Pool won't clear no matter what. Tired of fighting with it.

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Everything looks fine. In the future, use 10mL of sample water for the FC test, each drop is .5FC. Don't need to have .2 accuracy. You should do CYA test outdoors, sun to your back.

For a CYA of 50, you SLAM target is 20. Add enough liquid chlorine to get to 20 from 2. Wait 2-3 hours, test again and add enough FC to get from test result to 20 again. Rinse and repeat. Brush everything.
 
PoolStored said:
Everything looks fine. In the future, use 10mL of sample water for the FC test, each drop is .5FC. Don't need to have .2 accuracy. You should do CYA test outdoors, sun to your back.

For a CYA of 50, you SLAM target is 20. Add enough liquid chlorine to get to 20 from 2. Wait 2-3 hours, test again and add enough FC to get from test result to 20 again. Rinse and repeat. Brush everything.
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Here is what I got this morning before leaving the house:

FC: 2
CC: 0
PH: 7.2
TA: 190
CH: 170
CYA: 40

So being fresh clean water after refilling, I have not added a lot of chlorine to it until I could test and see where the numbers are. Is it normal for the CC to drop that rapidly? Pool is pretty clear as of this morning. Not crystal clear, but pretty clear with only slight cloudiness. Should I go ahead and slam anyway that my CC has dropped below 0.5? Getting ready to test again this morning
 
brettbandlow said:
So being fresh clean water after refilling, I have not added a lot of chlorine to it until I could test and see where the numbers are. Is it normal for the CC to drop that rapidly?
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Yes, normal...
brettbandlow said:
Pool is pretty clear as of this morning. Not crystal clear, but pretty clear with only slight cloudiness. Should I go ahead and slam anyway that my CC has dropped below 0.5? Getting ready to test again this morning
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Slam on!
 
Slammed all day yesterday. Was able to get to it about every 3 hours and added chlorine 5 times. I would bring FC up to 20 and each time I retested it would be back around 14 so I would add more. Pool is pretty clear now with just a slight haze. Overnight my FC went from 20 to 16. We did have a heavy rainstorm and high winds last night. Here is where I was at this morning:

FC: 16
CC: 0.5
PH 7.2
TA 220
CH 160
CYA 40
Temp: 80

I will continue on with the slam process. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
 
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Day 3 of slam. Pool is cleaner than ever in the almost 2 years I've owned it! I'm still losing 3-4ppm of FC in between dosing but it's been hot and sunny here. I'm testing and adding about every 3 hours at least 5 times a day. Chlorine has been holding levels better this past 24 hours. Still losing about 3 ppm at night but I feel it's getting much more stable.

I've gone thru about 12 gallons of liquid chlorine so far. But hey, only about $68 which equates to about one bottle of Crud at the pool store. I see the pool getting a little more clear each day. This afternoon the pool is as clear as its ever been.

Can't thank everybody enough for their guidance and input so far. Looking forward to a more trouble free pool that we can actually enjoy this summer with less work (hopefully).

Once the slam is complete I'll post back with a full set of numbers and see about tackling some of the other things like TA and regular maintenance.

Thank you everybody!!!
 
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Great job ditching the pool store and following TFP methods, we'll have you this clear soon enough!

How Clear is TFP Clear? Let's See (Pics Only Please).

How clear should my water be? A very common question. Here is mine on a calm morning where I could finally vacuum. Yes I know, I'm still manually vacuuming. It took me 7 years to finally get an SWG, I'm working on a robot. :) So now let's see your water clarity.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

I'm a little surprised at how much FC you are losing overnight with a 90% water replacement, though you are early in the process. Make sure you are brushing regularly (sounds like you are) and there is no place for algae to hide - ladder/stairs, light niche, foam on the weir door... little nooks like that it can survive at low levels.

Otherwise, SLAM on and share some pics!
 
Pauls234 said:
I'm a little surprised at how much FC you are losing overnight with a 90% water replacement, though you are early in the process. Make sure you are brushing regularly (sounds like you are)

Otherwise, SLAM on and share some pics!
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Yes brushing and vacuuming regularly. Tested this morning and only dropped 1 ppm overnight. Water is clear. CC is <0.5. No visible algae or debris. Is the slam complete or should I continue on another 24 hrs and test just in case since I'm only 3 days into slam? Just want to be on the safe side of things. I'm off the next 2 days so I can keep a close eye on it.

I'll get the pool deck cleaned off today and I'll post a before and after pic!
 
Great that you only lost 1ppm overnight. I agree with Pool Stored, keep it up another day or 2. One of the 3 required conditions to exit SLAM is overnight loss less than 1 and you are still on the edge with that one. It's safe to swim up to SLAM level if that is a concern. At the very least I'd keep it elevated, maybe let it drift down some as they goes on and then do another OCLT tonight.
 
I've continued with the slam another 3 days. My OCLT held at the slam level when tested early this morning. I just ran a full test after the sun has been up over 3 hours. Here are my results:

FC: 16
CC: .5
PH: slightly less than 7
TA: 200
CH: 170
CYA: 40

What next? I still dropped FC from 20 to 16 in about 3.5 hours. Pool is clear.
 
Congrats! For insurance do another day of SLAM, and another OCLT.

You pass again, then let your FC come down, and keep it in range for your CYA. That means your FC should always be in range WHEN YOU TEST. If you need to raise your FC above range, so you are in range when you test, do that. Link-->FC/CYA Levels

After FC comes down below 10, monitor your pH. When it rises to 8, lower it to 7.4 with muriatic acid. Do it in .4 increments. When it rises again to 8, lower again to 7.4. Over time your TA will come down. When TA gets to about 80, stop lowering pH to 7.4. It should settle in somewhere around 7.8-8...which is just fine.
 
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PoolStored said:
Congrats! For insurance do another day of SLAM, and another OCLT.

You pass again, then let your FC come down, and keep it in range for your CYA. That means your FC should always be in range WHEN YOU TEST. If you need to raise your FC above range, so you are in range when you test, do that. Link-->FC/CYA Levels

After FC comes down below 10, monitor your pH. When it rises to 8, lower it to 7.4 with muriatic acid. Do it in .4 increments. When it rises again to 8, lower again to 7.4. Over time your TA will come down. When TA gets to about 80, stop lowering pH to 7.4. It should settle in somewhere around 7.8-8...which is just fine.
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10-4 Copy. I appreciate the help.
 
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Hard to tell from pictures off my phone, but here are a before and a couple after pictures... much clearer now and we enjoy it now vs the drag that it was trying to figure it out. Thanks to all the members for your help!20240620_074620.jpg20240620_074746.jpg20240616_134504.jpg20240608_204748.jpg
 

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