Keep it up! Beat that ammonia into submission! Once you get ahead of it you will know.
Kim
Kim
CYA disappeard ove the winter?
- Thread starter PolareNJ
- Start date
First, the ammonia reads at 0 this morning.
Yes, we had a CYA of 30-40 going into this. I haven't tested CYA since starting this process, but will at next testing time. When I was picking up more 12% chlorine at the pool store, I had the water tested (I know, I know) and the stabilizer was at 50 and that was after our first night of SLAMming. If I understand you correctly, it sounds like we'll have to add CYA. I guess we should wait until end of SLAM? Or now - otherwise we will loose the chlorine we have this hot, sunny day. FC tested at 2.5 this morning, CC at 8. Next goal: FC = 16.
Yes, we had a CYA of 30-40 going into this. I haven't tested CYA since starting this process, but will at next testing time. When I was picking up more 12% chlorine at the pool store, I had the water tested (I know, I know) and the stabilizer was at 50 and that was after our first night of SLAMming. If I understand you correctly, it sounds like we'll have to add CYA. I guess we should wait until end of SLAM? Or now - otherwise we will loose the chlorine we have this hot, sunny day. FC tested at 2.5 this morning, CC at 8. Next goal: FC = 16.
I would not add any CYA yet. Wait until you are holding FC overnight. During the day you will lose your FC like you said. Overnight of course it will just be what is in the pool "eating" it so that will be a good judge of when you are on the down side of the SLAM.
Kim
Kim
Looks like we have a CYA of 35 right now. FC is still 2.5, but it is very sunny and warm. I'll continue adding chlorine this morning, but should I add this afternoon? I think it would disappear very quickly in these conditions and a high FC would be hard to achieve.
Your want to keep FC level at or slightly above SLAM levels at all times. Yes it will get eaten up by the sun as well as whatever is in theater, but that is the only way to fix it.
Add and keep adding bleach until you get to your goal FC for your CYA level.
If you do not keep adding bleach you will not beat the ammonia monster.
Kim
If you do not keep adding bleach you will not beat the ammonia monster.
Kim
The ammonia is still registering at 0, though there could be some residual. No matter how much chlorine we added today, the FC kept going down due to the strong sun (and whatever is working in the pool). Have now started the SLAM for tonight and hope to reach the shock level (FC=16).
Regarding the TF-100 DPD test for FC: I have had no trouble seeing the changeover from pink to clear before, but it now seems that at higher FC values the test goes to a clear, but decidedly grayish tint with no pink in it, though it looks a (very) little cloudy. Is this the result I should be using? I can't seem to get it to turn the totally crisp clear without a gray tint.
Last edited:
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,890
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Here are a couple notes from the kit instructions:
- When measuring high FC levels, or measuring FC when the CC level is relatively high, it is important to move through the test quickly. Drops should be added about once per second, or slightly faster, swirling the entire time. You can slow down a little at the end of the test, to give you time to watch for the end point.
- In rare cases the sample may turn cloudy. If this happens the test is still valid. You add drops until the sample turns cloudy white, i.e. the red/pink is completely gone, rather than waiting for it to turn clear.
- When measuring high FC levels, or measuring FC when the CC level is relatively high, it is important to move through the test quickly. Drops should be added about once per second, or slightly faster, swirling the entire time. You can slow down a little at the end of the test, to give you time to watch for the end point.
- In rare cases the sample may turn cloudy. If this happens the test is still valid. You add drops until the sample turns cloudy white, i.e. the red/pink is completely gone, rather than waiting for it to turn clear.
Thank you. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't reading too low a level and adding too much chlorine.
It looks like we have met two of the SLAM criteria (clear water and CC <0.5 ppm) and will do the OCLT tonight. If that passes, we are done with our SLAM after using 80+ gallons of 12% liquid chlorine to break through an overabundance of ammonia, etc. Is there any guide for coming off the SLAM: when to start testing the Alkalinity and pH (both are not registering at all right now), going over to maintenance doses of chlorine (when: morning or night? How to get to the right dosage?), etc. I've searched for this, but can't find it. Want to keep this water as good as possible so we NEVER have to go thru this again. Ever.
Thanks.
Thanks.
As soon as the FC dips below 10, run all the tests.
When to test is whenever suits you, so long as the pump has been on at least half an hour before testing and it stays on at least half an hour after you add any chemicals.
Good luck on the OCLT
I like to test/add my chlorine in the early evening. That way the FC has the night to do it's work without worrying about the sun getting any of it.
Dinner= turn the pump back on. Eat dinner, wash dishes, test pool and add FC as needed. Right after I brush my teeth for the night I go out and turn off the pump.
To train myself I put a post it note on the mirror so that I saw it when I brushed my teeth. It has become a habit so I was able to take the note down.
Kim
Dinner= turn the pump back on. Eat dinner, wash dishes, test pool and add FC as needed. Right after I brush my teeth for the night I go out and turn off the pump.
To train myself I put a post it note on the mirror so that I saw it when I brushed my teeth. It has become a habit so I was able to take the note down.
Kim
That would be 427 ppm FC cumulatively added. That would be consistent with what I wrote in this earlier post. You might have had some of the ammonia outgas or some converted to nitrogen gas, but unfortunately it looks like most of the CYA did get converted to ammonia.
Thanks. We are still reading a CYA of around 35 (pool store reading of 50). Failed the OCLT by 0.5 last night, but we're on the right track.
I have wondered about keeping the FC up during the day. Our pool is in the sun for 12 hours a day. The first day of the SLAM, we were adding chlorine every hour, but lost the battle as the FC continued to go down due to burnoff during the day. We couldn't add chlorine after 8:30 a.m. yesterday and by 4:30 p.m. the FC was down to 4 (from 16 at 8:30 a.m.). It bounced back up when we added 2 gallons of FC at 6 p.m. Once we go to maintenance dosage (after SLAM is completed) how do we manage these swings in FC or are they acceptable? Do we need to keep the stabilizer on the high side of the range (50 or so)?
I took an alkalinity test and pH test when the FC was low yesterday, and it seems we have no alkalinity (vs 150 at start of SLAM) and no pH. Should I wait with further testing until the FC is consistently below 10 (after SLAM) or could these tests have been correct, in which case all our alkalinity and pH has disappeared? If so, why?
I have wondered about keeping the FC up during the day. Our pool is in the sun for 12 hours a day. The first day of the SLAM, we were adding chlorine every hour, but lost the battle as the FC continued to go down due to burnoff during the day. We couldn't add chlorine after 8:30 a.m. yesterday and by 4:30 p.m. the FC was down to 4 (from 16 at 8:30 a.m.). It bounced back up when we added 2 gallons of FC at 6 p.m. Once we go to maintenance dosage (after SLAM is completed) how do we manage these swings in FC or are they acceptable? Do we need to keep the stabilizer on the high side of the range (50 or so)?
I took an alkalinity test and pH test when the FC was low yesterday, and it seems we have no alkalinity (vs 150 at start of SLAM) and no pH. Should I wait with further testing until the FC is consistently below 10 (after SLAM) or could these tests have been correct, in which case all our alkalinity and pH has disappeared? If so, why?
Last edited:
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,890
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Do not bother with PH readings during the SLAM as they will not be accurate with the high FC level. As for the SLAM, and CYA, the lower CYA of 30 is recommended because as you can see from the chart, it requires less bleach. The higher the CYA, the higher the SLAM FC level required to kill the algae.
The kicker in all of this ... you MUST maintain the SLAM FC level. If you let it drop like apparently you have been, you basically void the effort of the SLAM. Yes it is cumbersome and takes a lot of babysitting, especially for the first few days, but you MUST keep that FC high. Eventually as you win the battle over the algae, it won't be that bad.
The kicker in all of this ... you MUST maintain the SLAM FC level. If you let it drop like apparently you have been, you basically void the effort of the SLAM. Yes it is cumbersome and takes a lot of babysitting, especially for the first few days, but you MUST keep that FC high. Eventually as you win the battle over the algae, it won't be that bad.
What was your FC when you did these tests and could you explain what you saw on the tests that you say each read zero?
The FC was 4 and the alkalinity test turned red directly when adding the R-0008 (no green tint at all). The pH test showed a much lighter yellow than the 6.8, so my saying "we have none" is a mistake.
Ok, you are going to want to fix that ASAP before anything else. You are going to want to add about 25 lbs of baking soda to bring your TA up to something reasonable. After you do that you can retest your TA and pH and adjust from there. With a pH that low you risk damage to your equipment, but you won't be able to get your pH to budge until you get your TA back up so that is why I suggest getting that up first.