First SLAM - finished at last!

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L

LaVidaVi

0
Nov 22, 2013
68
Visalia, CA
I just got started on SLAMming my pool today.

Was at 3ppm FC this afternoon. Added 4 gallons of 10% liquid chlorine at 4:00 p.m. Did FAS-DPD test at 4:30 and got a result of 25ppm FC.

ETA: my other test results from today--

CC 1
pH 7.5
TA 125
CH 925
CYA 80
 
Re: First SLAM

Looks like you got a good start. What does your water look like? Green tint, Pea soup, or black lagoon. You can hold off on testing CC's at first. From your test and times you burnt 1ppm in 30 mins and your CC rose 1 ppm. The key is to keep your FC above 21. That might be testing every 2 hours the first day. As you notice your FC becoming more stable between test, then you can see where your CC's are. Also watch your filter. DE filters are great at keeping a clean pool clean but are a pain clearing a dirty pool. Good Luck :goodjob:
 
Re: First SLAM

Wondering if I can expect it to fall at a fairly linear rate? That is, if it fell 1 ppm in 30 minutes, can I use that to predict when it might fall below 21 and retest then or do I need to keep testing every hour?

As far as the appearance of the water, it's a little dull/cloudy. There are black algae spots on the walls and floor of the pool, particularly in the deep end. Here are some pics from yesterday (11-22-13):

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My FC levels have been falling rapidly ever since I took over the pool in the middle of October. In the meantime we had some filter and sweep issues that allowed a lot of leaves and bugs to build up in the pool for a week or so, and unfortunately the FC level dipped well below recommended levels several times over the past month (and even when I was keeping them within the pool supply store recommended levels that wasn't really high enough given my CYA level which I had no idea of at the time! Just got my TF-100 a day or so ago).
 
First SLAM

If you have black algae you need to brush the spots to expose it to the high FC level. The black is like a protective covering.
SLAMing is like a marathon not a sprint. Stay on top of it until all three criteria are meet. Back wash your filter when pressure raises 20-25% of the clean pressure. Test every hour if you can. The longer you stay at SALM level the quicker the process goes.
 
Re: First SLAM

OK tested the water at 6:45 or so and FC had fallen to 20.5.

So do I just bring it up to 21 or do I shoot a little higher?

ETA: Just realized the float is still in the pool with the trichlor puck inside ... I should take that out, right?
 
Re: First SLAM

Took the puck out.

My husband did another vigorous scrubbing of the biggest black algae spots.

Pump (and pool sweep) has been on since I started. Filter pressure has risen from 13 (where it's been pretty much since we cleaned out the filter and replaced the grids and DE a few weeks ago) to 14.

Between dealing with the kids and getting dinner ready and eating it, time got away from me and I hadn't added any chlorine yet, so I retested at 8:15 to make sure I added the right amount. FC was still 20.5, so that's good, right?

I added 1 quart of 12.5% liquid chlorine, which The Pool Calculator said would get FC up to 22. I'll check it once more before I go to bed tonight.
 

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Re: First SLAM

Better to have a little more FC than even a bit too little, so dont worry if you bump it to 25-30. It wont be wasted, and it will come back down. Nearly impossible to guess how long it will take, but you are doing well, and Jeff has you covered. Good luck with it!
 
Re: First SLAM

Added 1 gallon, 2 quarts and 1 cup of 12.5% chlorine, which is supposed to bring level up to 25. I'm going to be at church most of the morning ... can check level maybe before I go at 9:00 and then after we get back around lunch time.

Brushed again, with a wire brush that looks pretty much like this one:
http://www.poolweb.com/Home/Other-Produ ... fgodBTAA5g

By the way, are there tutorials on how to open up a light niche? Is it possible without entering/draining the pool?
 
Re: First SLAM

You can remove the light without draining. You're going to have to get wet to do it. You don't have to actually get in the pool if you can reach it from the deck, though. There should be 1-4 screws in the underwater ring around the light that you'll need to remove. Most lights have just 1. The light itself will have a long cord so that it can reach the deck once freed from the niche. (Turn the electricity breaker off before you remove the screw(s).)

However, I would consider waiting until the visible algae is gone before checking the light. You don't have a swamp, and algae may not have gotten in the light niche. If you get to the point where no algae is visible, and you still have overnight chlorine loss >1ppm or CC > 0.5ppm for a couple of days, then it's time to check the light. Of course, if you don't mind checking now, it certainly won't hurt.
 

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