Newbie needs green pool help

[wsilcock]

Hello,
Im looking to break the constant cycle of having a green pool in the summer. I ordered my test kit as suggested but it wont arrive until Wed. In the meantime I had my water tested:
FC .16
TC .53
pH 7.7
TA 132
CH 411
CYA 46
I put the figures into the Pool Math app but im not sure what steps need to be and in what order. I assume I need to be doing SLAM?
Help please!
Wendy
20,000 gallons IG
Plaster
Sand filter
Phoenix AZ (yes its 100° already)

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
While you are waiting on your test kit, add 5 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine / plain bleach to your pool each evening with the pump running. This will replenish the FC lost each day to the sun and also inhibit any algae in the water from growing further.
When you get your kit, post up the test results.
Include the name of the test kit you ordered in your signature.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

 

[wsilcock]

Hello,
So I received my kit (TT K-2006) and finally did testing. FC 1.8, CC 1.0, pH 7.3, TA 170, CYA 32. The pool is cloudy and very light blue/green. Do I need to SLAM? Am I also neeeding to lower the pH with acid to bring TA down? I guess I need help in what order do I address the issues here.

Wendy

 

[mknauss]

Great on the tests. From now on, use a 10ml water sample for FC testing. Use one scoop of powder and each drop of reagent to clear is 0.5ppm FC.
No need to bother with the TA. It has no effect on your SLAM.
Raise your FC to 16 ppm (SLAM level for 40 ppm CYA). Test and add liquid chlorine back to your 16 ppm several times each day. Brush the pool at least twice per day. Run the pump 24 hours a day. Backwash your sand filter when the filter pressure rises by 25% over clean filter pressure.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[wsilcock]

Perfect! Thanks

 

[wsilcock]

So I am still in the SLAM process its going a bit slow. I have yet to fully reach 16 for my FC. I think 11 was my closest this morning with it dropping to 5.5 tonight. I did a brush/backwash and I just added 2 gallons of 10% chlorine. Prior to adding chlorine I went ahead and retested some of the other values... TA was 180 (sample was pinkish not full red) and CYA was under 30 (could still see black dot full). I forgot to do CC with my FC. The water is very blue no signs of algae but the water is still very cloudy (cant see the drain). Do I need to be doing something else?

 

[Ezun]

Keep up the SLAM, the process definitely works and will get it clear. You need to get your chlorine up to SLAM level and keep it there.
make sure your filter is clean, many times this is the last element that people think about.
Use the pool math app to determine what you need to bring your CYA up to 30 and add using the sock method. Use 30 CYA to determine SLAM level of chlorine.

 

[IceShadow]

Sand filters can take a long time to get rid of the dead algae that causes cloudiness. If it’s still cloudy after a few more days and doesn’t seem to be improving, you might want to do a deep clean of the sand filter to get the crud out of it. Backwash when your pressure increases by 25%.

 

[wsilcock]

Great! Im adding the stabilizer so hopefully the chlorine demand will lessen and maintain easier. Thanks!

 

[wsilcock]

IceShadow what process is involved in a sand filter deep clean? Is that available in the pool school?

 

[mknauss]

what process is involved in a sand filter deep clean?

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[IceShadow]

Marty has the link. Basically you open the top and run a garden hose down inside it, moving the hose around through the sand and letting all the crud overfill over the top of it. Just be careful not to be too forceful to make sure you don’t break a lateral at the bottom.

 

[wsilcock]

Ok yea I did the sand change about 1.5 years ago so I'm familiar with the inside working. Definitely seems easy enough. Thanks you guys are great!

 

[zea3]

How often are you testing and adding chlorine?

 

[wsilcock]

Todays results... FC 13, pH 7.2, CYA 45, TA 200.

How often are you testing and adding chlorine?

At least twice a day.

 

[wsilcock]

Do I need to address the TA? Water is as blue as its ever been but still cloudy. Or should I go to the filter deep clean instead?

 

[zea3]

We usually only advise adjusting TA if you have wide fluctuations in pH levels. If you pH stays pretty stable there is no need to adjust TA. Go ahead and give the filter a good deep cleaning.

 

[wsilcock]

Thank you!