First-time pool owner following SLAM for green pool / Stuck on cloudy blue / Looking for feedback & reassurance

[paulhb907]

Hi everyone, brand new pool owner that inherited a green algae-filled pool (not a great pic but this is how it looked on May 19).

After messing around with our pool company and local stores, I found TFP about a week ago. I've read through the forums and been following the SLAM process as closely as possible:

• Adjusted the initial chemistry and then have used liquid chlorine and nothing else (aside from clarifier once a week ago at girlfriend's insistence)
• Brushing at least once/day, and blind vacuuming where we can
• Cleaning cartridge filters at least once/day, and running pump 24/7

The pool improved rapidly at first, but I feel stuck the last couple of days on the cloudy blue stage. If I understand what I've read on TFP, cloudy blue means that the chemical battle has largely been won, and it's mainly up to the filters now?

-Here was the pool last Sunday (before brushing/chemicals)
-And this morning (after brushing/chemicals):


A couple of clarifications/questions I have for this (great) community:

Errors/recent adjustments:
1. Error 1: At first I was only adding chlorine at night, so I think FC were too low during the day to be working (see levels below). I'm not testing/adjusting 3-4x a day.

2. Error 2: Our pool company put a ladder in when they opened it this season, and I just read yesterday that can be an algae farm. Pulled it out this morning and there was literally a cup of green algae in part of it.

Questions/clarifications:
3. Am I getting close? Is the cloudy blue a good sign? (Assuming I continue testing/adjusting 3+ times/day.)

4. Our cartridge filters are brand new this year and are being cleaned 1+ times/day. They're not nearly as dirty as they were when we started, and are now grey/tan not green... I assume this means the filtration is working?

5. We can't see the bottom, but have been using this leaf vacuum to get what we can. It seems like less is being stirred up when we brush/vacuum- dumb questions, but again I assume that means we're making progress? If we can't get every leaf at the bottom, that's okay, right?

6. Do these chlorine counts look like they're on the right track:

Date	FC	CC
6/19 (afternoon)	1.3	0.9
6/19 (night)	5.2	0.8
6/20 (morning)	3.5	1.0
6/20 (afternoon)	2.6	0.6
6/20 (night)	9.5	0.6
6/21 (morning)	8.6	0.4

7. If the CC is now below 0.5, does that mean it's time to start doing the OCLT? Should I not be SLAMing the pool with chlorine at night if I'm doing an OCLT, or should I add the chlorine and then measure after?

8. Lastly, once we've reached >0.5 CC, my girlfriend really really wants to use clarifier, as she thinks it will clear the water and let us at least see what's on the bottom. If we use the (tepidly) TFP-endorsed SeaKlear clarifier, is there any reason not to try this?

Thanks everyone- I know these are some silly questions I think I know most of the answers to, but looking to you all for confirmation and guidance since we feel close.

 

[tikoh]

Hi everyone, brand new pool owner that inherited a green algae-filled pool (not a great pic but this is how it looked on May 19).

After messing around with our pool company and local stores, I found TFP about a week ago. I've read through the forums and been following the SLAM process as closely as possible:

• Adjusted the initial chemistry and then have used liquid chlorine and nothing else (aside from clarifier once a week ago at girlfriend's insistence)
• Brushing at least once/day, and blind vacuuming where we can
• Cleaning cartridge filters at least once/day, and running pump 24/7

The pool improved rapidly at first, but I feel stuck the last couple of days on the cloudy blue stage. If I understand what I've read on TFP, cloudy blue means that the chemical battle has largely been won, and it's mainly up to the filters now?

-Here was the pool last Sunday (before brushing/chemicals)
-And this morning (after brushing/chemicals):
View attachment 505989

A couple of clarifications/questions I have for this (great) community:

Errors/recent adjustments:
1. Error 1: At first I was only adding chlorine at night, so I think FC were too low during the day to be working (see levels below). I'm not testing/adjusting 3-4x a day.

2. Error 2: Our pool company put a ladder in when they opened it this season, and I just read yesterday that can be an algae farm. Pulled it out this morning and there was literally a cup of green algae in part of it.

Questions/clarifications:
3. Am I getting close? Is the cloudy blue a good sign? (Assuming I continue testing/adjusting 3+ times/day.)

4. Our cartridge filters are brand new this year and are being cleaned 1+ times/day. They're not nearly as dirty as they were when we started, and are now grey/tan not green... I assume this means the filtration is working?

5. We can't see the bottom, but have been using this leaf vacuum to get what we can. It seems like less is being stirred up when we brush/vacuum- dumb questions, but again I assume that means we're making progress? If we can't get every leaf at the bottom, that's okay, right?

6. Do these chlorine counts look like they're on the right track:

Date	FC	CC
6/19 (afternoon)	1.3	0.9
6/19 (night)	5.2	0.8
6/20 (morning)	3.5	1.0
6/20 (afternoon)	2.6	0.6
6/20 (night)	9.5	0.6
6/21 (morning)	8.6	0.4

7. If the CC is now below 0.5, does that mean it's time to start doing the OCLT? Should I not be SLAMing the pool with chlorine at night if I'm doing an OCLT, or should I add the chlorine and then measure after?

8. Lastly, once we've reached >0.5 CC, my girlfriend really really wants to use clarifier, as she thinks it will clear the water and let us at least see what's on the bottom. If we use the (tepidly) TFP-endorsed SeaKlear clarifier, is there any reason not to try this?

Thanks everyone- I know these are some silly questions I think I know most of the answers to, but looking to you all for confirmation and guidance since we feel close.

3. Yes..don't let up though or you might go back to green! What Hayward filter do you have? What speed is your pump running at, and what size are you pvc pipes? 1.5 or 2"? The reason I ask, is that you can slightly speed up the process by running your pump at a higher rate. 30,000 gallons is a pretty big pool. In my experience, it can take a few days to clear the cloudiness.

4. Yes. Are you still seeing pressure rise? You really only need to clean the filters when the pressure raises by 8-10psi over the clean pressure.

5. Yes...eventually you'll get that last leaf, and it'll feel good.

6. What is your CYA at? Those look a little low for SLAM

7. Don't worry about the OCLT until you're clear

8. Probably won't hurt, but don't expect a huge improvement. Just don't floc it with your cartridge filter.

Questions aren't silly at all

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello and welcome to TFP! Let's try to get you fixed up:
- What is your CYA? Your FC numbers are not close to any SLAM level per the FC/CYA Levels. That could explain the delay.
- Do not use a clarifier. It will not resolve your algae problem. In fact, it could ruin your filters. Stick to liquid chlorine.
- It is important to follow the SLAM Process page carefully. It works!
- Agreed; leave the OCLT until the very end.
- A good constant flow of the water is fine. No need to run at a high rpm unless you need it to vacuum.
- Paper carts in the filter can change color a bit. Doesn't hurt anythng. Later we can give you some tips on how to clean them if needed.

Stick with the SLAM Process, but get that FC where it needs to be (based on your current CYA) as noted on the FC/CYA Levels and maintain it until you pass all 3 SLAM criteria.

 

[paulhb907]

3. Yes..don't let up though or you might go back to green! What Hayward filter do you have? What speed is your pump running at, and what size are you pvc pipes? 1.5 or 2"? The reason I ask, is that you can slightly speed up the process by running your pump at a higher rate. 30,000 gallons is a pretty big pool. In my experience, it can take a few days to clear the cloudiness.

4. Yes. Are you still seeing pressure rise? You really only need to clean the filters when the pressure raises by 8-10psi over the clean pressure.

5. Yes...eventually you'll get that last leaf, and it'll feel good.

6. What is your CYA at? Those look a little low for SLAM

7. Don't worry about the OCLT until you're clear

8. Probably won't hurt, but don't expect a huge improvement. Just don't floc it with your cartridge filter.

Questions aren't silly at all

Thank you!

3. The serial number on the filter is gone, but I'm pretty sure it's this one. The pump is usually at the default setting (2750 RPM?) but I sometimes run it at 3250 for a couple of hours. Not sure on pipes offhand.

6. My CYA was 47 before SLAM, and I lowered it to 30 before starting a week ago. I'm having trouble with the dot-based measurement in the Taylor kit... I had it at about 15 a few days ago but now the dot is always visible. Should I balance the CYA before the next chlorine add?

 

[paulhb907]

Hello and welcome to TFP! Let's try to get you fixed up:
- What is your CYA? Your FC numbers are not close to any SLAM level per the FC/CYA Levels. That could explain the delay.
- Do not use a clarifier. It will not resolve your algae problem. In fact, it could ruin your filters. Stick to liquid chlorine.
- It is important to follow the SLAM Process page carefully. It works!
- Agreed; leave the OCLT until the very end.
- A good constant flow of the water is fine. No need to run at a high rpm unless you need it to vacuum.
- Paper carts in the filter can change color a bit. Doesn't hurt anythng. Later we can give you some tips on how to clean them if needed.

Stick with the SLAM Process, but get that FC where it needs to be (based on your current CYA) as noted on the FC/CYA Levels and maintain it until you pass all 3 SLAM criteria.

Thank you for the quick response!

My CYA was 47 before SLAM, and I lowered it to 30 before starting a week ago. I had it at about 15 a few days ago but now the dot is always visible. I have been using the PoolMath app for chlorine SLAM amounts (based on the above CYA numbers)

 

[Texas Splash]

I had it at about 15 a few days ago but now the dot is always visible. Should I balance the CYA before the next chlorine add?

You do want to ensure the CYA is at least 30. If in doubt, add 10 ppm of stabilizer and you can re-test it in a day or two. So if you consider your pool to have a CYA of 30 (after adding), then increase and maintain an FC of "12" which is your SLAM FC level. Its very important to maintain that number as best as you can (life & work permitting) for best success.

 

[paulhb907]

You do want to ensure the CYA is at least 30. If in doubt, add 10 ppm of stabilizer and you can re-test it in a day or two. So if you consider your pool to have a CYA of 30 (after adding), then increase and maintain an FC of "12" which is your SLAM FC level. Its very important to maintain that number as best as you can (life & work permitting) for best success.

Thanks- last question (for now)... I just tested and FC is at 5.8. Is it okay to add the stabilizer now?

 

[Texas Splash]

I just tested and FC is at 5.8. Is it okay to add the stabilizer now?

Certainly. Use the sock method. At the same time, you can increase the FC with liquid chlorine.

 

[Texas Splash]

In case you need this ........................

Adding CYA:
To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, place the required amount as calculated by the Poolmath calculator into a white sock and place in the poolside skimmer basket. For those concerned about suction flow to the pump, suspending the sock near a return jet or from a floating device will also suffice. Best never to allow undissolved granules to rest directly against the pool surface. After soaking for about 20-30 minutes, squeeze the sock often to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, consider your CYA adjusted to that programmed (target) level. CYA test readings should show a rise in 24-48 hours, however some pools may experience a longer delay to fully register. Best to confirm final CYA in about 5-7 days before adding any more stabilizer/conditioner.

 

[Texas Splash]

Based on your FC result, it looks like you may be using the 25 ML water sample with 2 scoops of powder. Instead, you can do the FC test as follows:

Grab a 10 ML water sample size and add ONE generous scoop of powder. Add drops until it goes clear and divide the result in half. Example, 24 drops to clear equals an FC of 12.