Green pool- ready to give up!

[Divin Dave]

Hi Melissa,

Your FC level to Maintain your pool is 4. You are not in maintenance mode. You are in SLAM mode.
Here is a link to the chart you missed. http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock. Its ok though, there is a lot of stuff to lean and its easy to miss some stuff.
We are here to help you out.

Think of FC like an army. The recommended level to maintain the peace is 4.
The battle force, the SLAM, is 12. You need many more soldiers to fight a war than to keep the peace.

Ok... so now that you know the difference in Recommended FC and SLAM FC,

Your FC - Free Chlorine is low because your pool is full of gunk. Think of your SLAM FC as soldiers. The soldiers are killing the algae and in the process they get killed doing it.

CC is Combined Chlorine - think of it as how to count the Chlorine that has been killed off. The higher it is, the worse. Anything above .5 is not good.

CYA protects FC from the sun. Its hot where the soldiers fight, and CYA help to keep them from overheating and dying from over exposure to the sun.

Pool math is your friend! you will need to know how to use it in order to know how much stuff to put in your pool. A link to pool math is below.

Your Ph test says 8.2 I might actually be higher, because the test is only capable of testing to 8.2 Not a problem though...we'll make it.

At this time, do not add any more bleach till the Ph is in check.

Do the following in this order. Wait 30 minutes between adding anything to the water and testing. Always!

1. The first thing you need to do is lower your Ph. According to Pool Math http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html (bookmark pool math)
you need to add about 45 ounces of Muriatic Acid. Slowly pour the acid into the pool in front a return .. make sure the pump is running. Let the pump circulate it and Test 30 minutes later.

Then use pool math to determine how much more, if any, muriatic acid you need to add in order to get the ph to 7.2. After 30 minutes, test Ph again. WHen the Ph is 7.2 then go to the next step. (if you end up at 7.1 or 7.3, its ok.. you can go to step 2).

2. Go ahead and add just enough CYA to raise it from 20 to 30. According to Pool Math, thats about 23 ozs. A pound and a half.
Put the CYA in an old sock and put it in the skimmer. Dont worry about testing CYA any more during the SLAM. It dissolves slow and takes a few days to regisiter on the test. But, during slam, just consider that CYA is 30.

3. Next, start adding chlorine. WIth the pump running, pour it in slowly in front of a return. The SLAM FC level you need to achieve is 12. According to Pool Math, you need to add 293 ounces of 8.25% liquid chlorine. Thats 2 1/4 gallons. After 1 hour, test. If you are below 12, add enough bleach to bring it back up to 12. Use pool math to figure how much bleach to add.

4. THis is not a one time shot. It is a process and you will need to keep your SLAM FC at 12, try not to let it fall below that if you can help it.

5. Read How to Slam again. Please. It will do you a world of good and save yourself a lot of time.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl


Until the slam is complete, all you need to test for are
FC and CC (note: Pool Math does not have a CC row on it...but dont worry about it... its not supposed to have one. all you have to do is test for it.

Everytime you test and need guidance always Post your FC Test Result, your FC goal (which is always 12), and your CC's.

You all are so helpful, it's much appreciated!
Here are my results:
FC: .5
PH: 8.2
TA: 100ppm
CH: 775ppm
CYA: 20ppm
Bromine: less than 1

I've looked at pool chemistry and have a basic understanding, I think, and I've plugged all of the numbers into the calculator and it tells me I need 89 oz of 8.25% bleach to get target FC of 4. Either I don't understand this fully or haven't grasped the SLAM process yet. I added two jugs of bleach, shock, pucks, and algaecide with no change before I found this site. So surely one jug won't do it.

So, I know my CYA is low which tells me I'm not holding onto chlorine, right?

Please guide me to the right link! I'm confused : (

 

[wchamp1983]

Hi and Welcome. I can’t offer any help but just encouragement. I started with a black pool on 5/31 and my SLAM is done already. For me, it took around 43 bottles of walmart/target 8.25% bleach (sodium hypochlorite only) and a few boxes of borax with some baking soda. Totally doable! You got this!

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi and Welcome. I can’t offer any help but just encouragement. I started with a black pool on 5/31 and my SLAM is done already. For me, it took around 43 bottles of walmart/target 8.25% bleach (sodium hypochlorite only) and a few boxes of borax with some baking soda. Totally doable! You got this!

 

[joegus]

Ok so I will go stock up on bleach and get the muriatic acid for the PH and start there first.
What I'm still missing, if I need a FC of 12 during SLAM, how do I know how much bleach to add if calculator says 89 oz? What am I missing?

Start with what the calculator says to put in. Remember, this is an ongoing process. You will be testing everyday. The chlorine is going to be killing the algae, but the algae is still going to want to grow. Conditions may change. Don't let up. You will need to keep the chlorine up to slam level to get rid of the algae. One member mentioned it is a process not a one time add in and done. That was very good advice. Once you are confident in your CYA level you can then start to add the bleach and then adjust your PH. Again, this may change. It may take some time to get them to stabilize. This is why you are going to test everyday. Have faith and patience. Did we mention your doing a great job Melissa?

 

[bobby1017]

You all are so helpful, it's much appreciated!
Here are my results:
FC: .5
PH: 8.2
TA: 100ppm
CH: 775ppm
CYA: 20ppm
Bromine: less than 1

I've looked at pool chemistry and have a basic understanding, I think, and I've plugged all of the numbers into the calculator and it tells me I need 89 oz of 8.25% bleach to get target FC of 4. Either I don't understand this fully or haven't grasped the SLAM process yet. I added two jugs of bleach, shock, pucks, and algaecide with no change before I found this site. So surely one jug won't do it.

So, I know my CYA is low which tells me I'm not holding onto chlorine, right?

Please guide me to the right link! I'm confused : (

With all the types of cl that have been added, does it seem strange that the cya is only at 20? it was at 68 earlier according to the pool store test.

 

[Melissa1230]

Bobby, since I've had the pool store test and found this sit, I haven't put a thing in while waiting for my test kit. Sorry for the confusion.
Waiting to retest the ph...

 

[Beens]

Welcome to TFP Melissa! I hope it goes smoothly for you!

Now that you're here you won't have to give up!

Having the right test kit makes all the difference.

Don't hesitate to ask more questions if you need to. We're here to help you learn and you can't learn without reading and asking questions!

 

[Melissa1230]

Muriatic acid added, awaiting retest in 30 mins. CYA in sock added in skimmer.
Almost ready to slam!

 

[Butterfly]

Good! We'll be around if you need us.

p.s. I feel a new case of sparklypoolitis is brewing.....

 

[Melissa1230]

Thank u!!
Just did test one hour post first bleach-
The the chlorine level matches the 5-10 range.
I need 12 during slam. Do I treat it as 5, 8, 10?

Will wait for advice before adding more bleach.

 

[jmbradwell]

Personally, I'd treat it as a 5. It doesn't hurt to be a little high especially if its your last dose of the night.

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi Melissa,
I went to bed early last night, so apologies for the late reply.

Trust your test kit. Use the DPD-FAS test for chlorine during SLAM. That type of FC test is accurate to the nearest .5 ppm

The drop FC test doesnt measure above 5 ppm

Strive to not let your FC drop below 12 if you can help it.

 

[Melissa1230]

Ahh gotcha! Why didn't I think of that? Will do that at next reading.

My Ph is not staying at 7.2 which I think is a little strane despite adding muriatic acid twice. Thoughts?

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Personally, I'd treat it as a 5. It doesn't hurt to be a little high especially if its your last dose of the night.

That's exactly what I did! Thank you : )

 

[Granny]

For a SLAM you really need the DPD-FAS test and not the drop test so that you can measure your FC accurately, the drop test won't give you any information except that it's over 5, and not that it's between 5 and 10. What if it were actually 17 and you're adding as if it's 5? If you're going to do this (and you definitely CAN!) you need to be willing to do the testing yourself.

 

[Melissa1230]

That's a good point, I have the tf-100 kit so I'm able to do the other test. Will do that from here exclusively.

 

[yeggim]

Ahh gotcha! Why didn't I think of that? Will do that at next reading.

My Ph is not staying at 7.2 which I think is a little strane despite adding muriatic acid twice. Thoughts?

The PH test reads high when SLAMing. That's why you adjust PH before the SLAM process. When you're done SLAMing and your CL drops below 10, only then will you be able to get a true PH reading. Till then there's really no need to test PH.

 

[Melissa1230]

The PH test reads high when SLAMing. That's why you adjust PH before the SLAM process. When you're done SLAMing and your CL drops below 10, only then will you be able to get a true PH reading. Till then there's really no need to test PH.

It actually reading low. I adjusted prior to SLAM and got it to 7.2

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Marked improvement in 18 hrs

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Starting SLAM

 

[Melissa1230]

A little confused...
I've been testing, calculating and adding bleach all day. I SEE it getting brighter and brighter but I can't achieve FC of 12.
It's, at most, 5. I calculate accordingly, add appropriate amount of bleach, test in an hour and nowhere near 12.

Could this be because of the CYA (it's in the sock in the skimmer)?

I got the pH up to 7.2 at the advice of you guys before starting SLAM. Best I can see, it's now back down to 6.8, could that be it?

 

[Melissa1230]

Per ABC's of pool chemistry and my test kit:
FC keeps recording .5- 1.5
CC is 2.5 - 5 (pool chemistry says over .5 indicates a problem
CC+FC= TC? Right? which needs to be 12 during slamming? Which I can't achieved despite adding 10 1/2 gallons since 9 am

 

[scott.MI]

A little confused...
I've been testing, calculating and adding bleach all day. I SEE it getting brighter and brighter but I can't achieve FC of 12.
It's, at most, 5. I calculate accordingly, add appropriate amount of bleach, test in an hour and nowhere near 12.

Could this be because of the CYA (it's in the sock in the skimmer)?

I got the pH up to 7.2 at the advice of you guys before starting SLAM. Best I can see, it's now back down to 6.8, could that be it?

It is to be expected for your chlorine levels to drop after an hour of circulating. Your chlorine is being consumed by the algae which is why you need to keep testing and adding more. Your pool won't get clear until you've used enough chlorine to kill all the algae. Eventually once you've killed enough, your chlorine loss will slow down and your testing will progressively slow down from testing every hour to testing every 3 hours, to every 6 hours or 2 or 3 times a day.

The stabilizer in the sock (CYA) does lower PH, how much are you adding?

- - - Updated - - -

Per ABC's of pool chemistry and my test kit:
FC keeps recording .5- 1.5
CC is 2.5 - 5 (pool chemistry says over .5 indicates a problem
CC+FC= TC? Right? which needs to be 12 during slamming? Which I can't achieved despite adding 10 1/2 gallons since 9 am

It is the FC that needs be held at or above 12, not the TC