SLAM Complete! My First Slam - Well Into It but few questions! EDIT: Almost cleared up?

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T

thejeff

0
May 24, 2018
75
NB, Canada
Edit: See last post.

Hi all,

Thanks to TFP, I am learning so much and am about 2.5 days into my first SLAM. So far so good!

Some questions :

1) FC testing - I am in Canada and R0871 re-agent is very expensive here due to Taylor giving exclusive distribution for all of Canada to one company. The monopoly is causing VERY high prices. I am trying to be economical with re-agents. For the early part of the SLAM, I have been using 5ml sample with 1 drop = 1ppm. I also use a single scoop of powder which gets the water nice and pink. This cuts the reagent use by half and is precise enough for the early stages of SLAMing, right? Once my pool clears up and I am looking to do the OCLT test, I will use the standard 10ml sample size. Does this make sense?

2) My CYA is 55 and I'm targeting 22 FC. This morning my FC was 19 so the pool is holding the FC decently. Should I be re-confirming the FC after adding bleach or should I trust that pool math has brought me to 22? Again, in an effort to conserve reagent I haven't been confirming after adding bleach but based on the follow up tests I feel like everything has been on track. Just thought I'd ask how others do it?

3) SWG use - while I wait for pool to clear up (it is 70% cleared up currently), is it harmful to have the SWG running in order to have some continuous addition of FC so that levels do not drop too much between tests and bleach additions? I know when it gets time to do OCLT, the SWG needs to be off to get accurate tests, but wondering if I'm hurting anything by running SWG on a relatively low setting to maintain some FC in the pool to hopefully get the SLAM done quicker...

Thank you for the info!
 
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1. Very OK to do. Always use just one scoop of the powder when using a 5 or 10 ml sample
2. Round up so use 60 as your CYA. No need to test the FC after adding bleach unless you are doing an OCLT.
3. You can run the SWCG if you want, it really adds very little chlorine for SLAM purposes. Your signature does not show the volume of your pool or the model type of your SWCG (rating) so I can not give you the 24 hour chlorine generation.
 
On the purchasing of reagents, how close to the US border are you? Most border towns have mail drop services. You can then order from TFTestkits.net and have it sent to a mail drop. You then cross the border and pick up your package.
 
Thanks Marty - I've updated my signature. It is 8800 gals and my cell is a T-15 so I believe 1.4 lbs per day at 100%. I believe that means 9.0 FC added per 24 hours if I recall...

As for CYA of 55, I had inputted 55 in the Pool Math App (bought the iPad App, it's great!) and it interpolated between the 50 and 60 FC levels on the chart (20 and 24) to give me 22. Should I still be aiming for 24 instead which would be rounded up? I have not been doing that but can easily increase it.
 
As for the border, I am 2 hours drive away from the U.S. border - driving that far negates any savings on the reagents unfortunately. That being said, I will try to think to pick some up or have shipped nearby next time I am in the U.S. for other reasons. I've seen 2oz bottles of R0871 for $14 US whereas in Canada the online shops are selling for $50-60 CAD (about 37-45 US). Not the end of the world but significant difference. Multiply that by all of the reagents in the Kit and it adds up!
 
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You cannot measure a CYA of 55. The vial is logarithmic scale. So always round up to the next highest CYA value.
 
Upped FC target to 24. Pool getting clearer by the day!

Also, I rechecked and according to the Pool Math app, a Hayward T-15 cell at 100% should add 19 FC to my pool per 24 hours in my 8800 gal pool. That does not seem insignificant - do those numbers make sense or I am misinterpreting?
 
Low water temp will affect the CYA test. Let the water warm to room temperature before testing.

Low water temp makes it harder for algae to grow so the SLAM should go much more quickly.
 
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I can... I believe I have tried that in the past... If they are an authorized Taylor retailer, then they can lose their rights to sell Taylor if they get caught selling to Canadians. I will try again to find alternate routes when the times comes to refill. Thanks :)
 
Starting Day 6 of SLAM. Almost there but I think it could be clearer still. Some pics (don't mind the construction, waiting on contractor to finish safety fencing around pool so need the orange fence for safety in the meantime. This is a new build and also my first year really learning pool stuff - loving it so far.

Started green and murky with some leaves still in the bottom (hard to pickup what you can't see!)
102705

Looks nice and clear from deck above.
102710

This photo makes it look less clear than it really is, but would like your thoughts. Am I getting close? This is the brush in the deep-end. The reflection of the cloudy sky is making it look milky but it's not... Another day maybe?
102709


We've had so much rain here over the last week that I had to pump out water from the pool twice in order to keep water level below the skimmer top. I rechecked my CYA yesterday and I am now closer to 50... have readjusted my FC target to 20 instead of 24 and am still maintaining it there.

EDIT: It's been almost constant rain since I started SLAMing and for this reason I was sure that the pH must have shot up. I started SLAM at 7.2. I added muriatic acid last night to reduce pH by 0.2, knowing that I can't test accurately but that for sure it would have gone up... Was that a bad idea? I know FC works better with lower pH...
 
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SLAM complete! When I got from work last night, the pool was 100% clear. I could see a very precise outline and details of a leaf at the bottom of the deepend. Beautiful! Passed my OCLT with 0ppm chlorine loss (from 10:30PM to 7:15AM). My CC was less than 0.5ppm I think. When I added the 5 drops of R-0003 reagent, the water just BARELY turned the lightest shade of pink. 1 drop of R-0871 and it was completely colorless. this was using 10ml sample so 1 drop = 0.5ppm. Would this imply less than 0.5ppm given the color barely turned pink?

Either way, SLAM complete and I am stoked... 11 gallons of bleach, 6.5 days and surely some added muscle definition due to all the brushing. Thanks TFP! Now just need to let the FC drift down, add some CYA to get to 80 and get some new tests down. My pool robot arrives today to boot!
 
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Great. Check your pH when the FC drops below 10 ppm. Never a good idea to add acid without testing first.
 
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