Whoa! Please elaborate. TFP expert mknauss suggested it was the way to go suggesting the SLAM would go really quickly.
Black Algae, Wire Brush, New Plaster
- Thread starter edjanowsky
- Start date
Whoa! Please elaborate. TFP expert mknauss suggested it was the way to go suggesting the SLAM would go really quickly.
I don't remember any tfp experts suggesting that you drain your pool. New plaster should never be exposed. Exposed to air sun and heat can cause it to crack and fail.
Thanks Karen!
Reading is as follows.
FC 24 (using a 5ml sample)
Pool is closed. Gate is locked. SWG is off.
Reading is as follows.
FC 24 (using a 5ml sample)
Pool is closed. Gate is locked. SWG is off.
Re: IC60 Cell Light Off
OK so Marty's a TFP Guide, not an expert. He must not have realized the pool was so new.
OK so Marty's a TFP Guide, not an expert. He must not have realized the pool was so new.
Good luck on the OCLT. Even with the 7+ bathers today, I hope for less than yesterday's 3-3.5 losses.
Your observation that you're losing too much in the daytime is fair. Increasing CYA to 80 either over a few days or overnight might be your best bet if you're going to continue the full SLAM after getting CYA standard to ensure proper testing.
If you want to hit the pause button on the SLAM, perhaps target FC 9+ and just burn the SWG as high as needed, accepting that you'll just replace the cell sooner than if you used a lower %, but spend less time on bleach. Another option, totally not TFP, would be to only add bleach after pool is out of direct sunlight, bleach up to slam each evening to chip away at it with minimal time. This certainly isn't usually the most economical path, but in your situation, given that you are busy, given that you're not 100% on the CYA, and given that you are keeping it above target and usually crystal clear, it could be considered as an option potentially. It isn't necessarily smart, and yet, it is what I as a pool owner might do temporarily... anyway the TFP guide in me suggests you get your CYA testing beyond doubt (cya standard) and raise CYA to 60-80 and SLAM until you pass all three criteria.
Since you eliminated the sand filter as being the leading issue, best to go back to adding bleach in front of returns, if you haven't already. Pour slow and enjoy the blinding sparkle of summer water.
Your observation that you're losing too much in the daytime is fair. Increasing CYA to 80 either over a few days or overnight might be your best bet if you're going to continue the full SLAM after getting CYA standard to ensure proper testing.
If you want to hit the pause button on the SLAM, perhaps target FC 9+ and just burn the SWG as high as needed, accepting that you'll just replace the cell sooner than if you used a lower %, but spend less time on bleach. Another option, totally not TFP, would be to only add bleach after pool is out of direct sunlight, bleach up to slam each evening to chip away at it with minimal time. This certainly isn't usually the most economical path, but in your situation, given that you are busy, given that you're not 100% on the CYA, and given that you are keeping it above target and usually crystal clear, it could be considered as an option potentially. It isn't necessarily smart, and yet, it is what I as a pool owner might do temporarily... anyway the TFP guide in me suggests you get your CYA testing beyond doubt (cya standard) and raise CYA to 60-80 and SLAM until you pass all three criteria.
Since you eliminated the sand filter as being the leading issue, best to go back to adding bleach in front of returns, if you haven't already. Pour slow and enjoy the blinding sparkle of summer water.
I hate it for you but the testing after you add the bleach is an awesome idea since the bleach seems to be in question about it's strength. Man you are having a war for sure but with your attention to it you will win! 
Kim
Kim
This morning's reading is as follows.
FC 20 (using a 5ml sample)
I added a gallon of 12.5% bleach.
FC 20 (using a 5ml sample)
I added a gallon of 12.5% bleach.
So raising CYA to 80 will take more bleach (and testing drops) achieving FC 31 for SLAM, but it will also protect more bleach from the sun to save money?
Seems as if CYA 80 is where I need to be whether I continue the SLAM or not?
CYA 60 affords you a great deal of sun protection. CYA 80 is better, but not the difference between 30 and 60 better. Full confidence in CYA testing allows you to make sure you've got a reasonable amount for your pool, which will be no less than 60 given your SWG and full sun. If you haven't done so, please just order the CYA standard solution. I have heard others complain that it seems silly to spend money on a bottle of fancy water you could make yourself, but buying it absolutely eliminates all considerations for testing error that could be resulting in all these mysteries we're facing. It pays for itself very quickly if you're at the wrong CYA and don't know it. How much bleach is actually being lost to algae? How much to sun? OCLT is giving us a clear picture that you're losing some overnight, but the best path to fixing that is maintaining SLAM FC as close to 24 hours a day as possible...
In my mind, let's say you lose 4 overnight. You can expect to lose 4 during the day to the same problem, let's call it algae for example, even though there are other possible factors like urine and contaminants, etc. and this number will increase steadily without SLAMing correctly as the algae will multiply. So Algae consumes FC 8 per day right now. Then there is sun, which if CYA is right, should be less than FC5 per day. Then there is bather load, which admittedly varies wildly. Let's say the bather load is 10, a dreadfully high demand. So total FC loss per day with dreadful bather load, algae, and sun loss could be FC 23, but since your SWG is making 16, you should only have to add FC 7 per day, which in terms of fresh 10% bleach would be only a touch over a gallon added just after sunset.
That's just an example, and FC loss due to sunlight when up at SLAM could be more than 5, but nonetheless, as long as you've re-tested after additions to ensure you've reached the desired FC eliminating the bad bleach possibility, then the continually failed OCLT + seemingly excessive loss during day makes me suspect CYA testing unreliability - which is a 100% solvable problem. I really don't feel comfortable helping with this pool any further until I can trust my advice is based on bulletproof CYA testing (CYA standard testing shows 50 exactly every time in the same lighting).
In my mind, let's say you lose 4 overnight. You can expect to lose 4 during the day to the same problem, let's call it algae for example, even though there are other possible factors like urine and contaminants, etc. and this number will increase steadily without SLAMing correctly as the algae will multiply. So Algae consumes FC 8 per day right now. Then there is sun, which if CYA is right, should be less than FC5 per day. Then there is bather load, which admittedly varies wildly. Let's say the bather load is 10, a dreadfully high demand. So total FC loss per day with dreadful bather load, algae, and sun loss could be FC 23, but since your SWG is making 16, you should only have to add FC 7 per day, which in terms of fresh 10% bleach would be only a touch over a gallon added just after sunset.
That's just an example, and FC loss due to sunlight when up at SLAM could be more than 5, but nonetheless, as long as you've re-tested after additions to ensure you've reached the desired FC eliminating the bad bleach possibility, then the continually failed OCLT + seemingly excessive loss during day makes me suspect CYA testing unreliability - which is a 100% solvable problem. I really don't feel comfortable helping with this pool any further until I can trust my advice is based on bulletproof CYA testing (CYA standard testing shows 50 exactly every time in the same lighting).
Thanks again Yak! I completely understand. I'll order the solution, but in the meantime I too am done with the SLAM for awhile. I just don't have the time right now to dedicate to hourly monitoring.
I'll be leaving the SWG at 100% 24/7 and adding bleach as necessary for now, and will log my readings here as often as I can. I've already added a gallon of conditioner.
I'll be leaving the SWG at 100% 24/7 and adding bleach as necessary for now, and will log my readings here as often as I can. I've already added a gallon of conditioner.
I'm glad to hear you're ordering the CYA standard as I believe it will, at the very least, remove the single biggest uncertainty from your situation.
This morning's reading is as follows.
FC 17 (using a 5ml sample)
Yesterday evening at some point before sunset it was FC 13 or 14 (I got distracted) and I didn't add anything.
FC 17 (using a 5ml sample)
Yesterday evening at some point before sunset it was FC 13 or 14 (I got distracted) and I didn't add anything.
This morning's reading is as follows.
FC 15 (using a 5ml sample)
Last night at 10pm it was FC 10.
FC 15 (using a 5ml sample)
Last night at 10pm it was FC 10.
So you are able to net about 4PPM of chlorine overnight with SWCG running, no sun and hopefully no bathers. Have you stopped manually dosing?
Yes I stopped manually dosing, but seeing that I lost 2ppm from yesterday morning to this morning, it seems I'll being adding some bleach at some point.
Let FC drop under 10 so you can adjust pH at least once a week to make sure you're under 8.2 or whatever your new plaster installer/TFP plaster experts say.
Your estimated overnight chlorine loss (based on swg running 12 hrs at 100% adding FC 8) was 3FC. The other night it was 4FC, so perhaps you're making progress.
Your estimated overnight chlorine loss (based on swg running 12 hrs at 100% adding FC 8) was 3FC. The other night it was 4FC, so perhaps you're making progress.
So 23 hour change was FC -3 with swg 100% 24hrs (assuming SWG added FC 16, your demand was FC 19 no wonder old swg couldn't keep up...)
Good news is, with your SWG, that's plenty manageable until you get the CYA standard/more fas-dpd/fresh bleach/chlorine and execute the E-SLAM (edjanowsky-SLAM) 30 min test/add at first, then doubling time as it holds over each increment until you are holding FC overnight. Then we're all visiting for a pool party!
Good news is, with your SWG, that's plenty manageable until you get the CYA standard/more fas-dpd/fresh bleach/chlorine and execute the E-SLAM (edjanowsky-SLAM) 30 min test/add at first, then doubling time as it holds over each increment until you are holding FC overnight. Then we're all visiting for a pool party!
Thanks Yak!
This afternoon's reading is as follows.
FC 7 (using a 5ml sample)
pH 8
This afternoon's reading is as follows.
FC 7 (using a 5ml sample)
pH 8