Confused...

[akalbasky]

Hi! We are first time pool owners in Ohio. The pool came with the house, it's inground, vinyl liner, 27,300 appx. gallons, Hayward GM 245 sand filter. I have been slamming for 5 days now. The first day there was a noticible change in color, from black to murky green, but we seem to be stuck on the murky green color. Before slamming I added CYA to bring up to 30 and Ph to bring to a 7.5 Our current readings are this:

FC 13
PH 7.6
TA 100 not sure if i did this right I got 10 on the test so 10 X 10??
CH 90 same thing 9 X 10??
CYA is still not showing on the test but it was 0 before we started and I added 1.5 lbs of stabilizer to get a 30
CC tuned yellow??

Help!!! I have raised the FC level to as high as 23 last night with no change. We are running the filter now for 2 days, should it be on pump only? I back washed the filter once, how ofter should we be back washing? Appreciate any and all advise. Thank you!!!!

 

[JasonLion]

You should backwash the filter when the filter pressure reads 25% higher than it does right after you backwash.

When SLAMing, you should see some kind of improvement in the water, perhaps very small, each day. If you don't see any improvement at all something is going wrong.

Have you gotten all of the debris off the bottom of the pool that you possibly can? Leaves or other organic debris on the bottom of the pool can prevent SLAMing from working.

 

[Azgirl71]

Your PH test will not be accurate with FC above 10, so don't worry about that.
During a SLAM the only thing you need to test is FC and CC and CYA a week after you added Stablizer.

Are you brushing and vacuming?
Are you keeping your FC at or above SLAM level at all times?
Are you leaving the filter on 24/7?
You backwash when your psi raises 20-25% above clean.
I am assuming you have a sand filter?

It will help us if you can post a pic and update your signature with your pool and equipment info.

 

[BoDarville]

First, focus only on FC right now. Don't worry about TA, CH or pH while SLAMming.

Before slamming I added CYA to bring up to 30.

It may take up to a week for the newly-added CYA to show up on a test. However, dose FC as though the CYA you added is in the pool (which it appears you are doing).

We are running the filter now for 2 days, should it be on pump only?

Pump and filter. You want to filter out the dead algae and this will take time.

I back washed the filter once, how ofter should we be back washing?

Backwash when the filter pressure rises 25% from the clean filter pressure. So if your filter pressure is 16 PSI immediately after a backwash, then you would backwash again when the pressure reaches 20 PSI.

The most important part of the SLAM Process is the M for Maintain. You need to maintain FC as close to the target SLAM FC during the entire SLAM as defined in the Chlorine CYA Chart. Keep in mind that the Target FC is just that - a target, not an absolute minimum. Don't sweat it if FC is within a point or two of this target. Just try to keep it as close to the target as you can.

 

[akalbasky]

Thanks all! We got as much debris off the bottom as we could but we can't see the bottom so it's a guessing game. I will back wash the filter again. It appears the gage is broken because it's not reading anything. I will keep brushing and testing the FC through the day and see if there is any improvement. I will also post a pic.

 

[BoDarville]

Try to replace that filter gauge as soon as you can.

 

[Azgirl71]

While you wait for a relplacent guage you can monitor your water flow from the return. When the flow slows considerably then you can backwash.

 

[akalbasky]

Thank you for the tip. It's flow is strong so far. I will monitor it closely.

- - - Updated - - -

I was able to fish a large amount of leaves off the bottom of the deep end. Enough to fill a black garbage bag lol Hopefully this will help. Going to test and add bleach now. I will post update this afternoon. Thanks again all!

 

[Azgirl71]

Your welcome.

that will definitely help getting the leaves from the bottom. Keep trying to collect debris from the bottom and it will speed up the process.

 

[northrn]

OH (I-O) pool...

I know you probably already are but just a reminder that you can test and dose every hour. That may help you over the murky green stage. and pictures would help. ;-)

 

[akalbasky]

still green...



I am still fighting the algae today. FC level is 19.5, CYA still not showing on the test after 9 days We are holding at the same bright green color, it looks darker in the photo than it actually is. Should I try something else? I feel like we are not getting anywhere at this point. Been slamming for a week as of today. Filter has been running and we are skimming the bottom to remove the leaves daily. Help!




IG, 27,300 gallons, Hayward GM 245 sand filter.

 

[Azgirl71]

Re: still green...

I know it is frustrating. You have to have a lot of POP ask pool owner patience. A week is not that long. It took time to get in the bad condition and it will take time to clear it. My SLAM took 13 days and my pool was not green and much Smaller than yours.

Don't try anything different. It will just hinder things. Stick with the SLAM process.

 

[pooldv]

How many ppm of CYA did you add? Might want to add 20ppm or so more. It could have been consumed by bacteria. Assuming you are using a TF100 test kit to test CYA.

Please update your signature with your pool info as described here, Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post

 

[mfederwi]

In an earlier post you said you added 1.5 lbs (24 oz) of stabilizer. To get to 30, you would have to add 72 oz. Your 1.5 lbs should take you to 10, but that won't register on the test.
Mark

 

[akalbasky]

Hi, I used the directions on the bottle of Kemtek stabilzer. It said to raise to 30ppm add 1.5 lbs. Should I add more? I'm worried about it getting to high and having to drain since it's expense to fill the pool. I'm using the Taylor complete FAS-DPD K-2006 test kit. The FC is now at 17, not losing a lot because it's cloudy in OH and the water is cold. I am keeping it at 13 or higher at all times.

 

[Azgirl71]

Use pool math to add stuff. It is more accurate than the directions on the labels.

 

[ship of fools]

Hi, I used the directions on the bottle of Kemtek stabilzer. It said to raise to 30ppm add 1.5 lbs. Should I add more? I'm worried about it getting to high and having to drain since it's expense to fill the pool. I'm using the Taylor complete FAS-DPD K-2006 test kit. The FC is now at 17, not losing a lot because it's cloudy in OH and the water is cold. I am keeping it at 13 or higher at all times.

The amount it will raise the CYA depends on the size of the pool. I am 21,000 gallons and added 4 pounds to get to somewhere between 30 and 40 where i like it. If you had a 0 reading to start you definitely need to add more.

 

[pooldv]

Hi, I used the directions on the bottle of Kemtek stabilzer. It said to raise to 30ppm add 1.5 lbs. Should I add more? I'm worried about it getting to high and having to drain since it's expense to fill the pool. I'm using the Taylor complete FAS-DPD K-2006 test kit. The FC is now at 17, not losing a lot because it's cloudy in OH and the water is cold. I am keeping it at 13 or higher at all times.

+1 on using Poolmath to calculate your chemicals. There is also a tool at the bottom where you can enter the amount and see what the change will be. Give that a try for your pool size and the amount you added. http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

 

[akalbasky]

ok, we are making some progress today, however, I think I need to vacuum to waste. My concern is if there are still leaves on the bottom will they get clogged in the pipes? It's green but we can see the perimeter and the shallow end fairly well, enough to see the dirt and sweep the shallow on filter. I have been using the skim plate to vacuum the shallow end. If I sweep to waster do I put the hose directly into the skimmer? Should I not vacuum to waste?

 

[pooldv]

It would probably be better to scoop out the leaves with a leaf rake.