Pool startup question

[Mimipell521]

Hi Everyone! I'm back for another season after successfully turning my "pond" into a beautiful oasis last year....AND maintaining it that way! [emoji4] The pump is now up and running and I've run my first set of tests. Last year, we closed by bringing our FC to SLAM level and draining to a few inches below the skimmer. We've now refilled over a period of 10 days or so with both well water and ~3 inches of rain water.

The pool is blue and mostly clear, but certainly not "sparkly" like it was at close and there are still some leaves to fish out from the middle.

Here are my numbers:
FC 1.5
CC 0.5
pH 7.2
TA 40
CH 100

I ran out of reagent and didn't even have enough to do one single CYA test [emoji21] (I immediately ordered some so should have it by next week)

My questions:
1. I'm assuming because the clarity of the pool isn't up to par, I should SLAM to start, correct?

2. Can I SLAM based on my fall CYA reading of 40 from last year, or do I need to wait for a new reading? And if I need to wait, what should I be doing in the meantime?

3. Will the low TA affect anything during the SLAM, or do I just wait to adjust that when everything else is all set? I sat around 70-90 all last summer and never really had to touch it, so I'm surprised it's this low..?

I already have the bleach ready to go, I'm just not 100% sure where to start since I don't have a current CYA reading. Thoughts? What am I missing?

Thank you!

 

[jblizzle]

Yes you likely need to follow the slam process. However it is unlikely that your cya is the same as last year. You could safely start maintaining the FC at 10 PPM until you can test the cya. The low ta will not really impact anything. You could raise it up to about 60 to 70 with baking soda.

 

[Mimipell521]

Ok, I can do that. I'll get a fresh CYA reading when my replacement comes in. Should I add the baking soda now or wait until the SLAM is complete and I have an accurate CYA and am maintaining FC? I feel like I've read in other threads not to mess with the other numbers during a SLAM?

 

[jblizzle]

Since you can not really start the slam, I would go ahead and bump the TA up now and then verify your pH is good to start the SLAM.

 

[Mimipell521]

Ok will do. Thanks again!

 

[Catanzaro]

Depending on your set up, because you have an AGP, it may take a little longer to clear up than normal. You can add some bleach for now, based on advice from JBlizzle. Probability is that you lost 10-15 ppm of CYA (This is what I usually loose through the winter). But, you will need to confirm with the test once the reagents come in.

Please brush your pool walls often and vacuum everything off the floor. My water became pristine and clear once I vacuumed all the dust, debris, dirt and pollen.

 

[Mimipell521]

That's what I hope will happen!! Still haven't figured out how to get all the leaves out of the middle without climbing into the still VERY cold water, but it's my next project!

 

[pooldv]

Leaf rake with a telescoping pole.

 

[Mimipell521]

Leaf rake with a telescoping pole.

Yup. That didn't work as planned! Hahaha!

 

[Mimipell521]

OK, so I've been able to keep the pool clear and blue by keeping the FC around 10. Still working on the last few leaves since losing my leaf rake yesterday.

My CYA reagent will be here today, so my question is this: it's cloudy. Is there any point in checking it at all when it's cloudy in order to get a "ballpark" idea? Or should I just keep doing what I'm doing until Wednesday when the sun returns, and test my CYA then?

 

[pooldv]

I would wait for a sunnier day. Nice net! :-D

 

[Sfpat]

Do you have a child/grandchild who wants to swim and retrieve the leaf rake (cold water doesn't stop my grandkids from swimming)?

 

[klynch494]

I use a pair of neoprene chest waders that have felt on the bottom of the boots so I can get in regardless of the temp or the lack of desire to get wet if needed....Just saying...

 

[Mimipell521]

Checked my CYA today, it is cloudy at the top of the tube, but I can still see the dot. I have stabilizer to add, I'm shooting for 30: do I count my starting level at 10? Or 20? In other words, if I'm not sure exactly what my level is, how do I calculate how much to add?

 

[jblizzle]

Depends on how cloudy the dot was

You could safely add 20ppm, even if it was already 20ppm, a 40ppm total is not problem and will go down if you get a lot of rain requiring you to pump out.

 

[Mimipell521]

I'm updating my thread just in case anyone comes across it and wants to know how it ends [emoji4]

I added enough stabilizer to go up 20ppm and now have a CYA of 40. I slammed until we got all the leaves and debris (including my lost leaf rake) out of the pool even though it was clear the whole time....I didn't want to take chances that the leaves and junk were hiding algae.

Once the pool was clean and clear, I did an OCLT, passed, and have since let my FC drop back and am maintaining it at 5-7ppm. My CC is 0.

I also added baking soda to raise my TA from 40 to 60 and since then my pH has been rock solid at 7.4 (it's been a week and a half).

Here's a pic from today! Now all I have to do is wait for it to warm up!!! Temp is sitting between 64-68 and the kids are dying to swim! Thanks again for this forum! [emoji4]

 

[jblizzle]

Nice job! Looks like you are going to enjoy a TFP all summer.