Newbie Needing Help-Swamp to clear?

[mknauss]

Liquid chlorine. Add what Poolmath says for you to reach SLAM FC level.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

check out poolmath at the bottom of this page, or the fancier phone app version. it will guide you to how much of each chem to add based on the test results you tell it you *have now* and then tell it what your *target* is. input what strength liquid choorine you will use.

make sure you fill out your gallons at the top and then bleach, troublefreepool,com and vinyl options at the bottom.

maddie

 

[Jessandallhermess]

Welcome! A pool with algae requires the SLAM Process. To perform a SLAM you need either a TF-100 (link below) or Taylor K-2006C test kit. That's very important. If you don't have one, that needs to be step #1. Also see: Test Kits Compared

Don't add anything else to the water except liquid pool chlorine or regular bleach. About one gallon per day until you get the right test kit. Then post a full set of numbers and we'll be happy to coach you from there.

Also review our ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry and read/save those Vital Links below in my signature. Update your sig as well.

Can you talk to me about testing the CYA? So it says to add water until you can no longer see the black dot...will the tube only goes up to 30 and at that point I can still see the black dot...how do I get an accurate cya reading? I’ve just been putting 30 since that’s as far as tube goes.

 

[Jessandallhermess]

Liquid chlorine. Add what Poolmath says for you to reach SLAM FC level.

So I did download the app- I put in everything and not sure what I’m supposed to be entering as my target?

 

[mknauss]

You are not saving your test data in Poolmath. Enter your test data and touch the check mark in the upper right to save the data.
Then touch the FC in Overview. The screen will come up. Touch the SLAM slider. It will show your current FC and the SLAM level FC based on your CYA you have entered. Then go down the screen and select what product you will use to chlorinate.

 

[Texas Splash]

the tube only goes up to 30 and at that point I can still see the black dot...how do I get an accurate cya reading?

That means your CYA is much too low. A CYA below 30 is no good for an outdoor pool and needs to be increased. Use the PoolMath APP to determine the dosage so that you can add about 20 ppm of CYA. Since you are going to start a SLAM Process, you want your CYA at 30 or perhaps 40 at most. That's why I suggest adding only enough stabilizer to increase by 20 ppm in case you have some CYA in there already.

Adding CYA:
To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, place the required amount as calculated by the Poolmath calculator into a white sock and place in the poolside skimmer basket. For those concerned about suction flow to the pump, suspending the sock near a return jet or from a floating device will also suffice. Best never to allow undissolved granules to rest directly against the pool surface. Squeeze the sock periodically to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, consider your CYA adjusted to that programmed (target) level. CYA test readings should show a rise in 24-48 hours, however some pools may experience a longer delay to fully register. Best to confirm final CYA in about 5-7 days before adding any more stabilizer/conditioner.

 

[Newdude]

@mknauss can you explain to Jess your CYa testing method that you posted the other day, It might help. I’m new to it myself, but I’ve read 100 ways to do it and yours seemed the easiest by far.

 

[mknauss]

When you do the CYA test, try this next time.

Once you have your solution ready, back to the sun, etc. Fill the vial to a line, say 80, lower the vial to your waist level and glance for the dot, you see it, add solution to the 70 line, glance, see it, repeat until you no longer see it with a glance. Then use the CYA value one step above the line you read. So if you stopped at 50, use 60 ppm CYA.

The vial is in logarithmic scale. So it is not viable to interpolate between the lines. Just use the whole numbers, such as 50, 40, 30, ....

 

[Jessandallhermess]

That means your CYA is much too low. A CYA below 30 is no good for an outdoor pool and needs to be increased. Use the PoolMath APP to determine the dosage so that you can add about 20 ppm of CYA. Since you are going to start a SLAM Process, you want your CYA at 30 or perhaps 40 at most. That's why I suggest adding only enough stabilizer to increase by 20 ppm in case you have some CYA in there already.

Thank you for the info! So what would you recommend me entering in the app as my cya?

 

[Texas Splash]

If I simply wanted to increase my CYA by 20 ppm, I could enter 10 (NOW) to 30 (TARGET), or 0 to 20, or 50 to 70. Any of those will result in the same dosage amount back. When I do it, I get 3 lbs 5 ounces for a 20K pool.

 

[Jessandallhermess]

If I simply wanted to increase my CYA by 20 ppm, I could enter 10 (NOW) to 30 (TARGET), or 0 to 20, or 50 to 70. Any of those will result in the same dosage amount back. When I do it, I get 3 lbs 5 ounces for a 20K pool.

Ok I added maybe a little too much stabilizer by like 3 cups ??‍ . How long should I wait to test again?

 

[Newdude]

It takes a day or two, and any that goes through the filter can get trapped and take up to a week to fully dissolve.

 

[Blue Horse]

Wouldn’t the cya trapped in filter desolve quicker, with all the water flows going through it?

 

[Newdude]

Even in the filter, It’s still a slow dissolving compound. Which is why they use it in Chlorine tablets so they are slow release. It’s also why the pool companies like them so much because they last all week until they come back. And the double added bonus for them is the long term problems they cause with high CYA.

 

[mariane]

. . . The only thing I struggled with was the colors..like when it said keep adding drops until it turns from blue to red... so like are we talking cherry apple red or ripe watermelon red. LOL I ended up doing each test twice to make sure I was doing it right. I posted my results on a different thread so hopefully I wasnt overthinking it and completely failed haha.

You add drops until the color stops changing. So for example with TA test, after sample changes to "cherry red", when you add one more drop and it gets to "ripe watermelon red" it did not stop changing color. Add another drop, if it stays "ripe watermelon red" the test is complete and use that number. Hope that helps.
The only test this does not work for is for CYA.

 

[Newdude]

if it stays "ripe watermelon red

That’s great. Thanks. I get watermelon ice pop, watermelon ice cream/ bubblegum then actual watermelon.

 

[Traviz02]

Also I would highly suggest reading the pool school articles. It will answer lots of your questions as well you will learn a ton

 

[Jessandallhermess]

You add drops until the color stops changing. So for example with TA test, after sample changes to "cherry red", when you add one more drop and it gets to "ripe watermelon red" it did not stop changing color. Add another drop, if it stays "ripe watermelon red" the test is complete and use that number. Hope that helps.
The only test this does not work for is for CYA.

Thank you! I’m about to do another test!

 

[Jessandallhermess]

Thank you! I’m about to do another test!

Here are my results from today..what acid do I need to get? Also, The vacuum is at the bottom of deep end...haven’t been able to see that yet ?

 

[Jessandallhermess]

Also I would highly suggest reading the pool school articles. It will answer lots of your questions as well you will learn a ton

And here’s my sign I’m asking too much...?oh well! Lol