Guidance needed, 3 years using TFP and I am at a loss (Solved)

[jsnpckns]

OCLT:

7:18 p.m. FC 9.0
6:36 a.m. FC 8.5

Both 10 ml samples. I was happy... until the sun came up and what I thought was debris in the pool turned out to be backswimmers. Quite a few, probably 100 or so. So I guess I am going to slam anyway?

I read they bite so... time to scoop I guess.

 

[Bperry]

You dont need to SLAM for bugs. Just net them out.

 

[jsnpckns]

Ok. Well... I started one anyway. I netted the bugs all out, about 20-25 at a time, and ended their little lives on the pool deck. I read that they can be seemingly unaffected by chemistry. But with the storm (the pool looked like an underwater flowerbed with all the dirt/limbs/leaves), cleaning the filters out, etc, I felt like I wanted to slam one more time, actually reaching the levels. Nuke it from orbit, the only way to be sure I guess.

Good news is, the local pool store has 12.5% liquid chlorine with the date stamp of 24 030, for 12 bucks a gallon. I tested the cya at 70, did the poolmath, and added 176 oz. Brushed for 25 min, and tested FC 26 with 0 CC. So the bleach was definitely fresher than what I used last week.

Target being 28, I did a ratio of 18/176=20/x and took the difference between 196 and 176 and added 20 more oz. I figured that might be a shorthand way to normalize what was in the container. At any rate, I'll test again at 3 pm and again when the pump shuts off at 7 pm.

 

[Dirk]

Ha, ha!

But remember, that didn't work out like they thought it would.

 

[cwswifty]

"I'll test again at 3 pm and again when the pump shuts off at 7 pm."

Not sure why you're SLAMing but if you're going to do it the process calls for "Run the pump 24/7 until you are done".
SLAM Process

 

[Bperry]

Ok. Well... I started one anyway. I netted the bugs all out, about 20-25 at a time, and ended their little lives on the pool deck. I read that they can be seemingly unaffected by chemistry. But with the storm (the pool looked like an underwater flowerbed with all the dirt/limbs/leaves), cleaning the filters out, etc, I felt like I wanted to slam one more time, actually reaching the levels. Nuke it from orbit, the only way to be sure I guess.

Good news is, the local pool store has 12.5% liquid chlorine with the date stamp of 24 030, for 12 bucks a gallon. I tested the cya at 70, did the poolmath, and added 176 oz. Brushed for 25 min, and tested FC 26 with 0 CC. So the bleach was definitely fresher than what I used last week.

Target being 28, I did a ratio of 18/176=20/x and took the difference between 196 and 176 and added 20 more oz. I figured that might be a shorthand way to normalize what was in the container. At any rate, I'll test again at 3 pm and again when the pump shuts off at 7 pm.

Dont call it the SLAM process in that case. Just call it adding extra chlorine in case of bugs. The SLAM process has an exact criteria for completion (<1.0FC loss overnight and <=0.5CC, and no visible ALGAE) and bugs arent in the list.

 

[jsnpckns]

"I'll test again at 3 pm and again when the pump shuts off at 7 pm."

Not sure why you're SLAMing but if you're going to do it the process calls for "Run the pump 24/7 until you are done".

Right, I know, I was just thinking about it from the fact that is when my pump usually shuts off. I am going to run it overnight. Thanks for the reminder though.

 

[jsnpckns]

Dont call it the SLAM process in that case. Just call it adding extra chlorine in case of bugs. The SLAM process has an exact criteria for completion (<1.0FC loss overnight and <=0.5CC, and no visible ALGAE) and bugs arent in the list.

Yes, not for the bugs. I am going to do an OCLT, run the pump overnight, the whole thing. Just want to lead off on the right foot since so much was suspect before with the bleach, the filters being a mess, etc. At the start of this, at the very first post, things were off, and most likely the culprit was the dirty filters, but I want to be sure. I don't want to be fighting this in another month when its 90+ degrees.

 

[jsnpckns]

Ha, ha!

But remember, that didn't work out like they thought it would.

LOL! Such a great film. I grew up on those movies. Been playing a lot of Helldivers 2 recently as well, and the only good bug is a dead bug! (If you don't know, video game version of Starship Troopers)

 

[Dirk]

Preachin' to the choir!

 

[jsnpckns]

4 pm 10 ml sample, 30 drops - FC 15.

 

[jsnpckns]

Had a busy evening, just getting around to posting this update.

4/15/24
4:45 pm added 1 gallon of bleach to bring FC back up to target.
8:12 pm tested 26 FC.

Pump on overnight. both samples are 10 ml samples.

4/16/24
6:15 am tested 23.5 FC, 0.0 CC. So that's a failed OCLT.
Water is crystal clear with no visible algae. Minor debris from overnight, a handful of leaves on the surface and some small twigs/catkins on pool bottom.

Adding 40 oz of 12.5% bleach. Will test again at 12 pm.

 

[jsnpckns]

The only places I haven't checked is behind the nicheless light covers and the cover plate of the skimmer opening.

The lights are Jandy nicheless led lights. I will have to find the tool for unscrewing the covers. There is no way I can pull those lights on my own though. *can't find the key for the covers.*

I have no idea how to remove the skimmer cover plate. I will have to see if I can find the part manual from the build. I do not want to break it. *It is a Waterway in-ground Vinyl Liner Skimmer*

I guess I need to pull the return eyelets and eyelets threads. Those are the only places left that I can think would be hiding algae.

 

[PoolStored]

Ocean Springs Walmart supercenter.
Aisle G28

 

[jsnpckns]

Ocean Springs Walmart supercenter.
Aisle G28

View attachment 564820

Thank you for taking the time to look for that. The 12.5% at the pool store has a Jan 30 2024 date stamp, and has been on par. I have one gallon left, and I think it will get me through today and tonight's OCLT. I will drive out there and check the dates. Definitely will save me some money if today's process doesn't cut it.

Spent the morning since my post cleaning.

I couldn't find the key for the light covers. I don't want to force it and chance breaking the light or the sleeve. I dipped a narrow headed nylon brush in some bleach and got into the nooks as best I could. I will order one from Amazon or Jandy if tonight's OCLT fails.

I took the eyelets and threading out of all the returns, washed them in bleach, scrubbed them, scrubbed the inner threads of the return sleeve, and put everything back together. One eyelet out of the three was pointed a little high - I use this one to push water over the sundeck shallow area. It's a balancing act between too low to push water where I want and too high and disturbing the surface.

I managed to carefully pop off the skimmer plate cover. No visible algae, mostly brown staining. It got the same treatment as the eyelets. The face of the plate did have some white sealant on it. Mainly around the stainless screw heads, but some smeared across the plate. Some peeled off and some of it disintegrated into a cloud.

I scrubbed the inside of the skimmer mouth, neck, sides, the weir door (front and back as best I could. I don't know how to remove this. The back has some sort of foam float that isn't Styrofoam).

I scrubbed the critter cover plate for the skimmer (it's a wife thing...) and disassembled the floating thermometer that resides in the skimmer and cleaned it.

I used the big pool brush and brushed all the horizontal surfaces and walls again. Then I got back in and hand brushed the shallow sundeck, steps, benches, and waterline. I got as deep as I could hand brushing on the deep end benches without submerging my head.

Hopefully the extra scrubbing and mixing the water helped get to any dead spots.

Oh and turned the lights off for now, and had only 2 or 3 bugs in the pool with a few in the skimmer sock. It is about time for a blackout anyway since termites will probably be swarming soon.

 

[jsnpckns]

11:40 am - Little more overcast today than yesterday, warmer and breezy. Been skimming oak leaves that STILL seem to be coming off the oak tree.

FC - 21.0 Probably a little higher than expected, as I used bleach while cleaning this morning.
CC - 0.0
Temp - 77°

Added 64 oz of 12.5% bleach, light brushing to move it around the pool.

 

[jsnpckns]

4 pm

FC 19.0
CC 0.0
Temp 81°

Off to Walmart to check the bleach there I guess.

 

[jsnpckns]

Bought 4 gallons of 10%. Got 24 074 dates, so pretty fresh. Added 86 oz at around 5:20 pm. Thanks for the heads up Poolstored! Still puzzling if the savings were worth the mental anguish of Walmart at 5 pm!

How late can I go for the OCLT? I might not get back to test until 9 or 10 pm.

 

[Newdude]

How late can I go for the OCLT? I might not get back to test until 9 or 10 pm

You want 6 to 8 hours of darkness. If you haven't lost any FC by then, you're probably not going to with a longer test.

Heck. 8 hours is pushing it in June by me and can barely be done.

 

[jsnpckns]

Was able to get back to the pool around 7 pm. Tested 26 ppm FC with a 5 ml sample (running low on chems) and added 17 oz of 12.5% bleach.

Bedtime test at 10:20 pm was 27 ppm FC. I am cautiously optimistic for the morning. Pump running, no debris, empty and rinsed skimmer basket, took out skimmer sock...

I even shooed a toad that was hopping by the pool toward the grass.