No CYA - How is this possible?

[Orion7319]

What will the implication be of not having weir doors for a few days until they are delivered? Any major issues other than a little less filtering suction?

Other updates:

We backwashed and re-added DE. Got the pressure back down to 8.

The pump seems to work for a few hours then turn off and turn it turns back on automatically. Assuming there is some sort of thermostat in there to prevent overheating.

I found some green and red and black algae/grossness in the nooks around the weir door where I couldn’t access before and around the skimmer plates that my husband removed. Hoping this cleaning was enough but won’t be too surprised when the OCLT doesn’t pass. I’m hopeful we’re headed in the right direction, aside from the pump issue.

Thank you everyone!

That’s either a lot of dead algae in that foam or a lot of iron.
EDIT:
Also did you put them in undiluted shock? 10%? Be very careful with undiluted pool shock.

 

[JulieVa]

So I vacuumed and continued to Slam yesterday at a level of 16 with a CYA between 30-40 (my tests waver between 30 or 40). The weir doors are off, the pump runs most of the time with some 15 min periods it’s off due to the motor issues. Still lost 5ppm last night from 16-11. Yesterday it dropped throughout the day too. I know there is no way to know how long this will take but is there hope that whatever algae was in the weir doors is now gone - should this go quickly now? I was praying that with it gone 24 hours it would have started holding better.

I’m at a loss. There’s nowhere else it could be hiding.

 

[IceShadow]

Just to verify, you’re checking the FC at night by testing after the addition and confirming the 16 before letting it go overnight, correct?

 

[JulieVa]

Just to verify, you’re checking the FC at night by testing after the addition and confirming the 16 before letting it go overnight, correct?

Usually around 8:30 I test and add whatever is needed to get to 16. Then about 30-40 min later in the dark I retest and confirm it’s at 16 (or whatever it ends up at if higher). The filter is running all night. Then the next morning (usually around 6:30 but today I slept in until 8) I retest. It’s in the shade all morning. Today it was at 11.

I was planning on reattaching the weir doors today. I think all that algae should be dead even if it doesn’t look good with the black dead algae on there. I’ll get them as clean and rinsed as possible. The new doors show up in a few days. I think it’s an aesthetic thing at this point though…please correct me if I’m wrong. It just doesn’t skim nearly as well with them off. I assume this impacts the filtering speed? Maybe that’s why I’m not seeing much progress? Or I could be totally wrong.

There was still some organic material on the floor of the pool again this morning like it’s still actively killing. The kids did swim last night around 7-8.

Thanks!

 

[Texas Splash]

It just doesn’t skim nearly as well with them off.

That is correct. The doors help tremendously to attract surface debris into the mouth of the skimmer.

 

[Orion7319]

I was planning on reattaching the weir doors today. I think all that algae should be dead even if it doesn’t look good with the black dead algae on there.

I think most of that was iron that got oxidized by the high level of chlorine. I say that because the plastic doors themselves wouldn’t have black stains on them from algae and if it’s dead algae it all should have rinsed out of the floats. Once you get them rinsed really well, try rubbing a vitamin c tablet on the black parts of the plastic doors.

 

[JulieVa]

I think most of that was iron that got oxidized by the high level of chlorine. I say that because the plastic doors themselves wouldn’t have black stains on them from algae and if it’s dead algae it all should have rinsed out of the floats. Once you get them rinsed really well, try rubbing a vitamin c tablet on the black parts of the plastic doors.

Thanks! Good to know! I’ll give it a shot!

 

[IceShadow]

Just out of curiosity, when you do your overnight chlorine loss test are you taking out the robot for the night? Or leaving it in the pool?

I know you said you clean it out regularly but I’m just wondering if there’s something inside there in a spot you can’t easily see. If you’re running a test without it then we know that’s not the issue.

 

[JulieVa]

Just to verify, you’re checking the FC at night by testing after the addition and confirming the 16 before letting it go overnight, correct?

Yes I’m taking it out. I just cleaned around the skimmer plates again and got more crud out. I swear it was clean on Thursday night and this regrew but maybe not? And the plastic is so old on the weir doors that one just broke putting it back on. Of course it did!! So now I’ve got one skimmer fully working and one not. Hoping the new doors show up really soon but it said 4-7 to ship.

 

[JulieVa]

We’ll, I’m still at it. My husband managed to get the weir door finagled so it goes on so both skimmers are working.

I’m guessing/hoping I finally found the problem. Now that the skimmer plate covers have been off I’ve been scrubbing around them for three days. I think I could be out there all day - little bits of green and tons of black debris keeps coming out from Behind it. I scrub, scrub again and scrub more. I am assuming the green is algae and the black is built up dirt/debris, but clearly I’m no expert.

If I continue to scrub daily and keep my levels up to SLAM should this eventually work? I mean, I get tons of black junk and some bright green swipes on my magic eraser but it isn’t like the green is everywhere. Can very small amounts of algae cause this many problems? Or is algae black too?

Once again, thanks!

 

[Orion7319]

We’ll, I’m still at it. My husband managed to get the weir door finagled so it goes on so both skimmers are working.

I’m guessing/hoping I finally found the problem. Now that the skimmer plate covers have been off I’ve been scrubbing around them for three days. I think I could be out there all day - little bits of green and tons of black debris keeps coming out from Behind it. I scrub, scrub again and scrub more. I am assuming the green is algae and the black is built up dirt/debris, but clearly I’m no expert.

If I continue to scrub daily and keep my levels up to SLAM should this eventually work? I mean, I get tons of black junk and some bright green swipes on my magic eraser but it isn’t like the green is everywhere. Can very small amounts of algae cause this many problems? Or is algae black too?

Once again, thanks!

If you see it’s growing then yeah. It grows so extremely fast, and your just keeping it at bay. Sounds like you found the source and as you scrub that it should go fast now.

 

[JulieVa]

Still SLAMMING....dropped from 14.5 to 11.5 again overnight. It ranges from 2.5-5ppm loss every night, the last two nights were 2.5 and 3ppm. I don't really feel as if I've made any progress since about Day 3. I am on day 14. The water is still just as clear. Still little clumps of dead material along the seams and floor that I clean up every day.

1. At what point should I let the FC drop down below 10 so I can test the rest of the chemicals again? It has been 14 days since I've tested anything except FC and CC. Could something else be off that is inhibiting the ability of the FC to kill whatever algae is left in the water? What would the impacts of letting it drop be?

2. I've been scrubbing the skimmer plates 2-3x a day and now don't seem to get much or anything off of them. I scrubbed the water line today with a magic eraser, got some dirt off, but not sure that it was algae!? I do scrub the water line each day and the pool itself as well with the brush.

3. Had a pool full of springtails from a storm yesterday - could this contribute to FC loss overnight?

4. I've been working on skimming them out. Every morning we have plenty of worms and dirt in the pool that I get out the next morning. Could this lead to a 3ppm loss of FC overnight? Just trying to figure out what's next.

Thanks!

 

[IceShadow]

Let me see if I can get some more eyes on this one, because I can't think of anything else to check for the FC loss...

 

[duraleigh]

Still little clumps of dead material along the seams and floor that I clean up every day.

That sure sounds like dead algae which accounts for your overnight chlorine loss. Unfortunately, the SLAM is still not an exact science some pools just take longer than others and we are not sure exactly why. That said, always return to the basic premise.......there are only two things that consume FC in your pool.......UV from the sun and organics. When you do the overnight test, you can be sure that any loss of FC is attributable to organics.

Stay the course. You are slowly getting your pool pristine and you will be rewarded with pristine water. How are you getting dirt in your pool everyday?

 

[chazas]

14 is a lot, but it took me about 10 days this spring. I had just slightly "not clear" water that I would have attributed to pollen, but despite turning my SWG to 75% I was registering -0- FC, which was my big clue. Usually I keep it between 8 and 10%, which it is back to now. You have the added problem of extra organics getting into your pool daily.

Have you triple checked your CYA level to make sure you're really at full SLAM level?

 

[Texas Splash]

Dave really sums it up. Not sure why your pool is dragging its tail on the OCLT, but it sounds as if you have been doing everything right. You have no drain, and I think you said before you had nicheness LED lights right? So that just leaves the pool shell (liner).

Without re-reading everything, I suspect this has been said before as well, but be patient and consistent. Start FC testing by grabbing the water sample from the same location, pump running to mix the water well, then using the same FC test process, etc. Hopefully you have a speed/smart stir to help you along. You mention the seams, so be sure there's not one or two of them folded down tightly that you haven't already exposed with a brush. We're rooting for you.

 

[Orion7319]

You just got rid of the algae hiding in your skimmers yesterday correct?

 

[woodyp]

Don't quit now!

 

[JulieVa]

14 is a lot, but it took me about 10 days this spring. I had just slightly "not clear" water that I would have attributed to pollen, but despite turning my SWG to 75% I was registering -0- FC, which was my big clue. Usually I keep it between 8 and 10%, which it is back to now. You have the added problem of extra organics getting into your pool daily.

Have you triple checked your CYA level to make sure you're really at full SLAM level?

Thanks for the response. I checked again today - CYA has been alternating between 30 and 40. The last few days I have been treating it as 40. I've been testing it periodically throughout the two weeks and adjusting as required. Not sure why it keeps fluctuating, except that maybe I'm just not a good judge? Holding out hope for tonight as always. Ha!

 

[JulieVa]

Don't quit now!

I won't yet, but gosh, this is getting really really old and really really expensive. Thanks for the encouragement!