Another year another green pool
- Thread starter Mr. D
- Start date
Let the pump run Friday PM and jumped down to Wally World Sat AM for some 3 B's. Dumped in 4 Gal of bleach at 8AM along with some Borax and Baking Soda.
12PM had the following
FC 7.5
CC 1.0
PH 8.0
TA 100
CH 190
CYA still somewhere between 0-29
Rechecked FC at 3 PM and was at 1.0, low CYA is causing FC to not hold. 7 PM, Just added a sock of CYA to the skimmer and 1 gal of bleach. Will pull new numbers in the morning.
This picture is where I'm at now, big improvement but I need to get my CYA in check so I can proceed with the SLAM.
hold that thought, I ran out of TFP bandwidth need to buy some.
12PM had the following
FC 7.5
CC 1.0
PH 8.0
TA 100
CH 190
CYA still somewhere between 0-29
Rechecked FC at 3 PM and was at 1.0, low CYA is causing FC to not hold. 7 PM, Just added a sock of CYA to the skimmer and 1 gal of bleach. Will pull new numbers in the morning.
This picture is where I'm at now, big improvement but I need to get my CYA in check so I can proceed with the SLAM.
hold that thought, I ran out of TFP bandwidth need to buy some.
What CYA are you shooting for? The more you add, the higher FC you need to maintain. You can add enough to read at 30ppm, but stop there and pull the sock. Once you finish the SLAM process then you can bring CYA up further.
The possible lack of CYA isn't causing your FC to disappear, all that algae is chewing through the FC.
The SLAM will be the only way to get rid of your green water.
You probably could have done without the baking soda since low pH helps the FC work more effectively and you increased TA quite a bit.
Be sure to use PoolMath to figure the chlorine dose. Dumping in arbitrary amounts of bleach isn't the best way. Very high FC well above SLAM level is just wasting resources. The FC / CYA chart will guide you on proper FC level for SLAMing.
At this point in the game you should be testing and dosing fairly often. More than 3x per day if at all possible. Brush often and keep an eye on your filter.
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The possible lack of CYA isn't causing your FC to disappear, all that algae is chewing through the FC.
The SLAM will be the only way to get rid of your green water.
You probably could have done without the baking soda since low pH helps the FC work more effectively and you increased TA quite a bit.
Be sure to use PoolMath to figure the chlorine dose. Dumping in arbitrary amounts of bleach isn't the best way. Very high FC well above SLAM level is just wasting resources. The FC / CYA chart will guide you on proper FC level for SLAMing.
At this point in the game you should be testing and dosing fairly often. More than 3x per day if at all possible. Brush often and keep an eye on your filter.
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You do not need borax or baking soda, those are for raising PH and raising TA, both of which you have too much of now. You need Muratic acid to lower. Always consult the poolmath link at the top of the page, or ask on here first if you aren't absolutely sure what you are doing. You can create a lot of additional problems for yourself.
You must test, then add the correct amount to move the levels. I would get that CYA sock out of there before it dissolves, 30 is plenty high to SLAM. Higher CYA is not going to help, it will just cause you to use much more bleach.
Your FC is not holding because you have algae consuming it. In the beginning of the SLAM process you must test often and dose as needed to maintain the FC. As the algae is killed the FC will begin to hold longer and longer.
Consult the CYA/Chlorine chart after you test CYA again. To perform a slam you first must know how much CYA you have.
Here is the SLAM directions, I would recommend you read the Pool School section to understand the chemistry a little better.
You must test, then add the correct amount to move the levels. I would get that CYA sock out of there before it dissolves, 30 is plenty high to SLAM. Higher CYA is not going to help, it will just cause you to use much more bleach.
Your FC is not holding because you have algae consuming it. In the beginning of the SLAM process you must test often and dose as needed to maintain the FC. As the algae is killed the FC will begin to hold longer and longer.
Consult the CYA/Chlorine chart after you test CYA again. To perform a slam you first must know how much CYA you have.
Here is the SLAM directions, I would recommend you read the Pool School section to understand the chemistry a little better.
Sunday 6AM
FC 4.5
CC .5
PH 8.0
TA 90
CH 190
CYA less than 30
CYA is still unreadable using the Taylor K-2600C as the lowest reading is 30 and I can still see the black dot when the tube is full. For SLAM purposes I will use a CYA of 30 and shock to 12. Will be checking FC/CC every 2 hrs today and do a OCLT tomorrow morning before I head off to work.
FC 4.5
CC .5
PH 8.0
TA 90
CH 190
CYA less than 30
CYA is still unreadable using the Taylor K-2600C as the lowest reading is 30 and I can still see the black dot when the tube is full. For SLAM purposes I will use a CYA of 30 and shock to 12. Will be checking FC/CC every 2 hrs today and do a OCLT tomorrow morning before I head off to work.
Sunday 8AM
FC 10.5
CC .5
PH 8.0
Working on reducing PH, did a acid demand test and came up with 4 drops, Taylor test kit chart calls for 4.62 Lbs of Sodium Bisulfate (dry acid) or 1.72 Qt of Muriatic Acid.
I have a 5lb container of PH Down Sodium Bisulfate, should I just go with that to reduce PH?
FC 10.5
CC .5
PH 8.0
Working on reducing PH, did a acid demand test and came up with 4 drops, Taylor test kit chart calls for 4.62 Lbs of Sodium Bisulfate (dry acid) or 1.72 Qt of Muriatic Acid.
I have a 5lb container of PH Down Sodium Bisulfate, should I just go with that to reduce PH?
Not yet. When FC is above 10, the pH test reads falsely high. Check out the pictures in Accurate pH test during shock levels with R-007?
Wait until the FC drops some and then retest and adjust. Since you have the dry acid, use it up. No point in making a special trip to buy Muriatic Acid and then having to dispose of the dry acid.
Pool is looking great compared to where it was in that first picture. Are you sure its only been 3 days? lol Watch it over today, but I think you may need to wait another day before doing the OCLT. You should be able to easily and clearly see your rover in the bottom before you call it "clear". You have come a long way so far. Keep up the good work.
Yeah, its ok to use up that dry acid. Dry acid can lead to a buildup of sulfates over time, but this one time use shouldn't be an issue. Switch back to muriatic acid after. Your FC=4.5 and pH =8.0 this morning was an accurate test result.
Yes, first picture was Friday and second picture was Saturday afternoon. We have a storm rolling in at 3PM and hang through the night.
Sunday 8AM
FC 10.5
CC .5
added 28oz bleach
Sunday 10AM
FC 10
CC .5
added 37oz bleach
Sunday 12PM
FC 8.5
CC .5
added 65oz bleach
Sunday 2PM
FC 7.5
CC .5
added 84oz bleach
It's now 3PM and raining. I would call the water clarity at about 80%
FC 10.5
CC .5
added 28oz bleach
Sunday 10AM
FC 10
CC .5
added 37oz bleach
Sunday 12PM
FC 8.5
CC .5
added 65oz bleach
Sunday 2PM
FC 7.5
CC .5
added 84oz bleach
It's now 3PM and raining. I would call the water clarity at about 80%
Good work keeping up with the FC loss. It really makes a difference. That said, you are still using way too much chlorine (~10ppm in one day) to consider an OCLT. Even though there has been a huge improvement, don't rush things too much. keep with the SLAM and you will be there soon enough.
Just a quick note: Back at the beginning of this thread, you lamented that this was the second year you opened to a green pool. I have a sneaking suspicion why. You wrote that the water temp was 68 degrees. I would suggest that next year you need to open much earlier. Like when the water gets up to 50 degrees. Much less chance of the algae getting a foothold at that temp.
I hear you loud and clear Pabeader as I think this has been my problem. I starting to wonder if I need to close at all because we only get a few hard freezes a winter and those only last a few days. Now having having said that I have seen temps in the single digits for a week but that is rare.
I'm closing in Nov and should be opening in late Feb or early March so I'm only covered and closed for about 90 days. On the subject of covering is this really necessary, I don't have a lot of trees to deal with around my pool.
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On the subject of closing and blowing out pipes someone needs to invent a "Just flip the switch" type system for winterizing a pool.
I'm closing in Nov and should be opening in late Feb or early March so I'm only covered and closed for about 90 days. On the subject of covering is this really necessary, I don't have a lot of trees to deal with around my pool.
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On the subject of closing and blowing out pipes someone needs to invent a "Just flip the switch" type system for winterizing a pool.
I lived in Madison, AL until a few years ago. I had a koi pond without a heater. Never had any issues with freeze up. I live in Dallas, GA now and it's the same. I never 'cover' pool except for a leaf cover or solar cover. Kept running pump and everything all winter. Tested and added chlorine a few times but other than that, no real trouble.
My CYA is still unreadable using the Taylor K-2600C as the lowest reading on the comparator tube is 30 and I can still see the black dot when the tube is full. For SLAM purposes I have been using a CYA number of 30 for a target FC. Should I add stabilizer now or just wait until my SLAM is done?
Last couple of day I have been dealing with storms and power outage so I got a little off track maintaining my FC. Pool water is looking great, FC when I got home from work yesterday was 2 so I bumped it back up and did a OCLT. Once I compared my numbers at 6AM I'm pretty sure I didn't have a correct starting number from 7PM last night based on the number of drops of R-0870 needed at 6AM for a FC 12.5
I will redo the OCLT tonight. Attached picture is the pool at 6AM today.
Last couple of day I have been dealing with storms and power outage so I got a little off track maintaining my FC. Pool water is looking great, FC when I got home from work yesterday was 2 so I bumped it back up and did a OCLT. Once I compared my numbers at 6AM I'm pretty sure I didn't have a correct starting number from 7PM last night based on the number of drops of R-0870 needed at 6AM for a FC 12.5
I will redo the OCLT tonight. Attached picture is the pool at 6AM today.
Attachments
Water is looking good! Can you easily see clearly to the bottom? Is there something on the bottom of the pool you can take a picture of?
If you had CYA in the sock and it's gone now, you can assume it's in the pool. Many have claimed that it takes quite a few days for it to show up on the test
Make sure you are looking at all 3 criteria when deciding if you are close to the end of the SLAM.
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If you had CYA in the sock and it's gone now, you can assume it's in the pool. Many have claimed that it takes quite a few days for it to show up on the test
Make sure you are looking at all 3 criteria when deciding if you are close to the end of the SLAM.
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Yes, I can clearly see the bottom of the pool and no cloudy water. I did put CYA in the sock and that has dissolved but didn't have any effect on my CYA test.
I could run a water sample by the Jewelry store and let them tell me what my CYA number is. I'm also pretty sure I have calculated my pool Gal correctly but will verify that.
I could run a water sample by the Jewelry store and let them tell me what my CYA number is. I'm also pretty sure I have calculated my pool Gal correctly but will verify that.
Na, don't bother with the jewelry store, you've got enough bling in your pool already. Just assume the CYA is in there and retest again in a week.
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SLAM is complete, I passed my OCLT last night.
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Total 10% bleach required was 12.5 Gal
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Total 10% bleach required was 12.5 Gal