Spoiled by 9 years of prior 1 to 3 days SLAMs

Jul 14, 2015
93
Colts Neck, NJ
Hello everyone,
I figured while I had a spare 10 minutes I would post my experience this year. The last 8 or 9 years of pool openings resulted in a 1 to 3 day SLAM being concluded and ready to swim pretty quickly. See the picture of last year's opening as compared to this year's opening. I am now on day 6, while there is a small improvement day to day, I can't stop second guessing myself as if I am missing something. I guess you could say I have become spoiled. My FC is hovering between 10 and 13.5, CYA at 30. I am testing and adding every 2 to 3 hours. The minions are out there brushing a couple times a day and paying particular attention to the skimmers, wiers and lights and ladder. I replaced my 4 cartridges this year with an Amazon offering and just cleaned them on day 3 of the SLAM. Do I just need a masterclass in patience at this point?
 

Attachments

  • Opening May 2025.pdf
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  • SLAM day 6 shallow end.jpg
    SLAM day 6 shallow end.jpg
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  • SLAM Day 6.jpg
    SLAM Day 6.jpg
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  • Opening May 2024.pdf
    3.5 MB · Views: 3
No help here but I am in same boat.
1-2 days max slam when opening and this year I am on day 4 ( I opened 4 weeks later then normal)
The green went away in a day but water still very cloudy.
Today I broke down my de filter, cleaned and recharged ( it wasn’t very dirty)
Hoping it clears soon
 
Do I just need a masterclass in patience at this point?
Yup. It sounds like you're putting an exemplary effort in. And here's the deal...... it is it's own reward. No matter how bad it is, its worse with less effort, for all who try.

Then that last little bit of water polishing will test everyone's patience. :)

Do you drain over the winter ? I started mixing after draining because the setup was all. Well. Setup already. If the FC was getting low I would also add some, using the submersible to help mix it along with whatever it could reach with the brush. You'd be surprised how far the brush reaches from just a corner popped.
 
I’ve had an invisible algae bloom take 7-10 days to resolve. You never know.

FYI the folks who close my pool have started leaving a small floater strung to the middle of the pool and I have started adding a gallon of bleach under the corner of the cover with a little brushing every couple of days starting a week or 10 days before opening. It’s made a huge difference in my opening water quality.