4 week SLAM Question

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C

CtP

0
Oct 5, 2015
44
Mobile Al
Good afternoon and happy easter all,

I opened 24,000 gal vinyl pool at the beginning of April. Prior to opening the FC was at 0, I added a couple gallons of 8.25 Bleach and opened the pool shortly there after.

Pool was green. Started a slam. I ran out of CYA test chems last year and had not received new batch yet, So I added lot’s of bleach.

Test chem came and cya was low, like 10 low. So I started adding 3” chlorine pucks since they have stabilizer in them along with bleach.

Cya is slowing coming up, now its at 25 ish. When I test FC, I don’t have any CC.

FC is at 34 and the pool is still green 3 weeks later. pump runs 24/7, back wash and rinse daily, and I brush daily and vacuum weekly.

Other than keep my FC high, what else can I do. I feel like I’m doing everything correctly but pool won’t clear up. Bring CYA up faster? Should I get some powdered shock with stabilize in it to bring cya level up or get some Cyanuric Acid and put in a sock in front of jet or a floater?

The pool is a little bit clearer than when I started but 3-4 weeks seems like a long time for this SLAM to work.

thanks

Advice?
 
I'm at a loss with this.
I would think that high of a FC level would clear this algae problem.
Sand is only 2 years old so I wouldn't think it needs to be cleaned or changed.
It's very frustrating investing time and $ for bleach with no change.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Tofay
Fc - 32
CC- 0
cya- 25
pg - 7.2

slamming for 3 weeks
 
bottom is free of debris.

I’m going to pull another sample for a CYA test tomorrow and let it warm to room temp overnight. After reading some CYA test threads, I haven’t been performing the test as it should. Not enough shaking, colder water, and I do it indoors, not back to sun for indirect bright light.

tomorrow I’ll perform another test and go from there and get back to this thread.

I had to SLAM last year and it wasn’t this troublesome so perhaps a more accurate test will get me back on track.
Thanks for everyones input.
 
For a SLAM, Cya is ideal at 30. You really don't want much more than that if possible. Why are you running the FC up so high? After a point, you are wasting money having it so far up there.

So, when you started, it looked just like this before adding any Chlorine? Has the pool ever changed color in the past only after adding a good dose of Chlorine?

Lastly and not as critical, but very curious.... I'm at a loss with your pH of 7.2. Was that taken when you got the 32 FC level?
 
I feel like I’m doing everything correctly but pool won’t clear up
Click to expand...
You are not. Please reread the SLAM article. Stop testing CYA so much. You should be able to do the test and establish close enough what your CYA is. You don't need to wait overnight or doubt your results. 25 CYA is close enough to complete your SLAM.

The SLAM depends on continuous FC held at the correct level. Somewhere you have not been following the procedures perfectly. Algae is algae and it will respond to chlorine in your pool just as it does in everyone's. What was your psi when you started? Have you backwashed? What is your psi now?
 
duraleigh said:
You are not. Please reread the SLAM article. Stop testing CYA so much. You should be able to do the test and establish close enough what your CYA is. You don't need to wait overnight or doubt your results. 25 CYA is close enough to complete your SLAM.

The SLAM depends on continuous FC held at the correct level. Somewhere you have not been following the procedures perfectly. Algae is algae and it will respond to chlorine in your pool just as it does in everyone's. What was your psi when you started? Have you backwashed? What is your psi now?
Click to expand...

PSI is right at 20 and is pretty steady. I backwash every day but the sight glass is clear through the process.
initially I lost chlorine too fast to keep up given the low CYA. Now I've been pretty consistent with a SLAM level FC of >20.

Ph when I started was 7.5 and yesterday it was 7.2.
I've added a lot of chlorine to keep it above SLAM level cuz earlier in the process it burned off fast and I got behind.

last year after an algae SLAM process pool was clean and clear till closing.
ill cease the CYA testing and focus on SLAM. I'll reread the process to ensure I'm following it to a T.
last night I added DE to filter through skimmer so I'll see if that helps.

thanks TFP!
 

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CtP, reading your thread, I believe a good CYA test may be key. When it comes to green water, it all boils-down to the right amount of FC based on the CYA, then of course being consistent with the pool maintenance (sweeping, brushing, vacuuming, etc). Also making sure there are no places that could be harboring algae (behind lights, stairs, ladders, etc). Hopefully you don't have any bulk stuff at the bottom, but if you're not sure, sweeping and/or gentle raking should let you know. Also, unless you added anything from a pool store that could compromise your sand, it should be fine. It may need a deep cleaning though. Hope that helps.
Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter
 
Got home from work and performed CYA test from a sample I pulled before I left so it could come up to room temp. Pool is a bit chilly still

I shook for 30, waited 30s, shook again briefly. Stood back to sun and help tube at waist level. Repeated test 4 times and came up with a CYA of 40.

did a FC test after and came up with 25.

I haven’t added anything to the pool from the pool store. I gave up on that after they robbed me blind and I found TFP. I pass along TFP to all the pool owners I meet.

I’ll continue to SLAM to a CYA/FC level of 40/16.

I only have a set of stairs that I brush daily along with walls and bottom. We still swim during SLAM and cold water temps, so I know the deep end is clear of debris.

Thanks again. I’ll keep y’all posted as it progresses.
 
I only have a set of stairs that I brush daily along with walls and bottom.
Click to expand...
Just a thought ... be careful of stairs. They can hold algae underneath or within each step/rung, depending on the type of stairs you have. We've seen some very nasty stuff on those that were slowing the progress of a SLAM. Good luck!
 
Will a low TA impede the SLAM process? I did a TA test and came up with TA of 80.

I’ve been SLAMMING accurately for 11 days since last post and I’ve had very little change.

I brush daily, bottom is free of debris, and I backwash when psi rises ~25%.

Pump runs 24/7. using 8.25% bleach.

FC - 25
CC- 0
TA - 80
CYA - ~30
 
Your TA is actually fine where it is. No worries there. Now if your CYA is at 30, then your SLAM FC level is only "12", so you can let that drop a bit. Keeping it higher is only wasting bleach. Something is harboring algae. I don't recall, but have you done a sand "deep cleaning" yet? That may help a bit. Did you find anything in the stairs? How about behind a light fixture?
 
I haven’t done a sand deep clean. I was hoping to avoid this since the sand is only 2 years old. No light, only a fixed ladder in deep end. I scrub the top and bottom of steps.

Given that I’m following the SLAM process, what would cause the pool to stay green? It looks the same as the pic in post #4 and that was 2 week ago.
 
The green in that pic #4 sure looks like a cloudy algae water. But as diligent as you seem to be, algae should not be able to compete with the chlorine. As long as that ladder has no internal (hollow) parts, it should be okay. But please make sure. We've seen ladders hold a lot of junk inside the rungs and such.

Now, I'm going to make an odd suggestion if you are sure the steps are good. I want you to do an overnight (OCLT) this evening. Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT) Make sure the sun is down when you take your first reading before bed, and retest in the morning before the sun hits the water. I'm curious to know if you lose more than 1ppm of FC overnight. Your FC of 25 is more than double what you should have for a low CYA, so don't add anymore bleach at this point. Let it fall to at least 12 until we reevaluate and see how you on tonight's test.
 

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