Green Pool, first time SLAM-ing

[airforcematt]

Hey folks!

Got home from a trip out of town for a long weekend to find my pool full of leaves and apparently I forgot to add Chlorine before we left, pool is a nice dark green.

I've been SLAM-ing the pool for the past couple days but not seeing much improvement at all.

Just wanted to drop in here and make sure that I am not missing something.

Current test results are as follows

PH 7.8 (Was 7.5 before I started SLAM - know readings may be inaccurate during SLAM)
Chlorine 9.5 (this is after I added enough last night to bring it up to 17)
TA 100
CYA 45 (This is an assumption as I haven't added a significant amount of water since my last test, lost the tube with the black dot - new one incoming)
CH 225


At this point based on my research all I need to do is continue the SLAM process, brush and vacuum daily and wait for the green to start and subside, would I be correct in that assumption?

 

[duraleigh]

You may be missing the basic point of the SLAM.......bring your FC up to SLAM value (20 ppm in your case) and KEEP IT THERE 24/7. You should replenish FC back up to 20 ppm as often as you practically can but twice daily at the VERY least.

You did scoop out all the visible debris you could before starting the SLAM, right?

 

[airforcematt]

You may be missing the basic point of the SLAM.......bring your FC up to SLAM value (20 ppm in your case) and KEEP IT THERE 24/7. You should replenish FC back up to 20 ppm as often as you practically can but twice daily at the VERY least.

You did scoop out all the visible debris you could before starting the SLAM, right?

I DO get the point of SLAM, the level in the test above is what it dropped to overnight. Ran out of bleach last night so made a run to restock.

Yes, I scooped out all the leaves I could see.

 

[duraleigh]

Then stay the course. That's a pretty big overnight FC loss, indicating a lot of organics still in your pool. It may take a few days for you to start to see significant changes. Keep your FC up, run the pump 24/7 and vacuum as needed

 

[airforcematt]

Staying the course, aye-aye sir!

With the PH showing as 7.5 before I started and 7.8 now do you think it would be a good idea/speed things up if I added enough acid to bring the PH down from 7.5 to 7.3 or should I just keep SLAMing and deal with any PH issues after things subside?

 

[mknauss]

If your pH reading of 7.8 was taken with FC at 10 ppm or less, and you have a proper test kit (please add what you have to your signature), then you you can add acid to lower your pH to 7.2.

 

[airforcematt]

If your pH reading of 7.8 was taken with FC at 10 ppm or less, and you have a proper test kit (please add what you have to your signature), then you you can add acid to lower your pH to 7.2.

KNEW I was forgetting something that I was supposed to have in my signature! Thanks for the reminder.

The 7.8 reading was taken at a 9.5 Chlorine level so I guess I'll add some acid. Thanks!

 

[airforcematt]

Quick update, I got an actual pool brush (whale wall) to replace the shop broom I've been using to clean the sides of the pool. Started brushing the bottom of the pool and stirred up some leaves that I couldn't see before.

Ran the leaf pole skimmer along the bottom of the pool and realized that there were a ton of leaves down there, scooped out as many as I could and this morning there is a measurable difference in the color/clarity of the water in a good way.

Guessing all those leaves were just eating up the chlorine before it really had a chance to fight the alge.

 

[mknauss]

Removal of all solid debris is essential to a SLAM. If you leave it in the pool, the chlorine is working on breaking it down instead of killing algae.

 

[airforcematt]

Removal of all solid debris is essential to a SLAM. If you leave it in the pool, the chlorine is working on breaking it down instead of killing algae.

Yep. My rookie mistake for not trying to rake the bottom of the pool. Left a solar cover on the pool while I was on the trip. I mistakenly thought that it kept the leaves out of the pool - boy was I wrong!

Happy to report that my overnight chlorine loss was only 2.5 last night - best overnight loss yet by far.

I also now have blue water and can faintly see the bottom of the pool!

Really cool to see things starting to move in the right direction