Opening a salt pool

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algaspar

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Jul 20, 2013
63
St. Louis County, MO
I had a pool company open my pool this past Wednesday. They fished the leaves off of the cover, removed the cover, added some algacide and chlorine, and the following day hooked up my SWG and told me to add 4 bags of salt after the filter had run 24 hours and been backwashed. I did that and my pool is a lovely shade of light, kool-aid green (but not cloudy). I tested and I am low on salt (3000 and the system wants 3400) and my chlorine and CYA levels are unreadable. I won't be able to get any instant CYA until tomorrow. Do I need to slam this pool, or do I just need to get the salt, CYA, and chlorine up to proper levels? TA is at 50; so I planned on adding baking soda to bring it up to around 70. I plan on adding the salt and baking soda this evening. Can I add chlorine as well without any CYA? Thanks for any advice.

Best--

Al:confused:
 
You should add 2 ppm of chlorine each evening after the sun is off the pool until 24 hours after adding CYA. At that point switch to the normal method of aiming for an FC level appropriate for your CYA level.
 
You should also add a complete set of test results so we can give you accurate instructions. :goodjob:
 
FC: 0
CYA: 0
TA: 50
SALT: 3000
PH: 7.5

I added 4 more bags of salt this evening, which should bring me to 3600 (I'll check in the morning). I also added 148oz of baking soda, which should bring my TA to 70 and pop my PH up slightly. I didn't quite understand this instruction: "You should add 2 ppm of chlorine each evening after the sun is off the pool until 24 hours after adding CYA". How do I determine what would be 2ppm? How long should I go before adding the cYA?

Thanks--

Al
 
algaspar said:
FC: 0
CYA: 0
TA: 50
SALT: 3000
PH: 7.5

I added 4 more bags of salt this evening, which should bring me to 3600 (I'll check in the morning). I also added 148oz of baking soda, which should bring my TA to 70 and pop my PH up slightly. I didn't quite understand this instruction: "You should add 2 ppm of chlorine each evening after the sun is off the pool until 24 hours after adding CYA". How do I determine what would be 2ppm? How long should I go before adding the cYA?

Thanks--

Al
Click to expand...
Poolmath will tell you what 2 ppm FC works out to in terms of bleach. Put your pool size in at the top, make FC zero now and 2 as your target. Select the strength bleach you have (Clorox brand is 8.25%) and it spits out an answer. Hint: it's 94 ounces, roughly 3/4 jug. There's a better explanation of how to use it here: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/114-poolmath-pool-calculator

You can add the CYA any time you want, the sooner the better. Same thing: use poolmath. Measure out the granules into an old sock or nylon and set it in the skimmer to dissolve, or hang it in front of a return if there's too much to fit in one sock in the skimmer without blocking flow. More info on adding chemicals: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/139-recommended-pool-chemicals

attachment.php
 
Well, perhaps it is the morning light as opposed to the afternoon light, but the pool seemed a darker green this morning than it was yesterday afternoon. I did my basic tests this morning; so my readings right now are:

FC: .5
CYA: ? (just started adding yesterday afternoon)
TA: 70
SALT: 3000
PH: 7.2

I just added 128 oz of granular CYA yesterday afternoon; I'll be able to check status this afternoon after work. I'm guessing that I'm only about 1/3 of the way there as PoolMath was saying I needed 331 oz to get to 80. I added 96oz of 8.25% chlorine yesterday evening, but it seems to be basically gone this morning. There was some rain yesterday afternoon, which might account for the drop in PH. I'll add 55oz of washing soda to bring it back up this afternoon.

I am concerned that the pool hasn't been clear yet and might be getting darker. Should I keep adding 2ppm of chlorine every evening (until CYA has been at appropriate levels for 24 hours), or do I need to address this more aggressively?

Thanks--

Al
 
I have whatever FC test comes with TF-100 Test Kit. Let me make sure that I understand how to do the slam:

* I only used tha test kit once this year, and it showed nothing. The chlorine test in the basic kit looked "kind of" yellow this morning, hence my .5%.

* I go by the CYA, which you think would be about 31 after dumping in the 8 pounds yesterday. The slam FC doesn't have to do with my having an SWG, just with the CYA.
* I dump in 538 oz of 8.25% bleach (that's what Sam's carries...cheap), which should give me an FC of 12 (I read .5% this morning, but it will likely be 0 when I get home...; so maybe 561).
* I test my FC level twice a day (work will prevent more often...) to keep it at FC 12 until my CC is .5 or lower, I pass the overnight test, and things look clear,
* How often should I backwash? (mine is a sand filter).
* Do I need to keep up with my other tests and make any changes for their results while doing ths?
* How far down does my FC need to go to be safe for swimming?

Thanks for all the help--

Al
 
algaspar said:
I have whatever FC test comes with TF-100 Test Kit. Let me make sure that I understand how to do the slam:

* I only used tha test kit once this year, and it showed nothing. The chlorine test in the basic kit looked "kind of" yellow this morning, hence my .5%.
Click to expand...
You will be using the powder test from now on.

* I go by the CYA, which you think would be about 31 after dumping in the 8 pounds yesterday. The slam FC doesn't have to do with my having an SWG, just with the CYA.
Click to expand...
Yes.
* I dump in 538 oz of 8.25% bleach (that's what Sam's carries...cheap), which should give me an FC of 12 (I read .5% this morning, but it will likely be 0 when I get home...; so maybe 561).
* I test my FC level twice a day (work will prevent more often...) to keep it at FC 12 until my CC is .5 or lower, I pass the overnight test, and things look clear,
Click to expand...
That's it! You might be able to get 3 doses in, one in the morning, one as soon as you get home, one just before bed.
* How often should I backwash? (mine is a sand filter).
Click to expand...
Whenever pressure goes up 25% or you notice a decrease in flow.
* Do I need to keep up with my other tests and make any changes for their results while doing ths?
Click to expand...
nope. Ignore everything but FC & CC.
* How far down does my FC need to go to be safe for swimming?

Thanks for all the help--
Click to expand...
Below SLAM level.

Generally, you keep SLAMming until the water is sparkly, and you see that the CC is .5 or less. At that point, you do the overnight loss test and if it passes, walk away and let FC drift down by itself. When it gets below 10, run all your tests and make adjustments to pH and so on then. That's also when you'd raise your CYA level up for your SWG.
 

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I read in the SLAM article to turn off my SWG for the overnight test. Should I turn it back on while the FC drifts down, or should I just leave it off until I get down below 10?

Thanks--

Al

- - - Updated - - -

And one last thought...does it matter if I go over the FC slam level a little? The amount the poolmath calculator comes up with works to 4.6 bottles of bleach. Would five be a problem?

Thanks--

Al
 
You need the SWG off to perform the OCLT, but since you are gone all day, have the SWG on and helping to maintain the FC level at SLAM level could help speed the process.

Going a little high on the FC is not that big of a deal as it will get consumed fairly quickly.
 
OK. I slammed the pool around 5pm yesterday afternoon bringing it to an FC of 12. At 10pm I checked it, and the FC was down to 10.5; so I added chlorine to bring it back up. I tested again around 6:15am this morning, and it was down to 9.5; so I added some more chlorine to bring it back up. I'm working from home today; so I should be able to check it again around lunch.

The pool is still ugly, but it looks like it has changed from a dark green color to more of a brown, and it looks like the brown may be in the lower part of the pool with clearer water towards the top; so I guess it is doing something. I backwashed once yesterday, but this morning the PSI was still right at 10, which is where it is normally.

I was asked a few questions:

  • How come when we used a pool company in the past and had an algae flare, they just added something once, and after a few days everything was all clear again? Was the pool company adding more chlorine at once? I guess what I am being asked is why I need to keep after it at least twice a day.
  • Any estimate as to how long before I see some real improvement in how the pool looks?
  • Will the higher FC hurt my SWG? Pentair indicates that it should be turned off when any chemicals are added (even salt...)
  • I removed my Polaris 380 from the pool to protect it from the higher FC. Is that a good idea?
  • Should I be concerned about the higher FC and my vinyl liner?

Thanks for all the help.

--Al
 
algaspar said:
OK. I slammed the pool around 5pm yesterday afternoon bringing it to an FC of 12. At 10pm I checked it, and the FC was down to 10.5; so I added chlorine to bring it back up. I tested again around 6:15am this morning, and it was down to 9.5; so I added some more chlorine to bring it back up. I'm working from home today; so I should be able to check it again around lunch.

The pool is still ugly, but it looks like it has changed from a dark green color to more of a brown, and it looks like the brown may be in the lower part of the pool with clearer water towards the top; so I guess it is doing something. I backwashed once yesterday, but this morning the PSI was still right at 10, which is where it is normally.

I was asked a few questions:

  • How come when we used a pool company in the past and had an algae flare, they just added something once, and after a few days everything was all clear again? Was the pool company adding more chlorine at once? I guess what I am being asked is why I need to keep after it at least twice a day.
  • Any estimate as to how long before I see some real improvement in how the pool looks?
  • Will the higher FC hurt my SWG? Pentair indicates that it should be turned off when any chemicals are added (even salt...)
  • I removed my Polaris 380 from the pool to protect it from the higher FC. Is that a good idea?
  • Should I be concerned about the higher FC and my vinyl liner?

Thanks for all the help.

--Al
Click to expand...
You're doing things fine.

What the pool company did to clear it was sort of the nuclear SLAM. It will clear things fast, but it can bleach the liner, usually jacks up the CYA or CH to ugly levels, and doesn't totally eradicate it. It will creep back in the form of hazy cloudy water.

Green or brown to bluish grey usually only takes a couple days. Getting clear takes a lot longer. Typically a couple weeks. The good news is, the chlorine demand will go down every day as you keep killing algae. It's all the filtering that takes so long. Agonizingly long.

The high FC won't bother the SWG. It might bother the rubber seals in the cleaner, so you did good to pull it.

If you stay at the proper SLAM value, there's no danger to your liner.
 
Thanks, again. I was reading that diatomaceous earth (DE) could speed up the clearing process (and I read the how to add it article). I see DE listed for sale at both Lowe's and Home Depot as a crawling insect killer. Will this do, i.e., is all DE the same?

Thanks--

Al
 
I tested this morning around 5:30 and had an FC of 11. I added 48oz of 8.25% bleach that PoolMath told me to use to bring it up to 12. It rained a LOT this monring. I was at work; so my son tested twice at noon. He got 16 the first time; so he tested again and he still got 14. I was expecting it to be low, particularly with all the rain. Can something be raising my FC besides the bleach? I supposed I could have an incorrect pool volume, but earlier additions seemed to bring the chlorine up to where it should be not a whole lot higher...

I am told that the pool water is looking a lot like ice tea but with more larger particulates and the skimmers have large clumps of algae in them (I'm betting dead algae). Is there anything more that I can do to clear things up? How long can I expect it to be this ugly, two weeks? The only change that I've seen is going from green to brown :-(...

I was also told that the water is smelling like an old rubber inner tube, if that means anything :-(

Thanks--

Al
 
Contrary to what most people seem to think, rain has very little affect on pool chemistry. In fact, since it was likely cloudy instead of sunny, you would have lost less FC to the sun.

You volume could be off or the bleach strength could be higher .... does not really matter, just keep SLAMing.
 

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