How to clean bottom and sides

[crokett]

Back to the original post in this thread - why do you think you need to get into your pool to vacuum and/or brush? If you are walking around in the pool you can't vacuum it because you are stirring up everything off the bottom. I am never in my pool when I am vacuuming it.

 

[domct203]

Back to the original post in this thread - why do you think you need to get into your pool to vacuum and/or brush? If you are walking around in the pool you can't vacuum it because you are stirring up everything off the bottom. I am never in my pool when I am vacuuming it.

Personally I find it much easier on my ol' back to vacuum from inside the pool.

 

[RoxxW]

Ok. Printed directions off from the site. Followed them closely. I can see the advantage for a speed stir now.

CC 2
pH 7.8
TA 120
CH 175
CYA 0

Chlorine was 5+ VIVID yellow
FC 5.5

water is still white cloudy. do you need water temp?

I live on coastal Virginia

FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

Make sure you do the CYA test outside, in bright sunlight, back to the sun, reading the vial at about waist height in your shadow. I will fill the vial to 90, then glance for the dot, if I see it, I fill to 80, glance for the dot. I repeat until I can not see the dot at a glance. Don't stare for it, your eyes will play tricks and you'll think you see it.

Remember, you can pour the sample back into the mixing tube, shake, and repeat the test a few more times if needed. The important part is that you give the sample enough time to develop, I will shake for 15 sec, let it sit for 30-45 sec, shake again for 15 then go to it.

 

[mknauss]

CYA is zero -- have you ever added any CYA, stabilizer, conditioner, trichlor, dichlor?

What is your FC from the FAS-DPD test (powder/reagent)? You can skip the OTO TC test (yellow comparation test)

If confirmed you have no CYA - then you need to get 30 ppm of CYA in the water prior to SLAM. Add enough CYA powder and place in a sock, tie it shut, and hang in front of a return. Squeeze the sock and it dissolve quickly.

Add enough acid to get your pH to 7.2 - circulate and mix your pool for 30 minutes and confirm the pH

Then go into SLAM ---

Sorry - just saw the FC - good job.

 

[RoxxW]

have you ever added any CYA, stabilizer, conditioner, trichlor, dichlor?

Yes. About 3 weeks ago. Stabilizer. About a gallon.

Do I need to add more?

Do I need to continue the bleach daily?

What is your FC from the FAS-DPD test (powder/reagent)? You can skip the OTO TC test (yellow comparation test)

If confirmed you have no CYA - then you need to get 30 ppm of CYA in the water prior to SLAM. Add enough CYA powder and place in a sock, tie it shut, and hang in front of a return. Squeeze the sock and it dissolve quickly.

Add enough acid to get your pH to 7.2 - circulate and mix your pool for 30 minutes and confirm the pH

what is an example of an acid I can add?

sounds like I will start slamming tonight?

thanks

Then go into SLAM ---

Sorry - just saw the FC - good job.[/QUOTE]

- - - Updated - - -

also...do I test daily during the slam process or wait a few days?

 

[crokett]

Personally I find it much easier on my ol' back to vacuum from inside the pool.

Not saying you're wrong, but I don't find it difficult to vac my 54" AG pool from outside. It honestly never occurred to me to be in the pool when vacuuming. I'd be stirring up all the stuff I'm trying to vac. I work from the outside into the center and vac pie-shaped sections. I just walk around the outside of the pool.

 

[mknauss]

A gallon of liquid stabilizer would increase the CYA in your pool to 20 ppm. Was the test cloudy at all? You need to get 30 to 40 ppm CYA in the water to protect chlorine from the sun during the SLAM.

Use muriatic acid to lower pH. I purchase full strength, 31.45%. Best value. My Home Depot has it in the Garden Center near the pool chemicals.

During the SLAM it is best to add your chlorine to shock level many times during the day. At the start, every 2-3 hours is preferred. After you kill the easy algae the FC will hold a while longer and you can stretch out the test/dose regimen to 3 or 4 times each day.

Keep asking questions -- good luck.

 

[RoxxW]

I bought a pool robot. He seems to do a good job. I like getting in the water though. I agree with your point about stirring it all up.

Not saying you're wrong, but I don't find it difficult to vac my 54" AG pool from outside. It honestly never occurred to me to be in the pool when vacuuming. I'd be stirring up all the stuff I'm trying to vac. I work from the outside into the center and vac pie-shaped sections. I just walk around the outside of the pool.

 

[crokett]

I bought a pool robot. He seems to do a good job. .

I don't have the budget for one of the ones that crawls the bottom. I have one of the Polaris ones that drags a net around but it only wants to go in circles at the moment and I haven't the time to take it apart, maybe when I close the pool.

 

[RoxxW]

Marty,

Added the muriatic acid and stabilizer and started slamming Friday night. Vacuuming and brushing several times a day., Should I do all test daily and report or slam for several days, then test?

A gallon of liquid stabilizer would increase the CYA in your pool to 20 ppm. Was the test cloudy at all? You need to get 30 to 40 ppm CYA in the water to protect chlorine from the sun during the SLAM.

Use muriatic acid to lower pH. I purchase full strength, 31.45%. Best value. My Home Depot has it in the Garden Center near the pool chemicals.

During the SLAM it is best to add your chlorine to shock level many times during the day. At the start, every 2-3 hours is preferred. After you kill the easy algae the FC will hold a while longer and you can stretch out the test/dose regimen to 3 or 4 times each day.

Keep asking questions -- good luck.

 

[mknauss]

During the SLAM, test for FC and dose with chlorine as often as you can.

The other tests you can skip until the SLAM is over. Once you pass a OCLT and the FC drops back to maintenance, run a full suite of tests.

Take care.

 

[RoxxW]

Is it safe to say that once my water clarity has changed to crystal clear the slam process is pretty much over?

I can see the water clarity imroving but its pretty slow....I could not see my feet or the bottom ladder rungs prior to the SLAM but now I can see my toes and the rungs are more visible but it is not crystal clear yet.

I'm not sure how many gallons of bleach I should be adding daily?? ( I do 3 gallons now) and I have my SWG on Super Chlorinate with pump running 24/7.

There are only two pool users. Me and my girlfriend so the pool does not get a high bather count.

 

[domct203]

Is it safe to say that once my water clarity has changed to crystal clear the slam process is pretty much over?

I can see the water clarity imroving but its pretty slow....I could not see my feet or the bottom ladder rungs prior to the SLAM but now I can see my toes and the rungs are more visible but it is not crystal clear yet.

I'm not sure how many gallons of bleach I should be adding daily?? ( I do 3 gallons now) and I have my SWG on Super Chlorinate with pump running 24/7.

No. Your SLAM is not complete until all 3 of these conditions are met:
1) Pass OCLT
2) CC is 0.5ppm or less
3) Water is clear and free of algae, dead or alive.

You should be using Pool Math to calculate how much bleach is needed to get back to your shock FC level.

 

[RoxxW]

I am back at work now so I can't get OCLT and CC until Thursday.

I tried using the calculator. When I hit the calculate button, no numbers change so perhaps I am not inputting them correctly.

Using the test results from last Friday:

CC 2
pH 7.8
TA 120
CH 175
CYA 0
FC 5.5

I input these into the first field of the calculator....what is the second field for?

 

[domct203]

I am back at work now so I can't get OCLT and CC until Thursday.

I tried using the calculator. When I hit the calculate button, no numbers change so perhaps I am not inputting them correctly.

Using the test results from last Friday:

CC 2
pH 7.8
TA 120
CH 175
CYA 0
FC 5.5

I input these into the first field of the calculator....what is the second field for?

The left field is for your "now" or current level. The field on the right is where you enter your 'target' or goal.

https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/114-poolmath-pool-calculator

Do you have someone testing and dosing at least daily until you return on Thursday?

 

[RoxxW]

Ahhh...I get it now...thanks....I need more bleach...need 6 gallons as opposed to the 3 I've been doing.

I have someone home dumping bleach daily but she isn't doing any testing.

 

[RoxxW]

Shout out to my girlfriend for doing the dosing this week while I am out of town working. She is also teaching herself the TFP testing methods...!!!

So while we wait for this SLAM to complete, I had a question about the TFP phone app I just installed on my IPhone. There really aren't any instructions on using it within the app. Does the app behave like the calculator on the website? It almost looks like it just stores daily testing results and gives ranges for each test...not really a calculator??

 

[domct203]

When you are on the overview screen you can select any of the categories to go into the pool math calculator.


If I select the FC category, I get the following screen, scroll down to the recommended calculation:


Easy Peasy

 

[RoxxW]

Thanks!

 

[RoxxW]

Pool is clear now and I will be back home tomorrow. I've posted pictures of the pool clarity in the link in my signature if you need a visual (SLAM1 and SLAM2).

Way better than the white cloud it was.

We want to start reducing the bleach tomorrow. What are the next steps AFTER OCLT Passes and CC is 0.5ppm or less??

Our FC is still pretty high.

FC 35
CC 1