Newbie and SLAMming - questions, questions

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S

Suz.E.Q

Gold Supporter
Jul 22, 2017
44
Richland,wa
Pool Size
15250
Surface
Fiberglass
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hi all -

I was looking for a little confirmation on my process and made the mistake of going to a local pool store. They freaked me out about my high chlorine levels, but I'm sure folks here will help me chill out!

We left the pool for a week and apparently didn't leave enough pucks in the chlorinator (this home is a second home, so my apologies already - we HAVE to have a chlorinator and leave a bubble cover on the pool when we are not here - which is sometimes a week or 10 days at a time during the summer).

Anyway - we left for a week and apparently didn't add enough pucks for the hot weather (pool was 96 degrees when we returned). Pool hazy, we could barely see floor drains, zero chlorine 6 days ago. Added shock per pool store ideas, never held chlorine, and I've lost count of all the liquid chlorine 10% I've added since then.

I will fast forward to today. Pool is gorgeous during SLAM, but didn't pass overnight test last night, so I'm keeping it up today - but here is my mistake. I mis-read CYA as 70 - when it's more like 20ish, so almost non-existent! (Which is weird, because strips and the pool store have historically given me agreed readings more around 70 - 100, and now all of a sudden, strips say 0, pool store says 0 and my newly acquired Taylor 2006 says 20ish). Here is the bad part - I SLAMMED to 30FC, and should have only done maybe half that (I haven't checked chart again - just guessing while typing this). Pool store guy has me FREAKED out that I've ruined my pool equipment, etc. Does anyone know if climbing TDS masks the true CYA readings?

I'm guessing I should add CYA now, or not? I'm thinking I at least need to wait for chlorine to drop to a reasonable level...

Latest chlorine test - FC 22.5, .5 CC. PH was 7.2 before SLAM and ALK was 130. I know values are not accurate during SLAM - but latest PH 7.4 and Alk 180 (my testing), 200 pool guy testing. My TDS has gone up, up ,up with this process - now up to 2000 from 1200. Pool store guy wants me to 1/2 drain pool. I really don't want to because we don't have a heater and we only have 4-5 weeks left of swim season.

Thoughts? Somebody out there calm my jangly nerves, please!!! ;)
 
I just saw another thread on the proper way to test CYA in the sun. I figure I have about 35 or so, which means I should have only SLAMmed to 16. Egad! I hope the chlorine comes down a bit more before the sun does! (Edited - just checked it again - down to 17.5 - getting closer!)

Still hoping to get some good feedback on my first post here! Thank you in advance :)
 
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Highly possible some of your CYA was consumed if your FC went to zero in that kind of heat/water temp. Blame it on some bacteria that got to it. Also, take that FC to SLAM level before you cover it and fill the chlorinator when you can't be there.
 
woodyp said:
Highly possible some of your CYA was consumed if your FC went to zero in that kind of heat/water temp. Blame it on some bacteria that got to it. Also, take that FC to SLAM level before you cover it and fill the chlorinator when you can't be there.
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Yes, I found some old, very technical threads about CYA being converted by bacteria growth in this forum. Maybe this "first world problem" of running out of chlorination has done me a favor in the CYA department! I guess we shall see if the old levels seem to return after I reach a more reasonable FC level and balance the pool chemistry again. I'll be a bit wary when I have to leave again, but thanks for the tip! We have not completely filled the chlorinator in the past, because we didn't want to pool to be 10-15PPM the next time we arrive and want to swim, however, I'd prefer that over this annoying process I've been going through for almost a week now ;)
 
ned8377 said:
How to Clean a Green Pool - YouTube
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Thanks for the link, but my pool was never green. It's beautiful and clear now but just had nitrates tested at Petsmart and according to the test strip, 15-20%. It is so interesting to me that my CYA has been eaten up, so there probably is something to the info in an older thread about bacteria consuming CYA, which turns into ammonia. Ammonia turns into nitrates, so if I already had a nitrate issue from organic sources, I'm guessing the degradation of my CYA added fuel to the fire. Interesting. I'm gonna drain a bit to dilute since I still cannot pass the overnight test and I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. It'll be cheaper to add more water where I live than this constant, non-stop addition of chlorine! We shall see!!

https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/8498-Degradation-of-Cyanuric-Acid-(CYA)
 
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I know SLAM rules say overnight test has to result in 1PPM or less FC loss overnight, but I was aerating and my overnight loss was 1.5, but CC is holding steady at .2 - almost not readable, and my Ph is now 7.4 and Alk 120. Woot! This might seem foolish, but I think I'm going to call this SLAM complete (but I will keep monitoring levels diligently for the next several days, to be certain). For anyone who is "listening" to this thread, I will post again to give updates, and I will give updates on my ongoing CYA drama.

Question: does CYA (in granule form - maybe the only form?) degrade over time in storage that is not temperature controlled (shed)? We bought this home 3 years ago, and it came with a stockpile of various (unused) chemicals. Should I just try using the stabilizer that is who knows how old, or buy new? I suppose the worst thing will be that I add it and it doesn't work?
 
An OLCT loss of 1.5 means that you failed the OCLT and need to continue the SLAM. How is the water clarity? It must be crystal clear, no haziness, fogginess, etc. You should be able to make out the screws on the main drain cover.

Your CYA should be fine as it doesn't degrade like chlorine products. You shouldn't add any CYA while you are SLAMing. You probably don't need to add any CYA at this point as your pucks will drive that up pretty quickly.
 
kcindc said:
An OLCT loss of 1.5 means that you failed the OCLT and need to continue the SLAM. How is the water clarity? It must be crystal clear, no haziness, fogginess, etc. You should be able to make out the screws on the main drain cover.

Your CYA should be fine as it doesn't degrade like chlorine products. You shouldn't add any CYA while you are SLAMing. You probably don't need to add any CYA at this point as your pucks will drive that up pretty quickly.
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Water is crystal clear - I could read the date on a dime in the deep end (if my eyes weren't so old - ha!)

A thought: Has anyone noticed a difference in OLCT with pump running vs off (still water) overnight? According to older post, both aeration and agitation accelerate chlorine gas off.
 
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I hear ya on the old eyes part! You failed the OCLT, so you need to continue the SLAM. The SLAM should go quickly as your water is clear. FYI, algae can be present in large amounts before the water clouds up. So, just because the water is clear doesn't mean you don't have algae or other organics that are in need of the SLAM.
 
The pump should be running overnight during the OCLT. Do you have an aerator? If so, I would turn it off and redo the OCLT. I would not stop the SLAM now. It would be like stopping antibiotics when you feel better vs when you finished all of the pills.
 
Ugh! Still cannot pass the overnight test. I've re-tested CYA and I am SLAMing in the right levels. Sometimes I get .2 or 0 cc, and water has been crystal clear for days on end.

Is it possible there could be crud somehow stuck in the impeller? We had the sand replaced in the filter this spring... could we have gotten sand contaminated with something hard to kill? Is there any point in adding DE or a fiber product to the filter to help it trap smaller particles, perhaps?

I am now wondering if I need to add algaecide or some other product to get this thing over the hump. Ideas?

For what it's worth, my Ph has remained unchanged at 7.4 through this process, and TA floats around 120-130 (when I tested after the latest overnight drop to 7.5 FC.)
 
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How often are your testing and adding bleach?

What is your CYA and what are you using as your FC target?

What was the kind of sand that you put in your filter? Was it regular pool sand grade #20 or some other product?

Are you brushing the entire pool every day?

Now would be a good time to check for hidden algae, like behind your lights or in your skimmer throats.

Algaecides do not kill existing algae and are a preventative that is used whenever you close your pool for the winter and whenever you have to keep your FC at artificially low levels like in ascorbic acid treatment to deal with metals. Algaecide would be a waste of money and it would quickly get oxidized by your FC rendering it useless.
 
kcindc said:
How often are your testing and adding bleach?

What is your CYA and what are you using as your FC target?

What was the kind of sand that you put in your filter? Was it regular pool sand grade #20 or some other product?

Are you brushing the entire pool every day?

Now would be a good time to check for hidden algae, like behind your lights or in your skimmer throats.

Algaecides do not kill existing algae and are a preventative that is used whenever you close your pool for the winter and whenever you have to keep your FC at artificially low levels like in ascorbic acid treatment to deal with metals. Algaecide would be a waste of money and it would quickly get oxidized by your FC rendering it useless.
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How often are your testing and adding bleach? Sometimes hourly, sometimes longer, depending upon results.

What is your CYA and what are you using as your FC target? 35 - 40 - using 16 as the FC target

What was the kind of sand that you put in your filter? Was it regular pool sand grade #20 or some other product? Pool company hired to do change out. Maybe a big presumption, but I'm guessing they used the proper stuff. This was the same company that designed/installed the pool for a previous owner. I could certainly ask them what they used if needed.

Are you brushing the entire pool every day? Yep - sometimes multiple times. I brush when I see even small amounts of what I thought was dust/dirt clinging to the seams on the pool floor.

Now would be a good time to check for hidden algae, like behind your lights or in your skimmer throats. No lights in the pool. Skimmer throat - what's that? I took the skimmer basket out and cleaned everything out below it a few days ago. Nothing green, just general grime and bleached out dead algae. Backwashed after I sent all of this into the skimmer suction.

Algaecides do not kill existing algae and are a preventative that is used whenever you close your pool for the winter and whenever you have to keep your FC at artificially low levels like in ascorbic acid treatment to deal with metals. Algaecide would be a waste of money and it would quickly get oxidized by your FC rendering it useless. I saw something in a different post about Aqua finesse, or something like that. Does anyone know about this product?
 
Algaecides, no matter the brand, do not kill algae and TFP recommendations that you do not use algaecide when you are SLAMing.

What kind of bleach are you adding? Brand, strength and source (Home depot, lowes pool store, wal-mart).
 

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