Continue SLAM or Drain and Refill?

[MrMeaner]

Current pool is 33,000 Gallons in ground gunite with a SWG - 5 years old - Using hard well water for fill. Its been a constant battle with High TA, High PH over there years and if things have gotten away from me a couple battles with Algee. I have used algaecides in the past several times with pretty good success. Anyway over the years had pretty good luck with keeping the pool in good shape until recently. I live I Lubbock, TX and while we don't have any trees close to the pool in our backyard the wind consistently blows dirt, pollen, grass clipping ect in the pool. Got some fertilizer that had phosphorus in the pool earlier this year and have been fighting a new algae bloom.

I have put a lot of chemicals into the pool over the last 5 years!!! Is there a point at which is best to drain some or all of the pool and start over?

Here is my situation now - Had a huge wind store blow tons of dirt into the pool over the weekend. So I set the pool to waste, vacuumed out the dirt which left the algae showing. I lowered the PH with MA, put in 20oz Sodium Dichlor Granuals and Two Gallons of 10% Bleach about 6:00pm. Then came inside and started doing some research on TFP.com and basically had started doing the SLAM process since yesterday afternoon. After reading over the SLAM Material and testing the water again the FC levels were dropping very fast. I used another 4 gallons of Bleach last night over the course of 3hours.

After the first dose of Granular and Bleach I started brushing the pool down with 20" steel brush and used a smaller steel brush on prominent algae areas. Ran the suction side cleaner till sand filter pressure was way above normal and back flushed late last night.

I was just using the FC and PH kits and test strips last night. This morning started using the big TF-100 Test Kit - Best recollection on test #'s from this morning were

PH 7.2
FC - 7 - added 3 more gallons to bring it up to about 15 FC Level
CC -2
TA - 110
CH - 380 I realize this is high - need to test my fill well water - not sure we can lower it without draining
CYA - 40 - will raise this once complete with SLAM
Salt - 2400 - says to add 5 bags to bring it up to 3200 - which I will do
Borates - Never used them but thing about it after radin ga few posts.
Temp - 72

Anywho water is looking better but still cloudy cannot see the main drains or vacuum in the deep end - Ran the pump with suction side cleaner all night and had to back flush again this morning. Gonna do a regular hand vacuum and back flush and retest everything again this afternoon.

I have plenty of all chemicals on hand or readily available locally if necessary.

Question is should- does everything look ok so far and just keep plugging away?? At some point should you just drain the pool and start over fresh??

Thanks in advance for any advise.
John S.

 

[Azgirl71]

Your numbers don't look terrible. You do have CCof 2 so that is a sign there is something still in there as well as the drop in FC.

If you follow the SLAM process all the way through this will work. Only add bleach or liquid chlorine to keep shock levels up.

- - - Updated - - -

For a CYA of 40 you need to be targeting a FC level of 16. You could even target 18 during the day that will help you stay at or slightly above slam shock level. Most pools will naturally lose 2-4ppm a day

 

[Texas Splash]

I'm with you MrMeaner. I'm just outside of San Antonio and the winds have made a mess of things here as well. Quite a bit of rain too. But don't worry! You are on the right track with TFP guidance. The people who chime-in and/or confirm your concerns do so because it worked for them. I converted to the TFP methods over a year ago due to the painful lessons-learned from chlorine tablets, powdered shock, and bad pool store guidance. Back then, my CYA was close to 100 and my pool was always fuzzy with green dust on the floor. Ever since TFP, it's been crystal clear. In fact, I finally had to add some stabilizer to my pool yesterday for the first time in over a year. Stick with the SLAM, keep plenty of extra bleach on-hand, and your perseverance will pay-off.

 

[Divin Dave]

MrMeaner, you are doing the right thing. Keep your FC at SLAM level. With CYA of 40, that level is 16. The more you persevere in keeping your FC at 16 or slighly higher (maybe 19), the quicker it will go. If you slack off, the chloring slacks off, and the algae comes back on you.

It took a while for the pool to get to where it is now, and the same rule applies to clearing it up. It will just take a bit of time.

 

[MrMeaner]

Thanks for the advice AZ, TS and DD!!

Will keep at it then, I think I have 12 bottles of 10% Liquid Chlorine to keep hitting it with that till we get the water clean and clear.

I also have some salt and CYA to bring my level up when we get to the right balance in the pool. The pool installer told me when they installed the pool to not use the SWG when the water was below 70 degrees so have been using Sodium Dichlor Tablets and Granular Shock but nothing to the levels of a high shock as recommended in the SLAMing.

It's just been this past week or so the temps are up in the pool to 70 so assume the rise in temperature has some result of the poor water quality. We have had rain and flooding conditions here in Lubbock ove the last two weeks so I am sure that has not helped matters.

I think I am really getting a better grasp on balancing the water better the more I research. Before it was just the basics of PH and Chlorine - usually using the test strips.

I am considering looking into Boric Acid/20 Mules and Muratic Acid and read it really make the water shine. Is that something to look into once water is clean, clear and algae free and the FC is back to a normal range?

John S.

 

[MrMeaner]

This afternoon after work I spent some time vacuuming by hand and then came in to test the water.

Test results were:
FC - 9
CC - 1
Added 3 gallons of 10% Chlorine to take the chlorine up to 18

Then spent time brushing algae spots and the rest of the walls with a steel bristle brush

Still a little cloudy but slowly clearing up.
which should have taken it up to

 

[Divin Dave]

You're on the right track MrMeaner. Keep slamming! You arent too long off now from clearing it up.

In a couple months, you wont believe how you ever thought it was over your head to begin with. Its really simple if you just know how.

We typically recommend holding off on borates until you have at least a couple of troublefree water balanced months under your belt.
The silky soft feel is somewhat subjective and varies between individuals. Im borated and I cant tell any difference in the feel. Now the water, thats a different story!

Regarding your SWG cut off temp. I also have an inteliichlor and the cold water threshold is 52 degrees. Its a chemistry thing. No SWG will work below 52 degrees. There is not actual cut off gadget. It just wont make chlorine and will show a Cold Water red light. They will make chlorine if the water is above that. If you wait til water is 70, thats way too long (IMO). I fire mine up when ever the average water temp is about 60.

 

[MrMeaner]

I was kinda finally realizing that same thing - I just remembered what he said 70 degrees - he actually wrote in on the SWG panel before he left - Over the years i wondered and then became skeptical. He said algae would not grow in cold water, but after I got a little fertilizer and low chlorine in my pool at 60 degrees the algae came on strong

I do have a permanent vinyl winter cover but its such a pain in the *** to use I have only put it on 2 our the the last five years. I will be more diligent in using the cover over the winter from now on though. Make opening the pool in the spring much eaiser and I have to spend countless hours cleaning the pool and chemicals.

SWG is showing low Salt and this point and flashing red so I am not sure its was even working while I had it turned on. I have the SWG turn all the way off now while doing the SLAM but have salt on hand to take it from 2300-2400 up to 3200ppm when the time is right.

Appreciate your responses!!
John

 

[Azgirl71]

Glad you are going to keep at it and you are very welcome.

 

[MrMeaner]

I bumped it up to a level of FC 18 yesterday afternoon

This morning
FC 15
CC .5

Pool looks much better each day - gonna take it back up to FC18 this morning and test again this afternoon.

So if you get your CC to 0.0 how long do you hold you FC at an elevated levee before letting it drift back down? 1 day, 2 days, week?

 

[Divin Dave]

MrMeaner,
There are 3 criteria for completing the SLAM.
CC is less than .5 (goes clear with 1 drop).
You pass the OCLT
Your water is completely clear

once your CC go to .5 or less, then the next thing is to do the overnight chlorine loss test. 'OCLT'. The OCLT eliminates the possibility of teh sun burning off chlorine and any FC loss left, is due chlorine loss due to algae (or any other organics in the pool).
When the sun goes down, test your FC
Before sun gets up, test the FC
You pass the OCLT when you have 1 or less FC overnight.

After you pass teh OCLT, keep it at SLAM level until your water is completely clear. This will ensure there isnt any more algae left at all.