SLAM time (first ever attempt)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

srodriguez1295

0
Feb 4, 2017
18
Georgia
I bought a house in December and now I'm a pool owner. When I got the house, the pool was nice and blue but it was very cold for a few months. We're now mid February and having very nice weather here in Ga. The pool has now turned green and I'm looking to get this under control. I got out as much leaves as possible before I started, but couldn't really see what I was doing.

Today I tested my water for the first time with a Taylor k-2006 kit
FC = 0
CC = 0
pH = 7.0
TA = 20
CH = 150
CYA = 0 (both taylor kit and pool store test results showed this)

What do I need to adjust before slamming? Do I get everything in line or are some less important? What is a MUST to get in line before the slam?

What I have on hand:
12 gallons of Pool Essentials Chlorinating Liquid
Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda 12lbs
2 gallons of Natural Chemistry Instant Conditioner

Would like to start SLAMing this weekend. Any advice will help as I don't know where to start!

I'll attach a picture of what it currently looks like
current.jpg
 
First thing to do is to read this:

https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl

PH may rise during the SLAM, so start off on the low side, 7.2 I'd suggest. You are at 7 so that is a little too low.

Don't bother to measure PH during the SLAM, it will be skewed by the higher levels of FC.

SL -- AM

The AM stands for And Maintain. That means until you meet ALL THREE criteria. You got a nice greenie there so the AM will be key to making sure this goes away forever.


I'm excited for you. Once I decided to fire my pool guy, and adopt TFP, I started with a SLAM, and to this day I marvel at how crystal clear my water is. My girlfriend often jokes by asking me why I decided to empty the pool again because it sort of looks empty at night because the water is ridiculously clear.

And with the automation for MA I added, I almost don't have to do anything. I check the FC level way more often than I need to; otherwise, I just clean out the robot and skimmer once a week.
 
^^ Jon is correct. ^^ Along with adjusting the pH to about 7.2, one more consideration. If you haven't added stabilizer (CYA) yet, that's okay. Increase FC to "10" and check again in about 10 minutes. Make sure after 10 minutes you are holding an FC of at least 5 or more. If it drops below 5, increase right away and keep doing this until it holds.

Now once the FC does hold, then add stabilizer (sock soaking method) for a CYA target of "30", and increase FC to a SLAM level of "12". We can't emphasize enough about monitoring the FC periodically to ensure it's holding (maintaining). You'll get into a pattern at some point. Don't forget to brush, sweep, and clean/backwash the filter if its pressure increases by about 25%.

Good luck!
 
Texas Splash said:
If you haven't added stabilizer (CYA) yet, that's okay.
Click to expand...
Hey, thanks for the reply and advice! I checked the SLAM tutorial and it mentioned that if CYA is below 30 you lose too much chlorine to sunlight. Are you saying to add chlorine anyways? As mentioned I do have two gallons of Instant Conditioner that I can add, but if it's better to not do it until FC holds as you said, I'll wait to put it in.
 
Because your pool sat for so long and turned green like that, I just wanted you to do the 10 min drill to ensure ammonia didn't set-in. So increasing the FC to 10 before adding the conditioner is okay for this short period just to ensure the FC holds to rule-out ammonia. As soon as you confirm the FC can hold on its own though as noted above, add the proper amount of conditioner to increase CYA to 30, then also increase FC to 12 and you're off to the races.

If you have any questions about dosage, just use the Poolmath calculator and let it do all the work for you. :)
 
HI!!!! Neighbor! You are going to love it here! We will get your pool back to clear. Listen to the other two and you will be clear before you know it.

Take a picture a day so we can watch it clear.

You will need to get some more regents though. You are going to use up your FC test in no time. Here is what you need to get to get through the SLAM:

TFTestkits.net

Thanks for sharing your Green to clean! We love to watch people turn their pool around!

:hug:

Kim:kim:
 
Appreciate all the help guys. Tested again today and results matched from the test last night. Going to add Borax to increase the pH to 7.2 and then we're set to start!

- - - Updated - - -

kimkats said:
You will need to get some more regents though. You are going to use up your FC test in no time.
Click to expand...
Thanks Kim! I've already ordered an XL option from TF test kits as well as an 8oz r-0013 bottle haha, I knew I was going to need more. I hope my currently supply will last me until then!
 
Wow. What a difference a few hours makes! No more green, I really can't believe it! It's very cloudy but I'll take that over the swamp it was earlier! I replaced all my DE filter grids today as the old ones were about 7 years old and had multiple tears in them. Anyhow, I raised my pH to 7.2 with borax. Luckily, it was extremely cloudy today with hardly any sun so started adding chlorine. I'm maintaining a 10.6 FC level and .4 CC. The FC did drop a few times during the day but did not go below 5. Going to add some conditioner tomorrow since it's supposed to be sunny. I'll try and get my CYA up to around 20-30 and continue to maintain chlorine levels based on the cya chart. Thanks for the help so far, I'm now getting very anxious to see clear blue water again!
 
SWEET! What a difference! Oh yeah got to love a SLAM!

Make sure to brush at least once a day to keep it all stirred up and into the FC.

With you having a DE filter keep a close eye on the pressure as DE filters work almost too good when doing a SLAM and will clog up fast as the algae dies and gets filtered out.

Pictures-you can become a supporting member to get more photo storage. You can use photo bucket using the IMG code to put it in your post.

Kim:kim:
 
Sorry for not updating this thread recently. My internet has been out. Will take pictures tomorrow. The pool is clearing up nicely! I added a gallon of instant conditioner and that increased my CYA to 40. (Guess it wasn't really 0 after all!) I've been maintaining a FC level of 16 per the CYA chart. I've noticed that a lot of dead algae is settling on the pool floor. I hooked up my vacuum but there was hardly any suction! I know there is a way to turn the suction attention to the skimmers but my pipes are not labeled and I don't know how to find out which pipe is the main drain and which is the skimmers?? Also, I have two jets next to the stairs and there is no pressure going through them (Return lines are fine though) maybe they're closed off? I'll post some pictures of my set up. I'd really appreciate any help, would love to get these labeled.

My set up pictures:
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
psi refers to the number on your gauge on your filter. You should know what your gauge says right after you clean the filter. That is your "clean psi". You should backwash/bump/clean your filter when it gets 10% above your clean psi.

That IS looking better. Keep up the FC and you will be done in a little while! :party:

Kim:kim:
 
kimkats said:
psi refers to the number on your gauge on your filter. You should know what your gauge says right after you clean the filter. That is your "clean psi". You should backwash/bump/clean your filter when it gets 10% above your clean psi.
Click to expand...
Oh okay, got it. After I backwash the filter the gauge comes down to about 20. And yes it's looking much better! I'm hoping it'll be done before Friday but I won't rush anything. Do you have any advice about how I can get my set up labeled with all the pipes? I don't know which one does what. I was going to play around with them but don't want to mess anything up. Would like to try and get the jets near the stairs to work (I think they're closed off). I attached an album of my set up in a post above. Appreciate any help in advance.
 
Pipes and valves ideas:

-print out the pictures you shared and write notes on what works and does not work as they are.

-Have someone turn each valve and make notes on what happens THEN turn it back how it was. Do this one at a time until you figure them all out.

Good luck!

Kim:kim:
 
Update. The pool is looking better each day. I've been maintaining a FC level of 16 along with backwashing and vacuuming each day. Hoping I am close to the end. Can't believe the improvement since Friday. Each night my FC level has been dropping slightly only by 2-2.5. Got my XL reagents from TF test kits, and just in time as I ran out of r-0871 from my k-2006. Will update again tomorrow!
 
Update. Last night, I decided to do an OCLT and I went from 16 to 15 FC within 9 hours. CC is less than 0.5. The SLAM is complete! Look at these pictures! I'm so happy with the results and it took less than a week! I want to thank everyone on this awesome form. So much free information it's crazy. I have such a better understanding with my pool now than I did last week, and got to swim in it for the first time (was 80 outside today for me) it was great!

Current levels:
FC: 11
CC: >.05
pH: didn't test with FC still above 10
TA: 40
CH: 160
CYA: 40

Should I raise my TA immediately? If so, what would be a good starting point from 40? Would I double it and make it 80 or can I get away with 60/70?
IMG_9478.jpg
 
Great job.

To check what valves do what. You have suction and then return to pool. Shutting off a return, you should see returns stop pushing water back to pool. If you shut off a suction valve a skimmer should stop working or a main drain may shut off. I have 3 suction valves......one for each skimmer (2) and one for main drain. My labels wore off. I need to shut them off one at a time to see what stops working and relabel.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply