Getting Ready to SLAM

[danieliyo]

Hello All,

Last week I wanted to open our pool and started the SLAM process using Austin’s liquid chlorine. The water went from green to blue in about 2 days but was very cloudy. I let it run for another day and it looked the same the next morning, very cloudy. I then noticed that I had forgotten an important step in the process, CYA. My CYA was at 0, I gave up for a day or two and wanted to start all over and do it right. Went to Walmart and purchased some HTH Stabilizer pods to bring my CYA level up. I also went ahead and purchased Home Depot Liquid Chlorine (3 pack,10%). Yesterday night, I added a little bit of the Austin chlorine I had left since the pool was at 0 FC. This morning I woke up and is starting to get green again. So here I am starting the SLAM process all over again due to not doing it right the first time. Below are my readings from today (few minutes ago) and pictures of how it currently looks. I am looking for any recommendation/feedback before I start the SLAM process. I would appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

PH=7.2

FC=8.5

CC=2

TA=130

CYA=40-45

 

[ccharleb]

Hi!

Be sure to follow SLAM instructions. The "And Maintain" is very important too...

Here's my 1st SLAM: My 1st opening
Like you, after 2 days, pool went from green to blue, but very cloudy... than it took 16 days to complete.

Christian

 

[IceShadow]

If CYA is above 40 just round up to 50. 20ppm is your target.

Get to 20ppm FC. Scrub, vacuum, get every surface. Test frequently, up to every 30 minutes, and add more liquid chlorine each time to get back to 20ppm. Pump runs the entire time. No need to test anything but FC during the SLAM.

If you get stuck on cloudy, come back to us for ideas.

 

[danieliyo]

Thank you very much. I took your recommendation and added 20ppm tonight as my target. I will post back with updates or any issue I encounter along the way. Thank you all for your time.

 

[IceShadow]

Just keep in mind it’s a process. Not a one-time addition.

 

[danieliyo]

Well, I woke up this morning to test my FC, FC was still good in the 20s. Saw something brown by the stairs of the pool and noticed that the pressure of water was weak. I back washed the filter, brown water came out. Got it to filter again and saw sand from the filter coming into the pool. Seems that I might have a bigger issue.

Any thoughts of what can be causing this?

Thank you

 

[splashpad]

Well, I woke up this morning to test my FC, FC was still good in the 20s. Saw something brown by the stairs of the pool and noticed that the pressure of water was weak. I back washed the filter, brown water came out. Got it to filter again and saw sand from the filter coming into the pool. Seems that I might have a bigger issue.
Any thoughts of what can be causing this?

If sand is coming out of the returns, you are going to need to look inside the filter, see if the upright has gotten dislodged, if it's still in place, then you'll have to empty the sand from the filter and check the lower laterals, see if they are cracked or broken

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[danieliyo]

Good Morning All,

Is has been a week since I last posted an update. When I saw the brown stuff in my pool I immediately turned off my filter because I wasn't sure if it was sand or something else. Something told me to just replace the sand as it has been in use for the past 4+ years and it was recommended to replace every 3-5 years. I have been busy with work and didn't get to it until yesterday. Yesterday, I replaced the sand in my filter, cleaned/inspected all the parts and everything seems to be in good shape. Started everything back up and currently in SLAM process.

I've noticed that at the bottom of the pool there is this "white dust" looking thing just seating there. Is all over the pool and when I scrub the bottom it all comes up and looks like a white cloud. Is this something that the filter will be able to filter out or how can I get rid of it? I have posted pictures for reference.

Just to give a little bit of more information on the pool. During the winter the pool was not covered and all kinds of debris was going inside the water, which caused the water to turn green.

Thank you for your time

 

[splashpad]

I've noticed that at the bottom of the pool there is this "white dust" looking thing just seating there. Is all over the pool and when I scrub the bottom it all comes up and looks like a white cloud. Is this something that the filter will be able to filter out or how can I get rid of it? I have posted pictures for reference.

I would stick with the full SLAM Process. Once that is taken care of (it's going to be a bit), then you can tackle the next issue.
Be sure to take a full set of tests before elevating the FC to SLAM level for your CYA ( FC/CYA Levels ), to make sure everything is good to go (CYA & PH are vital for a proper SLAM)