Day 23 of SLAM, what gives?

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Windylou

Windylou

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May 11, 2017
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Groveton, Tx
So I just ended day 23 of our SLAM. I feel like I’m doing everything right, but something has got to be wrong for it to take this long. Pump has been going nonstop for this long. I bring it up to SLAM level at least twice per day. With this being said, it rarely even gets under SLAM level. Last time I did a full test of everything was 12 days ago. I read that during SLAM the only test that really matters is FC & CC. So those are checked 2 or 3 times daily.
These are results from 12 days ago:
FC 27
CC 0
PH 7.6
TA 130
CYA 50
Tonight:
FC 28.5
CC 1
PH 8.2
CYA 50

CYA has been holding at 50. CC has been 0 on numerous occasions, but never passed the overnight test. TA was pretty high last time it was tested, but I didn’t think it was relevant during SLAM. Tonight’s test showed the PH was a little high, but not too bad. Brush & rake daily, backwash every 3 or 4 days. It hasn’t been vacuumed. I did finally bite the bullet & purchased a Wanda the whale that should be in tomorrow. I did get a hose & manually vacuumed for several hours today. Salt is also pretty high, not sure if that’s even relevant. It’s 4200, I don’t even know how that’s possible. I haven’t added salt this year & it’s rained quite a bit. I haven’t even turned the cell on yet. Someone did mention putting some DE in my sand filter, which I haven’t done yet. I did get some & I plan to do that tomorrow. Another thing that I just learned today, I haven’t been rinsing after backwashing, so that’s probably not great. Is there anything I’m missing? I just feel like this taking forever & costing a ton, let alone the fact that you can’t find chlorine anywhere. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
 
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You are right, it should be done. Clearing can take a while with a sand filter. The DE will help with that.

You are not able to pass an OCLT? How much loss are you seeing overnight?
 
That is a lot of loss overnight. Need to get that done to 1 or 1.5.

Do your best to check everywhere for any hidden algae.
 
Good catch Matt. That will make a difference.

Get your FC down to 20 and maintain there.
 
I don’t think there’s anywhere that it could have algae. I took my wedding cake steps out & bleached & pressure washed them. Then they sun dried for a week. I did put them back in today though. We’re supposed to have rain all week, so I’m really hoping Wanda will be here tomorrow.
 
Is it bad to go over your SLAM amount? If so, that could be my problem. I keep it a little higher just to ensure it doesn’t drop below. It’s typically not that high, it’s usually around 23, 24. With it dropping between 5 & 8 every night, I just thought keeping it a little higher would avoid it going under.
 
No need to go above SLAM level. It is hard on your liner and you tend lose more FC than you should.

Let it come down to 20 ppm and do a OCLT.
 

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Windylou said:
Okay, I will try to keep it at that level tomorrow. I see where some people are able determine exactly how many ppm each gallon will contribute. Is there a formula for that?
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You can use the PoolMath app (or link are the bottom of the page) - put in your pool size and it tells you how much chlorine to add to get to whatever level you want. :)

A couple of questions - how does the pool look? Is it clear but not passing the OCLT or still cloudy?

If cloudy I’d recommend you do a deep clean of the sand in your filter. If it’s the OCLT it’s usually hidden algae. I see you’ve addressed the steps and ladder - any lights that are removable? Any folds in the liner?
 
I think we may be past it!
FC 28
CC .5
So we only lost .5 last night!!! The CC still bothers me though. I know .5 is acceptable, but to me, anything over zero isn’t good. I’m fairly certain that my hours spent manually vacuuming made a big difference. Wanda won’t be here until tomorrow. I didn’t have time to add DE this am, so I will do that this afternoon & I plan to do another OCLT just to be sure. Also, in the pool math app, I don’t see where it tells you how much to add, I’m going to try to play with that a little more.
 
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The liquid chlorine, but I figured it out by playing with the app a little today. So tonight’s levels are
FC 13
CC .5
PH 7.5
Is it normal to lose that much from the sunlight? I’m assuming it’s bc of the lower CYA level. I’m still a bit concerned about the CC not being zero. We will see what it is in the am ??
 
Okay, I just wanted to be sure. I still think I’m in the clear, but I will probably continue checking daily for at least a week. This mornings test had FC 14.5 No clue how it gained bc I didn’t add anything yesterday.
CC still .5
Ph still 7.5
 
Do you cover your pool at all? If it is covered at all, I'd leave the cover off for a while and let the sun shine on it.

I wouldn't worry about the CCs for the moment, 0.5ppm is really nothing to worry about. You should do the 25mL water sample test (0.2ppm Cl2 per drop)when your FC comes down a bit and then really see what your CCs level is. Mine has gone as high as 0.8ppm but that didn't last a day so I didn't worry about it.
 
Windylou said:
Okay, I just wanted to be sure. I still think I’m in the clear, but I will probably continue checking daily for at least a week. This mornings test had FC 14.5 No clue how it gained bc I didn’t add anything yesterday.
CC still .5
Ph still 7.5
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Are you testing at the EXACT same spot of your pool every time?

I experimented with different locations and confirmed my test results will differ because the pool is not a perfectly mixed container...there are high/low spots based on circulation
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Do you cover your pool at all? If it is covered at all, I'd leave the cover off for a while and let the sun shine on it.

I wouldn't worry about the CCs for the moment, 0.5ppm is really nothing to worry about. You should do the 25mL water sample test (0.2ppm Cl2 per drop)when your FC comes down a bit and then really see what your CCs level is. Mine has gone as high as 0.8ppm but that didn't last a day so I didn't worry about it.
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Thank you for that tidbit! I will definitely try that. I don’t cover at all during the summer.
 

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