Hello!

[wrobinson]

Hello! New member here. I bought a house with an in-ground pool last year, and have been taking a crash course in figuring it all out. I’m not there yet! But discovered TFP online and have been diving in. I bought the TF100, which arrived today.

This summer has been tricky, as I’ve been battling algae and spending lots of money on chemicals trying to solve it.

Maybe you can give me some pointers? After a week of throwing lots of Leslie’s cal-hypo shock in it, my pool water is cloudy and I’ve vacuumed lots of algae off the floor the last couple days. Am I on the right track to get my water clear?

Here are numbers I just took with the new TF100:

FC: 20
PH: 7.2
TA: 140
CYA: 50
CH: 575

 

[setsailsoon]

W,

Welcome aboard! What is your CC and how did you test the FC? Is there anything in this ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry that you don't understand? Please feel free to ask any questions. It's important that we see the results of the FAS-DPD chlorine test. Also please fill in your signature. Here's how. It helps you get quicker answers and makes more effective use of our volunteers time. If you have algae you will need to SLAM. Before you start that please provide a little more information. How are you chlorinating the pool? I'm assuming you do not have a salt pool and if that's correct be sure you don't add anything with stabilizer in it such as pucks. If you have any in the pool please remove them. Lastly, have you added anything to the pool other than liquid chlorine, MA. If so please provide a list.

I'm sure you will have a lot of help soon but we'll need the information above to make sure you get the right advice. Pretty soon you'll pick this all up and be very comfortable with your pool. TFP methods are very simple. Test results dictate what to do. No guesswork needed but we do need a full set of test results.

Again welcome, look forward to your response.

Chris

 

[Teald024]

Hello and Welcome to TFP!!

Great job getting a quality test kit!
Pointers:
* Stay out of the pool store
* Use only liquid chlorine. Can be found at your favorite grocery store. It’s just plain bleach. No additives, unscented, not splashless, no chloromax, the cheapest per unit you can find. The higher percentage of sodium hypochlorite the better.
* use PoolMath to help you figure out how much chlorine to add
* Follow the SLAM Process. This is your best way to rid algae from your pool. Follow it strictly!
* Test and add chlorine at least 4 times a day , more if you are seeing a large drop each time
* Brush and vacuum at least once a day.
* It’s help if you take a picture of the same spot of the pool each day. Have the brush in the water. It will help you check and see the progress you are making.

 

[wrobinson]

W,

Welcome aboard! What is your CC and how did you test the FC? Is there anything in this ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry that you don't understand? Please feel free to ask any questions. It's important that we see the results of the FAS-DPD chlorine test. Also please fill in your signature. Here's how. It helps you get quicker answers and makes more effective use of our volunteers time. If you have algae you will need to SLAM. Before you start that please provide a little more information. How are you chlorinating the pool? I'm assuming you do not have a salt pool and if that's correct be sure you don't add anything with stabilizer in it such as pucks. If you have any in the pool please remove them. Lastly, have you added anything to the pool other than liquid chlorine, MA. If so please provide a list.

I'm sure you will have a lot of help soon but we'll need the information above to make sure you get the right advice. Pretty soon you'll pick this all up and be very comfortable with your pool. TFP methods are very simple. Test results dictate what to do. No guesswork needed but we do need a full set of test results.

Again welcome, look forward to your response.

Chris

Thanks, Chris.

I’ve filled in a signature.

I tested the FC using the TF100 kit. You can see my numbers tested last night in my first post (FC 20, and CC was also 0 - I didn’t list that). This morning my numbers are:

FC: 18
CC: 0
CYA: 60

So some loss of FC overnight. And I see some dead algae on the floor this morning too. Water is still cloudy in the deep end too. CYA is higher this morning than yesterday’s reading (60 vs 50) which was probably my faulty reading yesterday. It’s been high (started spring at 125) but I’ve been letting lots of water out over the past 6 weeks to bring it down.

I’m adding chlorine via cal-hypo only (Leslie’s Powder Plus). My in line chlorinator is turned off. Is the cal-hypo an ok way of getting chlorine in the pool? Think I’ll go buy straight chlorine today because I need more anyway.

I did add 1 bottle of PhosFree last night to the slimmer. My phosphate level is 1,700 PPB which had me a little concerned. Does that screw anything up?

I also added a few capfuls of clarifier a few days ago.

Otherwise, I’ve not added anything else for a few weeks.

I’ve been following SLAM since 2 days ago. Is my goal today to get and keep FC at SLAM FC of 24 given CYA of around 60 right now? Is there anything else I should be doing?

Thanks!

 

[setsailsoon]

W,
Did you test and correct the pH before you started the SLAM? Assuming this is the case here are my comments:

• Yes, 24 is your SLAM level. You're getting the hand of this already! Remember you round up on the test so if you read 63 round up to 70. If that's the case you'll need the higher FC level for SLAM.
• No need to repeat the pH test during the SLAM. It's unreliable over FC 10. That's why we correct pH before you start.
• Don't add any chemicals other than liquid bleach during your SLAM. Clarifiers, pucks, algaecides and other expensive potions cause more problems and are not needed. Make sure to review the video at the bottom of this post. Properly done it's pretty quick for cases like yours. But the devil's in the details. Very important is "M" for maintain. When you first start you'll consume chlorine the fastest and this can drop you well below SLAM level for your pool. So retest as often as every 4 hours as possible when you start. Testing more frequently than every 4 hours consumes a lot of test reagents and doesn't help a lot. Adjust to SLAM level but don't exceed more than a ppm or 2. If you go too high you can damage your liner. Make sure you brush, keep your pump on 24/7 'till your done and check/clean your filter as needed.
• Thanks for providing the information about the clarifier. Which clarifier did you use? Like most pool store chemicals it's not needed. How is your filter pressure? These often gunk up the filter and can cause unnecessary filter media change.
• We don't care about phosphate levels. If you follow the FC/CYA recommendations you can't get algae. Phosphates are harmless. You can remove them if you want to but it's not necessary and right now you should focus on the SLAM, nothing else.

All you need on a weekly basis should be liquid chlorine and MA. Occasionally a little granular CYA. You'll need to test pH, FC, CC frequently at first to get to know your pool. After a while you'll get the feel for how frequently they change and be able to back off to a couple times per week. Other tests monthly are OK so long as you're in the TFP recommended ranges.

Once you get done with the SLAM we'll let the CYA drift down to 50 ppm. This should reduce the FC level and still protect against sun damage. Also makes SLAM easier to do if needed again. The exact amount required depends on specific pool environment. But 50 is usually all that's needed. It will drops about 5-10% per month in my pool during summer.

I hope this helps and please do keep us posted.

Chris

 

[setsailsoon]

Sorry, forgot the video. Added a couple more that may be helpful.

 

[wrobinson]

W,
Did you test and correct the pH before you started the SLAM? Assuming this is the case here are my comments:

• Yes, 24 is your SLAM level. You're getting the hand of this already! Remember you round up on the test so if you read 63 round up to 70. If that's the case you'll need the higher FC level for SLAM.
• No need to repeat the pH test during the SLAM. It's unreliable over FC 10. That's why we correct pH before you start.
• Don't add any chemicals other than liquid bleach during your SLAM. Clarifiers, pucks, algaecides and other expensive potions cause more problems and are not needed. Make sure to review the video at the bottom of this post. Properly done it's pretty quick for cases like yours. But the devil's in the details. Very important is "M" for maintain. When you first start you'll consume chlorine the fastest and this can drop you well below SLAM level for your pool. So retest as often as every 4 hours as possible when you start. Testing more frequently than every 4 hours consumes a lot of test reagents and doesn't help a lot. Adjust to SLAM level but don't exceed more than a ppm or 2. If you go too high you can damage your liner. Make sure you brush, keep your pump on 24/7 'till your done and check/clean your filter as needed.
• Thanks for providing the information about the clarifier. Which clarifier did you use? Like most pool store chemicals it's not needed. How is your filter pressure? These often gunk up the filter and can cause unnecessary filter media change.
• We don't care about phosphate levels. If you follow the FC/CYA recommendations you can't get algae. Phosphates are harmless. You can remove them if you want to but it's not necessary and right now you should focus on the SLAM, nothing else.

All you need on a weekly basis should be liquid chlorine and MA. Occasionally a little granular CYA. You'll need to test pH, FC, CC frequently at first to get to know your pool. After a while you'll get the feel for how frequently they change and be able to back off to a couple times per week. Other tests monthly are OK so long as you're in the TFP recommended ranges.

Once you get done with the SLAM we'll let the CYA drift down to 50 ppm. This should reduce the FC level and still protect against sun damage. Also makes SLAM easier to do if needed again. The exact amount required depends on specific pool environment. But 50 is usually all that's needed. It will drops about 5-10% per month in my pool during summer.

I hope this helps and please do keep us posted.

Chris

Super helpful. Thanks!

I’ll go get some liquid chlorine today and make sure I’m maintaining at the correct SLAM ratios.

I did reduce PH to 7.2 or so before all this, so that’s good.

Clarifier I used is some Clorox stuff I bought at Lowe’s a couple months ago. I’ll lay off using that and the PhosFree going forward.

Feeling hopeful again after being demoralized by this lousy cloudiness for days now. Thanks again!

 

[setsailsoon]

W,
That's great sounds like you prepared well. Do keep an eye on the filter, clarifier can be a problem. You'll need your filter to remove any dead algae etc. Do you know what your clean filter pressure was? Also see if you can remove the pucks in the inline feeder. May require a coat hanger with a bend at the end to fish them out. Sometimes they leak through the fairly cheap valve and I suspect this is the reason your CYA may have increased. Plus any added chlorine from the feeder can give you a false completion signal.

Fingers crossed for you to have a quick and effective SLAM!

Chris

 

[wrobinson]

W,
That's great sounds like you prepared well. Do keep an eye on the filter, clarifier can be a problem. You'll need your filter to remove any dead algae etc. Do you know what your clean filter pressure was? Also see if you can remove the pucks in the inline feeder. May require a coat hanger with a bend at the end to fish them out. Sometimes they leak through the fairly cheap valve and I suspect this is the reason your CYA may have increased. Plus any added chlorine from the feeder can give you a false completion signal.

Fingers crossed for you to have a quick and effective SLAM!

Chris

Just back from Leslie’s where I bought 8 gallons of 12.5% bleach (had coupons built up, that’s only reason why I bought it there!). While I was there had I them test my water sample - they have my CYA at 78. My testing showed 60ish using TF100 this morning. Is it common to have such a different reading? I know the CYA test in the TF100 is fairly subjective.. should I assume Leslie’s is more accurate?

To answer your other questions, my clean filter pressure has been about 20, which is where I’m running right now.

And yes, I’ll fish the chlorine pucks out of the chlorinator. Even though I’ve got it dialed to 0 it makes sense it could be leaching some.

 

[setsailsoon]

Just back from Leslie’s where I bought 8 gallons of 12.5% bleach (had coupons built up, that’s only reason why I bought it there!). While I was there had I them test my water sample - they have my CYA at 78. My testing showed 60ish using TF100 this morning. Is it common to have such a different reading? I know the CYA test in the TF100 is fairly subjective.. should I assume Leslie’s is more accurate?

To answer your other questions, my clean filter pressure has been about 20, which is where I’m running right now.

And yes, I’ll fish the chlorine pucks out of the chlorinator. Even though I’ve got it dialed to 0 it makes sense it could be leaching some.

W,

Great you are prepared and got the liquid chlorine cheap. Your test results are more accurate. Big differences even larger than yours are common. CYA seems to be the worst. I was never within 30 ppm from the store. Even before I added any! Don't be tempted to use their tests. I think my pool store is better than most and even they were waaay off depending on the day. I got great advice here to stop testing at the store. The more I learned here the more I realized some of their results just couldn't be correct and adjusting my chemicals on their results would have made the pool worse. I know this sounds counter-intuitive. It's natural to think they know more than you. Most of the time they don't. Their "free test" is a sales tool. I started calling it a "fee test". You can search though this site and find many, many examples of the horror stories. Just remember we don't sell anything and when you need a specific test you can't do at home or a chemical you can't get a generic for we'll be the first to tell you. It's very rare but sometimes necessary. You don't need any of them now.

Please do also check liquid chlorine for pools at the big box stores and WM. Sometimes they're normal price is cheaper than pool store sales. One exception is bulk liquid chlorine typically sold in refillable 2.5 gal jugs. Not sure if it's available in your area and this varies by state. Maybe somebody that reads this and lives in your area can comment. @ajw22 can you please comment?

You're doing great by asking all these questions. They're all the same kind of questions I had and many other's did as well. Within a few days I learned how to do this by people that helped me 6 years ago. People like @kimkats and others that were here before me and are still here. You're gonna be amazed at how easy and cheap this is to do yourself. My pool has been sparkling clear ever since. Never cloudy, no algae. I can tell if a coin is heads or tails in the deep end even at night with just my old failing led lights.

Keep up the great progress and questions.

Chris

 

[kimkats]

You are in GREAT hands with Chris @setsailsoon He has learned this pool care stuff and has stuck around to help others! He is one of the best ones out there! Chris!!!

Can you take and share a pic of the shallow end and the deep end so we can see where you are at now.

Kim

 

[wrobinson]

You are in GREAT hands with Chris @setsailsoon He has learned this pool care stuff and has stuck around to help others! He is one of the best ones out there! Chris!!!

Can you take and share a pic of the shallow end and the deep end so we can see where you are at now.

Kim

Thank you, Kim! Nice to meet you!

So I've been SLAMming since mid last week, and this morning is the first time I've gotten up and haven't lost any FC overnight! Man, what an experience.. the prior couple nights I had been losing maybe 2 FC, and I was starting to think my calculations were wrong. So I *think* I'm algae free today! The pool is clear today too.

One thing I did want to ask - I removed my pull-up steps last night after I added liquid chlorine, just in case they might be the reason for the stubborn slow loss of FC overnights. Is it possible that did the trick for me? I didn't see any algae on them, but who knows..

Also, can algae grow out of water? I'm wondering if I should put the steps back in yet, or somehow do a deep clean on them with bleach.

Final question: I've been using liquid chlorine I bought from Leslie's (12.5%) - it's just straight sodium hypochlorite. I wasn't able to find any 'regular' chlorine at Lowe's or grocery store near me, and there are limits on the amount you can buy. Anyway, the Leslie's guy told me I shouldn't be using very much of the stuff because it adds unnecessary chemicals into my water along with the chlorine. That was opposite of what I was understanding to be true. Are there any downsides to using this kind of chlorine for my pool sanitizing?

 

[setsailsoon]

W,

You're done with the SLAM when you meet all 3 criteria. You have to meet them all:

• CC is 0.5 or lower;
• You pass an OCLT (ie overnight FC loss test shows a loss of 1.0 ppm or less);
• And the water is clear.

Ladder could be the problem and before you put anything back make sure to scrub and rub down with dilute chlorine solution. Algae doesn't really die when it dries out. Most species just form spores that wait until they get re-hydrated. Then germinate and go again.

The pool store person may be correct if you are thinking to buy regular household bleach that has any kinds of fragrances or anti-splash compounds. Normally you should be using pool liquid chlorine HDX is a common brand in big box stores or Pool Essentials from WM. These contain more chlorine per $ and have no additives. They are usually also more cost effective than pool store brands. In all cases even if you have to get regular household bleach it must be sodium hypochlorite and water only. Avoid Clorox products entirely as almost all have some kind of additive that is not desirable.

I hope this helps!

Chris

PS @kimkats thanks for the original training and kind words!

 

[wrobinson]

W,

You're done with the SLAM when you meet all 3 criteria. You have to meet them all:

• CC is 0.5 or lower;
• You pass an OCLT (ie overnight FC loss test shows a loss of 1.0 ppm or less);
• And the water is clear.

Ladder could be the problem and before you put anything back make sure to scrub and rub down with dilute chlorine solution. Algae doesn't really die when it dries out. Most species just form spores that wait until they get re-hydrated. Then germinate and go again.

The pool store person may be correct if you are thinking to buy regular household bleach that has any kinds of fragrances or anti-splash compounds. Normally you should be using pool liquid chlorine HDX is a common brand in big box stores or Pool Essentials from WM. These contain more chlorine per $ and have no additives. They are usually also more cost effective than pool store brands. In all cases even if you have to get regular household bleach it must be sodium hypochlorite and water only. Avoid Clorox products entirely as almost all have some kind of additive that is not desirable.

I hope this helps!

Chris

PS @kimkats thanks for the original training and kind words!

Thanks, Chris. I’ve had a CC of 0.5 throughout my entire SLAM, but to make sure I’m measuring it correctly with my TF-100 - after I use R-0871 to get my initial chlorine sample with the R-0870 powder to clear, I’m adding 5 drops of R-0003. Adding those 5 drops turns my sample ever so slightly pink. It takes one additional drop of R-0871 to turn the sample back to clear. That is 0.5 CC, right?

Also, is it normal to lose about 4 FC during the day with a CYA level of 50/60? Each of the last few days I’ve measured FC first thing in the morning and then again in the evening after sunset, and I’ve lost at least 4. It’s been sunny and hot, but I would have expected slower loss I guess at that high of a CYA level..

 

[kimkats]

A loss of 4 FC could happen if it is really sunny and there was much swimming done during the day. Each pool and area is so different you will find your pool's "normal" Keep good track of your weather and FC use so you can find what works for yo uand yours.

 

[setsailsoon]

Thanks, Chris. I’ve had a CC of 0.5 throughout my entire SLAM, but to make sure I’m measuring it correctly with my TF-100 - after I use R-0871 to get my initial chlorine sample with the R-0870 powder to clear, I’m adding 5 drops of R-0003. Adding those 5 drops turns my sample ever so slightly pink. It takes one additional drop of R-0871 to turn the sample back to clear. That is 0.5 CC, right?

Also, is it normal to lose about 4 FC during the day with a CYA level of 50/60? Each of the last few days I’ve measured FC first thing in the morning and then again in the evening after sunset, and I’ve lost at least 4. It’s been sunny and hot, but I would have expected slower loss I guess at that high of a CYA level..

Correct on the .5. As Kim indicates experts often quote 1-4 ppm as "normal". If your pool is clear of algae, OCLT less than 1 and CC is .5 you have passed. One of the best things about TFP methods is there's no guessing. Tests are definitive and actions are as definitive. Enjoy your pool! Also you'll learn a lot about your pool. Pretty soon you'll get a good feel for the max. 4 is not unprecedented. Just watch your test results daily. It never hurts to run FC a little above target when you are trying new things or just learning your pool.

Congrats on your first SLAM! Stick with TFP recommendations, you'll have very SLAMs and they'll be very short.

Chris