SLAM reassurance

[mick1putt]

I need a little reassurance, or confirmation that this is going as it should.

I've had renters taking care of my pool with strict instructions to follow TFP protocols. Unfortunately, the renters moved out, and haven't kept an eye on the pool for the past month. I'm not sure what went wrong, but apparently the SWG was/is not producing chlorine, and the pool was almost black when I got here Monday (May 31). I've never seen it close to this bad.

I started SLAM about noon on Monday (48 hours ago)
Initial test was - 0 FC, CYA about 30, pH at 8.0 I threw in about 10 LBs of 93% sodium bisulfate, and started SLAM with target FC 12ppm. I brushed the sides for about an hour and checked FC, added more 10% bleach, and continued checking and adding bleach every couple of hours.

My concern is, I'm not consuming a lot of the chlorine, typically only dropping 2 or 3 ppm (to 9 or 10 ppm) every 2-3 hours. As bad as the pool looked, and with relatively low CYA, I expected to be churning through the chlorine. The pool looks a lot better; it's no longer black, or even green, but very cloudy and I still can't see the bottom.

This is not my first SLAM, and in the past the pool cleared up, at least visually, in about 24 hours. Plus, I re-tested CYA this morning to confirm my numbers were right, and it's barely measurable. The test sample is a little cloudy, but I can see the dot when column is full. How does CYA drop in 48 hours? Should I add stabilizer now or finish SLAM first? If I add now I won't be able to backwash the filter, and I've been backwashing a couple of times a day!

I should add, I've continued brushing and running my robot several times a day.

So? Am I missing something, or do I just need to be patient and stay the course?

 

[Texas Splash]

Sounds like you are on the right track, just need to be patient. A black pool will take some time. As for the CYA, if it's low then I would add a little more. Perhaps only about 10 ppm via the sock method then check again tomorrow to ensure the CYA is at least 30 ppm. Then continue to maintain the SLAM FC level of 12 and just give it some time. The renters did you no favors.

 

[mick1putt]

I'm trying to be patient but it'a been 6 days now and still not clear. It's very slowly, getting very slightly better, but still cloudy. Plus, this has gotten a little more complicated because I had to leave last Thursday, and a neighbor has taken over SLAM for me. He has faithfully reported test numbers, but has only checked a couple times a day.

Thursday and Friday continued dropping only a few ppm between tests, from 12 ppm to 9 or 10 on each test. He didn't check Saturday until late afternoon and FC had dropped to 4.5 in about 20 hours. He brought it back up to 12, and it dropped to 8ppm on next test about 4 hours later. Early tests yesterday were similar to previous tests, but he said it was still at 12ppm on Sunday evening test!

I added 10 LBs stabilizer using sock method before I left, and asked neighbor to check CYA today, but haven't heard from him yet.

Again, I'm just looking for some assurance, how long could this take? Could something other than algae be causing the cloudiness? Is there anything else I should be doing, or rather ask the neighbor to do?

 

[Texas Splash]

Six days isn't unheard of for a SLAM. Some go several days longer. I'm sure the inconsistency of being away didn't help. But that happens. All you can do is get back up on that horse and resume the SLAM. I would take this opportunity to validate the CYA one more time to ensure it's not actually higher than you thought. If the CYA was closer to 40, then your FC level would be 16. If you're still sure about a CYA of 30, then maintain the FC of 12. Continue all the other tasks noted on the SLAM page and you'll get it.