New and Chasing Balance

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Re: TF100 & 1st Test Results

7.2 pH is perfect for a SLAM.

Target FC is 10 right now. If you need help figuring out how to use poolmath to translate that into gallons, just ask. That is first. Leave the pump run.

Next up is to boost CYA to about 30, so the FC you add during daylight hours sticks around long enough to work. Put the granules in a sock and set the sock in the skimmer or dangle it in front of a return. Don't scatter it in the pool nor pour it down the skimmer.

An hour after you added the first load of bleach, check FC again. Add whatever it takes to get back to 10 FC.

From that point on, consider the CYA to be in the water and use 12 FC as your target each time you test and replenish.

Brush until your arms fall off. Vacuum if you see anything. If you can't see the bottom, you're seeing something. Vacuum blind if you must. Keep an eye on filter pressure and clean it when it loads up.

It's all in the SLAM Process article.
 
Re: TF100 & 1st Test Results

jgates237 said:
Thanks Richard320. I'll get on this as soon as the sun sets.
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Why wait? The only reason I can see to delay is that you need to make a run to buy bleach! It's about 5:00 your time. You can hit it 3 or 4 times before bed and get a real good kill going and then leave it to work all night long. You might even see an improvement when you check it again in the morning!
 
Re: TF100 & 1st Test Results

Ok, put in 3.1 gals of 10% liquid chlorine (Walmart 17132) and waited a little over an hour and retested. Results - FC:1.5; CC:5 ouch!

Added 2 gals of 10% and 1 gal of 12.5% and went to bed. Retested at 5:30 am. Results FC:1 and CC:5. Huh?

Something eating my chlorine, ammonia perhaps? Being new to this I am wondering if I'm doing something wrong but then again this isn't that difficult to do. I also have ~2+lbs of stabilizer in a sock sitting in the skimmer. Did a CYA test this morning and it came back under 20. I could see the dot all the way up the tube.
 
Re: TF100 & 1st Test Results

I just vacuumed and swept the pool sides. There's a bit of green algae that I vacuumed up. It didn't take long to see greenish water coming out of the returns. I do have new filters which I clean quite often.

The water is cloudy and I can almost see the vacuum head at the bottom of the 8' deep end.

Thoughts? I obviously have to go get a bunch of liquid chlorine.
 
Ok, I'll get right on that. After that's complete should I add my chlorine again? Based on pool math I should once again add 3.1gals of 10% to get to 12 ppm. I'm starting from 1ppm and have a 28,000 gal pool. Can someone please verify that I'm doing this right. Thank you,

r/Joe
 
jgates237 said:
Ok, I'll get right on that. After that's complete should I add my chlorine again? Based on pool math I should once again add 3.1gals of 10% to get to 12 ppm. I'm starting from 1ppm and have a 28,000 gal pool. Can someone please verify that I'm doing this right. Thank you,

r/Joe
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SLAM Process = Shock Level And Maintain. You want to maintain the shock,level as much as possible. If you could test and adjust back up to shock level every 90 minutes that would be great.

Filters don't fix algae problems, they just remove the results of the SLAM Process
 

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I've never gotten to "shock level" so I can't maintain something I don't yet have. When and if I get there I will certainly be all over the "Maintain" phase. I realize I need to add chlorine again but the intent of my last post was to have one of you pool balance savants verify that my calculations are indeed correct as I don't want to fall short of the Target FC. My concern is I can't seem to move off of 1ppm. So, I'll clean my filter as recommended by duraleigh and then add chlorine yet again.

Somehow my "New and Chasing Balance" thread and my "TF100 & 1st Test Results" threads got merged. Did someone do that or does this site how sort of algorithm that know to do it?
 
jgates237 said:
I've never gotten to "shock level" so I can't maintain something I don't yet have. When and if I get there I will certainly be all over the "Maintain" phase. I realize I need to add chlorine again but the intent of my last post was to have one of you pool balance savants verify that my calculations are indeed correct as I don't want to fall short of the Target FC. My concern is I can't seem to move off of 1ppm. So, I'll clean my filter as recommended by duraleigh and then add chlorine yet again.

Somehow my "New and Chasing Balance" thread and my "TF100 & 1st Test Results" threads got merged. Did someone do that or does this site how sort of algorithm that know to do it?
Click to expand...
You add chlorine to get to SLAM. If that takes 2 gallons or 10 gallons. Use Pool Math to calculate how much you need to add to get from where you are to SLAM and add that much. In your case, check again in 10-15 minutes with the pump running. If you are not at shock level, calculate and add again. Keep repeating this every 10-15 minutes until chlorine begins to hold.

In answer to your question, yes - the threads were merged. We try to keep your entire "story" in one place.
 
It was most likely a manual process to merge the two threads. It often helps to have the "entire story" in one place so new folks coming into it can have all the background without rehashing topics covered in another post.

I get your same 3.1 gallons to go from 1 to 12 ppm FC. Hang in there, it will hold soon.
 
You will only need to test CYA about one week after adding CYA. During the SLAM, you really only need to test FC. Some folks test CC as well, but I don't find real value in it as it is just a non-direct result of FC.

Please note, pH tests are inaccurate with FC over 10 ppm. So if you test pH, don't adjust it. If your Slam really drags out (10 days or longer) and you are nervous about pH you could choose to let FC drop below 10 then test for pH, dose accordingly then bring FC back to desired. This is rare necessity though.
 
OK, did a 15 minute interval test as per tim5055's recommendation and got a FC reading of 14.5. I have my pump on high to aggressively circulate the water but I'm not too sure if is capable of fully dispersing the chlorine throughout in that amount of time. I'll do another one at an hours time.
 
You can test again in 15 minutes or so and see how the FC is reacting and how it is being consumed. This will help you maintain FC and really knock down the algae. Things in nature like to reach equilibrium so while your pump certainly makes a huge impact, the FC will seek to balance. But enough of that, one option you have is:

Test FC with a 5 ml sample. This is less accurate but a good way to save on reagents during a Slam. Fill your vial to 5 ml's, add 1 scoop of DPD powder, count your drops then multiply by 1 rather than 0.5. This will ballpark your results, decrease your test time and most importantly save those precious reagents.
 
You are doing fine. The initial kill of the algae takes chlorine and by testing/dosing every couple hours it will go quicker.

Be sure to brush - alot.

Take care.
 

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