Help please

[JVTrain]

Allow the pool to circulate for 30 minutes after adding chemicals to retest. This should evenly distribute what you added. Be sure to brush in the area where you added chemicals immediately after, especially with solid chemicals. I always brush after adding bleach or acid as well, to eliminate the chance of it settling on the bottom and bleaching or damaging the pool surface.

For sampling, I always test in the same location in the pool, collecting the sample from well below the water's surface. Rinse your sample bottle with pool water a couple times, then hold it upside down, pushing it well below the surface. This traps air in the bottle. Then when you have it in deep, invert to allow it to fill with water from that depth. Another very handy solution to do this without dipping your arm way into the water is to use about a 4-5 foot length of 1/2" ID PVC pipe. Plug one end with your thumb, push the open end deep in the water, remove your thumb allowing the pipe to fill, then put your thumb over the end again and pull the pipe out. Hold it over your sample bottle and let it drain into it.

 

[dadrino]

It does help! Now it's SLAM time. Small "quick" test first. Add enough bleach for a FC target of 10. Check again in 10 minutes. Is most of it still there? At least between 5-10? Makes sure you are testing with the 10 ml sample size, one scoop of powder, count the drops until clear and divide the result by 2. If you still have FC there, then proceed as follows"
- Add some soda ash or borax to increase pH to at least 7.0 or 7.2.
- Add some stabilizer. You want a minimum of 30.
- Increase FC to 12 with regular bleach and maintain it 24/7 until you pass the 3 SLAM criteria (SLAM link below).

It's important to also know all the other tasks required for a SLAM, so read that page carefully. Once you start the SLAM and increase FC to 12, focus on that test only for the first few days. You can test CC occasionally, but no need to test anything else but those two for a while. Let us know if you have any questions.

- - - Updated - - -

Now on that quick test in the beginning, if your FC disappeared almost totally, or dropped significantly below 4, let me know. Otherwise ... SLAM!

Ok thank you, I did the quick test and after 10 minutes the FC held at 10ppm. Now I am going to add Borax to raise Ph and going to put in stabilizer to raise CYA. I used poolmath to determine how much to put in. Now I should check FC every hour and keep it at 12?

 

[AimeeH]

Hi there.

It isn't going to hurt to check every hour at first as you'll be going through that chlorine fast. You'll get a hang of how much you're consuming and can test less often after some time but not less than twice a day. Key is to keep it at that shock level until you pass three tests.

Clear clean water
CC less than .5
And an overnight Chlorine loss of less than 1 (OCLT)

 

[dadrino]

ok so after putting in borax to raise Ph and stabilizer to raise CYA i waited an hour and retested. the FC reading came in at 10 so i increased to 12. then waited another hour and the FC reading was 9 so i raised it again to 12 by adding more bleach. So far am I doing it right?

 

[tim5055]

ok so after putting in borax to raise Ph and stabilizer to raise CYA i waited an hour and retested. the FC reading came in at 10 so i increased to 12. then waited another hour and the FC reading was 9 so i raised it again to 12 by adding more bleach. So far am I doing it right?

Yes, during the SLAM keep retesting and adjusting back to shock level.

Remember to brush once a day.

 

[dadrino]

ok so i was reading and it says after you add stabilizer and increase CYA not to backwash/clean filter for about a week. My question is if i brush will all the algae i have the filter pressure rises on the gauge, should i backwash or no?

 

[AimeeH]

That recommendation to not backwash is based on the notion that you like could have UNdissolved cya granules in the filter that you could be back washing away. If you have it hanging if front of a return dissolving slowly, that is less likely.

You are in a SLAM- you need to backwash when your pressure rises.


Edit

As an FYI I've noticed the brand I've been buying this year from Wal mart seems to be dissolving faster and showing up on my test faster that what they previously carried.

 

[Pool Tool]

If, when you check your FC and if it's below 10, go ahead and check your pH as well. I don't see that you requested after adding borax. It should be fine, but it could have been well below 6.8 to start. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[dadrino]

So I tested the Ph around 4pm and it was at 7.2 after adding the borax. I then put more borax to raise it to 7.4, I had to leave for a couple hours but before I left I tested the FC again and it was 11 so I put more bleach in the pool to raise it to 12 and some since I was not going to be home for 4 hours. I just got back and test the FC again and it is at 11 so I raised it back to 12. I have backwashed a few times whenever I saw the pressure gauge too high. I will test again in an hour. Any recommendations to do for over night? Should I raise it to 12 and just see where it is in the morning? Or raise it above 12 for over night?

 

[AimeeH]

Yep.. Raise it to your shock level for your CYA. Keep the pump running if you can. Check in the morning and make adjustments as needed.

 

[dadrino]

so i just tested CYA and it is at 80...What do I do a partial drain?

 

[AimeeH]

80 is very high so quickly. Keep in mind the CYA test should be done in full sun with your back to the sun and the view tube at waist level.

The lighting matters. But if you really think you're at 80 pull those socks of stabilizer out ASAP.

 

[dadrino]

80 is very high so quickly. Keep in mind the CYA test should be done in full sun with your back to the sun and the view tube at waist level.

The lighting matters. But if you really think you're at 80 pull those socks of stabilizer out ASAP.

The sock was a disolved by 8pm. i did the test indoors since the sun is down and it is pouring rain outside, I did the CYA test twice but i did not have it at waist level. (So not in the sun and not at waist level, so it is probably inaccurate) I will leave the pool as is until the morning unless anyone has some recommendations. Thank you again

 

[JVTrain]

I'd leave it til tomorrow. Try to get your test in full sunlight, etc. as per the instructions. You'll likely get a slightly lower number, but not by a lot. No need to use reagents to perform multiple tests. After the first test, pour the sample back into the dispensing/mixing bottle, shake it up again and redo with the same sample as many times as you like until you get comfortable and get a good average result.

 

[dadrino]

am I supposed to pour solution slowly until the black dot completely disappears?

 

[dadrino]

so i just tested now at 8:30am, it is a cloudy and rainy day today. I tested the CYA again and it is reading 80. what should I do?

 

[AimeeH]

80 is pretty high to manage. In the beginning you determined it had to be about 20 or less correct? How much stabilizer did you use? Using pool math what were you targeting?

 

[dadrino]

80 is pretty high to manage. In the beginning you determined it had to be about 20 or less correct? How much stabilizer did you use? Using pool math what were you targeting?

yes it was at 20 or less. I assumed it was zero. So I used poolmath to calculate from 0-40 (40 being my target). Poolmath calculated to put in 7lbs of stabilizer. so that is what i did. put it in a sock and put the sock in the skimmer. I would then squeeze the sock occasionally to let out the dissolved granulars. today i decided to just vacuum to waste to get algae and debris out of pool and by doing so i would drain part of the pool. I have drained about 1/4 or so and will start to fill pool with municipal water.

 

[kimkats]

My new way for doing the CYA test seems to be working good for me and a couple of others that are trying it. Everything is the same-sun at back, tube at waist high, BUT I pour to the first line (100) then GLANCE in. IF I can still see the dot I pour to next line then GLANCE in, I go line by line until I cannot see the dot at a GLANCE. Do not stare LOL you WILL see it if you look long enough. We will tell you to round up the the next line so might as well go line by line and save some time and effort.

Kim:cat:

 

[dadrino]

Hello all, so after a day of partial draining and refilling I got up this morning and was just able to test CYA and FC because I was running late to work. Currently CYA read 30 and I am rounding up and assuming it is at 40. FC was at 4. I then went and checked the the chart for Chlorine and CYA and calculated that for a CYA of 40 I need to maintain a shock level of 16. I then went to poolmath and caluclated the amount of bleach needed to increase FC to 16 and put that amount into the pool. When i get home from work I will test again FC and Ph. Thank you all in advance.