New house, new pool, and an uphill battle

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Can we see an updated photo?

The crud you discovered definitely played a role in stretching your SLAM out.
 
kmerkel said:
Noticed another milestone today. The water certainly isn't clear yet, but it's translucent enough that I was able to see a large swath of accumulated crud right in the middle of the pool. Vacuuming that out, and scooping out some other vitriolic sludge that I found by accident, should speed things up even more.
Every little bit is one step closer...
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Yes! That is why the SLAM Process encouragement to vacuum "blind" even when you can't see the bottom, if nothing else, to suspend the "gunk" in the water column so the chlorine can get at it!

kmerkel said:
Real talk, how long should SLAM take when starting with a swamp like I did? This is now week 5, and I really had my hopes up that it would be done by now. Not that I'm on any sort of a schedule or need to keep a deadline, but the daily diet of about a gallon of 12.5% a day and the power bill for running the pump nearly 24/7 has been costing more than expected.
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When there is large "gunk" present, the FC has to work much harder then just "killing" (oxidizing) algae. And you can add DE to the filter ((Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter)) Just do it when you can check on the filter the first few times so that pressure doesn't spike!

An updated pic for comparison should be encouraging!
 
In the afternoon sun light, there is a distinctly clearer blue area where the return flows. All around that is murkier, kind of an off-blue/gray.

Some more thoughts/questions/brainstorms:
  • Can I safely vacuum to filter? I've already put enough water out to waste to go from Max to Min levels on the skimmer at least twice. We haven't gotten enough rain to replenish that, so last time I had to fill it from my hose/well. That seems taxing on my well pump as in addition to adding energy costs. I'll just have to keep an eye on it and backwash when needed, right?
  • On the topic of vacuuming, I think what I really need is a pool Roomba (or Poomba... if this isn't trademarked and somebody wants to try, I recommend running it past Disney legal first) that will thoroughly scour the pool floor.
  • On the topic of cleaning robots, these need significant suction pressure to work, correct? My skimmer has a vacuum port, but it needs to be activated by putting the lid in the bottom of the skimmer so the basket is closed off to inlet water, which forces all the flow through the vacuum port. It works, but imperfectly; the lid does not seal well in the bottom of the skimmer and tends to let air past. I'm comfortable using it as designed, but not so much leaving it unattended with a robot.
  • Has anyone ever tried SLAMming with the pool covered by a tarp? In my admittedly inexperienced mind, it seems like there would be a two-fold benefit of cutting off the algae from photosynthesis and additional protection for the chlorine from sunlight.

We're going out of town Friday for a few days and it's highly likely it won't be done by then. May have to ask a favor of a friend to come over and have them dump a gallon in every evening while we're gone.
 
I would assume you can vac to filter. You might have to clean the filter more often.

Robots. They do not use your pump or filter. They have their own. Look into them. They have them designed for above ground pools. Dolphin/Maytronics is a popular brand.

You can cover the pool. You should remove it for a couple hours every day or so to let the CC's outgas.
 
mknauss said:
I would assume you can vac to filter. You might have to clean the filter more often.
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Decided to do just that. Took my time to give it the most thorough cleaning it's had so far since I wasn't racing against the water level, and again got a significant amount of debris/detritus removed. I think I might do it that way from now on.

I've definitely learned there is no magic bullet in this process. Everything I've tried, individually I thought was going to be It, The Solution to the Process. So far it's all been incremental.
 
Starting to see real progress now. Some friends were nice enough to put a gallon of chlorine in per day we were away over the weekend. With the heat and sun we had around here the last few day, FC was down to 2(!) yesterday afternoon, but the water was still clear enough that I could easily make out the vacuum head when it was on the bottom. The garbage patches I found previously look like they've all but completely cleared up, too.

Really the only unpleasant surprise yesterday was when the pressure hose from the pump sprung a leak. It was brand new this year, too. Fortunately it happened after we got home and I had a spare to put in its place for now.
 
Welcome home! Not sure if you're already doing this but thought I'd mention that when rotating the filter valve do it only clockwise. If you go counter clockwise and clockwise both it will wear out the spring (this is what we were told by our installer). Also, if you want an extra boost to your filtering you can buy some hairnets from amazon for your skimmer and change them daily after (or more frequently during) your SLAM. Pool's looking good - keep up the POP!
 
Thanks for the tips! I have some skimmer socks on order already. As for the valve handle rotation direction, that's the first I've heard of it. I have a bit of a mechanical background, so it strikes me as odd that rotating it one way versus another would make a difference, unless the idea is to prevent wear between filter, backwash, and rinse. Depending on where the valve positions are, I could see how just moving it back and forth over the same 90-120° of swing could cause some problems over a long enough time. Interesting food for thought.
 

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You can choose to move it either counterclockwise or clockwise... just stick to the same direction thereafter. Also, turn over pump before you turn valve.
 
I think I'm finally starting to see the bottom where the return jet is keeping it clear, at least until I stir the water up.

Yesterday I brushed, today I vacuumed. Had some algae "nuggets" in the skimmer sock afterwards, but the size and number of them were definitely less than what I had been getting.

Also looks like chlorine consumption is going down. Added yesterday afternoon and FC was still up around 20 this morning, then this afternoon it had only dropped to about 10, which equates to about 3/4-1 gallon of 12.5%, roughly half of what I had been adding. The overcast days of late probably played a part in that, but I'll take it if that means the chlorine is more able to do it's thing.

I think I finally got this. :)
 
Did a rough OCLT last night and only lost about 1ppm; could have been more or less since I did it with a 5ml sample. I'm doing another one tonight based on 10ml. I have high hopes that it will pass.

The wife and I went swimming the last two nights, so it definitely functions as a pool again! It feels so good to finally have victory within my grasp. I can't wait to get it all dialed in.
 
And it passed! Only lost 0.5ppm FC in about 12 hours. Summer can finally officially start, lol.

Some takeaways for posterity. Had I known these things going in, I could have saved significant time and money.
  • A good test kit is key. There's no way this could have been done without it.
  • Starting with a swamp like I had, a good leaf rake and vacuum is a must. What's down on the bottom is probably worse than you think.
  • Stock up on chlorine when you find it on sale! You're gonna need it.
  • Vacuum! If you're concerned about massive water loss and the prospect of refilling from a well like I was, don't be afraid to filter while vacuuming, but be prepared to backwash literally almost every few minutes.
  • Zeolite sand needs special considerations and might not be a good choice in many applications.
Thanks to all on this forum for their help, support, and encouragement! I seriously couldn't have done this without you.
 
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kmerkel said:
And it passed! Only lost 0.5ppm FC in about 12 hours. Summer can finally officially start, lol.

Some takeaways for posterity. Had I known these things going in, I could have saved significant time and money.
  • A good test kit is key. There's no way this could have been done without it.
  • Starting with a swamp like I had, a good leaf rake and vacuum is a must. What's down on the bottom is probably worse than you think.
  • Stock up on chlorine when you find it on sale! You're gonna need it.
  • Vacuum! If you're concerned about massive water loss and the prospect of refilling from a well like I was, don't be afraid to filter while vacuuming, but be prepared to backwash literally almost every few minutes.
  • Zeolite sand needs special considerations and might not be a good choice in many applications.
Thanks to all on this forum for their help, support, and encouragement! I seriously couldn't have done this without you.
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Wonderful testimonial. Spot on with TFPC and why we advocate this process.

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