It's usually best to give at least a couple of days after it dissolves. Lets see what it looks like then and go from there.
Getting the clear water back...
- Thread starter TN94z
- Start date
Yeah. I'll be waiting this week anyway as I don't have time during the week to do the SLAM properly.
I was looking at the chlorine/cya chart just to get an idea of how much bleach I will need once my CYA comes up. I have a SWG pool and looking at the chart, it doesn't start until 60 CYA. Why is that? Does that mean you need to be at 60 if you have a SWG to SLAM? I know I was told to get it to 30 so I wouldn't have to use so much bleach, but now I am just curious after looking at the chart?
During the SLAM process, if you don't already have the recommended amount of CYA, use the non-swg recommended level of CYA and thusly FC levels. That part of the chart is in cases where the CYA level is already at the recommended swg level.
I will be testing the water either today or tomorrow, but as I was going out this morning to look at it like I normally do, the water is still crystal clear. I mean, the water looks great. There is some stuff on the bottom here and there, but it doesn't seem to be getting any worse. I need to vacuum again today and see if it stays gone. I will still SLAM the pool just in case, but I am really surprised that the water looks as good as it does
You're gettin' good at this, TN. 
Vacuum that debris out of there.....I'll bet it doesn't return.
Vacuum that debris out of there.....I'll bet it doesn't return.
duraleigh said:You're gettin' good at this, TN.
Vacuum that debris out of there.....I'll bet it doesn't return.
It just takes a little dedication to read through the site here and go from there. I still haven't done the SLAM yet but the way my water looks, I don't think I will have much issue there. I will say this, next year my pool will be totally different. I will be doing the testing myself and not relying on the pool store anymore. It's really a lot easier anyway. The BBB method sounds pretty good to me.
+1 to duraleigh....
You are on the right track TN. Come next season you'll be telling all the newbies how easy it can be.
You are on the right track TN. Come next season you'll be telling all the newbies how easy it can be.
Okay guys, I went out this afternoon and vacuumed the pool and ran a full test to see how it was doing. Here are my results:
Cl=5
pH=7.2
FC=4.5
CC=0.5
TC=5.0
TA=60
CH=90
CYA=~28 It was just under 30 which of course will be a guesstimate.
And again, the water is really clear. The salt level is way low but I'm not really worried about that at this point. I'm just curious how the numbers are what they are because I haven't added any chemicals other than the stabilizer which explains the CYA only.
What you think guys? Is it ready for a SLAM?
Cl=5
pH=7.2
FC=4.5
CC=0.5
TC=5.0
TA=60
CH=90
CYA=~28 It was just under 30 which of course will be a guesstimate.
And again, the water is really clear. The salt level is way low but I'm not really worried about that at this point. I'm just curious how the numbers are what they are because I haven't added any chemicals other than the stabilizer which explains the CYA only.
What you think guys? Is it ready for a SLAM?
With those good numbers and crystal clear water, you may not need to SLAM. I would suggest performing an OCLT and if you pass that, then your pool water is in tip top shape and needs no SLAM level of chlorine.
duraleigh said:
That's actually what I was hoping to hear. I'll do that next and report back
Alright, I did the OCLT this morning. I used the numbers I posted last night from above and here is what I got this morning:
FC=4
CC=.5
TC=4.5
From what I read on the OCLT, it sounds like I am good to go. Now I have 2 more questions before I hopefully put the cover on this thing.
-Do I need to get the salt level in normal ranges before I cover the pool?
-And do I need to get the CYA up to the correct level before covering the pool?
FC=4
CC=.5
TC=4.5
From what I read on the OCLT, it sounds like I am good to go. Now I have 2 more questions before I hopefully put the cover on this thing.
-Do I need to get the salt level in normal ranges before I cover the pool?
-And do I need to get the CYA up to the correct level before covering the pool?
If by covering you mean closing for winter, then I would wait to add cya and salt till next season.
linen said:
Yes, that's what I mean. That's what I was planning on but I wanted to make sure it was the correct way to do it.
So it sounds like I can shut down this weekend!
Just one other thought...we generally recommend not closing until the pool water is consistently below 60F (and opening before it gets over 60F). This will help minimize clean up at opening.
Some are motivated to close early for differing reasons, but since I followed the advice above (I usually wait until the pool is at 55F), I have had clear water at opening. If you do decide to close at a higher temp, then the use of a polyquat60 algaecide might be a good idea in addition to having the pool at SLAM level.
linen said:
In the past, I haven't had issues with opening either. It's generally really clear and looks like it did when we closed it. I put algaecide in and shut it down. I generally close around this time because no one uses it and electricity savings.
Thanks for all of the help everyone. I have learned a lot because of this thread. I will be reading through the winter and learning more and next year our pool will be more of a relaxation spot instead of being frustrating.
