Swamp Fever...First Time Pool Opening....SLAM Time

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Hey all!!!!

Instead of starting a new thread I'll just use this one. I will be opening the pool on Saturday, current water temp is running about 58 during the day. I have a mesh cover so I will be starting with a swamp again, just like last year. I'll be posting pictures, etc as I go through the process. Hopefully this opening will be less eventful then last year(herniated neck disk)...LOL. Since my 2 level disc replacement in my neck back in September I have gotten back to my old self or should I say old better self.
 
kimkats said:
Can't wait to see it when you do open it!! I wonder what could be done so you don't open to a swamp every year? Not much with some of them as I know of one mod who opens to a green pool each year! :(
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This is my third year with the pool and I have had good luck with limited dirt and algae. I use one bottle of the 12% liquid chlorine in the winter per month and circulate with a submersible pump. I also have a mesh cover
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aftrshok99 said:
Hey all!!!!

Instead of starting a new thread I'll just use this one. I will be opening the pool on Saturday, current water temp is running about 58 during the day. I have a mesh cover so I will be starting with a swamp again, just like last year. I'll be posting pictures, etc as I go through the process. Hopefully this opening will be less eventful then last year(herniated neck disk)...LOL. Since my 2 level disc replacement in my neck back in September I have gotten back to my old self or should I say old better self.
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I feel your pain. I opened to a swamp... er... I mean, I never covered my pool due to a reconstructed foot surgery in August. So I understand completely how a pool can take a back seat to ones health. Good luck!
 
OMG....My pool is a mess which I knew it would be from using my mesh cover, I will NOT be using it next year!!!! I spent 2 hours trying to get all the leaves off of it but there were so many it had pulled the cover down about two feet into the water. I ended up pulling the cover as close to the side of the pool I was on and continued getting leaves out as well as a 3' long by 2" diameter limb, at this rate there might be dead critters in there. I got frustrated and ended up just pulling the cover out and dumping what was left on top into the pool. It really wasn't going to make any difference as far as the water getting any worse swamp wise. Now it'll be just like last year, I'll spend weeks getting leaves and debris off the bottom of the pool. This weather is making it hard for me to get anything done, I'm almost 2 weeks behind were I was last year when opening the pool....Oh well.

@vbertone, I wish my water looked as good as yours...LOL

@Casey, Swamps aren't fun by any means. Hope you're back to normal since your surgery.

This picture was from last year when I opened the pool to a swamp. It look exactly the same today as it did around this time last year....I'll add updated pictures during the swamp clearing process. I don't have all my plumbing hooked back up yet, I hope to get that all done sometime this week but probably it'll be Friday afternoon before I have a chance to get to it....busy week.


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kimkats said:
Ewwwwww poor thing...but at least you are able bodied this time!!! Do you a "leaf gulper" ? If not do a search for.them and think about getting one. So much easier then by hand!!!
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Do they make one with a mulch attachment? Oh and a connection for a 12" diameter flex pipe that I can route out of the yard and just let the mulched leaves go everywhere. There has to be a butt-load of leaves in my pool now just based on how full and heavy the cover was when I gave up on trying to get the leaves off of it.
 
I just cleared my pool and finished the SLAM yesterday morning. The key is to getting all of the debris off the bottom before you start. With your sand filter, you can slowly vac to waste, which is what I did and then refill the pool. I started on 4/19 and officially passed the OCLT this morning.



You can read my SLAM in the Algae Forum.
 

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Got everything hooked back up last night and threw the hose in there to get my water level up. Didn't have time to let it fill as far up as I wanted but it was enough to at least turn on the pump. The stupid pump wouldn't prime so maybe the water level was high enough yet. There was at least two inches of water in the skimmer. I scooped a lot of leaves off the bottom and while I was doing it I kept hitting something that felt heavy. I managed to get it into my leaf net and I was a little shocked to see what it was. It was a rock that was the size of a cantaloupe and weighed about 6lbs. It must have been on top of the cover under the water when i took the cover off. It had to be a neighborhood kid that climbed our fence and threw it in the pool, I was starting to wonder if it was this kid that kept riding his bike past me all evening...LOL. That big tree branch could of also been thrown in there, if it feel from a tree it would of gone through my cover but didn't.

If I have time tonight I'll top off the pool water level and keep scooping out any debris and see if I can get the pump to prime.
 
Everything is up and running, pool is filled, skimmed, leaf raked and brushed. Didn't have a chance to check numbers last night due to having another project going that had to be finished before bed. I put a gallon of chlorine in last night and this morning. Of course it's a calculated guess...LOL...I went by pool math assuming I still have 30-40 cya in my pool to get me to shock levels. I'll try and get numbers at lunch but I'm pretty busy so it might be tomorrow before that happens, not ideal at all but right now I just have a lot going on.
 
Had a 17 hour day yesterday so I didn't get to do anything with the pool. Ran home at lunch today and only checked my FC level and Ph level. I knew thatt FC would be 0, Ph was 7.5. The water is a lighter green and a brisk 57 degrees. I added a gallon of chlorine, scooped some leaves and brushed the pool. I'll do all the tests this evening when it's nice and sunny out. It's cloudy and cold right now so i didn't want to even mess with the CYA test. I should be able to get a proper SLAM going now that I'll have more time to tend to it.

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If your pool was that green, you more than likely have zero CYA. I know that last August, I had a CYA of 40. When i tested my swamp, it was 0 with 1ppm ammonia which I destroyed rather quickly. Be careful with high doses of chlorine and 0 CYA.
 
kimkats said:
17 hour day??????? OUCH! Well at least you will be able to afford the chlorine needed LOL

Kim:kim:
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That's no lie...LOL

Scooped leaves, Vacuumed and brushed. Added CYA to get me to 30 and added chlorine to get me to my SLAM number.

Numbers from this evening.

FC = 4
CC = 1.5
Ph = 7.5
TA = 70
CYA = 0
 

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