Hi,
We were able to swim this weekend!!!! The pool is crystal clear and passed the OCLT on Friday! We spent as much time swimming this weekend as we could- but the water is cold!
The view from the deep end!
Remember where I started all the way back in July?
(Day 3)
The pool hadn't been opened in two years and it wasn't covered. (Our new cover will be installed in two weeks!) I would try to get it opened but it was just too daunting a task. This year I was working from home since March due to Covid- I had the time in my day to test and dose frequently.
I started scooping the debris from the pool in April- 20 minutes a day. We turned on the filter in June and discovered that our pump wasn't working, so we ordered one. It arrived by the end of the month and we installed in around the first of July and we started the SLAM! I was so excited!
We were keeping the chlorine level up at slam level as much as possible. We were testing every hour or two.
Everything seemed to be improving until about two weeks in when the process stalled.
July 17
I was brushing every day and we were cleaning the filters daily. It was exhausting.
We were still going at the end of July, but had added in a new set of filters so we could switch out dirty filters with the cleaned ones every day.
August 7 still going!
I adjusted the CYA around this time- It was low (below 20). It raised to 60.
On July 10, I finally removed all my returns and scrubbed them. I did the skimmer too. The returns had brown slime behind them. I cleaned them daily after this.
August 11. Some improvement!
On August 12 Chrissykr recommended adding FiberClear to my filters. I was able to get my hands on some on Aug. 17 and added the first dose that night.
Aug. 18. Gaining clarity.
8/23 We were gaining clarity! At this point I had to return back to work and my daughter kept up the testing and dosing throughout the day. But we weren't cleaning the filters daily anymore. Every 2- 3 days we would change them out an add another batch of Fiber clear.
We continued to gain clarity every day until finally this week I could see the bottom of the deep end! Every day it got clearer and clearer. By Thursday Sept. 3, there was just a little cloudiness over the deep end but it was clear the next morning. It passed the OCLT test overnight Friday. (But we did swim on Thursday and Friday!)
It was a long haul to open the pool this year-but it was worth it just to have a head start on it for next summer! I wish we could have been swimming all of August, but oh well... that's just the way it went this year.
Things that might have sped this process up?
The CYA level seemed to be all over the place. I attribute this to user error. I just had the hardest time reading and interpreting the test. I think I may have been slamming at the wrong level for a while!
Adding the FiberClear cellulose was really when the pool started clearing! I think that combined with knowing my CYA was at 60 and testing/dosing correctly really is what cleared this up. Maybe if I had started this a month earlier is would have cleared up in less time? Maybe not?
I will never overwinter a dirty pool again!
This process does work but I don't recommend letting your pool become a swamp because it will be a lot of work to turn it into a sparkling oasis!
Thank you everyone for all of your suggestions and encouragement!
Brenda
(* next summer instead of spending all my $$ on chlorine, I'm going to get the pool heater fixed!)
