Wait for CYA before SLAM?

[Momto3boyz]

This is my first post. I am so thankful for this site. We just moved to our house with a pool. We paid a pool service to open it and balance the levels. They opened it successfully, but seem to be useless with balancing, as well as showing up. They shocked it a couple of times, which didn't work. We have decided to get it going ourselves, using the BBB method.

My question is: Am I better off waiting a few days for CYA levels to get to desired range before hitting hard with the SLAM process? We tried adding quite a bit of bleach yesterday, however the FC levels kept going really low. We are eager to get this thing clear, but I don't want to waste my time and money before everything is ready.

Here are the levels (Taylor K-2006)
FC 1.6
CC 7.6
pH 7.6 (just added muriatic acid according to calculator to get down to 7.3)
CYA was at zero, added CYA according to calculator yesterday using sock method
CH 275
TA 250

Thanks!

 

[Patrick_B]

Welcome to the forum, and it sounds like you are off to a great start with learning. Congratulations on acquiring some knowledge.

I would pull the sock if it were me, wait a couple of days to retest Cya. But for now, see how much dissolved best you can guestimate and base your SLAM level of FC on that. If you put enough in the sock for 50 PPM and you think half dissolved, base it on 25-30.

I assume the pool got green is what you meant on them not succeeding?

It sounds like you are on the right track, just remember, during a SLAM try as hard as you can not to let the FC fall below SLAM level any more than possible. This will help speed the process.

 

[Momto3boyz]

Thanks so much for the reply! I am so happy that these terms no longer sound so confusing. It took a few hours of learning though. Reminded me of high school.
Yes, the pool is green. We have never seen it any other color .

I would pull the sock if it were me

Will you please clarify? Do you mean empty the CYA into the filter or pull it out altogether? My husband chose the sock method because he read that it isn't good for the filter to pour it in there directly. We are still figuring it all out though, so I'm all ears.

 

[Butterfly]

Welcome to the forum

Stop using the 25ml (X.2) FAS/DPD and start using the 10ml (X.5)sample, and save some reagents!

How much CYA did you add and has it all dissolved?

That is some high CC #...... Once you start the SLAM process, I suggest you retest/adjust at least hourly for starters. Maybe even every 30 mins.

Very nice fist post.

 

[Momto3boyz]

Stop using the 25ml (X.2) FAS/DPD and start using the 10ml (X.5)sample, and save some reagents!

How much CYA did you add and has it all dissolved?

Thanks for the tip of going down to the smaller sample size. I was afraid to .

I added about 5 lbs of CYA, but the calculator said to add about 8 lbs. I was afraid to go over (don't want to have to replace water), so I added a bit less. There is still a lot of it in the socks. I figured I would test after they have dissolved, then add more if needed. I've been shaking the socks once in awhile to speed up the process :-D.

 

[pwhite222]

Disclaimer: I am quite new to all this too, so go with an expert's advice over mine.

But I was in a very similar situation with 0 CYA. I am doing the same as you, adding it very slowly. I have 5 lbs. stabilizer (Cyanuric Acid) in socks in the skimmers right now. It takes a long time for the test to show any increase anyway, so as long as you're under the mark that would bring you to 30, I don't think it will hurt. Just understand that once you kill all the algae and complete the SLAM process (by meeting the three conditions) you may need to vacuum to waste, which will inherently lower your overall CYA. So, it's a give and take: it will help lock chlorine in against the sunlight, in the short term, but in the long term, you will eventually need to add more.

I'd suggest definitely not raising it more than 30 maximum, as then you will need to use more bleach to maintain SLAM levels.

I'd be more concerned about that CC to be honest. Not sure what to do with that, my assumption is SLAMing will take care of it over time.

 

[Momto3boyz]

I'm glad to hear from someone in the same boat! Thanks for the explanation. I'll aim for CYA of 30.

Yes, this is the first day that I have been able to smell the CC. I too assume that the SLAM process will take care of it, and that once everything is killed for good, the level will start to come down.

 

[Butterfly]

You can start the SLAM now. Use 10 FC for the SLAM level. It is going to take a lot of bleach/liquid chlorine to overcome all that CC.

You could pull the sock w/cya for now and store it in a plastic bucket.......I think maybe Brushpup was thinking of the possibility of cya converting to ammonia, ergo, don't feed it.

Okay, I also suggest to pull the CYA sock and start the SLAM ASAP. Let's see how the first couple tests (test FC/CC only) go.

- - - Updated - - -

btw, have you found the PoolMath calculator? Top, in menu bar. Use it to calc doses

 

[Momto3boyz]

You can start the SLAM now. Use 10 FC for the SLAM level. It is going to take a lot of bleach/liquid chlorine to overcome all that CC.

You could pull the sock w/cya for now and store it in a plastic bucket.......I think maybe Brushpup was thinking of the possibility of cya converting to ammonia, ergo, don't feed it.

Okay, I also suggest to pull the CYA sock and start the SLAM ASAP. Let's see how the first couple tests (test FC/CC only) go.

- - - Updated - - -

btw, have you found the PoolMath calculator? Top, in menu bar. Use it to calc doses

Thanks. I was using thepoolcalculator.com but I will switch to the one on this site. This place has everything . I'll head off to the store soon to pick up as much bleach as I can. I want my family to be able to swim in this thing! I'll update with my first couple of test results.

 

[Butterfly]

okay, good! We'll be here ::

 

[Momto3boyz]

OK, I have a ton of bleach. Ready to start slamming. I just added my first dose of bleach:

FC 2.0
CC 5.0
Added 2.5 gallons of bleach.

I read somewhere on here that the green should turn to gray first. If there is a problem with the filter, but my SLAM kills the green, should I expect to see a gray pool? I just feel like we have already added a great deal of bleach, between the useless pool guys and our attempt yesterday. I'm surprised that it's still green. We are afraid that there is another issue. We didn't follow the SLAM rules previously though. I'll give this a try. Crossing fingers.

 

[Momto3boyz]

I'm not feeling very optimistic this evening. I added a total of 20 gallons of bleach since this afternoon. The FC level is now 3, only a slight improvement. CC did immediately fall to 1, and has been holding steady.

Is it normal to have to add so much chlorine before seeing results? I added my CYA socks back to the water for the night. I figure that it should be okay since I'm not getting anywhere near shock levels anyway.

Hopefully once my CYA levels are within range, things will improve. :?

 

[Richard320]

I'm not feeling very optimistic this evening. I added a total of 20 gallons of bleach since this afternoon. The FC level is now 3, only a slight improvement. CC did immediately fall to 1, and has been holding steady.

Is it normal to have to add so much chlorine before seeing results? I added my CYA socks back to the water for the night. I figure that it should be okay since I'm not getting anywhere near shock levels anyway.

Hopefully once my CYA levels are within range, things will improve. :?

If you have no sun protection, yes, you'll go through bleach like your boys go through milk. Even if the water was sparkling clear, no CYA and 20 gallons of bleach would leave you will almost nothing at sundown.

Load it up tonight when the sun can't steal any of it.

 

[Butterfly]

I'm not feeling very optimistic this evening. I added a total of 20 gallons of bleach since this afternoon. The FC level is now 3, only a slight improvement. CC did immediately fall to 1, and has been holding steady.

Is it normal to have to add so much chlorine before seeing results? I added my CYA socks back to the water for the night. I figure that it should be okay since I'm not getting anywhere near shock levels anyway.

Hopefully once my CYA levels are within range, things will improve. :?

Could be that you have had ammonia which will literally EAT chlorine until it is oxidized. You are doing good, keep at the SLAM ! When the FC starts to hold and CC falls, you can add the sock w/CYA

You have done good

- - - Updated - - -

oh yes, absolutely load the FC up tonight - and let's see the test in the morning

 

[Momto3boyz]

Things are looking much better today. Thanks for the words of encouragement last night! I pulled the CYA socks back out last night and added one last dose of bleach. In the morning, FC was only .5, so I added 4 more gallons. But the good news is that the pool is starting to sparkle a bit, and is more blue than green! Woo HOO!! In addition, I'm not adding nearly as much bleach today, only around half a gallon per hour. I can handle this! Yesterday was insane! The recycle people will wonder what we are up to when they see the mountain of bleach jugs. :lol:

I called the pool service people this morning to tell them that they do not need to come back to finish getting the levels right. They told me that I need to have the phosphate level tested, but I knew from this site that it is irrelevant. They told me that I shouldn't be using bleach from the store; I should be using tablets instead. I explained to them a few of my findings and politely told them that we will call them if we ever need their help in the future. I'm sure they thought I was a clueless new pool owner, but I feel like I know more than they do about pool chemistry now that I have gone through Pool School. This is great!

 

[Butterfly]

I'm sure they thought I was a clueless new pool owner, but I feel like I know more than they do about pool chemistry now that I have gone through Pool School. This is great!

You probably really do know more about pool chemistry than they do!

But the good news is that the pool is starting to sparkle a bit, and is more blue than green! Woo HOO!! In addition, I'm not adding nearly as much bleach today, only around half a gallon per hour. I can handle this!

Yes you can! You got this!

I think a case of sparklypoolitis is in the making....:lol:

okay, the CYA sock is back in the pool, right? Leave it in until it is completely dissolved, with pump running.

Don't forget to take some pics for us

 

[trackstar2000]

What is a CYA sock? Been reading this term a lot?

 

[Richard320]

What is a CYA sock? Been reading this term a lot?

It's explained in Pool School. "Solid cyanuric acid should be placed in a sock, and the sock put in the skimmer basket."

Alternately, it gets suspended in front of a return:

 

[trackstar2000]

Thanks. Pic worth a thousand words.

 

[Momto3boyz]

Well, by the end of today, we could see the bottom in the shallow end for the first time. Sparkleypoolitis for sure. My kids enjoyed checking it out for the first time. I think they never thought it would turn blue! Yes, CYA socks are back.

I ran out of the R-0871c chlorine test drops. I'll have to call around tomorrow. My local pool store sold me what they said was the same thing, but when I got home I realized it wasn't. I ordered some online but it won't arrive until next week. Hopefully someone in town has it.