Can't get my water sparkling...

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Patcoomer

0
Bronze Supporter
May 3, 2016
46
Cookeville Tn
Pool Size
20000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I have been working since opening in Late April trying to get the pool sparkling and am not having any luck. So here are my numbers taken this morning. with the daily test kit my ph 7.5, chlorine 5; using the Taylor 100 my chlorine 6.5, calcium hardness 75, total alkalinity 80, cya 40. My circuit board tells me my salt level is 3500, the Taylor 1766 kits says 3000 and I also tested using AquaCheck salt strip and got a reading of 3000 - 3100 (the first line below the number 6 on the bottle). My water is cloudy and the liner is beginning to be dis colored.

I have. 16' x 32' inground vynal liner, 20,000 gal. Sand filter and Hayward Swg. Replaced original circuit board at the beginning of the season with an after market board.

Any suggestions? I normally don't have this much problem getting the pool up and going, with sparkling water.
 
Thanks. I have not done an OCLT, but will do that tonight. I'm new here and not sure I understand all about SLAMMING. (I read the Pool School info/instructions on doing it.) Is a Slam kinda like "shocking" if you are using Chlorine? It sounds much more in depth than any shocks I ever done when I used Chlorine.
 
Read the links she gave. However, I think it helped ME, and others I have since gotten on board here, to learn that "Shock" is a process and not a product. True, many pool products sell things called "shock", but even those are a process even if as simple as "Guess and Pray". The "S" in SLAM, is indeed Shock, but is a process of shocking it. It's also not as complicated as it appears, but it may need to be read a few times :)
 
I live very close to you! After you make sure your pool is free from any algae, you might want to bring your CYA up per the CYA/Chlorine chart for SWG in Pool School. I keep my CYA about 75 - 80 and maintain chlorine levels accordingly. I have followed TFP since we built the pool and have never had any problems.
 
Patcoomer said:
Thanks. I have not done an OCLT, but will do that tonight. I'm new here and not sure I understand all about SLAMMING. (I read the Pool School info/instructions on doing it.) Is a Slam kinda like "shocking" if you are using Chlorine? It sounds much more in depth than any shocks I ever done when I used Chlorine.
Click to expand...

SLAMMING is using the CYA reading to find out what FC level will kill the algae. You maintain that level of FC by testing and adding chlorine to stay there until you meet all three criteria for ending the SLAM:
CC is 0.5 or lower;
You pass an OCLT (ie overnight FC loss test shows a loss of 1.0 ppm or less);
And the water is clear.

It helps to read a few threads where people are going through the process so you will know what to expect. Of course, every pool is different, but it gives you a good idea. It seems daunting at first, but isn't so bad as long as you have the proper test kit. (Which I think you mentioned you had the TF100, correct?)
 
Thanks for all the suggestions.
I just checked chlorine level, 2.5- down from 6.5 this morning. Can't do OCLT tonight I guess. Should I superchlorinate with SWG and add Clorox tonight or what?
 
You could still do an OCLT, it tells you if you need to SLAM, even if your water is mostly clear. Sorry I didn't answer in time to do it tonight. (Unless you are still up, lol.) If you have to slam, you'll want to turn off the SWG (you need to for the OCLT for sure) and solely use the bleach.
 
I did the OCLT last night. Did not pass.

My CYA is 40. The chart starts at 60 and shows 24 as the level one would need to be to kill algae. Is there a formula to use to determine level of chlorine needed fora 40 CYA?

Thank you all for your help. I am not a happy pool owner when my water isn't clear and sparkling...:)
 

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For SLAMs, you pretend you don't have a SWG, so just use the top chart for now. After you are done with your SLAM, raise your CYA up to 70-80 and use the other chart.
 
Thanks for the quick response! I appreciate it.

I am curious about using Alum instead of DE to help with the clean up. Several years ago I had a Chemist friend who had a pool and he recommended using alum to help "seal" the sand so it would pick up finer particles of whatever it picks up. Is there a reason why alum should not be used?
 
Most around here will tell you that it is not necessary. 99% of the time that is true. If you pass OCLT and have no CC for many days and still aren't able to get the water filtered clear, that is the time to even start thinking about it.
 
I just did a deep clean of my sand filter. It improved the filtration immensely. This is how dirty the sand was, even though I properly back washed according to the guidelines. (When the pressure was 20% above " normal".)
 
@PAGIRL, Mr Bruce, ksnewman, needmoresun

Hi again. I have been slamming my pool for the last three days. Last night and this morning my chlorine levels - 16 last night, 15.5 this morning and my cc is 0, the water is "clear"(not the crystal, sparkly clear that I want, but clear). My Cya is at 40. So, my question is do I add stabilizer to bring my CYA level up to around 70-80 now and when do I turn my Swg back on?

Thanks for all your great help.

I plan on doing a deep clean on my filter one day next week. The sand is about 4 yrs old and never done anything but backwash and rinse as needed.
 
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