Just bought house with pool---probably hasn't been opened in 3 years...

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DAY 7 SLAM

day-1-7.jpg

Been a whole week.

Here's where we are:
–haven't pulled anything out of skimmer baskets since day 2...everything in there seems to be small particles
–haven't found anything in the leaf rake since day 2 either
–using the brush 2o3 times a day to clean the sides and stir up any particles
–backwashing and rinsing about 4 times a day
–water is getting a little clearer but color isn't changing (still brownish yellow...it's not as green as the pics make it out to be)
–used a total of 34 gallons of bleach so far!
–added 5.5 lbs CYA, almost all dissolved (still a little in the socks)

I guess I was hoping for a little bit more clarity...especially after 34 gallons of bleach. Are we on track? Is this the typical results?

What are your opinions on this progress?
 
You are on the right track. Continue slamming. I see a difference from day 1 and day 7. It is a mild difference but I see it. We never know how long it will take or how many gallons we will use, but if you stick with it it will work.
 
So I have a suggestion for you. It may not be the orthodox method but just an idea.
I am on day 9 right now. I was in your shoes and still kind of am. It takes a LONG time.
Here is my suggestion. It may not clear it up but it may give you the hope you're looking for.
Do you run your pump on recirculate or filter all day? Is the pump constantly on? If so turn it off and let it sit for about 8-12 hours. No filtering and no recirc. Make sure before you do this you raise the FC. Overshoot some so that the FC won't drop too much.
The tiny particles that are in the water are just floating around. When I had the same color as you, that light brown color, I did this and everything settled to the bottom. The water def changed colors after this. It didn't clear it up at all but I was able to tell that something is working and I was able to keep the motivation I had when I started.
Keep going!! Don't give up.
 
awtrizzle's idea certainly has some merit but it might have some drawbacks, too. That said, I have never tried it so I have nothing but speculation.

It is logical to me that the debris will settle to the bottom....especially with the elevation in chlorine just before you shut off the pump.

Then you have to figure out how to get that debris out of the pool. Manual vacuuming is normally the best but it will stir the water back up and it will be dirty again.

We see incidences here on the forum of folks, once they get the junk to the bottom, are sort of cautious about disturbing it because the water has turned clear..........that won't work. You have to get the debris up in to the circulating water for the chlorine to kill it and for the filter to filter it out.

So, generally, we suggest keeping it stirred up and circulated for the fastest possible results. If you are frustrated however, you can certainly give awtrizzle's idea a chance. It may work very well for you.
 
How often are you able to test and add bleach? I know it is hard if you work outside the house but if you do it at least every two hours when you are home it will help. The more often you test and add bleach the faster your SLAM will go.

It will work it just takes time and bleach. At least you can buy the bleach LOL!

Kim
 
Thanks everyone for the encouragement and ideas. Yes, we have the filter running 24/7. We can test about 5 times a day. Sometimes I get unexpected results...like last night before bed I got 18, so added a gal to get thru the night. This morning, tested at 24. So, one test was obviously wrong. I am trying to get test samples from different parts of the pool.

awtrizzle...i will keep that in mind. Right now, we can see the bottom of the shallow end, but not the deep end. And, can only see the shallow end first thing in the morning before we start the stirring. It would be nice to just vac that stuff out! And, I might have to steal your avatar...swampthing love it!
 
Yeah I didn't really do this method on purpose and as duraleigh said it will still have to get out of the pool somehow.
You will still have to brush and stir it up and make your pool dirty again. Your filter or vacuum will still have to take the stuff that settled, out of the pool.
I guess the only reason for doing it would be to give you some hope. I did it on accident one morning before going to work. I checked my levels added bleach. Came back 30mins later and my levels were good. I turned off my pump to clean out the pump basket. My wife said something to me, I realized I was running late, and left without turning the pump back on.
When I came home after work I was like HOLY COW I can see the liner and my hand about 2' below the surface. That was the first time since opening I could see farther than 6" below the surface.
I haven't done it again since but it did get me excited!!
 
DAY 8 SLAM

Ok, maybe it was all my whining yesterday. Or, maybe a Mother's Day gift. But this morning....we could see the bottom!!! Not just in the shallow end but half way down to the deep end. Clear enough to vac out some of the stuff. Had to backwash every 5 minutes (didn't have enough water in the pool to just go to waste...hope that wasn't a mistake!).

Feeling pretty good!:party: Quick question: we have been at the mustard shock level for 2 days now...should we stay this high? We are only adding 2-3 gallons a day now, so if it helps move things along we can stay at the high shock level. The water is still very yellowish.

day 8a.jpgday 8b.jpg

ALSO...any advice on removing stains from the sides of the liner? We have been scrubbing them with the pool broom but they aren't lightening at all. Thanks!
 

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My pool's been cleared for a week and still has the metal stains. I'm getting to it this week. My point: stains can wait. And, once you figure out which kind they are, fairly simple to get rid of. Your pool is looking much better. Get it fully clear and then worry about what else to do. It's been slow, but you much be satisfied to see part of the pool bottom!!!!
 
Stains can wait. Get the water clear first. If the stains are organic, they'll fade over time. Metal stains will remain if there are any.

Not a bad idea to get your well tested for metals. That's one thing I would try to get tested at pool store if they can. Otherwise, local water laboratories can do a drinking water test analysis for metals, nitrates, etc. Usually for around $50. Not cheap, but a good idea to test anyway if you're drinking the stuff.

# Sent from mobile device. Beware of brevity and spelling errors!
 
Hulligan, the increasing clarity signals to me you're on track, so kudos!

The slower "color" change may be due to iron in the water that has oxidized from the slamming (an effect of chlorine if you have metals in the water that we discussed earlier.) I suspect that sand filter of yours will just keep chugging away clearing it over the next few days.

If you get to the place where you pass all the slam criteria (less than .5 cc, less than 1ppm loss FC overnight, water clear) and youve vacuumed entirely clean, but still have the yellowish tint to the water, THEN I would let the FC drop, get ph to 7.6, and treat with Metal Magic.

If you want an iron home test kit, this is what I use, but if you meet the above criteria and the water still has the yellow cast you don't really need to test to treat ;) http://www.amazon.com/LaMotte-2994-...8&qid=1431430588&sr=1-2&keywords=Lamotte+iron

For stains, while AA is sure fire, I found from advice from a TFPer named Ravenjim that doing the Metal Magic sponge test and treating accordingly removed my stains just as well.

With AA treatment (ascorbic acid) you have to add metal sequestrant anyway. The advantage for me of only using the Metal Magic in larger dose was that you were killing two birds with one stone, and it was nowhere near as difficult to increase the FC after (and it works at a higher FC than AA).

Here's a link to the sponge test for future use: http://www.proteampoolcare.com/images/uploads/MetalMagicSpongeTest.pdf

And here's the link to Ravenjim's excellent step-by-step thread on the topic: http://www.troublefreepool.com/thre...estrate-from-EDTA-to-HEDP?p=658877#post658877

Cheers!
 
DAY 10 Slam

Clear enough to see all the way to the bottom of the deep end!!! YAY!!!

day 10a.jpgday 10b.jpg

Still keeping the FC at about 20, only need a couple of gallons a day to do that. And, it is still clumping algae on the bottom so we are vacuuming 2x daily. These pics were right after I vacuumed this morning.

It was 92 degrees here yesterday. It is soooo tempting to just jump in. :snorkle::paddle:

Also, the liner is mostly white with small blue dots, which really shows the staining. I am not expecting to see a brilliant blue pool. Just a clear one!

OH...I don't know what is up with my iphone, but the pool is not glowing green. It is green, but not as bad as these pics make it look. Also, It's a little overcast this morning so that seems to be adding to the funky colors on the pic.
 

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