- Jul 21, 2013
- 55,459
- Pool Size
- 35000
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- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Obtaining & maintaining adequate FC w Intex ECO 5110, please help
- Thread starter Backyard Dreams in NYC
- Start date
It is safe to swim up to SLAM levels. So for your CYA of 50, that would be FC of 20. We don't consider CC or TC, just FC.
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
SLAM at 20 FC with a CYA of 50.. The kids can swim as long as FC is below SLAM level and you can see the bottom of the pool... SO if you meet both thos tomorrow throw them in and have fun 
True story, my wifes sister came down and swam in our pool when I had FC at 31, they could not tell and loved it, said it was the clearest pool they have ever been in.. I took it to SLAM level because it was not as clear as normal
True story, my wifes sister came down and swam in our pool when I had FC at 31, they could not tell and loved it, said it was the clearest pool they have ever been in.. I took it to SLAM level because it was not as clear as normal
SLAM at 20 FC with a CYA of 50.. The kids can swim as long as FC is below SLAM level and you can see the bottom of the pool... SO if you meet both thos tomorrow throw them in and have fun
True story, my wifes sister came down and swam in our pool when I had FC at 31, they could not tell and loved it, said it was the clearest pool they have ever been in.. I took it to SLAM level because it was not as clear as normal
Set my alarm to wake up at sunrise (unpleasant), but turned out to be already quite light (although cloudy and no direct sunlight on pool). Seemed like it may have rained again, but can’t say for sure (it was very wet out, but that may have been from the heavy rain a few hours before I started OCLT, or maybe it did rain during the test, can’t know for sure).
OCLT 2.5 (but likely some rain)
FC 15.5
CC 0.5
Water (and tubes): super clear
Because possible rain may have invalidated the test (and because it’s supposed to be in the 90s today and need to have the pool usable), I decided to end the SLAM after one last early am boost to FC 20+, which seems like a reasonable although unfortunate compromise to my first (and forever in my memory) SLAM.
I figure— worst case, results promising but not at goal, and now that I know how to do this, I can repeat it (or at least another OCLT, on a definitely dry night, to see if it’s needed) after the heat wave if needed; best case, the results would have been at goal if it hadn’t rained, the kids/family can play in the pool during the heat wave, and all has been fixed. Only time will tell. (And in the meanwhile, I will not raise the CYA level, just in case…)
So, next question— at what point (ie what FC) do I start checking (and correcting) the other chemistries again?
And hopefully final questions— at what FC do I turn back on the SWG? And for how long should I run the daily cycle? (Two hours should be more than adequate, it’s only a 1000gal pool, but maybe I should restart it at longer cycle length given what was happening before the SLAM and the possibly compromised SLAM?)
Thank you, TFP brain!
OCLT 2.5 (but likely some rain)
FC 15.5
CC 0.5
Water (and tubes): super clear
Because possible rain may have invalidated the test (and because it’s supposed to be in the 90s today and need to have the pool usable), I decided to end the SLAM after one last early am boost to FC 20+, which seems like a reasonable although unfortunate compromise to my first (and forever in my memory) SLAM.
I figure— worst case, results promising but not at goal, and now that I know how to do this, I can repeat it (or at least another OCLT, on a definitely dry night, to see if it’s needed) after the heat wave if needed; best case, the results would have been at goal if it hadn’t rained, the kids/family can play in the pool during the heat wave, and all has been fixed. Only time will tell. (And in the meanwhile, I will not raise the CYA level, just in case…)
So, next question— at what point (ie what FC) do I start checking (and correcting) the other chemistries again?
And hopefully final questions— at what FC do I turn back on the SWG? And for how long should I run the daily cycle? (Two hours should be more than adequate, it’s only a 1000gal pool, but maybe I should restart it at longer cycle length given what was happening before the SLAM and the possibly compromised SLAM?)
Thank you, TFP brain!
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
If you lost 2.5 FC overnight the SLAM is not done... even with rain that may have accounted for .2 FC and that is maybe... The kids can swim in a pool at SLAM level chlorine no problem at all. I would keep FC at 15 today until they are done swimming and take it back to 20 as soon as they are done... You really do not want to start a SLAM again in a week and take another 2 weeks to be done, finish it out so you can be done faster...
The reason you want to finish now is when you are finished you will need to take your CYA to 70 for the SWG, then your FC for SLAM is 28 to 31 FC...
The reason you want to finish now is when you are finished you will need to take your CYA to 70 for the SWG, then your FC for SLAM is 28 to 31 FC...
Ok, cowboycasey. Thanks for your experience and expertise. That makes sense, albeit a bummer. I didn’t know that rain would impact the OCLT so minimally. We only have a few wks of pool season left here so I was hoping to get by now that we’re in much better (although not perfect) shape by just running the SWG for longer cycles…
Will continue with the kid-friendly semi-modified SLAM you suggest and keep you posted. Thank you!
Will continue with the kid-friendly semi-modified SLAM you suggest and keep you posted. Thank you!
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
I just do not want to see you doing this all over again when you are so close...
@cowboycasey and others, I just read “The WHO indicates that during shock chlorination the pool should be closed to patrons but swimming can resume after the chlorine level has been reduced to < 5.0 ppm.” I know you said it’s safe to swim up to SLAM levels, but my kids are very young (youngest is 2) and take quite a bit of water in, so we’re feeling cautious— could you please point me to another reliable reference for safe FC levels to alleviate our concern? Thank you!
I believe those guidelines are for water without any stabilizer. Stabilizer buffers chlorine, making it less harsh and resistant to UV burnoff.
As long as your FC level is less than 20% of your CYA, your kids will be fine. I normally maintain an FC of 7 ppm and with my CYA at 70, no one has ever had a problem with my water. We routinely have my 2 y/o niece over to swim, and she's just fine with it.
As long as your FC level is less than 20% of your CYA, your kids will be fine. I normally maintain an FC of 7 ppm and with my CYA at 70, no one has ever had a problem with my water. We routinely have my 2 y/o niece over to swim, and she's just fine with it.
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
We have a great video that explains exactly what and why you are asking this...
www.troublefreepool.com
TFP-TV
A collection of Videos from the source you trust the most, TFP! These videos are to help the average homeowner understand their pool and enjoy their water.
www.troublefreepool.com
Makes sense re stabilizer. So if our CYA currently is 45-50, 20% would be max FC 9-10, which is significantly lower than the slam FC 20. Hmm. Also trying not to let it get too low so we can get back to SLAM levels after swimtime today. It’s getting some good direct sunlight now, so hopefully it will come down enough
Excellent. Thank you. Will check it out! Do you know if there’s a specific time point in the one hour video that addresses this specific question? ThanksWe have a great video that explains exactly what and why you are asking this...
TFP-TV
A collection of Videos from the source you trust the most, TFP! These videos are to help the average homeowner understand their pool and enjoy their water.
Actually I meant to say anything below 40% is safe. Brain fart on my part.
Sailsmaker89
Bronze Supporter
Got it, thanks.
40% then would be FC 18-20 max, which is consistent w the other suggestion, ie anything at/below SLAM target is fine, 15 would be good and easy to get back up to 20 post-heatwave-swim. Thanks!Love the video, thank you. This afternoon’s preswim FC was 12.5 and CC 0.6-1.0. I rechecked the CYA also considering how central it is to this process being successful and safe FC levels for swim.
…Now CYA seems to be up to 55-60, which I know is impossible if my last reading of 45-50 was correct. So now I’m questioning my eyeballs. When I’m looking down the test I’ve started to look only w one eye bc it seems easier to see than if I use both and sometimes I can’t tell if I’m seeing a faint black dot or if it’s just an impression of earlier in the test. So I close and reopen my eye and keep going. Any thoughts? I know this sounds a bit ridiculous, sorry
…Now CYA seems to be up to 55-60, which I know is impossible if my last reading of 45-50 was correct. So now I’m questioning my eyeballs. When I’m looking down the test I’ve started to look only w one eye bc it seems easier to see than if I use both and sometimes I can’t tell if I’m seeing a faint black dot or if it’s just an impression of earlier in the test. So I close and reopen my eye and keep going. Any thoughts? I know this sounds a bit ridiculous, sorry
- Jul 21, 2013
- 55,459
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
CYA testing +/- 20ppm is okay. Read CYA Testing - Further Reading