OMG! My pool is ill!
- Thread starter Cat
- Start date
Won't hurt a thing. Just add what tou need upon return. Give it 30 mins-1hour for disbursement.Cat said:
You are going to need ALOT of bleach. When I was slamming I was buying 20 bottles at a time. I bet I went through 50+ 121 ounce bottles of bleach.
Thanks Brushpup and Tanner...I'm headed for the store right now. DARN, should have worn a white shirt... After 4 gal, I'm only at 8 FC, yes, I will certainly need to buy the store.
Thanks to all who helped me. The slam was a success! The pool is a beautiful blue...still cloudy...but a sky blue color. I know it's cloudy because of the high CYA (90-100) and as discussed before, can't do anything about it right now. I'm never going to a pool store again thanks to you guys. By the way, it only took me 24 gallons of bleach over 2 days, testing and adding every hour (except at night of course) to bring my shock FC up to 37 ppm, twice. Reached my target FC of 12 the next day, passed the OCLT. I'm now going to add DE to my sand filter according to the Pool School directions to aid in clearing up the water, it is much clearer, a littler every day.
I am really glad to hear you are having success. I do not want to rain on your parade at all, but if you are still cloudy you are not done yet. One of the criteria of completing a SLAM is when you are clear. The high CYA should not make you cloudy. I would keep SLAMing until it was cleared up. Please don't let this get you down, but keep going until you pass all three criteria. It sounds like you are right at the finish line so don't stop yet! 
Brushpup - thanks for the encouragement. Maybe I was thinking CYA=cloudy, but maybe it's because of my CH that someone said would not allow my pool to clear up. It's at 880 and I can't partially drain right now. Is this correct or should I still keep slamming?
If you pass the OCLT 2 consecutive nights you can stop slamming, but keep the filter going 24/7 and see if it clears. Adding enough DE to the filter to raise the pressure by 1 lb after every backwash can help to filter out very fine particles.
Cat said:
Well, it could be, but I can't say with certainty. I will tell you not to stop though and see if you can get it to clear with the SLAM. What I do know, is that have run that hard with much higher TA, but not the 7.8 pH. Even still, I have never been cloudy because of calcium. And... I'm not saying yours is cloudy because of CH and 7.8, but I would lower that down to 7.4-7.5 if it were mine, partly for Chlorine effectiveness and partly for CSI. As for the CSI, plug that all into the calculator for specifics on it later on. Get the pH about 7.5 and don't worry over CH and TA for the moment...lets focus on Chlorine.
Honest injun, I'd just keep the SLAM up so we know it isn't that. See what happens, it can't hurt, and you likely need it.
Thanks zea3. These are my readings thus far. 8/22 PM: FC=12, 8/23 AM: FC=10.5, 8/24 AM: FC=9.5.
Brushpup, I dropped the pH to 7.2 prior to the initial SLAM. In fact I retested everything this AM.
FC 9.5
pH 7.2
TA 110
CH 880
CYA 90
I will SLAM again just to be on the safe side, I really miss my clear water. It was crystal clear up until about a month ago. Water temp is about 84, air temp between 98-100 right now.
Brushpup, I dropped the pH to 7.2 prior to the initial SLAM. In fact I retested everything this AM.
FC 9.5
pH 7.2
TA 110
CH 880
CYA 90
I will SLAM again just to be on the safe side, I really miss my clear water. It was crystal clear up until about a month ago. Water temp is about 84, air temp between 98-100 right now.
It looks like when you were doing the OCLT, you FC was far below the SLAM level (you should have been at 35 ppm FC). Doing it at a lower level (down to your normal FC level for your cya level) is okay for the OCLT, but if you hadn't passed, you would have delayed your pool getting clear.
Make sure follow zea's suggestion of using DE to help your sand filter...it really speeds the clearing process up.
Once you are certain you are done with the SLAM, since you have such high CH, you will need to manage your ph levels closely. I would shoot to keep ph down and not let it get above 7.5 for now.
Make sure follow zea's suggestion of using DE to help your sand filter...it really speeds the clearing process up.
Once you are certain you are done with the SLAM, since you have such high CH, you will need to manage your ph levels closely. I would shoot to keep ph down and not let it get above 7.5 for now.
Richard320 is our resident high CH expert, so hopefully he will be along shortly to chime in. Until then, I don't think CH of 880 and pH of 7.2 will cause cloudy water. I think it needs more filtering time - sand filters will take the longest to clear a cloudy pool, but they work just fine.
Smykowski said:
Nor do I, and I won't make that leap until there is little other explanation.
X2 Get ready to take advantage!Isaac-1 said:
btw, have you deep cleaned the sand filter and made sure there is no channeling or debris stuck in there?
Here's a link, JIC you need it: my-sand-is-channeled-how-to-fix-it-t7626.html
I've never done anything to the sand filter since it was installed in '91. I called my pool pro once and asked him if I needed to replace the sand and he said no. I am unfamiliar w/channeling or debris stuck. I have a huge canopy of oaks over my pool and I have no douth there is c--- in there. So now what?
I read the forum and this very well be a problem. Come to think of it, during the whole SLAM process, the pump gauge never gave me an indication to backwash, and it's fairly new. I always backwash when it tells me to, usually about once a week or every other week.
I have no clue how to "deep clean" the filter, direct me please.
I read the forum and this very well be a problem. Come to think of it, during the whole SLAM process, the pump gauge never gave me an indication to backwash, and it's fairly new. I always backwash when it tells me to, usually about once a week or every other week.
I have no clue how to "deep clean" the filter, direct me please.
The information is in the link that Butterfly posted just prior to your post.
Does you gauge read 0 when the pump is off?
Does you gauge read 0 when the pump is off?
I've never done anything to the sand filter since it was installed in '91. I called my pool pro once and asked him if I needed to replace the sand and he said no. I am unfamiliar w/channeling or debris stuck. I have a huge canopy of oaks over my pool and I have no douth there is c--- in there. So now what?
I read the forum and this very well be a problem. Come to think of it, during the whole SLAM process, the pump gauge never gave me an indication to backwash, and it's fairly new. I always backwash when it tells me to, usually about once a week or every other week.
I have no clue how to "deep clean" the filter, direct me please.
linen - I did read "how to" forum suggested, but I have no idea how to open up the sand filter.
Yes, my gauge does go to zero when I shut it off.
I read the forum and this very well be a problem. Come to think of it, during the whole SLAM process, the pump gauge never gave me an indication to backwash, and it's fairly new. I always backwash when it tells me to, usually about once a week or every other week.
I have no clue how to "deep clean" the filter, direct me please.
linen - I did read "how to" forum suggested, but I have no idea how to open up the sand filter.
Yes, my gauge does go to zero when I shut it off.
I don't know how to do that. I can take a picture w/my cell phone, but I don't know how to upload to this forum. I only know how to e-mail it to you. It is a solid capsule with a head, which has 3 pvc pipes coming "into" or "out of" the head and also houses the gauge. The actual filter is a solid capsule, all above ground.