SLAM now? Or give it a day or two?

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Newdude said:
How's the pollen by you ? You could have multiple battles going on at the moment. Of it could be the filtering part of thr fight which tested everyone's patience who ever Slam'd.

How often are you testing and adding ?
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Pollen could certainly be a factor simply because the whole issue cropped up after a storm blew a ton of dried pecan tree catkins into the pool this past Friday evening and I didn't have a chance to get them all out until next morning. I started testing every hr or so but have scaled back to about every 3 hrs. It seems to take that long for FC to drop 1-2 ppm and it hasn't been below 14 since I started SLAM yesterday morning. And yes, the filtering will probably take forever since my pump is the 1000gph model that came with the pool and I'm not convinced it does a great job of turning over the water. But, it sounds like that part of the process is just slow for everyone based on your comment.

I'm not sure how critical it is to keep FC level at 16 constantly, but if it is, could I slightly overdose by 1-2ppm to make sure that if it drops before retesting it never goes below 16?
 
DJowers said:
the filtering will probably take forever since my pump is the 1000gph model that came with the pool and I'm not convinced it does a great job of turning over the water. But, it sounds like that part of the process is just slow for everyone based on your comment.
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It is. Brush and vac daily. Keep the FC up at all times. You don't gain anything by being over and being 1 below is still pretry much full progress.

Stay the course. You got this.
 
What type of filter do you have? That can make a difference in time and there are some things that can help to do, depending on the type of filter you have. :)
 
IceShadow said:
What type of filter do you have? That can make a difference in time and there are some things that can help to do, depending on the type of filter you have. :)
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Just the standard type a cartridge filter that comes with intex pumps (see pic)

I've been periodically checking the filter in anticipation of it getting green/dirty so that I can switch out with a clean one, but so far it's been surprisingly clean looking.
 

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DJowers said:
Just the standard type a cartridge filter that comes with intex pumps (
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Intex uses what equates to hot tub filters when they use cartridges. I get it, they aren't going to add 50%- 100% more cost to the pool, but they REALLY do people a disservice.

The plus side is, the only difference in bigger filter systems is the frequency of the cleaning. So the little guy will do it, but you need to baby sit it.
 
DJowers said:
By babysit, do you mean checking and/or switching to clean one as needed as I mentioned?
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Yes. clean and swap again and again, however long later that it's needed. I've heard they get dirty pretty quick.

You will filter a little algae and be at a standstill until you clean it. They can't hold much.
 
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I wish I could say that the attached pic shows progress with the top pic being from the 1st day, but sadly, it's the opposite. With each day, the green/cloudiness has gotten a bit worse (today is 3rd day of SLAMming). So, I'm second guessing myself. Decided to retest CYA to make sure I'm using the correct FC target for SLAM...it could actually be 50 instead of 40, or somewhere in between. I struggle with this test because I think my mind tricks me into thinking I can still see the dot since I know it's there (seems to be a common issue with lots of people from what I've read). Anyway, I figure since I'm not seeing any positive results, I may as well assume CYA is 50 and adjusted my FC target midday today.

One thing I have noticed everyday is that in the morning when I first uncover, the algae seems to have settled on the bottom and the water is less cloudy, but as soon as I brush it down, it all gets stirred back up and the water gets really cloudy again. The only thing different at night is that I'm covering it...pump is still running. Should I try leaving the cover off tonight? I'm a little hesitant to try that simply because pop up thunderstorms are almost always a possibility and debris from a storm is what started the whole mess (i think). Also, starting last night, I am swapping out the filter every 12 hrs regardless of whether it looks dirty or not. Should I swap more often?
 

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If you're between 50 and 40, counting it as 50 is a good idea.

Are you running the pump constantly during the SLAM? You could try vacuuming the bottom instead of brushing it - that might get rid of whatever has settled to the bottom.

Debris in the pool won't cause algae - low FC is what causes algae. Up to you on leaving the cover off at night. Recommended during the day to avoid CC building up, but at night it matters a lot less.

Can't speak to cartridge filters but my understanding is that it shouldn't need to be changed until pressure goes up by about 25% or so.
 
The filter is doing its job filtering the (dead) algae out. The filter is not responsible for killing the algae. That's on you and the chlorine. Without the chlorine, algae blooms overrun even the largest filters in no time.

DJowers said:
first uncover, the algae seems to have settled on the bottom and the water is less cloudy, but as soon as I brush it down, it all gets stirred back up and the water gets really cloudy
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Can you vac to waste and get some before it gets stirred up ? If not, stirring it up is a good thing to get more of it to the filter. It's just going to take time and alot of cleanings.
 

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IceShadow said:
If you're between 50 and 40, counting it as 50 is a good idea.

Are you running the pump constantly during the SLAM? You could try vacuuming the bottom instead of brushing it - that might get rid of whatever has settled to the bottom.

Debris in the pool won't cause algae - low FC is what causes algae. Up to you on leaving the cover off at night. Recommended during the day to avoid CC building up, but at night it matters a lot less.

Can't speak to cartridge filters but my understanding is that it shouldn't need to be changed until pressure goes up by about 25% or so.
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Yes, running the pump constantly. My dinky vacuum does not seem to capture anything. It's the type that works by connecting a hose and creating suction to pass water through a sock type filter. I actually have old pantyhose inside of the mesh sock that came with it to prevent smaller dirt/sand/debris from passing through, but when the green stuff on the bottom gets stirred up, it mostly just passes through because it is so fine.
 
I did have an intex pool that I used as a 4 yr experiment on whether I really wanted an in-ground. I learned a lot. One of the first things I did was replaced the pump and filter with the upgraded pump and sand filter that intex sells. It didn't take long after that for me to buy the SWG they sell. I also jerry-rigged a vac connection to one of the inlets so that I could vac to the filter. But that would not have worked with the original pump.

All that to ask - how much water is flowing? Compare to when it was new. Those pumps can sometimes get real weak.
 
Katodude said:
Wait, I just read your signature. Your pool is 4000 gallons? Why are we not recommending a drain and refill?
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Unfortunately, we are on a well and I'm afraid of taking that much water. Or, I would have to do so slowly that it would take weeks to refill. We initially had it filled by water delivery truck, but the cost of that is as much as the pool itself, so I'd prefer not to have to pay that again. If it comes to that, it comes to that and I will likely put back in a slightly different pool (not a fan of the easy set because the sloped sides make it a pain to clean from outside the pool), but I'm not quite ready to give up on the SLAM process yet...my cost in bleach is simply no where near the cost of refilling (at least for now).
 
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Tcadwall0 said:
I did have an intex pool that I used as a 4 yr experiment on whether I really wanted an in-ground. I learned a lot. One of the first things I did was replaced the pump and filter with the upgraded pump and sand filter that intex sells. It didn't take long after that for me to buy the SWG they sell. I also jerry-rigged a vac connection to one of the inlets so that I could vac to the filter. But that would not have worked with the original pump.

All that to ask - how much water is flowing? Compare to when it was new. Those pumps can sometimes get real weak.
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Pump is fairly new (got the pool towards the end of last summer) and seems to be pumping just as strong. I don't have any way of testing it.
 
Tomorrow morning I will have to be gone from home for about 4 hours...would you recommend I raise the FC a couple ppm above target before leaving to ensure it does not drift down too low before I return home? Is there any danger in putting too much FC over target during the process?
 

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