as you said I can't really count on that.

ok and here is the last question today for real this time, since I seem to be nearing the end of the SLAM and FC seems to be holding well these past few days, should I continue to maintain the FC at the 12 ppm level till the very end or can I already let it start to slide?

As you can probably tell by now, patience is not exactly my strong suit. Lol!
 
Maintain! Don't stop now. Organics are not always visible so it can be deceiving. That's why the 3 criteria. You've done such a great job thus far, give algae the 1-2 knockout punch. And hey, if the FC does drop to 9-ish and you confirm pH is at about 7.2, then the kids can swim as long as your FC doesn't go over 12. In fact, make sure each one of them has a brush to help you scrub. :)
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Hello there! FC dropped last evening to 10.5 and I let it further slide to 8.5 this morning. I am disappointed FC is dropping faster than before and I am not sure if that is a bad a sign. Nevertheless, I thought it is a good chance to run the full set of tests so here they are:

FC 8.5, CC 0.5, pH 7.4, TA 90, CH 280, CYA 30 (or maybe just slightly lower), water keeps on slowly clearing further but still not entirely clear. To give you an idea, I can now count the number of screws on the main drain but still some remaining fogginess.

If I understand right, these are not very bad numbers? Let me know your thoughts please.

By the way, is there any problem if I refill the smaller reagent bottles from bigger ones I bought extra. Are there any rules around that?

Unless I am told otherwise, I plan to bring FC back to 12 as I am worried it will slide further. Is there anything else I should do?

Thanks!
 
Your numbers are looking good, and "yes" increase FC back to 12. I would recommend watching the CYA by testing it once again over the weekend. If it does drop below 30, then your FC could drop faster simply due to the sunlight, so you may need to add just enough stabilizer to ensure it's clearly at 30 or slightly above. Oh, and you should be fine consolidating your reagents. Other than that, just "maintain", scrub, sweep, vacuum, rinse filter, etc. :blah: You've heard it all before. :) Have a nice weekend.
 
Quick update, increased the FC to a reading of 13 Friday evening, it went down to 11.5 this morning so I topped it up to 12, this evening it read 10 and I topped it up to 12 again. It was windy today and a large tree is dropping tons of its tiny flowers into the pool so I'm hoping that explains the sudden increase in FC consumption. Otherwise no change in water cloudiness and I'm continuing with the daily full cleanup and filter rinse.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk
 
New update: FC has stabilized, it is dropping about 0.5 ppm every 12 hours both day and night and I have been topping it up to 12. CC keeps about 0.5 ppm. Also I added some CYA to get it above 30 ppm. Water is much clearer but I am not sure if it considered fully clear yet. I can see see the pattern in the bottom and any debris that maybe there in the deep end but it definitely is not as clear as the shallow end. Also, the filter pressure is still climbing faster than I hope for. It is climbing by about 6 psi (60% of base) per day. As before, continuing with daily full cleanups and filter rinses.

I basically need some advice on whether I should already attempt the overnight loss test. I am almost certain the pool can pass it but I am worried about if water clarity is already where it should be. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

I am very happy with the results so far!

Thanks
 
Here is a picture. I am not sure it is helping much. The main drain is in the top part of the picture. Unfortunately it is a cloudy day today. In reality, it actually looks clearer than the picture. Sorry about that. I also attached a picture of the shallow end for comparison. I am sure you can tell which is which.

IMG-20160613-WA0003.jpg IMG-20160613-WA0002.jpg
 
Okay, a little tough to focus on the pics with the cloud reflections but I understand. I would continue with what you are doing. It certainly won't hurt to do an overnight (OCLT) test to see how it holds by morning. That may just confirm you have more of a filtering issue that still needs time to work. Something else I just thought of looking at your signature ... "Irregular shape", so hopefully you are seeing good circulation throughout the pool from poolside skimmer back to the return jets. If in doubt, toss a few ping pong balls or Styrofoam peanuts on the water to see how they move. Your pool's ability to maintain FC now is quite impressive.
 
Thanks for the advice Pat. I was thinking the same, I will give it one or two days more and see if it clears any further. The weekend is behind us and anyway looks like it is going to be a bit cooler over the next few days so low chance of anyone wanting to use the pool. If it clears further then great, if not then I guess this is as good as it can get with the current filters. I believe circulation is actually pretty good. The pool was able to clear about 1.5 pounds of tree flowers to the skimmer over night with most of it falling over the far end of the pool so I think I am good on that front. Will keep posting the updates.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply