Clueless Newbie

[Mr Bruce]

It would be good to check CC every time but if you forget don't retest or anything. It shouldn't "be" anything, but it can show if organics are being broken down. We're having a nice sunny day, you may not register any today. I bet your first test in the morning will show some.

 

[Staci]

It would be good to check CC every time but if you forget don't retest or anything. It shouldn't "be" anything, but it can show if organics are being broken down. We're having a nice sunny day, you may not register any today. I bet your first test in the morning will show some.

Not sunny here, very overcast supposed to have thunderstorms this afternoon. OK I will keep on keepin on with fingers crossed.
I will space out my testing to 2.5-3hrs and check CC at same time. Thanks again

 

[Staci]

When checking CC does the water need to go back to the pink it started out at before adding 087 or just a hint of pink (no longer clear)

 

[pooldv]

A hint of pink usually clears with one drop and would mean CC of 0.5. No CC remains clear.

 

[Staci]

We are not seeing any progress. We started 4 days ago My husband wants to throw SHOCK in to try and clear up the green...I have been holding my FC at 27-28 and it does not drop drastically should I be seeing a change by now?

 

[Texas Splash]

We are not seeing any progress. We started 4 days ago My husband wants to throw SHOCK in to try and clear up the green...I have been holding my FC at 27-28 and it does not drop drastically should I be seeing a change by now?

Staci, you really started your SLAM on the 18th, so it's only been about 4-5 days. Your water was very green, and you had troublesome wedding cake stairs to contend with, so it's no surprise that your SLAM will take a while. Keep in mind that the pool didn't turn green overnight, so it will be a gradual process, but it will work. There is no substitute for killing algae other than using pure chlorine at the proper level and maintained that way. Stick with it.

Also, don't forget all the other tasks to do each day on the SLAM page. Brushing is important as well as backwashing when pressure increases by 25%. Did you ever get a chance to replace the gauge? That might help. Maintain the FC with regular bleach. It's cheap and effective. No need to buy expensive products at the pool store. If you dump powdered shock in the water, you will change other levels and have to re-test everything again. I hope you are taking a pic each day to monitor the progress and color change. It's slow, but you should see it in the photos. Good luck!

 

[Staci]

I am holding out hope, it just stinks that we just bought the house and are not even able to use the pool we have been brushing daily, but we did not get the gauge fixed. I actually forgot about that... I will get out and grab one from Lowes tomorrow.
Didn't get to take photo today but did the last 3.
Thanks Texas Splash for the encouragement!

Staci, you really started your SLAM on the 18th, so it's only been about 4-5 days. Your water was very green, and you had troublesome wedding cake stairs to contend with, so it's no surprise that your SLAM will take a while. Keep in mind that the pool didn't turn green overnight, so it will be a gradual process, but it will work. There is no substitute for killing algae other than using pure chlorine at the proper level and maintained that way. Stick with it.

Also, don't forget all the other tasks to do each day on the SLAM page. Brushing is important as well as backwashing when pressure increases by 25%. Did you ever get a chance to replace the gauge? That might help. Maintain the FC with regular bleach. It's cheap and effective. No need to buy expensive products at the pool store. If you dump powdered shock in the water, you will change other levels and have to re-test everything again. I hope you are taking a pic each day to monitor the progress and color change. It's slow, but you should see it in the photos. Good luck!

 

[Texas Splash]

New house & new pool means lots of excitement. Today being the 1st day of fall probably doesn't help. But you'll get it. You're learning a lot each day, so be easy on yourself as well. Along with the gauge, and the stairs I believe you already worked on, have you ever deep cleaned the sand filter? If that was a pre-existing filter with the home and it's never been deep cleaned, I would highly encourage you to do that as noted on the TFP Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter page. If you were surprised by what you found in your stairs, you may be equally surprised by what's in the filter once you deep clean it.

 

[Staci]

View attachment 54615Anyone see a difference? maybe a slight one... how long is this supposed to take? I didn't have a swamp I thought I might see something by now
My FC has been dropping lower and not staying close to SLAM target like it was in the begining... is that supposed to be telling me something? should I be testing anything else again? HELP

 

[Texas Splash]

I would like to see a little more color change by now. I would recommend verifying your CYA "IF" it's sunny & bright in your area. If not, wait until tomorrow. Until then continue to maintain the proper FC for your last CYA result. Once you confirm the CYA that will help us ensure you are at the correct FC SLAM level. Remember:

Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Taylor recommends standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body. Use the mixing bottle to combine/gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Then, while holding the skinny tube with the black dot at waist level, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. After the first test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate the CYA reading.

Staci, algae cannot live in a chlorine environment (using regular bleach) as long as:
- The FC is at the correct level for the current CYA
- Existing algae is brushed everyday to expose the surfaces to the chlorine
- There are no places where algae can hide & continue to grow (i.e. steps, behind lights, or a filter that requires cleaning (or deep cleaning as noted above).

So I suspect something is slightly off. But with your test kit and proper testing you'll get it. When you read those CYA instructions, have your husband put his eyes on the viewing tube as well. I do the same because that CYA test is so important. Also maintaining that SLAM FC level 24/7. Give all of that a review and let us know.

 

[Staci]

Steps are out, no lights, pool is brushed daily and filter looks good.

OK did CYA test and my CYA has gone from 70 to 85 (why would that happen?)...
can't afford to do another pool drain - water is too expensive here.

so my new FC level is approx 33 according to my CYA reading correct? (did it 2x w/ my husband looking as well)

 

[Staci]

Steps are out, no lights, pool is brushed daily and filter looks good.

OK did CYA test and my CYA has gone from 70 to 85 (why would that happen?)...
can't afford to do another pool drain - water is too expensive here.

so my new FC level is approx 33 according to my CYA reading correct? (did it 2x w/ my husband looking as well)

I would like to see a little more color change by now. I would recommend verifying your CYA "IF" it's sunny & bright in your area. If not, wait until tomorrow. Until then continue to maintain the proper FC for your last CYA result. Once you confirm the CYA that will help us ensure you are at the correct FC SLAM level. Remember:


Staci, algae cannot live in a chlorine environment (using regular bleach) as long as:
- The FC is at the correct level for the current CYA
- Existing algae is brushed everyday to expose the surfaces to the chlorine
- There are no places where algae can hide & continue to grow (i.e. steps, behind lights, or a filter that requires cleaning (or deep cleaning as noted above).

So I suspect something is slightly off. But with your test kit and proper testing you'll get it. When you read those CYA instructions, have your husband put his eyes on the viewing tube as well. I do the same because that CYA test is so important. Also maintaining that SLAM FC level 24/7. Give all of that a review and let us know.

 

[Texas Splash]

Hi Stacy! I missed your post earlier - sorry. Yes, that CYA is a tricky one, and it's good you had another set of eyes on it. Seeing that you now estimate a CYA of 85, round it up to 90. So that makes your SLAM FC "35". That's a lot of R-0871 drops per test, so keep an eye on that. But that could definitely explain why you weren't seeing the progress you had initially hoped.

Keep this in mind .... since your SLAM FC is so high (35), that's a lot of drops per test (70). For now, while the pool is still in the green stage, you can on occasion substitute the 10 ml sample size (where you divide the # of drops by 2), and use the "5" ml sample size where each drop = one FC. This method is not as accurate as the 10 ml water sample, but in your case you may need the bottle of drops to last longer. So with a 5ml water sample, instead of using 70 drops, you would be using about 35 drops until the sample turns clear.

Does that make sense?

 

[Staci]

HI thanks! Yes, makes perfect sense. I have almost gone through 2 bottles of that R-0871 going to have to order more. Going to give it another week, if we don't see progress we are going to pack it in. Thanks for your help, will update in a few days - hopefully it's good news.

Hi Stacy! I missed your post earlier - sorry. Yes, that CYA is a tricky one, and it's good you had another set of eyes on it. Seeing that you now estimate a CYA of 85, round it up to 90. So that makes your SLAM FC "35". That's a lot of R-0871 drops per test, so keep an eye on that. But that could definitely explain why you weren't seeing the progress you had initially hoped.

Keep this in mind .... since your SLAM FC is so high (35), that's a lot of drops per test (70). For now, while the pool is still in the green stage, you can on occasion substitute the 10 ml sample size (where you divide the # of drops by 2), and use the "5" ml sample size where each drop = one FC. This method is not as accurate as the 10 ml water sample, but in your case you may need the bottle of drops to last longer. So with a 5ml water sample, instead of using 70 drops, you would be using about 35 drops until the sample turns clear.

Does that make sense?

 

[kimkats]

OH Staci you poor thing I wish it was going faster for you There is a difference in the color of the water. It is slight but it is there.

How often are you able to test and dose your pool? Are you running the pump 24/7?

Keep taking a new pic each day looking at the same spot. Make sure to post it was well so we can watch the progress.

What a bummer to have a new pool and not be able to use it. PLEASE tell hubby to NOT put any thing in the pool other that bleach/liquid chlorine.

Have you checked the date code on the bleach/chlorine?

 

[Texas Splash]

One last thing as you go through this week ..... if you haven't done so already, consider that sand "deep clean" that I posted earlier. I don't recall how old your filter is, but if it's more than a year old, you would be surprised how much junk gets trapped in the filter that can't get pulled-out with a normal backwash. In addition, the sand becomes compacted and gets "channels" where the water passes through gaps as opposed to actually getting filtered through the sand as it should. Good luck!

 

[Staci]

Yeah it's a bit disappointing, especially when the kids want to go in so badly (7 & 11) and it being so hot and humid that last 2 weeks. By the time it clears up the swim season will be over.
At first we were testing every hour and noticed it was holding steady around the SLAM level, so we went to every 2-3 hours. Pump has not been shut off since last Sunday when we started (eek!! the elec bill) .
Dates good on bleach.

Texas Splash, we didn't do the deep clean (sand was changed 1 year ago according to the old home owner) but maybe we will check it out Thursday when hubs is off.

OH Staci you poor thing I wish it was going faster for you There is a difference in the color of the water. It is slight but it is there.

How often are you able to test and dose your pool? Are you running the pump 24/7?

Keep taking a new pic each day looking at the same spot. Make sure to post it was well so we can watch the progress.

What a bummer to have a new pool and not be able to use it. PLEASE tell hubby to NOT put any thing in the pool other that bleach/liquid chlorine.

Have you checked the date code on the bleach/chlorine?

 

[Staci]

Oh one more question.... it's pouring here, do we continue to test and add if needed when it's pouring rain?

 

[Texas Splash]

Yes, the rain won't have much effect on what you're doing.

 

[Staci]

We are almost out of R-0871 and our new bottle is coming tomorrow, but I don't think we will have enough to get us through until then. We are currently doing the 5ml testing to conserve (we are aware it's not exactly accurate, but better then nothing) any suggestions to get us through until the new bottle arrives?