Opening the pool very late this year!

[VinnyinNJ]

Hahaha! We like to open the pool a weekend or 2 before Memorial Day weekend to have it ready for Summer. This year I retired June 1st, we went on a 2 week Alaska vacation on June 5th and came home too sick to worry about the pool. My plan was to wait until my wife was feeling much better (she was/is sicker than I got/am) and open the pool, probably next week. Well Mother Nature came through and shredded my winter cover on Monday so an emergency opening happened yesterday ... I was worried what I would find; it actually doesn't look too bad. The winter cover is still on the pool but I put the filter together (deep cleaned it first) and filled the pool.

I expected deep green water and it is actually only a little hazy based on the couple of areas I can see under the winter cover. I figured I'd get the filtering going, test the water and put chlorine to start the possible slam process going. I am hoping to get my SWG going this year after the full opening as it was a disaster last year due to user error!

Here's hoping it turns out to be an easy opening even though it's late!

 

[kne]

This year I retired June 1st,

Happy retirement! Now you can float all summer without pesky work getting in the way!

 

[Newdude]

 

[VinnyinNJ]

View attachment 589746

@Newdude, I'm going to give it my best shot. My wife actually said to just do without the SWG and use liquid chlorine. I told her once I get it (and I did tell her I screwed up!!!) it will be sooooo easy to take care of the pool which wasn't bad using liquid chlorine with our old pool. EXCEPT when we went on vacation!

 

[VinnyinNJ]

Happy retirement! Now you can float all summer without pesky work getting in the way!

Thanks! My wife has my summer plans all planned out!

 

[VinnyinNJ]

OK, It's SLAM time! Winter cover fell in, Chlorine on drop test showed 0 (it was 1 late yesterday) and the pool is extremely cloudy. I put 1 gallon of chlorine in which I know is not enough but my CYA was really low < 20 yesterday and I'm working on bringing that up and my pH was reading 6.8 so I'm going to try and adjust it before the SLAM. I plan on getting the LC tonight to start the process. I may even add some DE to my sand filter to help that along as well. By the time I straighten this out, it'll be time to tackle the salt!

 

[VinnyinNJ]

Strange results of the yellow chlorine drop test which I haven't used in a bazillion years ... I added 1 Gal of 10% LC around 8 AM with very low CYA and a cloudy pool. At around noon I was able to get my CYA around 70 PPM and the drop test showed it had more than 5 PPM of chlorine. In full sun and cloudy water I didn't expect that, I expected 0.

I am going to do an official overnight test with added chlorine and see what the results are. Maybe no SLAM is needed (I doubt it!).

 

[Newdude]

Maybe no SLAM is needed (I doubt it!).

You fail the exit criteria for SLAM with cloudy water. No need to fail twice.

Winter cover fell in

It's cuz you dissed the speedsir. The Universe wanted to show you the 16 bazillion swirls you'll be saving with a SLAM. She's funny like that.

I imagine you'll come around rather quickly.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

You fail the exit criteria for SLAM with cloudy water. No need to fail twice.

It's cuz you dissed the speedsir. The Universe wanted to show you the 16 bazillion swirls you'll be saving with a SLAM. She's funny like that.

I imagine you'll come around rather quickly.

I haven't even started the SLAM process! My excuse for cloudy water -> I'm using a sand filter NOT a DE filter! But tomorrow I super charge that filter with some DE.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

SLAM is over! Pool is crystal clear and OCLT was at 0 FC loss. I was surprised how quickly the sand filter cleared up the pool, it was acceptable Friday afternoon but was great yesterday; no DE used. Didn't get a chance to put the ladder in this weekend and left the solar cover off to help with vacuuming the pool and any off gassing of CC, both should go onto the pool today.

Now comes the salt portion of my water balance!