New Owner, Old VERY Neglected Pool

[frogabog]

Oh, and no more pucks. Your CYA is 60. That's plenty if not too much for the cheaper/easier SLAM process. Don't worry about losing more FC without them because the more you push that CYA up, the more chlorine you'll need to do the same job. You're going to lose FC with this, it's just the way it goes. Yes, do test so you know how much to add, but don't test to find out how much you lose without the pucks. That's an exercise in futility and may make you want to use them again. You're at your limit of CYA, therefore you're done with pucks unless you do a drain and refill to lower it.

 

[mguzzy]

Yes I see progress being made too.. As the algae dies it turns brown. the later pictures are more brown that the previous ones... that is a shift in the chlorophyll. as well as just a tad clearer.

Also, how are you getting the debris out? by vacuuming alone? I would be using a leaf rake on a pool and just scoop and scoop and scoop to get the big chunks. Use your imagination and drag the bottom in a grid like a dredge since you can't see it. But when you can feel it. When you can't get any other big pieces then switch to vacuuming. maybe you said you were using a rake. I don't recall.

 

[gonfishin]

Instead of vacuuming, you might want to try

Amazon.com : Swimline Blue Wave Leaf Bagger : Lawn And Garden Tool Replacement Parts : Gateway

Amazon.com : Swimline Blue Wave Leaf Bagger : Lawn And Garden Tool Replacement Parts : Gateway

www.amazon.com

It will get lots of big stuff off the bottom and cause the finer stuff to float around so you pump can catch it. Easier than using a leaf rake and gets lots more than vacuuming. I got one two years ago and absolutely love how much time it saves me when going after leaves in the fall and seeds in the spring.

 

[TurbineTester]

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.

Gotcha, I'll keep dosing it to the slam level and not above.

 

[TurbineTester]

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.

I'll try to vacuum a bit slower and break it into two short sessions per visit

 

[TurbineTester]

Instead of vacuuming, you might want to try

Amazon.com : Swimline Blue Wave Leaf Bagger : Lawn And Garden Tool Replacement Parts : Gateway

Amazon.com : Swimline Blue Wave Leaf Bagger : Lawn And Garden Tool Replacement Parts : Gateway

www.amazon.com

It will get lots of big stuff off the bottom and cause the finer stuff to float around so you pump can catch it. Easier than using a leaf rake and gets lots more than vacuuming. I got one two years ago and absolutely love how much time it saves me when going after leaves in the fall and seeds in the spring.

That's funny I actually found one of these at the house and was considering using it yesterday. I'll see if it has all the parts and try to use it.

 

[TurbineTester]

Oh, and no more pucks. Your CYA is 60. That's plenty if not too much for the cheaper/easier SLAM process. Don't worry about losing more FC without them because the more you push that CYA up, the more chlorine you'll need to do the same job. You're going to lose FC with this, it's just the way it goes. Yes, do test so you know how much to add, but don't test to find out how much you lose without the pucks. That's an exercise in futility and may make you want to use them again. You're at your limit of CYA, therefore you're done with pucks unless you do a drain and refill to lower it.

Copy that, I did remove the floating puck dispenser so I'll not be putting any more of those in unless you guys tell me to.

 

[TurbineTester]

Yes I see progress being made too.. As the algae dies it turns brown. the later pictures are more brown that the previous ones... that is a shift in the chlorophyll. as well as just a tad clearer.

Also, how are you getting the debris out? by vacuuming alone? I would be using a leaf rake on a pool and just scoop and scoop and scoop to get the big chunks. Use your imagination and drag the bottom in a grid like a dredge since you can't see it. But when you can feel it. When you can't get any other big pieces then switch to vacuuming. maybe you said you were using a rake. I don't recall.

I was raking with the net until I didn't really feel like I was getting much anymore so I started vacuuming. Vacuuming yesterday there were enough leaves to fill the skimmer basket only twice when I went in the late afternoon. After the last vacuum yesterday I feel like I'm sucking dead algae sludge off the bottom more than leaves.

 

[frogabog]

We'll call that progress.

 

[TurbineTester]

Test results this morning
CYA-50
FC - 25
No LC added

 

[TurbineTester]

We'll call that progress.

I see someone else is an early bird ?

 

[frogabog]

Eh... night owl today.

 

[TurbineTester]

After this morning's testing I added no chemicals and turned the hose on and left it running till lunch. Came back and turned off the hose. Pool was slightly over filled and just at the top of the skimmer.

Test results
FC-20
CC-1.5
CYA-40

Based on test results I didn't add any LC as the required SLAM level for 40 CYA is 16. I vaccumed to waste from the bottom of the pool all the way around. Only had to stop the pump once to clean the skimmer basket and had no clogs on the vaccuum end (vs several each vaccum attempt the last few days). Ended up dumping 1.5 baskets total from the skimmer from the vaccuum.

I think can actually see clean and dirty areas on the bottom of the shallow end now! I could actually see a difference when I ran over a dark area in the shallow as it became less brown.

My phosphate remover arrives today and my replacement booster pump motor for the Polaris gets here tomorrow. I'm not sure I'll use the Polaris yet, other than it might do a good job of getting gunk off the bottom and circulated into the Polaris net, skimmer and filter. Thoughts?

 

[mguzzy]

If you think the remaining detritus is small enough for the Polaris... go for it. it will do a much more efficient job of sweeping and you can let it run on its own... be prepared to empty the net often. This is basically what I do with my pool start up if a lot of stuff has fallen in the pool... I'm surrounded by mature oaks and redwoods. Once I get the big chunks out with the leaf rake.. I let the Polaris do its work and I empty the net every half hour to start off with.
Once all the algae is dying faster than its blooming.. it's not growing in the pool anymore.. the filtration will catch up with suspended stuff and it will clear.. looks like you are getting to that point.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Did i miss mention of phosphate remover?? What made you decide to order that....and which kind did you get??

Ooops never mind... I see you ordered the Seaklear. Not sure how it will work at this point, but do keep us informed!

 

[TurbineTester]

Afternoon test results
FC- 22 which is wierd.

The result is 2ppm higher than it was at lunch and I didn't add any chlorine. I tested twice and got results within 1 ppm of each other. I'm wondering if there might be a problem with my powder reagent. Regardless I didn't trust the results so I just added 1qt of LC to make sure it was high enough to make it till tonight. I got the phosphate remover in my Amazon box this afternoon and I'll go over this evening and add it.

 

[TurbineTester]

Evening test results
CYA-45
FC-20

Added 28oz of Seaklear phosphate remover. Instantly saw the water start to cloud up as it dispersed in front of the return.

 

[TurbineTester]

Lunch test
FC:17
CYA:40-50
Couldnt really tell so I added just 2 quarts of bleach.
Backwashed and filled a little from the hose.

 

[DorsalSpine]

Looks like a lighter shade of green to me. Is that a third step I see in the shallow end that we didn't see before? Making progress.

 

[TurbineTester]

Looks like a lighter shade of green to me. Is that a third step I see in the shallow end that we didn't see before? Making progress.

Why, yes...yes it is!

I should get the new booster pump installed today. If nothing else it should help keep stuff stirred up so I can get it into the filter. Another option I was thinking about was possibly turning off the filter competely and letting everything settle for about 12-24 hours and then doing a vacuum to waste?