Newbie & Hoping for the best!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
M

MSchmidt

0
May 21, 2018
18
Kingsport, TN
I just joined this site and in a few days have learned more about caring for my pool than I have figured out in the last 3 seasons that I have owned it. The first 2 seasons, I had a guy that maintained our pool and I tried to pay attention and learn what I could. Last year, I had my guy open the pool and get it ready to swim, then i took over all the maintenance myself. I was using Clorox test strips with their app on my phone and I did an ok job with it, until the end of the season when it turned green right before I had him close it down.

This year, I had my guy open the pool, but they didn't show back up for a week and i took it upon myself to get my green, algae-ridden pool ready to swim using my trusty (or so I thought) Clorox test strips and chemicals. Long story short, I have been fooling with this thing for 2 weeks and it is no longer green. The water is cloudy, and you can barely see the bottom in the shallow (3' deep) end.

After noticing that the test strips were differing from what i was seeing on a simple phenol red/OTO chemical test kit, I started looking for a better chemical test kit and came across this site. I ordered a Taylor 2006 test kit off Amazon, which is supposed to be in this afternoon. I plan to test the water immediately, and am fairly sure the results are going to confuse me a good bit as to what to do next. I sure would appreciate any help you guys can offer!
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

To clear up the pool, you need to follow the SLAM Process process. Good thing you ordered a test kit ;)

I will note that if you ordered the K-2006 and not the K-2006C, that you should order refills for the CYA and the FAS-DPD chlorine test now as they do not give you enough ... which is why I prefer to recommend the TF-100.
 
jblizzle, thanks for replying so quickly! Assuming that the chemical profile is OK, would the pool be safe to swim in this weekend and I could start the SLAM next week, or do I just need to bite the bullet and SLAM it now? If I need to start now, any guess how long it will take with the current clarity of the water?
Thanks!
 
Welcome to TFP!

We consider water safe to swim in if you can see the bottom of the deepest end and the FC is between the minimum and SLAM level for your CYA. Since you say you can barely see the bottom of the shallow end then we would not recommend swimming in it as it doesn't meet those requirements.

Best of luck clearing the water. Please post up a full set of test results when you get your kit in so we can help you get started clearing it up. We have no doubt you can do it!
 
So the test kit just came in and confirmed a couple of suspicions I had. First, the CYA is well over 100, pH is right about 7.0, and alkalinity is about 120. I didn't do a chlorine test at this point since, from what I have read, it is time to start draining the pool.
Am I correct, that I need to drain and refill to get my CYA level in check? How much of the pool should I drain, 1/4, 1/2, all of it????
 
Unfortunately it is an all too common problem for someone new here. The good news is that it is a problem you can fix now and never have to deal with again! :)

You will need to start draining. If you want to get a more accurate read on your CYA level you can perform the diluted test. Take half pool water and mix that with half tap water. Use this mixture to perform the CYA test per the instructions and multiply the number you come out with by 2.

For an IG vinyl liner pool you will want to leave at least a foot of water in the shallow end to prevent the liner from shifting. So you will need to do this in steps. Just remember, as you look at the task ahead, that this will be the only time you ever have to do this. After you get the CYA level to something maintainable and start following TFPC things like regular algae and water replacement will be a thing of the past. And, I don't want to get too far ahead, but I think you are going to be very pleased with the water clarity possible with TFPC. Just things to look forward to as you get through this water replacement and SLAM.
 
So I need to drain the pool to 1' in the shallow end, then refill to operating level. Allow the pump to run for a couple hours, then check CYA. If CYA is too high, repeat drain, refill, and test procedure until CYA is within range, correct?
BTW, I added about 8# of CYA this season since the Clorox test strips ALWAYS showed extremely low amounts of CYA. I'm sure I will look back on this and laugh one day, but right now I want to sue Clorox.
 
Sounds like you got the process to lower CYA down :thumleft:

I don't disagree. People have argued for years here about their belief that test strips are accurate enough, but you see why we are so stubbornly insistent about getting a good test kit. I can tell you that you will laugh, I found the site under similar circumstances and I do laugh at the things I used to think about pool care. A good sense of humor is a great help to pool care.

Though if you do decide to sue Clorox try to get them to take that Cloromax stuff out of bleach and raise the strength back up to 8.25%. :p
 
OK, so I finished changing about 9000 gallons of water yesterday around 3:00pm. I turned on the pump and let it run all night. This morning, I performed another CYA test and the result was still around 100. I then performed a diluted CYA test, which showed about 55-60, which multiplied by 2, results in 110-120ppm CYA. I am assuming it is time to restart the emptying/refilling of the pool again. Am I correct?
 
Yes that is correct. If you can only empty 1/3 of the pool safely, you can expect the CYA to drop from 120 to 80 after one more round of drain/refill. its a judgement call whether you leave it there or do two more rounds of draining to get it down to the 50 range, which is more manageable. Working with CYA of 80 means you’ll have to maintain a higher FC level on a daily basis once you get the algae cleared up. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be going through anymore chlorine on a daily basis. For the SLAM you’ll have to get the FC level up to 31 (CYA of 80) and maintain it there until your water clears of algae. This will take more attention than it would with a lower CYA, but its not completely unmanageable. So like I said - your judgement call whether you drain once more or twice. Sounds like you should not need to do more than that if your current CYA is accurately measured at 120.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Finished the water change yesterday morning, let the pump run a few hours and rechecked CYA to find it at about 80 as expected. Spoke with our local water department and found out another 9000 gallons will only cost about $25, so I am draining the pool yet again in hopes of getting that number down to the 55-60 range.
My question is this, what do I need to do first after I change the water and determine my CYA level this time? At this point, the pool is almost crystal clear. I haven't checked any numbers other than CYA since I started this procedure of emptying and refilling last week. I anticipate the pH to be pretty close to neutral, chlorine numbers to be very low, and alkalinity to be pretty close to normal. Will the SLAM procedure be necessary? If so, about how long should I anticipate that process to take? What other levels should I check and adjust before beginning the SLAM?
Any advice would be appreciated.​
 
You should just follow the SLAM Process process. It will take as long as it takes ... depends on what is in your water ;)

Could be 1-2 days, or 1-2 weeks ... with mostly clear water, should be on the shorter end.

I would run a full set of test results before you start.
The adjust pH and start the SLAM process.
 
I would SLAM. Sounds like you’ve diluted an algae problem to the point where you can’t see it but the algae is there waiting to multiply. SLAM it away before it comes back.
 
That’s what I figured. I will post a full test result tomorrow evening once it’s full and the pump has run for a few hours. I would be very grateful if somebody would then help walk me through the rest of the process. I have read the pages here, but it’s still a very foreign process to me. Once I get a couple tests and calculations under my belt, I’m sure this system is very easy to follow. I have also installed the pool math app and think I can figure that one out pretty quickly as well.
Once again, thanks to everyone here for the advice!
 
Water change complete, and pump/filter has run for about 5 hours. I just completed a water test and the values are below:
CYA-45
TA-90
pH-7.4
FC~.8-1.0
CC~.6-.8

So, according to my calculations, CYA, TA, & pH are in range to begin the SLAM process, and i need to start by adding 7 gallons, 3 quarts of 6% bleach to get the pool up to SLAM level. Am i correct, or what do i do next?
 
What is the ~ in the FC and CC numbers? Use 10ml of water for the chlorine test so each drop is 0.5ppm.

Assuming your CYA is 50ppm (round up) to get your target FC level for the SLAM. That would be 20ppm.

Using PoolMath, in 27k water, starting with a FC of 1ppm with a target of 20ppm, would require 1066 oz (8 gallons and 1 quart) of 6% bleach.
 
There is no between. It is either still pink or clear ;)

For all the tests you continue to add drops until the last one causes no further color change, and then that last one does not count.
 
Gotcha. So now to add the bleach. Should i just dump it in the deep end, run it through the skimmer, or spread it evenly across the entire pool?
Also, should I test chlorine to make sure I am at shock level after adding the bleach? If so, how long after I add it should I wait to test?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply