2019 Spring Opening

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Bruiser

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May 31, 2013
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We normally close our pool (safety cover) at the end of October even though we are in Georgia and the water temperature is still high. This is because so many leaves fall into the pool that it takes hours and hours to rake up. The trade off is that the water is usually a swamp when it’s time to start reopening the pool in the spring. This year was especially bad because our pump burned up a few weeks prior to closing and the pool wasn’t circulating. I didn’t bother buying a new one until this spring since it burned up so close to the end of last season. Anyways, I’m using this thread to hold myself accountable to get the pool up and running again soon. I will post pictures everyday to show the SLAM progress (hopefully).

I just installed a 2 speed pump and I plan on running it at the low setting 24/7 until my pool is clear.

Day 1
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My pool is approximately 23,700 gallons. I tested the CYA and it didn’t register which is typical for this time of year. I plugged those numbers into the pool calculator and it calculated shock levels would be around 11.

I plan on addressing any pool needs 3 times a day: morning, mid or late afternoon and right before bedtime.

I bought 10 bottles of 6% bleach from Dollar General since it’s close by. Each bottle was several months old according to the Julian date stamped on the side. Not idea but it was near and quick to get started. Each bottle adds approximately 2.2 FC according to the pool calculator. However, that’s assuming the bleach was at full strength which this bleach was not since it was several months old. I poured 6 bottles into the pool around 12 pm and did a quick brushing of the pool.

I returned around 6 pm and took measurements of the FC. It came back at 3. I went ahead and added 4 more bottles of bleach into the pool. I have a sand filter and my pressure gauge isn’t working which is typical (I already ordered a new one which I do every year), but I knew it was time to backwash. It took several minutes before the water cleared. I rinsed for a minute or so before turning it back to filter.

At 9 pm I took some more measurements and the FC measured at 8. Since it would be morning until I returned I went ahead and added 32 oz of cal-hypo to the pool. This would increase the FC to 14.

Note: I started using cal-hypo instead of bleach after my initial “shock” since I was able to find some for a decent price and currently having trouble finding bleach that hasn’t been on the shelves for months. I understand that cal-hypo will increase my CH levels.
 
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Bruiser said:
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I bought 10 bottles of 6% bleach from Dollar General since it’s close by. Each bottle was several months old according to the Julian date stamped on the side. Not idea but it was near and quick to get started. Each bottle adds approximately 2.2 FC according to the pool calculator. However, that’s assuming the bleach was at full strength which this bleach was not since it was several months old. I poured 6 bottles into the pool around 12 pm and did a quick brushing of the pool...
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Actually lower percentage chlorine/bleach does not breakdown as quickly as higher %. Especially if it's been stored properly (cool or climate controlled) Storage is important, because if new pool chlorine (10%) was stored in the heat is not full strength.
 
That does make sense that the lower percentage chlorine doesn’t break down as quick. Actually looking back at my FC readings again it does indicate that the chlorine I put in the pool was close to full strength according to the pool calculator numbers of where they should be.
 
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This morning (Day 2) around 7 am the FC measured around 12. I brushed the pool and scooped up a lot of leaves in the deep end and left everything else alone. Around 1 the FC dropped to 3. I added 48 oz of cal-hypo which would bring FC back up to 12 according to the pool calculator. I also hooked the Polaris 280 up to help stir things up some and vacuum some of the leaves. I measured again at 6 pm and the FC came back at 5. After backwashing I went ahead and added 32 oz of cal-hypo. This should raise my FC levels back to 11. I plan on testing again before bed around 9 pm and adding any chlorine as necessary.

Edit: I just walked outside and tested the chlorine levels. Measured at 6. I went ahead and added 32 oz of cal-hypo which should bring FC levels back up to 12.
 
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It's a different time of day (based on shadows) but you can see more of the steps it looks like! :)

Is there a reason you are using cal-hypo instead of liquid chlorine/bleach?
 
The pool did lighten in color from day 2 to day 3. Obviously not as dramatic of a change from day 1 to day 2, but that was expected. I started running the pump at high speed today to see if it helps the speed in clearing the pool. It should since it’ll turn the pool over more versus low speed.

I’m using cal-hypo because I found some at a decent price and was having trouble finding 10 bottles of bleach to buy at a time at various stores near the house. It gets old quick having to constantly stop for a couple of bottles here and there. Plus, the bottles end up filling the trash can up during opening. This is the first year that I have tried cal-hypo during opening. I will probably switch back to liquid chlorine once I get the pool cleared.

I added 32 oz of cal hypo this morning and another 32 oz this evening to keep the pool at shock levels. Each dose adds about 6 FC.
 

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Well done! You are well on your way! Was the cya test even the least bit cloudy? If not the only thing I might do is add enough cya to bring it up to around 10 or so to help keep some of the fc safe from the sun. If you can find some powder shock with cya to use when you run out of the other that would do two things at once. Just keep in mind hoe much cya you are adding with each bag.

Kim:kim:
 
The CYA test was a little cloudy so there’s probably a negligible amount in there. That’s been pretty normal for my pool when opening up each year. I have an overflow pipe and we get a decent amount of rain each winter so I guess that helps cycle the old water out. I also try to keep the CYA around 40 during the summer.

Here’s a look at day 5
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Day 6
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I went ahead and updated my signature. I have a sand filter so it’ll take a little while to filter the water. I was planning on adding some DE a little later in the process but decided to give it a shot today since it is the weekend. I went through a few rounds of DE and backwashing. I still have the water at shock levels. We’ll see how it looks tomorrow.
 
Day 8

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Although you can’t really tell from the pictures, the pool looks less cloudy from day 7 to day 8. There’s been improvement each day so that is encouraging.

I got a little lazy yesterday, or busy running after my 3 year old, and didn’t check my levels or add any chlorine before going to bed. I only added some yesterday morning and I’m sure the sun burned a good portion of that off during the day. I’ll probably have to hit it hard before work in the morning to bring the FC levels back up.

I did add a skimmer sock yesterday to catch the smaller particles. I also added a little less than a cup of DE to my filter. For my pool that amount is not enough to raise the pressure much, but hopefully it’ll help some. I plan on adding a larger amount of DE when I get some time to be able to monitor the pressure more closely and backwash the pool when needed.
 
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