New test kit= NEW post

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M

mxracer

0
Jun 5, 2014
10
Haslet TX
TF100 just got here today so here are the numbers!
Please dont combine my post I would like to start over ;)

PH - 7.5
FC - 4.5
TC - 5.0
CC - 0.5
CYA - 45
CH - 25
TA - 90
Borates 40

Lets talk about the test a little except the CYA and Borates
CYA at 40 I could still make out the dot if i stared at it long enough but half way to 50 it was gone no matter how I looked at it
Borates the color looked somewhere between 30 and 50 so I am calling it 40
The SPEED STIR IS AWESOME!!!!!!

Water is crystal clear and has been for some time now other than lots of dirt on the bottom (it rained a few days here and haven't vacuumed since Sunday)
I do have ALGAE in very small quantities but it did come back in low flow areas (around ladder and one skimmer)

So I am off to do some reading about slamming while I wait on further advice about CH levels

At this point I plan to backwash tonight after a quick vacuum and start the slam in the morning with a fresh filter and pick up some DE to add tomorrow.

What do you think?
 
We're glad you enjoy your new toy. I'm sure you'll find it provides more consistent readings over your old kits. :)

As per your numbers.......they look rather good. I would personally still bump the FC up to SLAM levels and give the pool a good brushing. Then try an OCLT just to be 100% sure all is dead in the water. Odds say this will be all that's needed to rid your pool of the bit of algae. If however you fail the OCLT then you've got a head start on the SLAM process.
 
OK, SLAM is started or at least the OCLT is. 3.2 bottles of 8.25 is in brushed the complete pool and filter is purring away we will see what happens by morning, I am thinking I will keep FC at 18 or so all day even if it passes tonight. The usage of chlorine has went down every day for the past 5 days so maybe it wont take much to maintain this level.

On a side note when is the best time to test and treat? I have been doing it early morning before work, but after much thought is it better to do at night to keep FC levels at top of range longer?
 
OK, SLAM is started or at least the OCLT is.
Click to expand...
Some confusion here. The SLAM is the process you should be doing until you think your water is in good shape. THEN, you do the OCLT to confirm your SLAM is complete.

EDIT: It appears from looking at your other thread, that you are not sure whether to SLAM or not so you are simply going to perform an OCLT to determine the need for a SLAM.....is that correct?
 
mxracer said:
OK, SLAM is started or at least the OCLT is. 3.2 bottles of 8.25 is in brushed the complete pool and filter is purring away we will see what happens by morning, I am thinking I will keep FC at 18 or so all day even if it passes tonight. The usage of chlorine has went down every day for the past 5 days so maybe it wont take much to maintain this level.

On a side note when is the best time to test and treat? I have been doing it early morning before work, but after much thought is it better to do at night to keep FC levels at top of range longer?
Click to expand...


For regular maintenance I've read it's best to test and dose in the evening for exactly the reason you mentioned but it's not a must. I do mine at probably the worst time...right around 11-1pm depending on the day. For maintenance the main thing is to do it every day until you learn exactly what your pool needs.

For the OCLT you would bring it to SLAM level and test it just after dark then test it again in the morning before the sun comes up.

If you continue on to SLAM you will need to test it as often as you can to make sure you maintain that FC level usually starting out every hour and see how much you are dropping between tests then you stretch it out after that. For your situation if you do have to SLAM you probably won't need to test that often. Just make sure you do it at first to be sure. SLAM is all about the "M" which is Maintain so it's important to keep that level as consistent as your schedule will allow.

*edit*

I wish I had a speedstir! :-( Going to have to get one of those! I need a new toy! :D
 
Maybe I dont type in complete thoughts.

Yes I am in a SLAM but I also did an OCLT, I guess that doesnt make sense but that is what I am doing.

Last night I brought FC to 18.5 as tested at 11pm tested this morning at 6am and FC was 18.5 and CC is 0.0
At 10am FC was 17 added bleach at 3pm FC was 12 added bleach at 7pm FC was 17 added bleach I will test again after sundown and again in the morning.

What I did here is start a SLAM after having a low level one kind of going on for a few days if that is even possible. Or in other words I didnt have much of a problem that needed straightening and I had no FC loss overnight the first night so technically I was done the next morning but what I did was maintain for a day just to be sure cause it took 3 jugs to get it up there and only 1 1/2 to keep it there all day so my theory is better safe than sorry.

Its funny and frustrating all at the same time how one post can be taken so many different ways.

So what I was referring to about time of day is post slam regular everyday maintenance, on one hand I can see the benifits of dosing at night so your FC level will stay high for longer periods on the other hand I am wondering if doing this way will allow your FC level to go lower at the end of the day because it wasnt at its highest to start the day. any thoughts while I go search for the answer?
 
From my point of view, it doesn't really matter when you do your testing (same time of day is best) and chemical additions as long as you add enough to be above minimum levels when you test again the next day. After a few days you will get an idea of how much chlorine you are losing each day and that will give you an idea how much you need to add after your testing to keep your pool above minimums.
 

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Congrats on finishing your SLAM. It sounds like you are really getting the hang of this.

Dosing at night allows the max FC to remain in the water fighting algae while the sun isn't burning it off, so there is a longer contact period with high FC.

Even though it is at it's lowest at the end of the day it doesn't really matter because:

  • You never let FC drop below minimum
  • With consistent FC (at an appropriate level for the CYA level), algae never gets a toe hold
 
Should I worry? Continue slam or not?

First night I started slam I had 0 FC loss over night I kept it at 18 all day just in case last night I lost 1 FC, now that still falls in the stop category but what is the reason for this?
 
Mx,your done! Good job! Enjoy your pool. If you maintain FC constantly above minimum, you shouldn't have to SLAM (or shock for that matter) for the rest of the season. Why did OCLT change slightly? Who knows. Slight errors in testing, some pollen blowing in, a bird flying over and $@&? the pool, some combination of those.
 
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