Slamming not helping....help Obi Wan..you're my only hope

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M

markastovall

0
Apr 26, 2014
12
Oak Grove, MO
Last Sunday(7/6) I lost my pump - had to overnight a new one. I kept adding bleach and manually mixing the water but obviously no filter. Pump was back online Tuesday (7/8) of last week. Friday (7/11)it looked like algae had started so I started slamming. I tested my CYA to be 60 (TF-100 test kit) so was shooting for a FC of 25. Starting Friday night at 8pm, it has been FC 25+ with the pump running 20-ish hours a day - on high. From the initial dose, it passed the overnight chlorine test the first day...odd...but very cloudy so I kept at it. Before I get any lectures, I cannot vacuum to waste - it would drain my pool and I might as well do a drain-refill at that point. I always backwash the pump after I vacuum. It is very cloudy still and I can see what looks like algae on the bottom after 24 hours. It is very hard to vacuum. Passing the vacuum head over the spots does nothing...more of a scrubbing than a nice "vacuum". Pretty much just stirring things up and makes it cloudier. Not sure how anything could survive FC levels of 25+ for 72 hours, but it is definitely not getting better. At this point I'm starting to think I have some filter issue since running the pump isn't helping the cloudiness. It is a sand filter, so maybe I should add some DE? Should I break down and get some pool store algaecide? Went to local pool store to get a SMALL box of DE and/or skimmer sock....they carry neither. Not sure what to do, but the family is losing faith in the TFP method....a mutiny is brewing!! here are my current test results.

FC=27
CC=1
TA=70
CYA=60
pH=7.2

Note -After the pump was back in action, I was trying to raise pH with Borax....Added one box over 30 hours...didn't seem to help much but the pool calculator said I needed quite a bit. I'm not sure if it had any negative effect, but I've stopped trying to tweak the pH (and TA) until I get the water to clear up.
 
All I can say is it sounds like you are modifying the SLAM procedure a little. The filter should run 24/7, not 20ish hours.

Test
Raise FC to shock level
Repeat as often as possible

Brush/vacuum at least once a day

Algaecide is a preventative, not a cure for an active algae problem.

The SLAM is a marathon, not a sprint. Follow the procedures and maybe read a little more in Pool School. This is a great community here, but we do ask that you read and try to understand the information being taught. Questions are always welcome and folks will try to direct you and teach you the methods.
 
Sorry - I've had issues with plumbing failures (that is another post) and I'm leery of running the pump when no one is around...so I've been turning it off a few hours at night because I can't afford to buy another pump. I assumed algae sitting around in FC 25+ would be just as lethal without the pump. I've been vacuuming and brushing and backwashing every day. Testing about 3x per day. I've been maintaining 25+ but it doesn't seems to be consuming a lot of chlorine so I'm not sure I'm killing anything. I'll keep at it - just thought it would have shown some improvement after 3 days. Thanks.
 
You should be seeing a visible improvement each day, though it might be a very small improvement. If you are not seeing any improvement, please tell us how your filter has been behaving, has the pressure been going up have you been cleaning/backwashing the filter?
 
With your FC above the pH reading won't be accurate so don't bother to try to adjust it until after you are done with the SLAM. Maybe that box of borax you added will show up in the tests then !!

Algaecide as stated is a preventative so it's not going to help and if you maintain the proper FC level in relation to your CYA level algae never gets a chance to start so you don't need the algaecide as a preventative either. so you are good as is ;)

I understand your concern on running the pump unattended just so you understand the chlorine is killing algae 24 hours a day at 24ppm but you are missing out on those 4+ hours of filtering out the dead stuff so it will take a bit longer for the "clear" to appear. Not a problem just might add a day or two ...

Do you have a gauge on your filter ??

If you get a chance can you take a picture into the pool so we can get an idea of the clarity and visibility presently ?? It's always fun to see the progress as they go from green to blue :)
 
Yes, I have a gauge on the filter. Currently at 12psi, which is normal for me. It never really gets above that as I backwash and rinse it often. Luckily, we are having some unseasonably cool weather here in KC so the attention is off the pool for a while. After 4 days, the water looks about like it did when I started, which is an improvement over that last couple days. Not green, but cloudy with algae-like stuff clumping on the bottom. I'll just keep the FC level up and see what happens. I like the idea of adding DE to the sand filter, so I'll probably do that in the next few weeks regardless. Thanks for all the info/replies.
 
You keep saying you are backwashing and my thoughts are, you are backwashing too much. A dirty sand filter filters better than a clean sand filter.
 
What Casey said !! That is the reason some of us add DE powder to our sand filters. It actually clogs them a bit and helps them filter out smaller particles. It's seen as something beneficial to filter out really small stuff that the sand filter would usually let pass.

You should backwash your filter really well and note the pressure when done. Then you don't backwash until you hit 20-25% above that "clean" pressure. If it's 12psi clean than you backwash when you hit 15.
 
just a follow up to close the thread. In case anyone is interested in how long it can take....Took me about 10 days for the pool to return to normal. Right now, water is crystal clear. Next time, I'll hit it at higher chlorine levels...and maybe twice daily brushing - seemed to help. Thanks everyone!
 

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