Seventh day of SLAM, water still cloudy

[canjones]

Had to SLAM the pool last Friday. Green is gone but the water is still cloudy. My pump has been running 24/7 since I started the SLAM.

3/3 7am
FC - 29.5
CC - 1.0
CYA - 70
TA - 150
CH - 270
Ph - 8.0 (I know it's high because of SLAM)

At 4pm I tested again and my FC was 21.5 so I am going to add more chlorine. I have some pool clarifier from last year. Do you think that will help? What about sand filter revitalizer?

 

[Jezza]

With that sort of FC drop and a CC of 1.0 it would appear that you have some way to go. Just stay the course and avoid the clarifier and sand filter revitaliser.

 

[madwil]

Pretty much once you start a slam you add nothing but bleach/chlorine. Maybe cya if you're low, which you're not. Just stick with it, th cc means you're killing stuff. Run filter 24/7.

 

[pabeader]

And brush, brush, brush. Gotta get all the hidy holes.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

...and keep an eye on the filter in case it needs backwashing. When your gauge is 20-25% over baseline clean that puppy out!

Yippee

 

[canjones]

Okay, I did go back and brush. There were some pockets of green dust.

 

[Patrick_B]

Yes, that isn't surprising. When they get bad, it just takes some time to get them nice again. Keep at it, and you'll have a nice pool again soon enough. Do your best not to get impatient.

 

[bownut]

Also, don't miss the information about backwashing your sand filter. I inherited a green-black pool complete with bullfrogs last year and it took me somewhere between 20 and 30 days to get it crystal clear. I never thought I would get there. It was cloudy blue forever. I backwashed the filter daily. It didn't have a gauge on it (that is how it came from the installer) so I couldn't look at pressure readings, but the backwash was SO cloudy every single time.

You'll get there. Just keep SLAMming. Seriously, you'll get there.

 

[canjones]

How long can my pump continue to run continuously? Day 10.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

They are able to run continuously. Like 24/7....although your electric bill may suffer, it shouldn't.

Yippee

 

[bownut]

How long can my pump continue to run continuously? Day 10.

Yea! Keep at it! What I found helpful is to post my most recent test results each time I posted here, it not only helped me keep a log, but others can point out if they see any issues. PoolPal is an app on Android and has the TFP settings on it. I use it to log my pool. Wish I had it last year when I was SLAMming.

 

[borjis]

when I did my first slam, it took about 2 weeks total before it was done and crystal clear.

Brushing daily is a big important aspect.

 

[domct203]

Here are some other SLAM stories:

https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/72516-Recovering-my-old-inspirational-links

 

[canjones]

Pool pic from February 23, 2017. When I woke up that morning and saw the ducks that was an indication that it was time to do something! It started raining today so I wasn't able to get a pic. Maybe tomorrow. I started seeing the shallow end earlier this week. Deep end is still a little blurry. I was hoping everything would be clear by Monday since it is our Spring Break. But, today we had thunderstorms and I saw a lot of dirt and branches in the pool tonight when I went to check the levels. I have used 34 gallons of bleach so far. Will post updated pic tomorrow.

FC 23.5 put enough chlorine in to raise to 28
CC .5
I haven't really checked the other levels but this is what they were at the beginning of this process...
CYA - 70
TA - 150
CH - 270
Ph - 8.0

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Branches?! You gotta get those things outta there dude! Of course its improvement in the sense that you can *see* those branches now, eh?

Remember, the pool didn't go green overnight, so it takes a bit of time to reverse the process.

Yip

 

[canjones]

Late start... 11 am testing. About to clean out pool from thunderstorms.

FC 23.5
CC 2.0 (why?!)
CYA 30
Ph above 8
TA - 150
CH - 300

Since my CYA is down but my CC is back up what do you think I should do? Shock to the recommended 12 or go higher? I've been shocking based on my CYA level of 70. I can't believe that my CYA is down that low. I tested it twice just to be sure.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

How would the CYA drop though? UNless you emptied and refilled about half your water it can't drop like that. Was it sunny outside when you tested the CYA? You have to have your back to the sun, holding the tube waisthigh.

I'm confused I don't know what to tell you other than try to figure that CYA test out to give you your FC value. If you're CYA is truly 30, using the chlorine meant for 70ppm of CYA risks bleaching your liner. But if its really truly 70ppm, treating it with the chlorine meant for 30 is a waste of time. Such a dilemma!

Don't worry about the CCs if you're SLAM mode- that just tells you you've got something in there. We already know that, right?

 

[canjones]

This is making me crazy. I assumed the CYA dropped because of all the rain. I'll test again tomorrow. No sun today. I was standing under light in the house. I don't think I knew about keeping the tube waist high. I continue to learn something new every time I get on here!

 

[proavia]

Do the CYA test outside, full sun, back to the sun, hold the tube with 2 fingers near top at waist height. Try not to stare at the black dot - glance at it and then look away. Look back for a second to see if it's still visible.

You can do the test multiple times using the same solution. Just pour it all back into the bottle and start again. This can help you geta better feel for the test without using all your CYA testing reagent.

 

[canjones]

The good news is I passed the overnight test. Bad news is I retested the CYA and used my last bit of reagant before reading your post. No sun till later today or tomorrow. I'll have to order more CYA reagant. My reading today was a 30 to 35 for me and a 40 to husband.