Will it ever sparkle?

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S

Sno

0
May 27, 2015
8
South Central, PA
Hello!
We started SLAMming on 5/15 because of a green, swampy, algae filled pool.
And thanks to Google maps we are even haunted by it from space for many years to come!
Until yesterday the 29th the pool has been kept at SLAM level, scrubbed at least twice a day, vacuumed once a day and used the skimmer net frequently at first, now just once daily since nothing has come from it since the 19th.
Only once did the pump get turned off early into the SLAM process because of lightning storms for 4 hours.
Never more than those 4 hours or for more than an hour during daylight hours has it been under SLAM levels per poolmath calculations.
Original numbers when we started
PH more than 8 ( it took 3 drops to take it to 7.8)
FC 0
CC 0
TA 30
CH 50
CYA 0

dropped PH using muriatic acid
added cya stabalizer up to 30

Pretty quickly the over night FC and CC tests passed but we've been waiting for the cloudiness test to pass.

There has been no change in clarity for about 4 days, we can see the bottom easily but it's not sparkling, more like hazy water.
We added DE to our sand filter over a week ago and nothing has really improved.

yesterday I succumbed to my frustration and fatique. Sigh...

I ran all my tests and added the appropriate amounts of chemicals (bleach, baking soda and PH up since we had some left over)

today's results

FC 7.5
CC 0
PH 7.5
TA 80
CH 50
CYA 55

the CYA is a tad high but we lose water to evaporation and will need to add some (from the well)

Here's my problem, It isn't sparkling and we still have at least 1ppm FC loss an hour without people or dogs swimming.

Does anyone have any suggestions, tips, tricks, advice, captain obvious instructions or information I missed.
Or even any really funny jokes to help me feel better?

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Sno
still 205 days until winter ...sigh
 
Thanks.
It's been 2 weeks we've been keeping up with the SLAM process and over a week since there's been any change in the clarity of the pool. Maybe the word hazy is a bit subjective. The pool is clear but not sparkling. We can see down and across the pool... it's kind of like the difference between standard def and high def tv.
If that still means back to SLAMming then back to it we will go.
 
It can take longer for a sand filter to clear the dead algae but I'd stay at SLAM if I were you until water is clear.

Also, keep in mind on your CYA comment that as you lose water due to evaporation and needing to top off that will not reduce your CYA as it technically would be more concentrated as you lose water to evaporation.

How often are you needing to backwash? You will lose CYA due to that. Also when you backwash you can be losing that DE you added.

My guess if you are still losing 1ppm CL per hour as you said then something is still in there. If it makes you feel any better it took me a week to SLAM my crystal clear water that had a small patch of algae on the floor below the steps. We discovered by taking a hand brush from the kitchen that algae was hiding in cracks everywhere like where the fiberglass steps are connected to the pool frame and liner as well as behind the front frames of the skimmer boxes.

Keep at it and you will defeat the algae.
 
You're doing good Sno, just add a little more pop. (pool owner patience), Keep your FC at slam until the water is completely clear. It will sparkly when the sun hits it.

All too often when the OCLT and CC tests are passed, folks let their FC drop down, and just cant get the water perfectly clear. Not keeping the FC at slam until its completely clear is why.

Hang in there! It will come!
 

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Thanks AimeeH!
We haven't had to backwash since adding the new DE.
I purposely made sure nothing was in the pool that could add to any algae issues while SLAMming. we took the steps out and apart, soaking and cleaning them in a bleach filled stock pond.

I'm at the point between running the pump and adding bleach etc. we could have had new water delivered. Grrrrr

I will go back to the beginning.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks Divin Dave!
do you know where I can buy some pop? because I sure am lacking!
Just teasing, I'll grab a pop from the fridge and head on back to big blue standard def and SLAM until it becomes Hi Def.

- - - Updated - - -

Will do Azgirl. The lengthy pause with no change in results made me think I knew something I obviously didn't.
And this is exactly why I came to the experts!
 
Check for any algae hiding under ladder steps, or inside the ladder uprights. And if there are any leaves in the pump basket, dump 'em out. Bleach will try to oxidize them and get wasted. Do what you can to improve circulation down near the bottom. If you have a main drain, open it. If not, point a return down. Or connect the vacuum hose and set the head sideways down on the floor so the pump is drawing water from down low. With a little DE in the filter and getting the stuff moving where it can get grabbed and filtered, you should see a difference.

Consider the CYA test. It's the same with pool clarity. On the scale, 60 to 100 is the same difference as 30 to 40. You might have removed a huge amount of dead. bleached algae carcasses but you just can;t see it.
 
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