We opened up our pool 8 days ago and have been unable to start a SLAM for a week due to a broken pump. We now have a new variable speed pump and are ready to start a SLAM. Water is now dark green since the cover has been off for a week and the temperatures have been in the 80s all week. We always have to do a SLAM at opening because of our mesh cover, but I've never done a SLAM before when the water was this green. Before I start a SLAM, I have a few questions:
1. Since the water is dark green, should I run the pump on recirculate the first evening or two when I’m not going to be around to backwash the sand filter? Is there any harm in running the pump on recirculate for 12 hours the first night?
2. Since the pump needs to run for 24 straight hours in order to get accurate test results, should I add liquid chlorine during that time or would it be a waste of money to add some since the CYA is likely below 30? (CYA was 40 at closing and I drained water out 4 times over the winter/spring so it is likely below 30 now and may even be 0).
3. Since CYA is likely to be well below 30 and may even be 0, is there any harm in adding dichlor shock during the first 24 hours to increase the CYA some? Or should I avoid doing this since I cannot get an accurate PH reading during the first 24 hours? (I do not have a heater to protect BTW.) Once I've run the pump for 24 hours and have tested my water, could I start off the SLAM with Dichlor to raise up the CYA if the PH is high like it usually is at opening?
4. What speed should I run my new variable speed pump on during the SLAM? There is nothing in the manual that talks about what speed to use when shocking your pool.
5. Since I cannot see the bottom of the pool to tell if there are any leaves, dead critters, or debris on the bottom of the pool, I'm hesitant to vacuum up the pool blindly. Can we get this pool to clear up enough to see the bottom without vacuuming to waste initially? We got a bunch of leaves out using a net but we have no idea if we got them all out or not. We’ve got a lot of trees near the pool and the pool has been uncovered for a week so I wouldn't be surprised if there are some leaves on the bottom of the pool. I worry that there could be some dead mice or other critters down there too since our pool backs to a farm and the pool has been uncovered for a week while waiting for a new pump.
1. Since the water is dark green, should I run the pump on recirculate the first evening or two when I’m not going to be around to backwash the sand filter? Is there any harm in running the pump on recirculate for 12 hours the first night?
2. Since the pump needs to run for 24 straight hours in order to get accurate test results, should I add liquid chlorine during that time or would it be a waste of money to add some since the CYA is likely below 30? (CYA was 40 at closing and I drained water out 4 times over the winter/spring so it is likely below 30 now and may even be 0).
3. Since CYA is likely to be well below 30 and may even be 0, is there any harm in adding dichlor shock during the first 24 hours to increase the CYA some? Or should I avoid doing this since I cannot get an accurate PH reading during the first 24 hours? (I do not have a heater to protect BTW.) Once I've run the pump for 24 hours and have tested my water, could I start off the SLAM with Dichlor to raise up the CYA if the PH is high like it usually is at opening?
4. What speed should I run my new variable speed pump on during the SLAM? There is nothing in the manual that talks about what speed to use when shocking your pool.
5. Since I cannot see the bottom of the pool to tell if there are any leaves, dead critters, or debris on the bottom of the pool, I'm hesitant to vacuum up the pool blindly. Can we get this pool to clear up enough to see the bottom without vacuuming to waste initially? We got a bunch of leaves out using a net but we have no idea if we got them all out or not. We’ve got a lot of trees near the pool and the pool has been uncovered for a week so I wouldn't be surprised if there are some leaves on the bottom of the pool. I worry that there could be some dead mice or other critters down there too since our pool backs to a farm and the pool has been uncovered for a week while waiting for a new pump.
