Newbie who started the SLAM this morning

[Geoffro]

Hi all,

Did lots of reading before this post. I have my TF-100 kit and many gallons of Walmart liquid chlorine.

I did a check of my CYA and FC this morning. I didn't do any others because I was quite sure I didn't have any stabilizer or any extra chlorine. As expected, both read zero. I had shocked the pool a few days ago because it was swamp green. Today it's just cloudy. So, I added just over 2 gallons of chlorine per Pool Math to get started.

Fast forward to now, 9 hours later, I did complete tests and here are my results.

7:15pm
pH 7.2
FC 11.5
CC 0.5
CYA 40
CH 100
TA 140

Again, I added 78oz of chlorine per Pool Math to get to the suggested FC level of 16.

Does this sound good or does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks and I'm looking forward to being a part of the community!!

Geoff

 

[Catanzaro]

Yes, everything looks good. Continue the SLAM until you pass all 3 tests. No need for any more shock at this point. Welcome to TFP!

 

[Geoffro]

SLAM seems to be going as expected. However, I do have a concern. Last night my CYA was 40 after adding some HTH stabilizer per directions. This morning it was 60. When I just checked it a few minutes ago it was back down to 40. Is this normal?

Also, after backwashing, I turned the filter back to filter. When I turned it on, it seemed to blow a bunch of "something" back into the pool. Looked like sand. I can't see if it's on the bottom of the pool yet because I can't see the bottom. Any ideas what this might be?

 

[pookiesunshine]

SLAM seems to be going as expected. However, I do have a concern. Last night my CYA was 40 after adding some HTH stabilizer per directions. This morning it was 60. When I just checked it a few minutes ago it was back down to 40. Is this normal?

Also, after backwashing, I turned the filter back to filter. When I turned it on, it seemed to blow a bunch of "something" back into the pool. Looked like sand. I can't see if it's on the bottom of the pool yet because I can't see the bottom. Any ideas what this might be?

1. you probably backwashed some of the cya out; not fully dissolved yet?
2. always after b/w, turn valve to rinse for about 15 sec, then filter. of course, turning off pump each time before moving valve.

 

[Catanzaro]

No, the CYA of 40 to 60 and back to 40 is not normal. You could have not backwashed 1/3rd of the CYA. Probably testing error and mixture of solution. You can do the test as many times as you want until you get comfortable. What I do is fill to a spot and look for black dot. Then I go down another 10 ppm. Keep looking. Take your eyes off for a few seconds or that black dot will haunt you. Round up. For now, use the 50 for SLAM level and wait at least another week to test. The higher chlorine (if CYA is lower) will not damage anything, but eventually burn off.

 

[Geoffro]

Ok, I don't seem to be making much progress. I seem to be burning through chlorine fairly quickly. I ended up checking CYA 2 more times and I'm confident I'm at 40. I'm bumping my FC to 16 and checking twice a day. Today, after work, I was down to 5. Pool is still cloudy but no sign of green. Filter pressure is in the normal range. Just keep on doin'?

 

[Catanzaro]

Geoffro:

Please be patient:

1) Do not test CYA again or you will drive yourself a little crazy.

2) A SLAM takes time. The process can take anywhere from 2 days to 3 weeks (everyone pool is slightly different). A lot has to do with the filter, circulation, pump, etc.

3) Use .5 ml water sample and multiply by 1 for now to save on reagents. When you perform the overnight test, use .10 ml sample and multiply by .5 If your water is clear, and you fail the overnight test, allow your levels to drift down under 10 and perform the test again. Take your time when doing the overnight test.

4) Test in the a.m. and add enough to bring you SLAM level. When you get home, test again and bring you up to SLAM level.

That simple. Do not veer off this course and you will eventually get there. Brush each and every day, but do not get crazy or you could damage your liner. If the pool is in the cloudy stage, once daily is fine. You will find that the water clarity will slowly get better. This does take time.

Once you are done with the SLAM, it is important to keep your levels at the minimum based on your CYA. Brush at least 2X weekly. Remember that all pools are different and you have to find what works best for your pool. Although, the CYA/FC relations is a must for a trouble free pool. Please keep us posted.

 

[Geoffro]

Geoffro:

Please be patient:

1) Do not test CYA again or you will drive yourself a little crazy.

2) A SLAM takes time. The process can take anywhere from 2 days to 3 weeks (everyone pool is slightly different). A lot has to do with the filter, circulation, pump, etc.

3) Use .5 ml water sample and multiply by 1 for now to save on reagents. When you perform the overnight test, use .10 ml sample and multiply by .5 If your water is clear, and you fail the overnight test, allow your levels to drift down under 10 and perform the test again. Take your time when doing the overnight test.

4) Test in the a.m. and add enough to bring you SLAM level. When you get home, test again and bring you up to SLAM level.

That simple. Do not veer off this course and you will eventually get there. Brush each and every day, but do not get crazy or you could damage your liner. If the pool is in the cloudy stage, once daily is fine. You will find that the water clarity will slowly get better. This does take time.

Once you are done with the SLAM, it is important to keep your levels at the minimum based on your CYA. Brush at least 2X weekly. Remember that all pools are different and you have to find what works best for your pool. Although, the CYA/FC relations is a must for a trouble free pool. Please keep us posted.

Thanks! I agree about checking CYA. I just did it twice more to confirm since I had varying numbers. I won't check again until I get the SLAM completed.

I'll keep at it. I'm sure I'm getting there, I'm probably just being a bit impatient.

On a good note, I only lost 0.5 FC from last night to this morning. Pool is still cloudy but no green. That brings up another question I was thinking about earlier..... I only have a skimmer and return source. Is there any way to point the return that works better than the other? I had it pointing upward and generating a counterclockwise flow. I change it yesterday so that it wasn't pointing up so much. I still have a good counterclockwise flow, just not near as much surface rippling.

Thanks again for all the input!

 

[Catanzaro]

How many returns to you have?

And how far from the skimmer?

You may want to look into purchasing the circulator (rotating head) for the pool as it really helps with the circulation.

 

[Geoffro]

I have one return that is about 2 foot to the right of the skimmer.

I'll look in to the circulator.

Thanks

 

[Catanzaro]

It is truly amazing that the ABG put a return 2 feet from the skimmer. There should be at least 2 returns and one skimmer spaced out 1/3 of the way around. You may need an adapter for the circulator.


ROTATING HEADS FOR A SWIMMING POOL

https://www.amazon.com/Circulator-10022a-Automatic-Rotating-Swimming/dp/B007Z32UOY

Also, high TA will cause rising PH because of outgassing. It is suggested you lower the TA to 80-90 at the most. I keep mine between 70-80 as I have 3 of these. Took one out as there was too much water movement and I could not see as vacuuming.

 

[Geoffro]

Should I look at adding and/or moving a return?

BTW, I wish I would have read your comment about high TA before I bumped the FC up to SLAM levels again. I was gone the last two days, added quite a bit before leaving, and when I got back the FC was down to 2.5

Oh well... the pool seems to be clearing slightly.

 

[Catanzaro]

Should I look at adding and/or moving a return?

Entirely up to you. You need to make sure your system can handle the flow, which it should be able to. Adding another return and moving the existing (which may be real difficult) makes a lot of sense if you are constantly dealing with problems. If you brush often and after the SLAM is complete, you find that you are not having issues, then do not bother. If something is not broken, do not try to fix it.

BTW, I wish I would have read your comment about high TA before I bumped the FC up to SLAM levels again. I was gone the last two days, added quite a bit before leaving, and when I got back the FC was down to 2.5

High TA has nothing to do with FC. I was merely suggesting that you watch PH as the rotating heads could cause rising PH issues if your TA is too high. You may not have this problem. I had a problem as my TA was 130 and had 4 rotating heads. Maybe 1 return could have slowed this down quite a bit. Only time will tell if you install a rotating head.

Oh well... the pool seems to be clearing slightly.

It does take time and every pool is different. Just came back from a friends house. He pool went from clear to cloudy to algae. His chlorine levels were fine. The steps (which are removable had algae behind you could not see). In addition, he vacuumed and left the leaves in the basket, slowing down the circulation. A high PH and problems waiting to happen. We removed the ladder, steps (He will clean by hand with bleach) and cleaned out basket. He vacuumed pool real well and the algae was caught in the skimmer sock. Up to shock level and within a day or two, this will be cleared. Moral is that you have to watch the signs and be proactive. We caught this at the beginning of a full algae bloom.

With your pool, if you properly chlorinate the pool and brush the walls, you should not have any problems at all. The key is to keep your levels at 7.5% of CYA and again brushing in an AGP is key. You may have to do 2X weekly to start. Hard to tell.

 

[Geoffro]

Another question.... is it bad to fill the pool from a well? I'm getting low and need to add more.

 

[Catanzaro]

Another question.... is it bad to fill the pool from a well? I'm getting low and need to add more.

I would not use well water. You can confirm by testing TA, CH, and PH. You may find that the colors are different than your normal testing. I know when I tested my well water, there were traces of iron and metals, so I stopped using it. Only filled up the pool 3X about 2" at most. City water is best unless you have a system to purify the water. I do not know how expensive water is, but if the rates are similar to NJ, the cost should not be that much extra. Not worth the risk of using well water vs. city water.

 

[Geoffro]

Will this work? I don't know if it has stabilizer in it.

 

[mknauss]

Yes - it works - no stabilizer - that's liquid chlorine aka bleach at 10%

 

[Geoffro]

Great, thanks!!

 

[doc8404]

I would not use well water. You can confirm by testing TA, CH, and PH. You may find that the colors are different than your normal testing. I know when I tested my well water, there were traces of iron and metals, so I stopped using it. Only filled up the pool 3X about 2" at most. City water is best unless you have a system to purify the water. I do not know how expensive water is, but if the rates are similar to NJ, the cost should not be that much extra. Not worth the risk of using well water vs. city water.

$800 to fill ours here in centra NY.
Softened water should be fine for most people if only topping off a few thousand gallons

 

[Catanzaro]

$800 to fill ours here in centra NY.

Wow, it cost $200 to fill my pool initially (give or take a few dollars). The bill came in $200 higher than normal. I guess in this country we take this for granted, like clean water. On average, I use the city water once a month as the rain pretty much takes care of everything else. Probably about $50 for the season at most.