I just got home after being out all day my free chlorine I was 18 when I left and it is 9.5 at 6 p.m. My combined chlorine is 1. Pictures coming. 
SwampClean 2015 - opening the pool!
- Thread starter starsfan33
- Start date
That is not bad at all! The sun and stuff in the pool ate some of your FC. At least you did not go all the way down to 0.
Keep your head up and bleach in your pool! We will get it clear!
Kim
Keep your head up and bleach in your pool! We will get it clear!
Kim
This doesn't look pretty blue. But my brother in law did take a swim and push the brush around a while.
A couple of things...
CC of 1ppm is great! You're almost done. When you get it below .5 ppm, you'll have passed one of the three tests that conclude a SLAM.
Do you not have a pool cover that you can use while you're away during the day? The fact that you keep letting the FC drop below shock level is dragging this thing out and is probably costing you an arm and a leg in bleach. The sun burns off chlorine proportionately - you will lose a lot more more per day at SLAM levels than you will at maintenance levels (50% loss at 6ppm maintenance level is 3ppm... 50% loss at 20ppm shock level is 10ppm). Since you can't be there during during the day to add more chlorine, I would cover the pool on sunny days.
At a CC level of 1ppm, it is time to start trying to expedite the process of clearing the water. Since it is an above ground pool, you don't have floor drains. If your only inlet is a surface level skimmer, I would hook up your vacuum and secure it so that is it upside down at the bottom of the pool and turn your return elbow so that it is at a 45 degree angle from the bottom of the pool. Move the vacuum several times a day and continue to run the pump constantly.
If you're in a hurry, there are things we can do to clear the water quickly after you get the CC below .5 and pass the OCLT - we just need to make sure that everything is dead first, though.
CC of 1ppm is great! You're almost done. When you get it below .5 ppm, you'll have passed one of the three tests that conclude a SLAM.
Do you not have a pool cover that you can use while you're away during the day? The fact that you keep letting the FC drop below shock level is dragging this thing out and is probably costing you an arm and a leg in bleach. The sun burns off chlorine proportionately - you will lose a lot more more per day at SLAM levels than you will at maintenance levels (50% loss at 6ppm maintenance level is 3ppm... 50% loss at 20ppm shock level is 10ppm). Since you can't be there during during the day to add more chlorine, I would cover the pool on sunny days.
At a CC level of 1ppm, it is time to start trying to expedite the process of clearing the water. Since it is an above ground pool, you don't have floor drains. If your only inlet is a surface level skimmer, I would hook up your vacuum and secure it so that is it upside down at the bottom of the pool and turn your return elbow so that it is at a 45 degree angle from the bottom of the pool. Move the vacuum several times a day and continue to run the pump constantly.
If you're in a hurry, there are things we can do to clear the water quickly after you get the CC below .5 and pass the OCLT - we just need to make sure that everything is dead first, though.
What is your clean pressure on your cartridge filter? Have you been cleaning it regularly?
Bad news this morning. I went to bed lastnight with FC at 17. Woke this morning to 14.5
CC was 1.5 this morning.
I will break out the pool cover today to use during the day time.
I just cleaned the filter 3 days ago. my clean PSI is usually about 19. I will clean the filter today as well.
Thanks,
Steve
CC was 1.5 this morning.
I will break out the pool cover today to use during the day time.
I just cleaned the filter 3 days ago. my clean PSI is usually about 19. I will clean the filter today as well.
Thanks,
Steve
These morning results aren't bad news - they just indicate that your brother-in-law broke up some algea when he brushed yesterday. That's awesome!
CC means the the FC has combined with organics in the water and it in the process of killing them. When the CC drops below .5 ppm, it indicates that there is nothing left to kill.
You're so close.
CC means the the FC has combined with organics in the water and it in the process of killing them. When the CC drops below .5 ppm, it indicates that there is nothing left to kill.
You're so close.
Ok Here is a full set of FRESH readings after adding 2 gal. bleach this morning.
CYA = 40
FC = 19
CC = 1
TC = 20
CH = 200
TA = 140
PH = 8.2+ (WTH)
CYA = 40
FC = 19
CC = 1
TC = 20
CH = 200
TA = 140
PH = 8.2+ (WTH)
Breath! PH reads high with your FC over 10. Back away from the Muratic acid LOL
The only thing you should be testing during a SLAM is the FC and every once in a while the CC.
You are doing fine. I have to agree that the brushing was a huge help in finding and breaking up something so the bleach could get to it and kill it!
Kim
The only thing you should be testing during a SLAM is the FC and every once in a while the CC.
You are doing fine. I have to agree that the brushing was a huge help in finding and breaking up something so the bleach could get to it and kill it!
Kim
PH results cannot be trusted at high FC levels. It will always read high. As long as you adjusted PH within range before the SLAM, don't worry about it.
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Kim beat me to it... LOL
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Kim beat me to it... LOL
Ok, last update before I go to bed.
The brother in law got in the pool again today and scrubbed the walls. The lower part of the walls still had some hard stuff on it. I have gotten a lot of it off but there were places down low that still had some stuff on it. He scrubbed for about an hour. He turned my again blue pool into a murky, smokey gray. Oh well...
So I have managed to keep shock pretty consistently today. It only fell once to about 14.5 and it couldn't have been down for more then about 2.5 hours before I caught it. could have been less then that...but certainly no longer then that.
because I have had some large ppm loss over night, I overshot a bit before I went to bed and the FC is at 22 as of 9:00pm
The CC is exactly 0.5 <----this is supposed to be the target, no?!?!
Feeling good after a relatively consistent day and the low CC! Let's see what tomorrow will bring! No picture today because as I said...after brushing it looked terrible! lol
Thanks!
Steve
The brother in law got in the pool again today and scrubbed the walls. The lower part of the walls still had some hard stuff on it. I have gotten a lot of it off but there were places down low that still had some stuff on it. He scrubbed for about an hour. He turned my again blue pool into a murky, smokey gray. Oh well...
So I have managed to keep shock pretty consistently today. It only fell once to about 14.5 and it couldn't have been down for more then about 2.5 hours before I caught it. could have been less then that...but certainly no longer then that.
because I have had some large ppm loss over night, I overshot a bit before I went to bed and the FC is at 22 as of 9:00pm
The CC is exactly 0.5 <----this is supposed to be the target, no?!?!
Feeling good after a relatively consistent day and the low CC! Let's see what tomorrow will bring! No picture today because as I said...after brushing it looked terrible! lol
Thanks!
Steve
YAY!!! WOKE UP AT 6am and did the DPD test. FC = 20 and CC = .5
So...I know I still lost 1ppm to much but I am thinking this could be a marginal error ie: a couple of bigger drops of R-0871 could have made a difference. in either event....1ppm is marginal in comparison to what I have been loosing over night so I will take it! and, the CC is dead on .5 so if that is the target that tells us everything is dead...then we are certainly in the money! ;-)
Today, I have left instructions with someone to add half a gallon of bleach every 2.5 hours until I get home starting at 11am. I know this isn't the most exact method to keeping the levels up...but its the best I have got so im running with it. I figure if I still end up low by the time i get home...it won't be as low as it would be if I didn't have any bleach added. And, half a gallon every 2.5 hours from 11am until I get home seems to be roughly the amount I have been loosing so I figure i should be in the ballpark.
Will take a picture when I get home.
Thanks,
Steve
So...I know I still lost 1ppm to much but I am thinking this could be a marginal error ie: a couple of bigger drops of R-0871 could have made a difference. in either event....1ppm is marginal in comparison to what I have been loosing over night so I will take it! and, the CC is dead on .5 so if that is the target that tells us everything is dead...then we are certainly in the money! ;-)
Today, I have left instructions with someone to add half a gallon of bleach every 2.5 hours until I get home starting at 11am. I know this isn't the most exact method to keeping the levels up...but its the best I have got so im running with it. I figure if I still end up low by the time i get home...it won't be as low as it would be if I didn't have any bleach added. And, half a gallon every 2.5 hours from 11am until I get home seems to be roughly the amount I have been loosing so I figure i should be in the ballpark.
Will take a picture when I get home.
Thanks,
Steve
Now to finish it up! I bet you will start seeing a difference each day when you take a pic.
Kim
Kim
Steve,
That's great news! It appears that the vast majority of the algae is dead, but keep SLAMing until you pass the third test (clear water).
If you keep the pump running and continue to clean the cartridge, the water will eventually clear; however, there are a couple of methods to expedite the process if you are in a big hurry (party planned for this week, etc.). Some of the methods may not be available to you depending on your setup and only the first is condoned by TFP from what I can tell.
1) Brushing pool surfaces daily (or more) - The reason the water looks greyish/white after your brother in law brushes the pool is because he has stirred up all the dead algae (live algae is green, dead algae is grey/white). This allows your filter to clear it out of the pool. Your pool is turning blue again 24 hours after brushing because the dead algae has either been filtered out or settles to the bottom again. With that said, the pool would clear the fastest if you could continually brush it. That it not practical, but brushing often enough to keep it white/milky while you run the pump and filter is optimal. This method has a very high success rate.
2) Flocculant (aka Sink and Sweep) - This is the method most frequently used by pool service companies since the customer is usually complaining about the length of time that it takes to clear the pool and/or the number of service charges. As far as I know, TFP does not recommend this method because it is unnecessary (as long as you have time), wastes water, and because people have a tendency to mess it up. It will not work if you still have live algae in the pool. In order to use flocculant, you must have a pump that can both run in recirculate mode (filter bypass) as well as vacuum to waste. Basically, you brush the pool/stir everything up, add the flocculant and run the pump on recirculate for a few hours. Then, you shut everything down and let the pool sit for 24-48 hours. Almost like magic, the pool will be completely clear after a day or two with a thick layer of dirt and dead algae at the bottom. At that point, the layer of gunk is vacuumed to waste EXTREMELY slowly and the pool is topped off. If at any point in time the flocculant runs through your filter, it will clog and possibly burn out your pump if you leave it running. Despite the fact that it can be difficult to remove the flocculant from the pool once everything settles, this method is the quickest and highly effective if done properly. I've only had to do it twice.
3) Clarifier - A cousin to flocculants, a clarifier will clump small particles together but allow them to stay suspended in the water rather than floating them down to the bottom like flocculant. This allows them to be filtered out more quickly. If you use too much, you will only further cloud the water. Because cartridge filters filter down to about 5 microns anyway, this method has only a moderate success rate for those already using cartridges.
Anyway, keep SLAMing, and good luck. You're on the home stretch! Test results look great!
That's great news! It appears that the vast majority of the algae is dead, but keep SLAMing until you pass the third test (clear water).
If you keep the pump running and continue to clean the cartridge, the water will eventually clear; however, there are a couple of methods to expedite the process if you are in a big hurry (party planned for this week, etc.). Some of the methods may not be available to you depending on your setup and only the first is condoned by TFP from what I can tell.
1) Brushing pool surfaces daily (or more) - The reason the water looks greyish/white after your brother in law brushes the pool is because he has stirred up all the dead algae (live algae is green, dead algae is grey/white). This allows your filter to clear it out of the pool. Your pool is turning blue again 24 hours after brushing because the dead algae has either been filtered out or settles to the bottom again. With that said, the pool would clear the fastest if you could continually brush it. That it not practical, but brushing often enough to keep it white/milky while you run the pump and filter is optimal. This method has a very high success rate.
2) Flocculant (aka Sink and Sweep) - This is the method most frequently used by pool service companies since the customer is usually complaining about the length of time that it takes to clear the pool and/or the number of service charges. As far as I know, TFP does not recommend this method because it is unnecessary (as long as you have time), wastes water, and because people have a tendency to mess it up. It will not work if you still have live algae in the pool. In order to use flocculant, you must have a pump that can both run in recirculate mode (filter bypass) as well as vacuum to waste. Basically, you brush the pool/stir everything up, add the flocculant and run the pump on recirculate for a few hours. Then, you shut everything down and let the pool sit for 24-48 hours. Almost like magic, the pool will be completely clear after a day or two with a thick layer of dirt and dead algae at the bottom. At that point, the layer of gunk is vacuumed to waste EXTREMELY slowly and the pool is topped off. If at any point in time the flocculant runs through your filter, it will clog and possibly burn out your pump if you leave it running. Despite the fact that it can be difficult to remove the flocculant from the pool once everything settles, this method is the quickest and highly effective if done properly. I've only had to do it twice.
3) Clarifier - A cousin to flocculants, a clarifier will clump small particles together but allow them to stay suspended in the water rather than floating them down to the bottom like flocculant. This allows them to be filtered out more quickly. If you use too much, you will only further cloud the water. Because cartridge filters filter down to about 5 microns anyway, this method has only a moderate success rate for those already using cartridges.
Anyway, keep SLAMing, and good luck. You're on the home stretch! Test results look great!
Came home today at 3pm to a strong FC = 18!!! So nice to know it has stayed above shock ALL DAY!!!
Anyway, even during the best the pool has looked, I have only been able to see the second step on my stairs. it was too cloudy/dirty to see below that. Today, I can clearly see the third step and can even just about see the 4th! CERTAINLY PROGRESS! ;-)
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Today:
Anyway, even during the best the pool has looked, I have only been able to see the second step on my stairs. it was too cloudy/dirty to see below that. Today, I can clearly see the third step and can even just about see the 4th! CERTAINLY PROGRESS! ;-)
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Today:
Awesome! Keep that FC above SLAM level and brush tomorrow if you get a chance. That will get the cloudy water up off the bottom so that your filter can get to it.
Great job!
Great job!