Getting Ready for SLAM. Too good to be true? Can a black pool be blue?

[Ashleigh]

After ALOT of research, amazing advice from this forum, and what feels like a lot of blood sweat and tears...I think I am ready to SLAM my pool!!! This was the black swamp, just a few weeks ago and after lots of effort, my numbers are pretty close, so I ask you, is there anything else I need before going ahead? I've seen this swamp go to green, then to cloudy, then yesterday we woke up and it was crystal blue! The bluest I've ever seen and we could see the all the bottom of the shallow end, even the slope down to the deep end. There is still some debris in there aka silt mostly. We were away almost all day yesterday, but we added the remaining washing soda and a little baking soda to balance our TA and PH. I added 3 gallons of liquid bleach thinking that would be enough to stave off the algae, since I was reading 4, but boy was I wrong. This morning, we were green again, but my ph, TA, and CYA were great. I've done a partial water exchange, I'm watching my copper and iron levels. According to the pool calculator I only need to add 3 gallons of liquid bleach, and then check it every 30 minutes. Am I missing anything?


As of today my readings are---

CYA--30 (YAY!! Down from 86 last Thursday)
PH-7.6 ( Up from 6.6 Saturday)
TA-110
FC-4
CH-10

 

[cj3737]

drop your ph to 7.2 with MA then SLAM!!!!
Keep scrubbing that deep end too.. need to get all that stuff out or you wont be clear and clean

 

[Ashleigh]

Consider it done!

 

[cj3737]

Keep your FC at 12 until your water is clear, your CC is below .5 and you pass the OCLT. Keep your pump running the whole time during the slam... Brush regularly to keep stirring the stuff on the bottom and get it thru the filter. Test every 1-2 hours if you can (or sooner if you get bored) . May take a few days to reach clear water so be patient and keep at it.. When your water is clear and below .5 CC, do the OCLT.... You are almost there!!!!

 

[Ashleigh]

I've adjusted my ph down and I started SLAM yesterday evening. My target chlorine level is 12 and I rested every 1-2 hours. My chlorine would drop down to 7 or 8 and I would add chlorine to get it back up. I'm filtering 24/7 now and my filter rarely needs to be cleaned anymore. About once every 8 hours, where as I was having to backwash every 30 min to 1 hour previously. There's still some silty debris, but I can't see it well enough yet to vacuum, so I'm brushing the sides , and all the nooks and crannies I can. This morning, the pool is still green...it was blue two days ago, then went green yesterday morning...the chlorine level was at 8, I went about 10 hours without adding chlorine overnight. This morning I added another 1.5 gallons of 10% (as directed by pool calculator). So, my question today is, how long should it take before I see the water start to change? And, do I need to be testing the chlorine level once I add chlorine to make sure I'm getting it to 12? TIA!!

 

[cj3737]

IT depends on the rate of algae growth. IF it was blue then went to green, the algae is still thriving. Keep adding chlorine and maintain the 12.
Do you have a net to try to get the gunk off the bottom? That may be thwarting your efforts.

Test about half hour to an hour after adding...Yields the best results and gives circulation time

 

[pooldv]

I would test once or twice after adding chlorine just to validate that the pool volume is correct and you are getting to shock level.

 

[cj3737]

Hows it looking today?

 

[Ashleigh]

Hows it looking today?

Thanks for checking in. Physically, it's looking just a little better, not a lot of change over night. Still green. I can see the shallow end, so there's not a lot of debris after I brush and stir things up. I was able to net up the debris on the shallow end. Chlorine dropped to 8 over night. DOes slamming skew the CYA test? My husband tested CYA yesterday evening just to get a feel for the test, since he hasn't done it before. His read 45, my last one read 30. I adjusted my bleach to match his just in case. Thanks for your help! I'll keep you posted.

 

[atttech-2]

Slam it's self will not skew CYA test but very cloudy water say from algae can . I think your plan to use your husbands result is a good one when you are done with SLAM then you can do one more CYA test for your FC level going forward.

 

[cj3737]

IS the water clearer when it settles? I would test for CYA then if that's the case so you don't get mixed results...
Can you vacuum when the "dust" settles? Might help clear it up quicker.. Keep an eye on your pressure while vacuuming.. you may need to backwash a few times once the dead algae gets into the the filter

 

[Ashleigh]

Tonight's check in...I think I'm seeing progress. Water is still green, but clearer than this morning. I am starting to see the slope again. Shallow end is clear, I can see the design on the bottom of the liner-just with a slight green tint. Here's where I'm a little puzzled tonight. I'm a bundle of problems and questions...I know..sorry!! Can the water turn from green to clear without going through the cloudy white stage? Usually when I shock, it turns white first.

 

[cj3737]

Progress today??

The water can turn from green to clear without the cloudy white if you filter is keeping up... Since you been scrubbing, its stirring the dead algae up which is most likely what your clouds are... Are any of the clouds coming back out of your return jets?

 

[Ashleigh]

Progress today??

The water can turn from green to clear without the cloudy white if you filter is keeping up... Since you been scrubbing, its stirring the dead algae up which is most likely what your clouds are... Are any of the clouds coming back out of your return jets?

No clouds coming out of my jets now. When I had more debris in the pool, the jets would shoot out clouds. This morning, the water is less clear than yesterday. The color is virtually the same. When I adjusted my ph last Sunday from 6.6 and it went to 7.6 the water turned back to green at that point and I haven't been able to get it back. Ph was adjusted to 7.2 before I slammed. I feel like I am going backward.

 

[cj3737]

Curious...

What are your current levels?
What have you been adding and how regularly?
Have you been vacuuming the silt and backwashing when necessary?

 

[Ashleigh]

Curious...

What are your current levels?
What have you been adding and how regularly?
Have you been vacuuming the silt and backwashing when necessary?

I've only been testing chlorine levels. My target is 12, and it usually falls to 7 or 8. I've been checking every 2-4 hours. I backwash twice a day, about 12 hours apart now. That's all it needs per the pressure gauge. Normal is 20, I backwash at 25. I've brushed twice a day since Monday. I haven't vacuumed since Monday. I can't see any silt anymore and when I brush up the deep end, it doesn't stir up much. The shallow end and ramp are completely clean, except for a stray leaf or two here and there and I scoop up those anytime I see them. I also skim the top daily. Do you think I should continue to vacuum the deep end? My thinking was I would wait until I could see a little better there to get everything.

 

[cj3737]

Have you checked CC level?

Sounds like most of the junk has come out, other than the floaties... Hows the circulation? Getting enuf water past the skimmers?

 

[Ashleigh]

Have you checked CC level?

Sounds like most of the junk has come out, other than the floaties... Hows the circulation? Getting enuf water past the skimmers?

I think I just figured out my problem!!! When I changed the CYA number I FORGOT to up the target FC on the calculator and I've still been getting to 12 when I really needed to get to 18. UGH!!! Surely, that's my problem.

 

[cj3737]

Could be part of it...

 

[atttech-2]

Surely, that's my problem.

Could be.

The good news is I am sure it did not get worse might have even gained a little ground soldier on

Edit... posting at work is such a pain... I get distracted then post only to find someone else already replied