The CYA fell to 42 and FC to 12.5 after the vacuum and refill so I added enough bleach to bring it back up to 17ppm.
I do the best I can to get everything clean each time I go. The problem is that I can't see the bottom so even when I think I get it all I can't be sure. Today was the first time I vacuumed though and I feel like I got almost everything that could be got off the bottom without being able to see it. If I need to vaccuum to waste a few more times I will. With the skimmer running pretty well I feel like I'm getting new stuff fairly quickly and before it hits the bottom of the pool.Have you gotten all the debris out yet? There is no sense wasting your precious Liquid Cl on a bunch of branches, leaves and muck.
I've bought the Seaklear and it should be here tomorrow.Its probably fine to use as long as it does not have a metal base. Otherwise you will be fighting the effects of that in the aftermath. Have you used the Phosphate remover as you suggested upthread?
I don't have the bottle on me presently but I'm 90% sure it's the one in the attached picture which is copper sulfate pentahydrate.Algaecides come in different formulations. They are not very good at killing algae but better at preventing algae.
The only algaecide endorsed by TFP is a Polyquat 60 used when winterizing pools.
It is likely your algaecide is either ammonia or copper based, or both, and you want neither of those in your pool.
Roger that. I'll sell to some less discerning pool owning buddies who swear by the stuff.Do not use.
My main goal is to get the pool to a swimmable state (without any major expenses like a pool liner) as fast as possible, with as few daily visits as can be managed. I don't mind spending a little extra time or money to get there faster so if there is something I can do to speed this up please let me know. Will dumping excess LC at night to get to higher than SLAM levels help speed this up? What else can I do to cut this process down to the minimum possible time?I used to use an algaecide on start up called "no more problems" its Bromine based.. It really messed up my pool chem and in the bigger picture I really didn't see the difference in just maintaining a slam .
I'm almost certain I didn't get it all. I can't possibly get everything when it's 10' underwater and hidden. I guess I'm confused on the SLAM process when applied to a neglected pool like this one. It seems the advice is to get the FC to a Max of the shock level and then keep it dosed every few hours so that it stays at or near that shock level. Why wouldn't I want to dose the pool so that the MINIMUM FC level is the shock level and that I'm dosing it to several ppm above that shock level every few hours. If I have this much algae wouldn't the extra FC simply go to killing it all that much faster?You are on the right track and the water does look clearer. Do you think you got it all or are you planning to vac to waste again?
Test results tonight after adding 2.5 gallons of bleach and removing the floating puck dispenser:You are correct that you want to stay at the minimum FC level if at all possible. I got the impression that you thought if 20 was the suggested level that a much much higher level would be better. It depends on your definition of much higher. At some point you reach the point of diminishing returns. At extremely high levels of FC your CYA fails to buffer it and the UV removes it very quickly. If that happens you just used a lot of chlorine for very little additional benefit. You also run the risk of damage to the liner if the level is too high.
We should probably get one of the chem experts to give you a better answer of how much is too much. You have a good grasp of the process and I probably read more into your statement than I should have.
As your pool has not transitioned to a cloudy blue, I suspect you still have significant solid debris in the pool. The more you get that out, the faster the SLAM will proceed.