Cloudy blue after SLAMing for two straight weeks!!

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L

laweatherred

0
Jun 12, 2010
147
Levelland Texas
Hello TFP peeps.....

I know this has been discussed one million times but I'm about to give up!!

We have been SLAMing now for 2 weeks, with filter/pump running 24/7, brushing, etc...We did go from a nasty green swamp, but we're stuck with cloudy blue now. We have been maintaining an FC of 20 (or slightly higher) for 2 straight weeks. I know my Ph is testing high, it was about 7.6 about a week ago when the FC level did drop a little, when we went out of town for a coupe of days. Could the high TA or CH be adding to the problem?? Our water here where we live is extremely hard so my CH will always be high. Would adding some DE to my sand filter help. We haven't passed the OCLT so I know there is still algae but WHY WON'T IT CLEAR UP??? Or filter out the algae?? ...WHAT ELSE can we do to clear it up???? Thank you so much for any and all advice!! BTW...I have read every possible thread I can find on this page.

FC: 20
PH: 7.8-8
TA: 200
CH: 350
CYA: 50
 
TA and CH are not an issue.

You are in POP - Pool Owner Patience. You can use the DE in your sand filter. Only do it when you can monitor it. The pressure may rise very quickly.

Your CH shown in your test results is great. I have that for about two weeks after filling our pool with new water. Then the march skyward starts.

Take care.
 
Ok. Just for grins I took my water to Leslie’s for a water test. Here is what they came up with...
FAC: 15
TAC: 15
Salt: 3400
CH: 350
CYA: 50
TA: 230
Ph: 8
Acid demand: 5 (?????)
Phosphates: 2500 (????)
Nitrates: 30 (????)

We are using the TF-100 kit at home anyway.

She said biggest problem they saw was the high phosphates and of course tried to sell me a $75 bottle of Phosfree. Which I didn’t buy. But are the high phosphates a big problem??

Also with the salt at 3400 shouldn’t I have my CYA at 70-80? And FC at 24-28?? We weren’t sure we had any salt in the pool since we added more than half of fresh water this year!!

Once again, any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!
 
During SLAM you treat the pool as a non-SWCG chlorinated pool. The salt in the water is of no consequence.

Once your water is clear and you pass all three criteria for a successful SLAM, then you can raise your CYA to 70 or so to assist your SWCG in maintaining your target level FC.

- - - Updated - - -

Phosphates and nitrates are of no concern.
 
No need to mess with phosphates.

Do not go to the pool store for water testing. It is just confusing. You are the best at testing your water, hands down.
 
Marty is right, stay away from the pool store. Pool store methods can work for a long time and many are oblivious to what is happening in their pool. If you are in an area where your pool is drained down a lot each winter and winter snow/rains fill an overflow the pool each spring you are starting with a blank canvas, chemically speaking.

Are there good pool stores out there, yes! But, most of them are in the "sun" states where a family can own a small store and operate it 12 months a year, give good service and make a profit.

In the rest of the country you mainly have a high school/college kid who has about an hour training testing your water and telling you what to buy to add to your water. I guess that's like going into a carpet store and asking if you need to buy new carpet.

Unfortunately the pool industry has evolved into sales by scare tactics, misdirection, misinformation and marketing hype. Go in to the store and tell them your TA is low and they are going to sell you baking soda in a fancy package at four times the cost of WalMart. Phosphates and nitrates are two things many pool stores love top scare you with to sell stuff.

Do they have a right to make a profit, yes - but lets be reasonable. Heck, even their definition of "low" TA can many times put you on a pH roller coaster that's hard to get off of. Is that lack of knowledge or a sales technique to sell you more chemicals to control your pH????

What the pool industry does not understand is that the internet is changing the industry around them. My favorite story is about my pool light. When I bought the house with the pool along with high CYA my pool light was not working. I could get a new bulb from Amazon for $19, but heck I'm part of that immediate gratification society as much as the next guy. I went down to the local pool store and there was the same bulb, $39. I talked with the manager. I didn't want them to match the price, they have to keep the lights on - just be a little more reasonable. The manager gave me two choices, take it or leave it.
 

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laweatherred said:
One more question.... @tim5055, how often can I or should I add the Cellulose fiber?
Click to expand...
Follow the directions on the page I linked, but basically you only add it once to see a 1 psi rise in pressure. You can NOT add any more until you backwash which will clear what you added previously away. Now, you can add again for the 1 psi rise.

You can repeat this as often or as many times as necessary.

As an example-

Backwash your filter and find your "clean" filter pressure is 10psi

Add DE powder until filter pressure is 11psi

Keep running filter until pressure gets to 13psi (about 25% above "clean")

Backwash filter - pressure returns to 10psi "clean" pressure

Add DE powder until filter pressure is 11psi

Keep running filter until pressure gets to 13psi (about 25% above "clean")

Keep up this cycle until the water is clear.

Do not add DE to your filter unless you are going to be home to monitor it. A sand filter with DE added can go from clear to almost stopped up quickly. Keep an eye on what is going on.
 
Hello everyone!!

So we’re still working at this!!! Going on full three weeks!! Water has not shown even slight improvement!! We did add the Cellulose fiber 2-3 times. We have kept it at or above SLAMing FC. My husband is off in the summer so he tends to it like every hour or so. We do lose sometimes 2-3 numbers in only a couple of hours.

My question is, could there be a problem with my filter? Like a cracked lateral? This is only the second year for this pump/filter!! I’m completely at a loss!!! I will try to add a pic of water from tonight. I will say the water looks more blue in person. HELP!!!26E7419F-781A-4A4E-BD66-105FDE5B314F.jpg
 
Not knowing the condition of your equipment, I'm will go out on a limb and say your equipment is fine, if you had a lateral that was bad you would find sand in your pool. I started my SLAM on may 22nd, and its alomst over. if your lossing 2 to 3 numbers in FC an hour that meens that something is still in there that it is fighting. Keep adding LC to SLAM levels, brushing, vacuuming, backwashing, and force yourself to have P.O.P., you will be fine.
 
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