Is SLAM inevitable? (YES...it was...5 Days of stress complete now)

[NorCalX]

Yeah but you are testing after you add them so the strength is accounted for if you reached your 30 target. If you just dumped in weak jugs, and were lower than you expected hours later, then that could be.

I will try to do confirmation testing 30 minutes after adding FC tomorrow for more accurate results

I have a feeling I am going to fail OCLT #2

5/23 26 6pm added 1 gallon
5/23 26 8:46pm added 1 gallon

I need to go back to HD and get more liquid chlorine in the morning.

I have used 14 gallons so far

I had real bad timing needing to SLAM less than 1 week after I raised my CYA up from 40 to 80 to prep for the full season


*edit*

And my OCLT night time reading before bed

930pm
FC 30
CC 0.5

 

[NorCalX]

OCLT #2 failed

FC dropped from 30 to 25
CYA 80

Making a supply run for more liquid chlorine

 

[Newdude]

Oh man that s*cks. If it helps any we are on the journey with you.....

 

[NorCalX]

Would it make sense to turn SWG on to help with maintaining the SLAM target (*during the day only)?

I assume I need to stay above my target of 31 or i may not be killing organics fast enough

Should i also overshoot to mid/upper 30s?

 

[NorCalX]

SLAM Day 3....FIGHT!!!

Ok added 2 gallons at 8am.

Pool math says this should take me from 24.5 to 35

Confirmed 30 minutes later and I was at FC 36 (got a nice fresh batch dated May 2020 on the box)

At this point I am tempted to "nuke" the pool and keep piling on the FC but I will be patient and try to maintain at this level

If ANYONE has any idea why a pool that looks like this (see attached taken at 8am after I added 2 gallons of FC) keeps eating FC let me know

My mind is racing from hidden ammonia to black algae...problem is the pool is crystal clear and not cloudy

When I do my CC tests I am varying between 0.5 and 0.

The water turns slightly cloudy after I finish testing for FC and CC but basically no color change towards pink now
I last detected CC at 530am and 930pm yesterday.

All tests between and since had 0

Weather will soon become a factor as well. Cloudy skies ended last night

I have pure CA sun and temps reaching 100+ the next few days

Today is the last "normal" day of weather for a while

 

[NorCalX]

11am test (doing this more frequently today)
FC 33.5

FC dropped 2.5 since last test at 830am (2.5 hours ago)
CC 0

This is consistent with the 5-6 FC drop every 5-6 hours in the log history including OCLT

What in the heck is EATING all this chlorine...


I added more liquid chlorine to make sure I don't fall under 31 before my next test

Put my dolphin robot in for more scrubbing and did manual scrubbing as well

 

[Richard320]

The fact that you can't see anything doesn't mean it isn't in the water. Not all your water is in the pool. It might be inside the filter. Clean your filter.

 

[NorCalX]

The fact that you can't see anything doesn't mean it isn't in the water. Not all your water is in the pool. It might be inside the filter. Clean your filter.

I will do anything and everything necessary.

I had cleaned the salt cell and my cartridge filters 1-2 weeks before my chemistry went crazy.

I have NOT checked it since the bird carcass was discovered in the skimmer.

I am stopping the pump and cleaning everything again

 

[NorCalX]

Cartridge has some slimy gunk. Assume this is where algae is making last stand.

I also assume rinse with water isn't enough

Do I give a water + chlorine bath?

Do I give water + MA bath? (Read 20 parts water 1 part MA)

Please advise ASAP (dont mean to rude I know you are helping...my pump is off and i am cleaning cartridges now)

 

[NorCalX]

Took a moment to chill out and read MA bath kills cartridge filter if I dont degrease or treat first.

So not making another mistake.

Flushing with hose.

Debating a chlorine and water bath though.

I put 5 gallons of water in a garbage can. I can soak filter in higher FC to kill algae if I get the green light.

 

[carnivalday]

Im sorry I dont know the answer to that; heres hoping someone stops by soon to answer your question. Hope this is the end of it for you!

 

[Newdude]

I would go one gallon of chlorine in a 55gal garbage can full of water and let them soak for a half hour before spray cleaning.

 

[MikeTX]

I'm a newbie around here, yet I am freaking out with you during this battle.

 

[ashtonfitzgerald]

Cartridge Filter Use and Care - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[NorCalX]

I am halfway through...not risking the MA bath because not confident I properly degrease them.


I am hose cleaning then soaking in strong FC bath then hosing off again.

Will post pictures and update when I get pump running again

I have dolphin robot in the pool until I finish

 

[NorCalX]

Ok quick results posting

While I was fixing the filter my pumps were off. Took me approx. 3 hours to complete

I dropped from 33.5 (11am) to 28 (330pm)

Approx. 5.5 in 4 hours (same as it has been past few tests)

I just bumped it and will take a confirmation reading in 30 minutes

Story on my cartridge filters next

 

[NorCalX]

Pre-clean

I noticed there was a definite smell and film on my cartridges different from the 1st time I cleaned them (about 4 weeks ago)

The bottom 4 cartridges and the supporting pieces had noticeable film

Reminded me of the film I noticed on the bottom of my pool cover when I removed it at the start of this process

 

[NorCalX]

While cleaning I also noticed the junk in the filters was different.

Cleaning #1 was mostly pebble material from my construction

This time I noticed white chunks (I assume from when I raised CYA recently)
I also noticed odd black chunks. This made me freak out about BLACK ALGAE but when I took a closer look the items were hard.

I think they are bug shells or plant seed shells

I cleaned everything then put in a bath of water + liquid chlorine

Some filters smelled nicely of "bleach" when I pulled them out which I hope is a sign I killed off additional organisms.

Other items had no smell after removal.

I replaced water and filled new/fresh/clean every time I swapped items out

 

[NorCalX]

After cleaning everything looked good....smelled good...felt good.

No slime texture or odd scents

Hopefully this was the mystery culprit and my random FC loss gets under control.

If there is something else I might lose my mind

 

[Richard320]

Final thing: really scrub out your chlorine test cylinder. In years past people have chased CC that came from a contaminated test tube.