SLAM questions

Jump to latest Follow Reply
N

Niemeyer

Member
Jun 27, 2022
14
Middleton, Idaho
Pool Size
13500
Surface
Fiberglass
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-9)
Pool newbie here. We bought our house last October and it came with the pool, it's been a wild learning curve! I'm currently 2 days into SLAM'ing my pool - had cloudy water and what I think was algae starting. Currently, my CYA is about 35ppm (just a titch under the 30ppm line) and FC is 15ppm. We set our SWG to 0% as I wasn't sure how to turn it completely off barring unplugging it - couldn't find documentation anywhere that would say if that was ok. Last night I had FC - 15, CC -.5, CYA -35. This morning's test results - FC -15, CC -1, CYA -35. How is it possible my FC has not dropped? Is my SWG still producing chlorine even though it's set at 0%? At the moment, my pool water is crystal clear (thank you, thank you TFP!!!) but it seems there's still something brewing. I do routinely have a few spiders, bugs and a stray leaf in the pool most mornings but today there was no sign of the poofy dust on the benches or floor of the pool. I realize tester error is a possibility but I'm being vigilant with the process. Do I need to unplug the SWG? Also, I noticed the pool water felt a little 'tacky' as it dried on my skin (I did shower today :LOL:), any thoughts on that???
 
Welcome to TFP! :wave: With the SWG set to zero, there should be no new chlorine produced. Spiders & bugs aren't hurting anything. Really the main concern is the elevated CC level right now. CCs tend to get oxidized by a good sunny day. Has it been cloudy there, or do you use a cover?
 
We have had some crazy thunderstorms the past couple days - one minute, hot and sunny, the next, big'ol T-storm rolls in. We do have a power cover for the pool we keep closed when not in the pool. As part of this SLAM, I still need to take the pool light out and scrub the niche as well as scrub the skimmer, just waiting for Amazon to deliver my hand held scrubber brush. How do I clean the drain covers and return jets? Is it safe to remove the drain covers when the pump is running? Also, do I need scuba gear (sorta joking but..I really don't know how to tackle these). I'm afraid I'll miss some hidden crevice and the algae will return.
 
If you are concerned about excessive suction at the main drain, you can turn it off or set water suction to the skimmer only. Once you remove the cover screws you should have good access to the drain area. Definitely get behind the light as well. Be sure to leave the pool cover pulled back a few hours each day to eliminate CCs accumulating. After that it boils down to FC consistency and attention to detail. Sounds like you are on the right track, just a few things to follow-up on.
 
Hello TFP guru's! After 5 days of SLAM, it is finished and appears to have been successful! Here are my current test results; FC 9, CC 0, CYA 40, PH 7.3, TA 150, CH 200. The Pro-logic says my salt level is 3100, my Taylor salt test kit should be here today and I'll compare the two. We have essentially floundered blindly all summer using test strips and the "eyeball test" (yes, we were those people) because we had no idea what we were doing. Thank goodness I found TFP! This is the first time we've had truly clear water. Now, I want to get all water chemistry values in harmony. I know the TA needs to come down and the CYA should be around 70 with a FC of 5. What is the correct order and/or best approach to get everything in line without completely messing my pool up again? I'm concerned about that high TA number but lowering it will drop my PH and it's already at 7.3. All I have on hand right now is Sodium bisulfate for lowering PH/Alkalinity but I don't want to overshoot the salt in my pool. My brain is on over load and I need some help please. Thank you!

PS - Should I turn my SWG back on now or wait until FC drops a bit more?
 
TA is not a big concern. Just manage your pH in the 7's and it will be what it will be.

In your climate, you can add 10 ppm CYA at a time and see if your FC loss goes down. But at this time of year, you likely do not need to add much CYA.

You should NOT be using dry acid with a SWCG. The sulfates will erode the rare earth coating on the SWCG and it will fail prematurely. Use Muriatic Acid.

I would turn the SWCG on now. Start at it creating 3ppm FC a day. See how your pool water FC level reacts.
 
Good to know about the dry acid, I'll get Muriatic Acid today. Is there an article or thread I could read that explains how to correctly set the SWCG? It had been running at 30% but quite frankly, I have no idea what that means in terms of chlorine production.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Niemeyer said:
Is there an article or thread I could read that explains how to correctly set the SWCG? It had been running at 30% but quite frankly, I have no idea what that means in terms of chlorine production.
Click to expand...
Dialing in the correct SWCG percentage can be as much of a art as it is a science. With an automatic pool cover, it becomes even more of a trial and error process, all depending on how much the pool stays open each day and is exposed to the sun.

The first step is to do this.....
mknauss said:
PoolMath
Effects of Adding Chemicals.
Click to expand...

Go to the "effects of adding" part of the app. Make sure your pool volume is correct, then for the "Chemical Additions", select "SWG". Under that is the 24 hour output, and click on the magnifying glass to the right of that, and a pop up will come up with all the SWGS in the database. Select yours, as each and every one on the list will have a different output. Here is the section on Hayward (which is what you show).



Hayward.jpg

Select your cell. Not sure why, but I do not see a "Turbo Cell -9" as your signature shows, but you can confirm which model to select.

After that, you enter the percentage you are setting the cell at, and then next the time your pump runs.

Once you have all that entered, you will see the amount of chlorine produced in a 24 hour period.

Then the "art" begins. Depending on your target FC, as well as how often the pool is open, and in sun, will vary. It will also vary during the season and will require changes. My SWCG for example, gets set to about 20% early in the season (mine is pretty over sized) but around July I need to have it around 35%. Mine does not produce chlorine when the cover is closed (Pentair automation), so do not use my situation as an the right numbers exactly, I only mention it to show there are a lot of variables in each pool, so there is not a specific article for you to go to for getting the right numbers for your pool. It is a learning experience, but doesn't take too long once you get it.
 
Last edited:
mknauss said:
Signature does not show an auto cover ---- does this pool have one?
Click to expand...
Signature does not show one, but the OP did post about the cover.
Niemeyer said:
We do have a power cover for the pool we keep closed when not in the pool.
Click to expand...

Would be good to include that in the signature for sure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mknauss
gingrbredman said:
Dialing in the correct SWCG percentage can be as much of a art as it is a science. With an automatic pool cover, it becomes even more of a trial and error process, all depending on how much the pool stays open each day and is exposed to the sun.

The first step is to do this.....


Go to the "effects of adding" part of the app. Make sure your pool volume is correct, then for the "Chemical Additions", select "SWG". Under that is the 24 hour output, and click on the magnifying glass to the right of that, and a pop up will come up with all the SWGS in the database. Select yours, as each and every one on the list will have a different output. Here is the section on Hayward (which is what you show).



View attachment 446784

Select your cell. Not sure why, but I do not see a "Turbo Cell -9" as your signature shows, but you can confirm which model to select.

After that, you enter the percentage you are setting the cell at, and then next the time your pump runs.

Once you have all that entered, you will see the amount of chlorine produced in a 24 hour period.

Then the "art" begins. Depending on your target FC, as well as how often the pool is open, and in sun, will vary. It will also vary during the season and will require changes. My SWCG for example, gets set to about 20% early in the season (mine is pretty over sized) but around July I need to have it around 35%. Mine does not produce chlorine when the cover is closed (Pentair automation), so do not use my situation as an the right numbers exactly, I only mention it to show there are a lot of variables in each pool, so there is not a specific article for you to go to for getting the right numbers for your pool. It is a learning experience, but doesn't take too long once you get it.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation and reference! This will give me a starting point and we can adjust from there. We keep our cover closed when we're not using the pool, which ends up being the majority of the day, so I'll start monitoring the FC to see where we're at. So appreciate the info!
 
  • Like
Reactions: gingrbredman
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply