Hi all - new to the forum, probably my first post but I've been lurking around a while with much success until now...sorry so long of a post...
Took pool cover off on the 18th to a swamp, complete with tadpoles, which was expected. We had a couple of really bad wind storms this winter that ripped the cover off and almost apart.
Initial Tests:
CYA 80
FC 0
CC 10? (not sure I did this test right)
Ph 7.5
TA 300
CH 100
SW 2700
Things seemed to be in line as far as CYA and Ph so I started the SLAM. Added 6 - 121 oz Costco pack bottles of Clorox 8.25% and started scrubbing and vacuuming. Pulled up a minor ton of pine needles (we are surrounded by evergreens). Got the FC up to 21 on the 20th, forgot we were headed out camping for Memorial Day Weekend, so added 3 more 121 oz. bottles, covered it, crossed my fingers and left. Got back on Monday, took the cover off and almost passed out from the fumes. It just smelled wrong, like ammonia instead of chlorine. Hit it again with 3 more bottles (thank god Costco is close) and on Tuesday it read 30 FC. Wasn't looking bad, blue but cloudy and not as stinky. I checked it on the 27th and I'm up to 50 FC. ??? What??? I hadn't added that much, why am I climbing? And I'm still smelling ammonia. I start freaking out thinking I'm doing the test wrong or that I've got old reagent products, maybe I've got an ammonia pool, or even worse (but actually easier to clean up) what if something's dead down there and I haven't found it? So I'm testing, testing, testing, FC is climbing - FC 70 on the 29th, CC 4 and it's turning green, and I'm thinking maybe too much CYA, test that, not sure how accurate in the middle of a SLAM but it's down to 45. Finally yesterday, after one final dose of 6 - 121 oz Costco bottles of Clorox in desperation, thinking I must have an ammonia pool, or I'm trying to disintegrate a dead squirrel in the deep end, dear husband tells me somehow the SWG has been on super chlorinate. ??? Ok, would explain the astronimical 113ppm FC reading I got this morning, and the fact that I can actually smell chlorine now instead of that horrible cat pee smell and the water is now blue but cloudy again. I can see my hand down at least up to almost my shoulder, 2 feet?
So - with that all said, do I just wait and let the FC come down and continue to vacuum and brush and then continue SLAM as normal? We're on bypass again, which is what I thought we were on before we left but I have no idea how long it's been on super chlorinate. I'm sure I've nuked the liner but it doesn't look bleached out, but it also doesn't feel like any slime is on the sides. Any advice would be appreciated, even the snarky ones since we screwed up.
Took pool cover off on the 18th to a swamp, complete with tadpoles, which was expected. We had a couple of really bad wind storms this winter that ripped the cover off and almost apart.
Initial Tests:
CYA 80
FC 0
CC 10? (not sure I did this test right)
Ph 7.5
TA 300
CH 100
SW 2700
Things seemed to be in line as far as CYA and Ph so I started the SLAM. Added 6 - 121 oz Costco pack bottles of Clorox 8.25% and started scrubbing and vacuuming. Pulled up a minor ton of pine needles (we are surrounded by evergreens). Got the FC up to 21 on the 20th, forgot we were headed out camping for Memorial Day Weekend, so added 3 more 121 oz. bottles, covered it, crossed my fingers and left. Got back on Monday, took the cover off and almost passed out from the fumes. It just smelled wrong, like ammonia instead of chlorine. Hit it again with 3 more bottles (thank god Costco is close) and on Tuesday it read 30 FC. Wasn't looking bad, blue but cloudy and not as stinky. I checked it on the 27th and I'm up to 50 FC. ??? What??? I hadn't added that much, why am I climbing? And I'm still smelling ammonia. I start freaking out thinking I'm doing the test wrong or that I've got old reagent products, maybe I've got an ammonia pool, or even worse (but actually easier to clean up) what if something's dead down there and I haven't found it? So I'm testing, testing, testing, FC is climbing - FC 70 on the 29th, CC 4 and it's turning green, and I'm thinking maybe too much CYA, test that, not sure how accurate in the middle of a SLAM but it's down to 45. Finally yesterday, after one final dose of 6 - 121 oz Costco bottles of Clorox in desperation, thinking I must have an ammonia pool, or I'm trying to disintegrate a dead squirrel in the deep end, dear husband tells me somehow the SWG has been on super chlorinate. ??? Ok, would explain the astronimical 113ppm FC reading I got this morning, and the fact that I can actually smell chlorine now instead of that horrible cat pee smell and the water is now blue but cloudy again. I can see my hand down at least up to almost my shoulder, 2 feet?
So - with that all said, do I just wait and let the FC come down and continue to vacuum and brush and then continue SLAM as normal? We're on bypass again, which is what I thought we were on before we left but I have no idea how long it's been on super chlorinate. I'm sure I've nuked the liner but it doesn't look bleached out, but it also doesn't feel like any slime is on the sides. Any advice would be appreciated, even the snarky ones since we screwed up.