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.
New Owner, Old VERY Neglected Pool
- Thread starter TurbineTester
- Start date
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
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 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.
So before I really bought-in here on this forum I purchased some algaecide at the LPS that I now cannot return. I get that in a PROPERLY MAINTAINED POOL it's not needed, but this pool has been really neglected for so long... Since my pool is in such a bad state, what would be the downside of using this algaecide? I mean what could really be worse than it is now? Would it help me get over this hump and get to clear swimmable water faster?
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
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. What exactly is the product name of the algaecide you have? Have you used the Phosphate remover as you suggested upthread?
- May 3, 2014
- 58,350
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
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.
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.
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.
Attachments
- May 3, 2014
- 58,350
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Roger that. I'll sell to some less discerning pool owning buddies who swear by the stuff.
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
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 .
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?
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Higher than SLAM levels are not going to help you much. Keeping the pool at SLAM levels and watching your pump pressure is the best approach. Do you have anybody else that can help check the pool when you can't? Keeping the FC up all the time and the filter at max efficiency is the quickest approach.
I know you can't see the bottom but if you still have stuff down there this is going to drag out. Is the water any clearer than you showed us last time?
I know you can't see the bottom but if you still have stuff down there this is going to drag out. Is the water any clearer than you showed us last time?
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Test results:
FC:19
CC:1.0
CYA:50
Vaccumed to waste, through the skimmer and pulled up about 3 skimmer baskets full of leaves and debris, and finally backwashed filter.
Added 1qt of LC to get to 20 slam level.
Attached are pictures. I'm going to start posting pics of the steps and the corners each time I go so we can all judge whether it's getting clearer.
FC:19
CC:1.0
CYA:50
Vaccumed to waste, through the skimmer and pulled up about 3 skimmer baskets full of leaves and debris, and finally backwashed filter.
Added 1qt of LC to get to 20 slam level.
Attached are pictures. I'm going to start posting pics of the steps and the corners each time I go so we can all judge whether it's getting clearer.
Attachments
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?
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 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.
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.
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Test results tonight after adding 2.5 gallons of bleach and removing the floating puck dispenser:
FC 32.5
CYA 60
pH 7.8
I'll check again and see how much chlorine it's eating overnight with no pucks in the floater
Attachments
- May 3, 2014
- 58,350
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
You should not raise your FC level above the SLAM level FC for your CYA. Doing so is a waste of chlorine and risks damage to your liner.
Even though, between your test and dose times, the FC level drops below the SLAM level, it is still killing the organics, albeit slower.
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.
Even though, between your test and dose times, the FC level drops below the SLAM level, it is still killing the organics, albeit slower.
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.
To be fair... it does look better than the last set of images posted. Progress is being made!
Consider that when you're cleaning the pool floor of debris, you're also swirling up what you're not getting out. Instead of one cleaning per visit, try vacuuming twice or more with a 10-15 minute waiting period in between to let the debris settle back down. And go very slow. Even the cleanest of pools will have debris that gets pushed around away from the vacuum head while vacuuming if you push it very fast at all. It's just easier to get when you can see it being pushed around and off the bottom.