Almost done...

[jmitchell151]

Day 6 of my SLAM and I think I'm pretty much finished. I passed the OCLT last night, CC is <0.5, and the water is ALMOST clear. I can see the bottom no problem but the water just has no sparkle. What should I do to get that sparkle back? I did buy some DE to use in the sand filter if needed, but my pressure gauge isn't working so I'm not sure what the best way to use it would be. Here's my test values:

10 PM last night, FC 14.5
6:30 AM this morning:
FC 13.5
CC <0.5
TA 90
CH 80
CYA ~20
pH 7.5 (took this yesterday when the FC had dropped to 7)

I added stabilizer this morning to try and get the CYA up to about 30 - I'll retest once I'm home.

Any recommendations on how to finish this up and get my pool sparkling clean?

 

[Texas Splash]

Well, others may have a suggestion on the sand filter, but I would think that it may not be a bad idea just to hold your SLAM FC level for one more day .... just to be sure your OCLT holds-on. True, it may need to circulate for another day or two just to get that glistening sparkle, but a little more bleach might not hurt either to be safe. Others may have more input. Congrats on your accomplishment!

 

[ship of fools]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but clear water is one of the criteria for a successful SLAM so you are not done yet.

But it sounds like you are close ... keep on keepin on!

 

[Richard320]

Open a can of

Pool Owner Patience.

 

[jmitchell151]

It's looking even better when I got home from work today. FC was at 9 so I added another 121oz of 8.25% bleach. CYA still is below 30, even though I added 1.5 lbs this morning.

Is it okay to add maybe 1/2 cup of DE to the sand filter to speed up the filtering? My gauge is broken, but I'll be home all evening and can monitor the pressure at the return.

 

[Richard320]

It's looking even better when I got home from work today. FC was at 9 so I added another 121oz of 8.25% bleach. CYA still is below 30, even though I added 1.5 lbs this morning.

Is it okay to add maybe 1/2 cup of DE to the sand filter to speed up the filtering? My gauge is broken, but I'll be home all evening and can monitor the pressure at the return.

Why not? Just backwash or set the valve to recirculate when you go to bed just in case it clogs completely.

 

[jmitchell151]

Great! Because I am almost out of POP!

 

[jmitchell151]

I had a HUGE drop in pressure at the return after just 15 minutes. Should I be worried? Or just keep checking it every 15-20 minutes to make sure I still have decent flow?

 

[Beens]

You should be able to get a new pressure gauge for pretty cheap at lowes if you have one nearby. It will probably only last one season but it would be worth it for now so you can monitor your pressure more easily. Then when you have a chance I highly recommend the slightly more expensive liquid filled pressure gauge. They last a lot longer and are just so much nicer. I finally got one this spring and I'd never go back to that cheapy one. (unless I needed one asap and temporarily and couldn't wait for shipping lol)

 

[jmitchell151]

I ordered a new one off amazon - but it was a cheap one. What's your recommendation for one that will last more than one season?

 

[Richard320]

Right here's your gauge. Order any test refills you need too. Maybe a speedstir for father's day.

And clogging up that fast after adding DE is pretty common. Hence my warning to watch it and set to recirculate while you sleep.

 

[Beens]

What Richard linked to! I got the bottom mount one from tftestkits. It's really nice and one thing I especially like about it is that it isn't such a huge scale. It doesn't try to squeeze so many numbers into the gauge so it's easier to read because it's a bigger scale if that makes sense.