SLAM duration

[sonoman]

Getting my pool ready for summer after 40 inches of winter rain. TA, pH, and CH dialed back in very quickly using PoolMath. I took the CYA to around 60 before re-reading in the SLAM instructions to keep it low. I will raise it a bit more when done with SLAM.

How long should I expect to maintain the shock level? I had no algae going in and the pool looked great. My wife picked up some some 53% Cal-Hypo, which I used because we needed to boost CH anyway, and I finished taking the pool up to the 26 CL using 10% liquid chlorine (WalMart; cheaper than two gals of bleach and half the price of liquid CL at Leslies). The OCLT drop using TFT DPD test kit was negligible almost immediately, within a couple days (salt generator was turned off). Is that sufficient? Or should I expect to hold the shock CL levels longer? That seemed too easy. Did I miss something?

 

[duraleigh]

I think you have overlooked the SLAM article. SLAM is a process that has VERY specific conditions you must meet to successfully stop the process.

If you don't meet those, you have not yet SLAMed your pool

 

[sonoman]

Duraleigh, can you be more specific? I am confused by your reply

I read the SLAM article
- I have a TFT pool DPD test
- I did forget and raised CYA from very low to to 60. That was my only deviation from recommendation
- For that CYA, PoolSchool recommends FC 24 (Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship Explained)
- I normally use bleach or liquid chlorine. My wife picked up some Cal-Hype, which I decided to use after looking through TFP because I needed to raise CH anyway
- I maintained the shock CL level
- I back-washed my filter. I normally do a full filter maintenance after doing the SLAM
- I have no debris
- My pH was 7.3 at the start. The article says pH tests are not accurate during SLAM so I did not re-test
- I ran my pump/vacuum 24 hrs a day.
- I swept my pool down at least once a day
- My CC is zero
- No signs of algae
- My OCLT was stable when tested in the morning

I am confused by your comment that I did not follow the process. What did I miss? Those are the steps outlined in the TFP article. That is the crux of my original post. If I did the above and maintained the shock CL levels, and I had no OCLT loss and no CC, what am I missing?

Thank you

 

[PoolStored]

- My CC is zero
- No signs of algae
- My OCLT was stable when tested in the morning

I think it was because it was unclear in your message if you had maintained FC for the duration. You also didn't mention CC being zero.

CC=0, Clear water (no dead algae or debris), and you passed OCLT...YOU ARE DONE!!!

 

[Texas Splash]

When I read yoru first post, I too was a bit confused and though perhaps you didn't follow the SLAM article to the lettter, but yoru follow-up post appears to me much clearer. Actually what caught my eye the most in Post #1 was that you mentioned getting reay to SLAM even though there were no indications of algae and the water was clear. So I was a bit confused as to why did you need to go into a SLAM?

Regardless, if your water is crystal clear, no signs of algae, CC is zero, and passed an OCL, all is good.

 

[sonoman]

I apologize for not being more clear in my initial post. To answer TX Splash's question, I went into SLAM as part of my spring opening process. With 40 inches of rain over the winter, I let my water get out of balance (water temp around 50) and I use the SLAM to get me started with a fresh, known base-line. I assume starting up with a SLAM will annihilate any algae in the system, seen and unseen, and get me off to a good season of regular maintenance.

Maybe letting my pool drift during winter (I maintain pH but little else) then starting up with a balance and SLAM is not a good practice. I respect the opinions of TFP experts here.

 

[kul]

Do you close your pool in Winter? Asking because I’m in CA and don’t close my pool for winter. If I only managed PH and not Chlorine I’d be worried about algae.
How do you prevent algae if you are not using chlorine in the winter? Does it just not happen? Just curious as I’d also like a hands off winter!

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Maybe letting my pool drift during winter (I maintain pH but little else) then starting up with a balance and SLAM is not a good practice. I respect the opinions of TFP experts here.

I'm not an expert, but I'd say in your climate, you don't need to close and open your pool. I don't. I maintain it year-round and have never had algae. This is much easier with an auto-cover, though.

 

[sonoman]

I get lazy during the winter, when the pool is not used and the water is very cold. The rain dilutes the pool and I don't like adding chemicals that will dilute out and go into the ditch out back (I am on a rural property) after every big storm. The pool water is cold enough I don't get algae in the winter; only when the weather and water warm up. My neighbor has an auto-cover but with the tri-lobed pool that was here when I moved in, an auto-cover will not work. My primary fear of letting the water chemistry drift is the CH leaching my pool plaster. Maybe this is not a good practice...I am here to learn.

 

[Bperry]

I get lazy during the winter, when the pool is not used and the water is very cold. The rain dilutes the pool and I don't like adding chemicals that will dilute out and go into the ditch out back (I am on a rural property) after every big storm. The pool water is cold enough I don't get algae in the winter; only when the weather and water warm up. My neighbor has an auto-cover but with the tri-lobed pool that was here when I moved in, an auto-cover will not work. My primary fear of letting the water chemistry drift is the CH leaching my pool plaster. Maybe this is not a good practice...I am here to learn.

The actual answer to the initial question is that if you didn’t have algae or chlorine loss then there was no need to start a SLAM because you met the exit criteria before you even started. If you are doing a SLAM just for fun when opening, then only you get to decide when you’re done.