Test kit in ... let the SLAMing begin!

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The most I've had in the pool when it's free of algae is 5 ppm in 24 hours. That included 8 or 9 eight-yr-olds for about 6 hours for a birthday party. Bather load makes an enormous difference, plus I'll bet your water is pretty toasty warm those days. But unless there was a lot of use, the algae might not quite be all dead yet.
 
needsajet said:
The most I've had in the pool when it's free of algae is 5 ppm in 24 hours. That included 8 or 9 eight-yr-olds for about 6 hours for a birthday party. Bather load makes an enormous difference, plus I'll bet your water is pretty toasty warm those days. But unless there was a lot of use, the algae might not quite be all dead yet.
Click to expand...

Yep my water temp is around 32.5 degrees celcius...It gets really hot under the cover of my pool so unsure if this adds to the loss. If it is algae, and I sure hope there isn't, I must be setting some record for the longest SLAM in history. It has been since 8/1...
 
Keep going, but you won't be setting a SLAM record :) There's some very long ones here when people didn't maintain FC or brush daily. You're doing great!

There are some amazing threads here from people that bought foreclosed homes over in the USA after the global financial crisis. There are stories here with pools that might have benefited from a shot of roundup, haha!
 
I ordered more from Clear choice before I left with the additional chlorine test as I was going through it.

I just did CYA and definitely below 30 as it was thursday when I tested. Asx the test gear is is limited between 30 and 100ppm...how much stabiliser do you put? DO I assume its at 20 and use the poolmath then test again or should be ok?
 

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I've got 60 ppm CYA at the moment, but will raise to 70 probably. But you don't want to do that until after the SLAM.

For yours, I would just continue the SLAM at 12 ppm FC and then add 20 or 30 ppm CYA after the SLAM is over, wait a few days and then test and see where it's at.
 
So I pulled out the pool cleaner after a 3 .5 hour session and this is what it pulled out. I would love your opinion on what you think it is and if the quantum of debris is normal for a pool that has not had a robot clean in a while.

Tested the FC and it was at 12. Was totally shaded from sun in this time so starting to think it was the sun. My pool is only 6m long, the first 2m is less than 0.65m deep si assume the heat could really cause some evaporation of chlorine? Just a theory... OCLT tomorrow morning will shed some light...perhaps the pics below do too?
 

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I help with a pool with the same bag filter in a robot. Looks pretty normal to me. Overall your gunk is lighter in colour, so I suspect the light stuff is dead bleached algae, but I'm not saying so with much certainty! We run it about 8 times before cleaning and that's a pretty dirty pool. It has a rockery waterfall thing at one end that doesn't get used any more, so dirt gets flushed off it every time it rains. (and takes extra chlorine for any big wet!)

I have glass media in a 24" sand filter as well. I found at the beginning for our pool that it would take a bit of running on low speed before it really started filtering well. If I ran it immediately after a backwash on high speed, it didn't clear the water as quickly. So for me, after backwashing, I run one full day on low before using medium or high speed. Just a thought. I let the pressure rise a full 25% before backwashing.
 
I am thinking that is all normal for you being away, the cover on and the pool getting so warm. I hope you are logging all of this with notes about all of the unusual stuff like being away, cover on all the time, etc.

The dirty filter-if this was the first time you have ran it since you did all of that cleaning in the cover chamber I am going to say yeah that would be normal. You stirred up a lot of stuff and here is your reward!

Kim:kim:
 
I performed my OCLT. I am so frustrated..not so much with the result but I supposed the amount of interpretation that goes into it. The criteria for a chlorine test is:

1. a heaped spoon of detection powder. Going off a previous Caco post I recall he said he always has some granules left over...I have heaped it and this hasn't occured to date, so I assume I must be doing it right.
2. Then you add chlorine titirating agent 1 drop at a time...(well when slamming this could take forever so I do 5 at a time until near the mark then go one at a time. I have experimented both ways with no difference in result. So you add the Titrating reagent until it goes clear. Wll I did this and today it never went clear. So much so I tested FC and CC 3 times this morning with the same result. On my second test I tested well beyond and colour did not change from FC12 (24 drops) to FC18 (36 drops). This colour was not pink but more a dusky apricot?
3. The add 5 drops chlorine detection reagent. On the 3 tests remember it never went clear so I was trying to get back to the "dusky apricot" colour just before I added the 5 drops here. It never took more than 2 drops .

SO my test results are from the above:

FC12 no loss
CC0.5 to 1 max

How reliable are my results? So frustrated that before I left it was going clear now it isnt...could be different light too. Very interpretive.

SO where do I go from here you think. I was thinking put the pool cleaner in again for a few hours and see what it picks up or just assume I have passed the OCLT and start balancing the pool to the following ranges and then tweak to the optimal/CSI range required? When is the appropriate time to turn the SWG on so I can start getting that at a consistent level to maintain FC:

Abbr.MinimumOptimalMaximum
FC6.07.08.0
CC0.10.31.0
TC6.17.39.0
pH7.37.57.7
TA657075
CH175250400
CYA506070
S450048005500
CSI-0.3000.30
PT25.026.027.0

:hammer: my head hurts.

PS today will be 39 degrees celcius (102.2 f) in Sydney
 
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I feel your frustration. That's a pain. I don't have that same issue with the FC test, so I don't have any suggestions. I use one scoop on the 10 ml test as well. Sometimes there's a few particles left and sometimes not. I do one drop at a time by holding the tube in my right hand and swirling while doing the drops with my left, then slow down as the pink of the sample fades. I allow about 1 second per drop so the drop fully forms. Not suggesting, just describing in case it helps.

You can definitely swim at 12 FC with 30 CYA, so if you want to swim including the kids, add 10 ppm CYA and continue the SLAM at 12 ppm FC. Or before doing that even, test it yourself by swimming underwater with your eyes open for a while. Your pH has to be within 7.2 to 7.8, but I think we got that in range before the SLAM.

If you think your CC is 1.0 ppm, then that criteria is not met to call the SLAM done. But it's your pool and your call, knowing the method and what's happening, and that you don't want to do it again. The fundamental of TFPC is knowing what we're doing and why, and you've got it! :)

You can use the SWC any time you want, except if you're doing an OCLT and the SWC runs during the night. A reasonable starting point is 5 hours at 40% (2.9 ppm FC) for the Electrochlor 30.
 
How does the water look? If it is clear with no signs of algae I say:

-turn on your SWG

-keep your FC just under the SLAM level (you might have to add some liquid chlorine to do so) for the rest of the week just to be on the safe side.

-JUMP in your pool and enjoy it! After all of this work you deserve it!

The apricot color-can you take a pic of it and share it? maybe have something white behind it to make it really show up.

Kim:kim:
 

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