Which tests before SLAM?

[Azgirl71]

Did you add liquid conditioner to raise CYA?

 

[sxch12]

Numbers:
FC - 13
CC - 1

Sorry I didn't have the black pool. It is now green, cloudy, and oily. Is there anything else to do other than keep FC at 12? Thank you.

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I added HTH stabilizer/conditioner. I put in the amount it said in the pool math. Does that make the water oily/cloudy?

 

[sxch12]

Also yesterday I moved water on the deep end and it made the pool darker. So, should I do that periodically to get the debris to move or just leave it for later? Is there a vacuum I can connect to the skimmer to clean the algae and such to make the clean up faster? If so which vacuum? Thank you.

 

[Azgirl71]

Keep adding bleach to keep FC up at or slightly above SLAM target level. Lots and lots of brushing too. There are many different vacuumes and robots. There is a section on the forum about them. Just have patience and it will happen.

 

[pooldv]

It is best to use a leaf rake to scoop as much debris out of the pool as you can. The more stuff you get out the faster it will go and use less bleach. Also, need to brush the pool a couple of times per day to dislodge algae to kill it faster.

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So how many more jugs do I need? I assume now is 4.5 and change target to 12 is that correct? That would make 3.6 jugs. Bleach says 121 oz. concentrated 8.25% but says makes 182oz. I assume I go with 121oz.

Change the percentage in Poolmath to 8.25% and use however many ounces it says. Test and add bleach every 2-3 hours in the beginning until the chlorine level starts to hold and then you can test 2-3 times per day until complete.

Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

 

[Richard320]

It is best to use a leaf rake to scoop as much debris out of the pool as you can. The more stuff you get out the faster it will go and use less bleach. Also, need to brush the pool a couple of times per day to dislodge algae to kill it faster.

Exactly. Leaf rake to grab the big stiff. Then vacuum. There are pictures of all these devices in the Visual Encyclopedia.

You'll need a skimmer plate most likely, a hose, a pole, and a vinyl vacuum head. You assemble the vacuum, lower it into the pool, and then feed the hose underwater to fill it with water. Then you attach it to the skimmer plate. If your main drain and skimmer are teed together, it can get more complicated. We'll worry about that if the time comes. And then you just slowly push the vacuum back and forth, letting the suction draw the debris in before the brushes push it away. Expect the pump to make noises while you're vacuuming. When you're done and everything is back to the way it was, it should sound normal again.

 

[Azgirl71]

Also the CYA won't full show up for 1 week after adding the HTH Stablizer.

 

[sxch12]

So I am maintaining the FC level. Brushing pool. It's raining today so I'm not going out to brush. The water is cloudy and green. Anything else I should do? Also where should the water level be? The rain seems to be raising the water. Should I be testing anything else other than FC and CC while in SLAM mode? Thank you.

Numbers:
FC- 13
CC- 1.5

 

[pooldv]

Water needs to be at normal level and pump running. No reason to test anything else.

 

[sxch12]

My CYA is about 20. Should I increase to 30? I've waited 1 day shy of 1 week before testing. My CC is at 1.5 and FC is 12.5. Why is my CC so high still? I will continue SLAM as it seems we are not there. The water is getting clearer but not there yet.

 

[Azgirl71]

Yes if it has been 1 day shy of a week since you added stablizer then you can add to get to 30

 

[sxch12]

My FC seems to only go down about 1.0 and my CC seems to stay on 1.5. And still not clear yet. Does that mean I should continue to SLAM until CC is .5 or less, OCLT goes down no more than 1.0 and water is clear? Thank you.

 

[Azgirl71]

Yes. You need to continue to SLAM until you pass all 3 criteria. I know it is hard to have patience but it work.
Pass OLCT
CC of .5 or lower
Crystal clear pool

Then you are done

 

[sxch12]

I put DE and the psi increased 1 psi. If I put more DE will it make the water clearer faster?

 

[Richard320]

I put DE and the psi increased 1 psi. If I put more DE will it make the water clearer faster?

No. It will just make you have to backwash sooner.

 

[sxch12]

Doesn't adding more DE make it catch finer particles and wouldn't that make it cleaner faster? Can you explain why I shouldn't do it? Also my major issue is cloudiness so does it mean my sand filter isn't working well? It's been 2 weeks. Also I haven't had to backwash since the psi seems to be only 1 psi higher than normal. Or do I still need to backwash once a day or so?

 

[pooldv]

Here is the article from Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter

Don't backwash your filter until the pressure rises 20-25% over clean pressure.

 

[RafaelS]

You'll need the pump on at least half an hour to mix the water well before you start testing.
You need to run all of them. Scratch that - you can be reasonably sure you have no chlorine, so save the reagent. But run everything else. If it turns out you have astronomical CH or CYA, you'll need to replace some water first. And you won't be able to test pH once you start, so you need to fix that first, and you'll need to know TA to fix pH.
There's no way to know. Initially, if you can check and add bleach every hour, you'll make rapid progress. You'll see as time goes on that you need to add less and less each time, and when you notice that, you can start to stretch out the intervals a little, in case you have a life beyond the pool. But the more often you maintain the FC level, the faster it will go. I think the record to turn a green pool clear is three days, but that guy got up every two hours all night long all weekend to do it. Most people require a week or ten days. Worst case was about a month. A lot depends on how diligent you are about maintaining the FC and brushing and vacuuming.

Post some pictures so we can follow the progress.

Not exactly true last two years my pool was done in 2 days and I didn't really add bleach very often, maybe 3 times in a 24 hour period. I believe it passed the overnight test the first night but I shocked another day just in case.

 

[sxch12]

I need help. I think I have mustard algae. It seems to be in the shallow area. It looks like brown sand in clumps on the bottom of the pool. I don't see any on the walls. I still can't see the deep very well. It still cloudy but I can see the main drain in the deep end but very hard to see. How long do I keep FC high to kill it?
My numbers:
FC: 15.5
CC .5

 

[sxch12]

I did the OCLT and we have:
FC 8.5 - did not change the next morning.
CC .5 - did not change the next morning.
And it's clear.

So the only issue I have now is this:
I thought I had mustard algae but I don't think so. I brushed all the areas where I saw algae (I thought it was) and left the pump off for 24hrs. If it was algae I would assume I would see the growth on the floor or walls but nothing is showing up. I also put some of the "algae" in a white bowl and put lots of bleach and nothing is happening to it. So my question is how do I tell if it's fine sand or pollen? I figure if it's pollen I would have seen it in the water when I left the pump off. So does that mean one or some of my laterals in the sand filter is damaged or other parts?