Just got test kit...feeling overwhelmed

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TamithaSue50 said:
Okay.....I just know I can put bleach in before work and after work but I won't be able to test before work and I will only have a few hours to test after work...but I will definitely give it a try and see what I can do :) Thanks.
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I know that life can be busy, but if you don’t test, how will you know how much bleach to add? I don’t think it takes me 5 min to check FC .....
 
domct203 said:
I know that life can be busy, but if you don’t test, how will you know how much bleach to add? I don’t think it takes me 5 min to check FC .....
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Not saying I can't when I'm home, it's just during the week I'm not home much...normally gone around 12 hours a day.......but gonna try to get with it so I can get the SLAM process done and then hopefully won't have to test as often.......at least if I'm understanding things correctly I won't have to :)
 
Please don't worry about when you can't test - just do what you can, when you can! Actually do the FC test/PoolMath/add when you can, seriously. Things will get better real fast, you'll see.

Also, be sure to complete your post with all three data points for us:
1. when you tested
2. what FC was
3. how much bleach added of what % (mention if you didn't add)

The sooner we get posts with all three data points, the sooner your SLAM will end - which is what we all want

- - - Updated - - -

OH! And also, you've learned so much and come so far! I'm really proud of you!
 
Okay I have a question.

I think I'm done with SLAMMING my pool and the reason I say that is because I'm pretty sure I have passed the 3 requirements for it. Will confirm in the morning but the reason I say that is because when I tested last night my FC was 12 and I didn't add any chlorine today because there was potential that family might be coming over and they might want to swim so I figured I would resume the process tonight. Well I just checked my FC a little bit ago and it's still at 12 so it went overnight without a change so that's passing that requirement right?

I was shocked it didn't change but I got to thinking everyone says the biggest thing that takes away the chlorine is sunlight well my pool doesn't get much direct sunlight so could that be why there wasn't any change???

Again I'm gonna test it again in the morning (hopefully I can get up early enough to do that before having to go to work lol) and see if it's changed or not. If it hasn't then I need to check the CC and make sure it's under .5 right?
 
TamithaSue50 said:
Okay I have a question.

I think I'm done with SLAMMING my pool and the reason I say that is because I'm pretty sure I have passed the 3 requirements for it. Will confirm in the morning but the reason I say that is because when I tested last night my FC was 12 and I didn't add any chlorine today because there was potential that family might be coming over and they might want to swim so I figured I would resume the process tonight. Well I just checked my FC a little bit ago and it's still at 12 so it went overnight without a change so that's passing that requirement right?

I was shocked it didn't change but I got to thinking everyone says the biggest thing that takes away the chlorine is sunlight well my pool doesn't get much direct sunlight so could that be why there wasn't any change???

Again I'm gonna test it again in the morning (hopefully I can get up early enough to do that before having to go to work lol) and see if it's changed or not. If it hasn't then I need to check the CC and make sure it's under .5 right?
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******I haven't got any responses to the above question I posted last night but I wanted to add that I didn't get the chance to test the chlorine this morning before work as I was called in early but will test it tonight when I get home.....but would still like to know that when I do test it tonight if the FC still reads 12 or doesn't go down more than 1 then that means I'm done with the SLAM process, correct? And if that's the case could it be like I said above because my pool doesn't get my direct sunlight therefore I don't lose Chlorine like most pools do? If that's the case would I still need to test things as after as suggested?*******
 
BattleOfYakima.....thanks for answering me :)

No I never did bring it all the way up to 24 because the other night when I was reading the SLAM page for like the 5th time probably.....lol I saw where it said this.......

SLAMing your pool is the best way to eliminate algae, sanitize your pool and get your water crystal clear. If you have algae, or the CC level is above 0.5, or the free chlorine (FC) level is zero, you should SLAM the pool.

And so since my water is clear and has been for awhile now, my CC level isn't above .5 and my FC level isn't zero I didn't think I still "needed" to SLAM my pool. And also because further down in that article about SLAM process it says you have to meet the following requirements and if you do then you're done......

You are done when:

  • 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.

When all three are true, you are done SLAMing and can allow the FC to drift down to normal levels.

Well I passed all them too so because of reading those two things I first thought I might not need to do a SLAM but that if I did then because of all 3 of those things being true if I did need to do one then I must be done with it........

so in short NO I haven't got the FC up to 24 for those reasons...........
 
Thanks for clarifying that. As long as the water is almost as clear as bottled water, not snowy or hazy, then you are correct, you *probably* don't need to SLAM. Your FC was so low for your CYA for so long, I'm surprised, but I guess the water exchange and you maintaining 12 FC was enough to sanitize the carry-over water. Good times.

Try not to let that FC fall under 7 for too long, and really try hard to never go under 5. Ideally, that 7-9 FC target range for CYA 60 is where your pool spent most of the day and all night. Since your CYA is 60, you can still swim as long as your FC is under 24 & PH is 7.2-7.8 & you can see the bottom clearly everywhere.

Reminder that a healthy pool shouldn't use more than 4ppm FC per day (excluding torrential rains and pool parties). If you are going through more chlorine than that, it would be smart to SLAM. If you're less than that, enjoy the pool and the savings!

Here's your new reading assignment:
https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/131-basic-pool-care-schedule

 
TamithaSue50 said:
Okay I have a question.

I think I'm done with SLAMMING my pool and the reason I say that is because I'm pretty sure I have passed the 3 requirements for it. Will confirm in the morning but the reason I say that is because when I tested last night my FC was 12 and I didn't add any chlorine today because there was potential that family might be coming over and they might want to swim so I figured I would resume the process tonight. Well I just checked my FC a little bit ago and it's still at 12 so it went overnight without a change so that's passing that requirement right?

I was shocked it didn't change but I got to thinking everyone says the biggest thing that takes away the chlorine is sunlight well my pool doesn't get much direct sunlight so could that be why there wasn't any change???

Again I'm gonna test it again in the morning (hopefully I can get up early enough to do that before having to go to work lol) and see if it's changed or not. If it hasn't then I need to check the CC and make sure it's under .5 right?
Click to expand...

The point of doing the test overnight is to eliminate the variable of chlorine loss due to the sun. If you lose chlorine overnight, it's due to something other than the sun - typically algae.

If you don't lose chlorine overnight, then you're good to go assuming clear water and CC < 0.5.

If your pool is in the shade a lot, and especially on a cloudy day, you're correct you may also not lose much if any on some days. My pool is in full sun and the chlorine loss between sunny and cloudy days seems to be as much as 3 ppm so far, so it can vary. (This is with only 1 months worth of data.)
 

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