HELP Slamming Pool/First Time

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Slam levels are one thing and its 16 for your CYA level. That is what you need to maintain as minimum for a slam. FC of 3 is your minimum level for everyday use, but its better to stay between 5-7ppm for everyday use so you have an extra margin. Right now dont worry about 3, 5, or 7. You need 16 for your SLAM.

Felipe
 
Yes. The min and max numbers are for post SLAM. Since you are below the minimum level now it is asking for more problems. SLAM away, those are good starting numbers.
 
So I started my SLAM and recently just checked my FC level again...it's 18 (my aim was 16..oh well). I only started to SLAM because my OCLT test failed. Otherwise, my pool is not dirty or green or anything. It's a bit cloudy. Hard to see the cloudiness during the daytime, but it' very noticeable during the night-time. So as I SLAM...I sit and wait....I'll do another OCLT again and have results tomorrow...

My question is this, when do I stop the SLAM? Is it when my OCLT passes and my CC is <=0.5, and of course if my water I clear? Again, I've always had cloudy water...some days are better than others. Should I put a clarifier in my pool at the same time I SLAM my pool, or should I wait a couple of days before doing that (only if my pool remains cloudy)?

I have a sand filter (new pool...just built 6 months ago), and new sand filter. I've heard that sand filters aren't the best and that they often don't pick up small debris from the pool. I heard, from this forum, that if my water remains cloudy that I should get a clarifier, which would bunch all the small particles together (making them bigger) for the sand filter to suck them out of the pool.

I'm just wondering what I should do next, since I've SLAMED my pool and it's now at an FC of 18 and CC is 0.5. Any suggestions????

ImSand filters are the "worst" filters ... meaning, they do not grab particles as small as cartridge or DE filters. Additionally, if the sand gets channeled, where the water is finding a "shortcut" through the sand it will not grab the dirt. So, it is good to thoroughly clean your sand once a year to reset the sand bed (open the top and run a hose in and through the sand and let all the dirt/gunk flow out of the top).

What a clarifier does is make the particles in the water clump together so they are larger and get grabbed by the sand. If you KNOW that the cloudiness is not due to active algae bloom, then the clarifier sometimes helps. Another alternative (and likely cheaper) is to add a little bit of DE to the sand filter so that the smaller particles are captured. Here is info about that
 
Yep just stay the course... it will come to you and cloudy will be a thing of the past. Yes, some use DE in the sand filter others have used Fiber Clear which is a pulp alternative to DE. Right now, I would just stay with slam, once that is done then you can move on to polishing that clear water.
 

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I thought I would chime in here. Those are very good starting numbers. As previously mentioned, SLAM at FC 16 PPM until your OCLT test loses no more than FC 1-2 ppm in a 24 hour period.

I'm going to recommend something that the members of TFP suggested to me several years ago.

You can polish your water crystal clear like glass by triple filtering. I use a skimmer sock or a hairnet over the skimmer basket, to cut back my cleaning how my cartridge filter which filters at 10-20 micron. Sand filters typically filter at 20-40 micron. DE filters at 5 micron, but the downside is you always have to backwash or replace it. So what I do is I attach a Duda Diesel Bag at 5 Micron to a 90-degree elbow, hose clamp and screw into my return jet when I want to polish the water crystal clear. You can even get them as low as 1 micron.

Look for them on eBay they're anywhere between 5 to $10. Order the 4×14" Polyester non-coated. When you get it cut the ring off and just reattach the bag with a simple hose clamp
 
Thanks for this information!!! I'll check it out.

I don't want to sound dumb LOL, but I wasn't aware that the return jet may have debris coming in from the filter? I just thought it was clean/clear water being pumped back into the pool after it has been filtered. Or am I missing something here. :roll:

RobertScalchi said:
I thought I would chime in here. Those are very good starting numbers. As previously mentioned, SLAM at FC 16 PPM until your OCLT test loses no more than FC 1-2 ppm in a 24 hour period.

I'm going to recommend something that the members of TFP suggested to me several years ago.

You can polish your water crystal clear like glass by triple filtering. I use a skimmer sock or a hairnet over the skimmer basket, to cut back my cleaning how my cartridge filter which filters at 10-20 micron. Sand filters typically filter at 20-40 micron. DE filters at 5 micron, but the downside is you always have to backwash or replace it. So what I do is I attach a Duda Diesel Bag at 5 Micron to a 90-degree elbow, hose clamp and screw into my return jet when I want to polish the water crystal clear. You can even get them as low as 1 micron.

Look for them on eBay they're anywhere between 5 to $10. Order the 4×14" Polyester non-coated. When you get it cut the ring off and just reattach the bag with a simple hose clamp
Click to expand...
 
Well, that conversation leads down the road of Micron sizes. Where sand filters do not filter as small as Cartridge and neither as small as DE. So The triple is putting a 5 micron filter on the return jet to catch anything larger than 5 but smaller than whatever your media is capable of. So, yes, there are debris smaller that can come through the jets.
Hair net in skimmer > then the filter media does its best > then the 5 micron diesel bag catches what is left.
 
Just to clarify, the OCLT stands for Overnight Chlorine Loss Test and the basic requirement for passing the OCLT is 1.0ppm or less. So this is the FC level decrease over the course of the night when the sun is down. It can not be done over 24hrs, make sure to check pool school for further nuance details to the OCLT.
 
Random question, once you've reached your target SLAM level, maintained, and passed the OCLT, how does your FC get back to the normal range? By waiting for the extra chlorine added for the SLAM to be consumed by sunlight or normal levels of organics.
 
Okay! I went to the actual webpage and didn't know which bag to get. I can't find the one you recommended via eBay, amazon or Duda Diesel. Are these bags called "filter bags". Maybe I'm typing the wrong thing down...




RobertScalchi said:
I thought I would chime in here. Those are very good starting numbers. As previously mentioned, SLAM at FC 16 PPM until your OCLT test loses no more than FC 1-2 ppm in a 24 hour period.

I'm going to recommend something that the members of TFP suggested to me several years ago.

You can polish your water crystal clear like glass by triple filtering. I use a skimmer sock or a hairnet over the skimmer basket, to cut back my cleaning how my cartridge filter which filters at 10-20 micron. Sand filters typically filter at 20-40 micron. DE filters at 5 micron, but the downside is you always have to backwash or replace it. So what I do is I attach a Duda Diesel Bag at 5 Micron to a 90-degree elbow, hose clamp and screw into my return jet when I want to polish the water crystal clear. You can even get them as low as 1 micron.

Look for them on eBay they're anywhere between 5 to $10. Order the 4×14" Polyester non-coated. When you get it cut the ring off and just reattach the bag with a simple hose clamp
Click to expand...
 
Re: HELP Slamming Pool/First Time/I DID IT YAAYYYY!!!!

Yaayyy... I did it. Lots of patience....but I got it done... SLAM is over!!! It took several days, but well worth it.

Results
  • CC is 0.5
  • OCLT (ie overnight FC loss test shows a loss of 0.5 ppm)
  • And the water is crystal clear (since my vinyl liner is a little dark, I verified using a white styrofoam cup. Nevertheless, It was very clear).

Screen Shot 2018-05-12 at 8.41.26 AM.jpg
 

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