SLAM, Rain, Dissapointment.

[PoolStored]

In the middle of SLAM. Pool clear CC = .2. 2 nights ago OCLT FC loss was 2.5ppm. Next night, OCLT FC loss was 1.5ppm. Last night was 3ppm loss. It rained all night. Must have brought a lot of chlorine eating Crud out of the air. So disappointing.

 

[cowboycasey]

It happens and the rain dilutes the chlorine.. You will get there

 

[Newdude]

Hey poolstored!! According to your weather reports you got about 3/4 inch of rain. Assuming an average depth of 5.5ft, that only would have affected you by 1% if the pump was running/mixing like it should have been mid SLAM.

So your 16 target would have dropped to 15.84 and been unnoticeable.

The SLAM process can go in waves and sometimes you lose more/less day over day. It’s frustrating at times and I get it, but it wasn’t the rain.

If it helps any, look at it this way. Every pool needs its own amount of FC to clear a pool. There is no telling who’s SLAM needs what. Let’s just say yours needs 100 FC in the end. You can’t just dump in 50 twice. It will burn off too quickly and not do its thing. So you maintain the optimal # to do it slowly.

Each time you lose some FC, don’t think you lost anything. Look at it as being that much closer to the end point. Losing 3 means you only have 97 to go. (If you had just started assuming the 100 originally).

 

[PoolStored]

Stayed on top of this yesterday and added bleach every couple hours. Read through the CYA detailed testing procedure and updated my CYA results to 45. That upped my target to 18 FC.

Tested after sundown, 17.5. Got up at 5:30 to test before sunrise (this is getting old). Super disappointed to wake up to a 15 and a 2.5 loss. Water has been crystal clear for three days and CC is .4.

Started the SLAM Sunday night at 5pm, so will be 4 days this afternoon.

Any insight on what is going on? Anyone else with long ongoing SLAM experience? Pool is great, but this is certainly a process. Thanks for the help

 

[mknauss]

Any insight on what is going on?

Inspect light niches, skimmer throats and wier doors, any where algae can hide.

 

[cowboycasey]

Stayed on top of this yesterday and added bleach every couple hours. Read through the CYA detailed testing procedure and updated my CYA results to 45. That upped my target to 18 FC.

Tested after sundown, 17.5. Got up at 5:30 to test before sunrise (this is getting old). Super disappointed to wake up to a 15 and a 2.5 loss. Water has been crystal clear for three days and CC is .4.

Started the SLAM Sunday night at 5pm, so will be 4 days this afternoon.

Any insight on what is going on? Anyone else with long ongoing SLAM experience? Pool is great, but this is certainly a process. Thanks for the help

Use CYA of 50 not 45, we use the next biggest number if it is over..

4 days is fast, some have gone 30 days.. the more you test the faster it goes.. I do every 2 hours and crush a SLAM.. My water has gotten hazzy 2 times in 9 years and both my SLAMS lasted about 2 days.. but that is testing every 2 hours from 0530 in the morning to 10 pm at night... The more you keep the FC at the SLAM target the faster it goes..

 

[PoolStored]

mknauss, here is what I found. Light is crystal clear. Ladder, not so much. Stuff on finger was rust and kinda slimy...




Also have a skimmer that is unused. The return line is broken. Scrubbed it viciously, then brought out the pressure washer. No slimy feel, but nothing will remove the brown stains... It is a very hard scale. It will not come off. I don't think it is my problem, but i can't figure out how to get rid of it.



Do you really think inside that ladder could be the problem? What to do with the brown scale? I think I will remove the face plate to the skimmer and seal the skimmer off from the pool.

Any other thought. Here's thinking good thoughts for tomorrow morning OCLT test results...

 

[PoolStored]

Inspect light niches, skimmer throats and wier doors, any where algae can hide.

^^^See above...thoughts?

 

[mknauss]

Slimy implies organic. Some kind of bacteria probably. Clean everything up as well as you can.

 

[PoolStored]

Slimy implies organic. Some kind of bacteria probably. Clean everything up as well as you can.

I'm taking the ladder out until I can figure out how to get a rag/brush through the tubes. We rarely use it anyway.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[PoolStored]

Use CYA of 50 not 45, we use the next biggest number if it is over..

4 days is fast, some have gone 30 days.. the more you test the faster it goes.. I do every 2 hours and crush a SLAM.. My water has gotten hazzy 2 times in 9 years and both my SLAMS lasted about 2 days.. but that is testing every 2 hours from 0530 in the morning to 10 pm at night... The more you keep the FC at the SLAM target the faster it goes..

Ignoring overnight, I have been averaging 2.05 hours between test/feed!

First mistake is I started out at FC 16, cause I was doing testing wrong, it gave me 40CYA, retested correctly at 45 and moved standard to 18, then read your post and moved it to FC 20 (50CYA, next line up (or down depending on how you think about it).

Second mistake was not thinking about the ladder tubes (see above).

Hopefully tonight will go well.

 

[bover907]

You'll get there. Just stay with it!

 

[PoolStored]

Slimy implies organic. Some kind of bacteria probably. Clean everything up as well as you can.

Well, progress. Lost 3 two nights ago, 2.5 night before last...and 1.5 last night. Was incredulous that the pool was taunting me...sooo close. So I tested again, got loss of 1. Now what? Tested two more samples, both 1.5. So I accepted it. Brushing, dolphin, Chlorine is the order of the day. Again. BUT, it seems ladder and the skimmer were likely culprits.

 

[Newdude]

Well, progress. Lost 3 two nights ago, 2.5 night before last...and 1.5 last night. Was incredulous that the pool was taunting me...sooo close

Sometimes it follows a schedule of decreasing losses. Sometimes it’s 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Don’t get discouraged because progress is still progress, even if there is a bump in the road tomorrow.

With all you’ve been through I would hold SLAM for a full 2 days once you pass the OCLT. It’s so much easier to extend a SLAM than it is to start another one. The added insurance is worth it’s weight in gold sometimes.

 

[PoolStored]

Sometimes it follows a schedule of decreasing losses. Sometimes it’s 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Don’t get discouraged because progress is still progress, even if there is a bump in the road tomorrow.

With all you’ve been through I would hold SLAM for a full 2 days once you pass the OCLT. It’s so much easier to extend a SLAM than it is to start another one. The added insurance is worth it’s weight in gold sometimes.

I would too, but it is the 4th of July and we have a full house and grandkids that want to swim, going to slam today and allow the pool to drift down so they can swim this weekend. Even if I have to slam again, it will be worth it. In any other circumstance, I would agree.

 

[Newdude]

I would too, but it is the 4th of July and we have a full house and grandkids that want to swim, going to slam today and allow the pool to drift down so they can swim this weekend

You can swim up to and including SLaM based upon the FC/CYA Levels. Let the FC come down 4 or so for the party, just to be absolutely sure you are at or under SLAM and your *difficult to read* CYA is right. Lol.

But yeah. Nobody will know. Keep at it.

 

[PoolStored]

Slimy implies organic. Some kind of bacteria probably. Clean everything up as well as you can.

Could it be in the dolphin or the floats (blue attached to line)? I've left that in and running continuously. Doesn't look like you can get the floats off or would be very difficult (snap together). How can or should I clean the dolphin and or floats????

Thanks.

 

[mknauss]

The robot is not the issue. Be sure to clean the filters in it often.

 

[PoolStored]

The robot is not the issue. Be sure to clean the filters in it often.

Well, pool passed last night went from 20 to 19!!! Looks great! Let it come down on its own. With cover off the whole time, had to add more water, came down to 8.5. Tested ph 7.4. TA went from 140 to 130 during slam, so added acid to go to 7.0 and turned on aerator. Gonna work on TA so I can add borates (boric acid route). Thanks for the help.

Do I need to do anything to treat pool cover before I reintroduce to pool? Been off and covered during slam.

thanks!

 

[mknauss]

Check the cover out. Would be great if you could clean it with a dilute bleach solution.