Balanced chemistry, fine white powder

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So the first week of March before starting this thread I did pool water replacement 4 times (raised water level to top of decorative top tiles, ran vacuum to waste to bottom of top decorative tiles). (8-10 inches height). Pool math is telling me I need to replace 67% of my water to lower CYA to 50. That's going to be a lot more times of raising and lowering.

How low can I let it go if I run the pump to waste from the bottom pool suction ? Pool store owner said not below the side strainer basket, which is why I was using the decorative tiles as my markers. Can I go lower ?
 
YippeeSkippy said:
If your FC is only 2.5 (or even 3 days ago) that's why you are having cloudy water. You've got far too little chlorine in that pool based on your CYA level.
See -> FC/CYA Levels

I reckon a full on SLAM process is in order. SLAM Process

Maddie :flower:
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Yes I agree a SLAM would help, but I need to lower the CYA first. It explains why previous SLAMS didn't end my algae woes last summer. I've already exchanged some of the water and the CYA is still 150? It must have been very high.

My current plan:
1. Lower CYA to 50
2. SLAM
3. Raise CH
 
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When I used the pool store with my last pool I have NO idea how high my CYA was but I used pucks and powder shock all of the time. I would take my water in and they would say "lower you water 2" and it will all be good :roll: My levels were SO off that my liner "dry rotted" with water in it!! I found a raised area and rubbed my toe on it and the whole thing let lose!!! It almost took me with it!! Once I found TFP my pool has been SO much easier and I love my pool now! (and look at me now..........a MOD on a pool forum :roll: LOL)

You have a very solid plan. You can lower the water using a pump to half way down the wall in the shallow end and it will be safe or you can do many small exchanges like before. It is up to you. Do the one that works best for you.

Kim:kim:
 
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allyall said:
I'm in central Florida and it isn't pollen. My pool is screened in and there isn't any white stuff anywhere else. Also, when the pump isn't running for several days, the water is clear. It clouds after running the pump.
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We are in Central Florida and have a screened in pool also. The pollen definitely gets through our screen house and into pool.

We had the same white floaters you are talking about, mainly in our water bowls with rocks. I took out the rocks and vacuumed the bowls. I figured it was some sort of algae. SLAM cleared it up.

I am no expert, but I have learned a lot while on this site. I believe your CYA is too high. According to your number you are off the chart. At a bare minimum, your FC should be 8 if your CYA was 100. So I would think if you are at 150 CYA, your FC would need to be at 13 (that is just extrapolation, most likely you will need to drain and fill to reduce CYA). So it looks like your FC is too low, which would lead to algae and an unclear pool.

Link to CYA chart: Chlorine / CYA Chart - Trouble Free Pool

Believe me, when you follow the advice of experts here, you will soon learn what a "clear" pool truly is!
 
P.S. My wife just reminded me that we also have ash floating in the air from all the controlled burns and construction. We are south east of the airport. We have seen ash in the pool also.
 
Ouch, CYA=150. Really bad. Your CL is locked and useless. Get off those stabilized 3" tabs and use only Liq Bleach or Cal Hypo. Best I can figure you need to drain the pool at least 1/2 way and refill. Back before I found TFP, my "pool professional" had me on the 3" tabs. 24/7/365. They even poured in about 10 one pound bags of granular stabilized shock upon opening the pool in the spring. My CYA was 150 then. I had mustard algae on the walls at the deep end every two days regardless of the CL level. Brush it ands it returns...I only found relief when I took control of my pool, joined TFP (and donated, got educated, and bought the TFT100 kit. Till you get the CYA down, you are toast. Now I SLAM my pool every spring, follow the TFP guidelines (I like my CYA around 30-40) and I am a haaaaaapy camper. :)
 
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So my pool has been looking great for several weeks now, thanks y'all. I have a question though that has been puzzling me. If I maintain the recommended FC level of 7 with my CYA of 60, isn't that too high for people to swim in ?
 
You can safely swim in a pool as long as the FC is above the minimum and at or below SLAM level based on your CYA. You must also be able to see the bottom of the pool in the deep end of the pool.

The active chlorine in your pool at a FC of 7 and CYA of 60 ppm is a tiny fraction of the active chlorine in a public pool with 1 ppm FC and 0 CYA. You will not even know there is chlorine in the pool at your current levels.
 
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HELP. It's cloudy again. It started to be a little cloudy last week and so I began a SLAM and I have been SLAMing for 5 days now and it's just getting worse. Before the start of the SLAM, my numbers were
FC: 5
CC: 0.5
pH: 7.8
TA: 75
CH: 220
CYA: 50

I've been keeping the chlorine above 20 and running the pump 24/7. The OCLT showed a loss of 2. It does seem to be the same fine white dust. The CC has never been higher than 0.5. I did a backwash yesterday.

I have been reading about sand filters and mine is not even a year old so I would be surprised if it needs a deep clean. However I read that backwashing should be 3-5 minutes with a 15-20 second rinse afterward? Is that correct? I was just backwashing until the view glass was clear, not timing it.
 
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