Am I on the right track?

[Eli73]

Had my pool installed last fall and the installer filled the pool with water and did not add any chemicals just sealed the pool. This was in late October and the temperature promptly plummeted into freezing temps. I opened the pool last night and the water was clear but there was a translucent brown slime on the walls and bottom.
8AM Today PH 7.5
I added 6 lbs of granular CYA knowing that it would be a waste to take a reading, then added 3 gallons of 8.25% Bleach. Pump running 24/7
12:00p, FC-8 CC-0 added 1/2 gallon
2:30p FC 8.5 CC-0 added 1/2 gallon Started scrubbing walls and bottom
5:30p FC 9 CC-0.5 added 1/4 gallon Water was cloudier after scrubbing
8:00p FC 9.5 CC-0 added 1/2 gallon
11:59p FC-10.5 cc-0 had a beer

Correct me if I am off in my logic...my plan is to slowly increase the FC level as my CYA dissolves into the water. Not wanting to waste my materials testing CYA levels as this stuff dissolves. I was going to shoot for a FC level of 12 for tomorrow night and then hold it there. Assuming 6lbs of CYA would get me into the 30 neighborhood, and because I have plenty of time this weekend to baby sit the pool without worrying too too much about the sun breaking it down faster then I can add it. That's my plan for now and will adjust depending on what the pool does. After 4 days I plan to test my CYA level and bring it up slowly retesting again after a week. Sound reasonable?

Also after scrubbing i can still feel a little slime on the walls, will the shock help kill that off or do i need to get out there and scrub away until i cant feel it?

Thanks for any input and for the WEALTH of information available on this site. Side note- I am planning on using the TFP method this year with bleach until I get a firm grip on the basics before adding a SWG next year.

 

[Casey]

You're right on track Eli! Welcome to TFP!!! I would go ahead and adjust SLAM for 30ppm CYA since it's in there and dissolving. It won't hurt a thing!

Keep brushing the pool as you are and the elevated chlorine (SLAM) will take care of the slimy walls. Just keep brushing. You are doing well! Are you using the TF100 or the K2006?

 

[Richard320]

Welcome!

You understand the SLAM perfectly. Have another.

 

[Eli73]

Im using the K2006. Even bought the magnetic swirler, love that thing; makes me feel like Dr Bunsen Honeydew. I will go ahead and adjust up to 12 first thing in the morning.

 

[Eli73]

Update and a guidance request

The pool is looking beautiful albeit on the frigid side still. Things went very easily and she passed the eye and OCLT within 3 days. Here are my current readings:

FC- 4 (burn off about .5 on bright sunny days with zero swimmer load (brrr))
CC-0
CYA-35 (read after 5 days)
PH- 7.4
TA- 95

My guess is the next thing I need to address is the pH? should I leave it be until my borate test strips arrive?
I am planning on adding Borates to my pool as well as Salt. I just don't want to be introducing to many variables or throw things way out of whack all at once.
Should I be adding Muriatic Acid now to get my ph down to 7.2 in order to get my TA down (or should I just ignore the Ta of 95 for now)
or once i get my test kit here and find out how much borate and acid i need to add should i just add a little extra acid and then aerate to bring the PH up a smidge and get the TA down?

A side note- I am on a personal mission to show my wife that this method can produce beautiful swimming water. She is convinced that we need a SWG with high salt levels and that the kids are going to stink like chlorine and there eyes are going to burn....I just want add salt to soften the pool water up. I am not adverse to a SWG and will probably add one for convenience once I have this method mastered but I really want to dial this in and have some exceptional swimming water.

 

[Richard320]

I'd leave things alone. You'll need to feed it some bleach every day, and when the pH gets to 7.8 or so, knock it back to 7.2 and the TA will go down all by itself with no need to get aggressive with it.

Hold off on the borates a bit... get used to balancing it without that extra variable.

Salt for feel wouldn't be a bad thing. Hold Diamond Day. Then if you do go for a SWG, you're already halfway there, and can have another Diamond Day. Read reply 5 here

Shop around for "Liquid shock" or "Pool Chlorine". Don't tell the wife it's the same stuff as Clorox, just stronger. She'll see the label and decide that somehow, it's safer than bleach, since it's specifically designed for pools.

 

[Eli73]

Thanks for the advice Richard! I'll keep motoring along and add some salt. I'm not sure the wife is so worried about bleach per say but having water that smells like the the public pool and clothes that fade to white.

Here is a tasty tidbit that I wasn't able to find much info on here on this site:
I have a wood fired heater on the way from woodstovepools.com I'll keep a log as to how much wood I am using and water vs ambient temps but for me, the start ups costs were half that of doing solar. I'm also on 40
Acres of wooded property that provides me with a free source of fuel minus my man hours. The info I did find here was that it was impractical vs the btus provided or that it worked great but no real evidence. I'll keep some logs and let people make there own determinations. Fingers crossed that it's a viable alternative.

 

[JasonLion]

It takes tremendous amounts of wood to get significant heat gains. A pool in the spring or fall routinely requires significantly more heat than your whole house on the coldest day of the year.

 

[Eli73]

Hey Jason, that same logic would bear out greater expenditures to heat with electric or gas based on btu requirements. Yet people still heat in that manner. I can heat my whole home over the winter plus domestic hot water with about 7 cords or spend about 4000 dollars in oil to achieve the same result. Let's not look at this as it can't be done, "you will use way too much wood" and consider it a real world practical experiment. Worst case scenario is I pony up for a solar array down the road and use the wood for quick bumps of temperature. Let's let my logs bear out the cost benefits, fair enough?