Starting Slam

[magik1017]

Hey everyone,

I'm starting the SLAM process, I ordered my test kit (TF-100) and waiting for it to be delivered. I took my first water sample(green mucky water) to two different pool stores and got basically the same readings. Pool store "L" told me i needed everything under the sun to clear the pool, Pool store "S" told me to just add baking soda and some bleach/liquid chlorine and it should clear up. I obviously took the advice from pool store S and now my pool is a very pretty blue, but cloudy. After reading through the forum's for similar issues (i know each pool is different) I realized i need to go through the SLAM process.

I am unable to take my water in to pool store "S" after adding the bleach & baking soda to get a more accurate reading since my work schedule is crazy right now. But I do have the two-way drop test and the test results from pool store "L" after adding the baking soda/bleach.

I will be using 12.5% liquid chlorine (it's 2.99 per gal at local Menards)

Pool calc says I should add 301oz of the liquid chlorine to bring the FC to 16 (Chlorine/CYA chart says this for my current CYA level)

Pool store reading
FC - 0
TC - 0
CYA - 40
CH - 200
TA - 120
PH - 7.6
Iron/copper - 0
Phosphates - 500 (ignoring this)

Pool - 18.4k gal, AGP vinyl, Sand filter (Hayward S210T), Hayward two speed 1.5 HP pump (Hayward SP15932S).

I will upload a more recent picture once I get home tonight.

Thanks in advance to everyone that helps/yells at me in this forum.

 

[jblizzle]

Stop trusting pool store testing. There was likely no need for the baking soda.
Wait for your test kit to arrive.

 

[Razorhog]

Sounds like you're off to a great start! Not sure what a 2 way drop test is, but it's better than nothing. I wouldn't trust the pool store's reading of 40ppm CYA, but it's all you have to go on so.. I'd bring the FC up to 16 and keep it there. Hope your test kit arrives soon.

 

[magik1017]

Jbizzle.

The attached picture is why they told me to add baking soda/chlorine, I was there strictly for "water" readings. The guy marked the "issues" and wrote what needed to be added. The results in my first post are about 38 hours after I added the Baking soda and chlorine, the picture in this post is before the chlorine and baking soda.

This particular place (pool store s) puts your water in a machine (spinning carbon disk maybe) and it "gives the results" not someone putting dropping different things in the water sample like at pool store L. This place also doesn't try getting you to buy their expensive chemicals, at least not yet lol.

I just needed something/someone else to verify what my little cheapo test kit i had from Walmart.

 

[jblizzle]

My point is ... a TA of 120 is much higher than we recommend ... and there is no way to know if 1 or the other of the test results was just garbage to start with ... which is not unlikely.

I would be more likely (still not much) to trust a person doing the drops than some machine designed by a pool chemical company that may or may not have been calibrated properly and may or may not have been used properly that then spits out a list of all of their chemicals you should buy.

 

[mknauss]

One thing I see it is hard to accept a TA reading of 34 with a pH of 7.8.

In the future never add large amounts of chemicals at once. Adding 30 ppm TA worth of Baking Soda would have been OK. Your TA now is a bit high and will push your pH higher until you lower the TA into the 60-80 range.

Take care.

 

[magik1017]

I didn't put it it all in at once, I was told to wait a few hours between adding the baking soda and the chlorine.

The reason I didn't trust Leslie pool supply, the individual doing the drop test, forgot how many drops he put in several times during the testing and just guessed. He also then stated I should get phosfree and a bunch more different chemicals including metalfree even tho his test showed there was zero metal in the pool. I will upload a picture of that test taken 5/15/2018 once im off work in 3 hours.

After the baking soda and liquid chlorine the pool is light blue and I can see down about 2 feet before it gets too cloudy. And for that I'm grateful, it only cost me $9.

The reason I came here is to learn to do the stuff myself such as testing and slamming, which is why i purchased the kit everyone else uses. I brushed up on the topics and I feel pretty comfy with all the lingo and math. There's been nothing but issues since last week that forced me to open the pool (cover ripped and didn't notice so there was tons of alge, pool plumbing broke, return fitting gave out, old pump died).

This is a bit different than international investments, but I'll get the hang of it. I went to "trusted" places to get a baseline so the dark green water wouldn't go black.

 

[jblizzle]

I went to "trusted" places to get a baseline so the dark green water wouldn't go black.

This is where we are diverging ... very few members here would consider pool store testing as a "trusted" source.

Luckily, you were smart enough to avoid all the non-sense expensive chemicals. Adding more baking soda that you likely needed is not that big of a deal.

I think you are well on your way to getting the hang of it. Just suggest you forget about the pool store testing once you have your own kit.

Until then, just add a bottle of bleach every day.

 

[magik1017]

Yeah I'm impatiently waiting for it to finally arrive. Went to pool store after work to get a new skimmer basket, had them check the water and look at the difference a day (and a new person) makes. Water is more clear than yesterday (I can also see further down into the pool). I've been running the filter 24/7 on the lower speed.

I added some bleach as well. Per the store I now have zero CYA, so that test kit needs to hurry before I go crazy and add some stabilizer.

 

[jblizzle]

The first picture you added also put the CYA level at near 0 ... so are the two 0s wrong or the 40?

Uh-Oh! Your phosphate level doubled

 

[magik1017]

Those darn phosphates lol.
Got impatient with the waiting and got a test kit from Leslie, its a k2006. I have zero CYA, but my FC is at 8 (i added 2 bottles of liquid chlorine yesterday evening as it looked like it was about to storm).

Whats the best product to use to raise the CYA? I saw some people use a sock with granular stuff in it, but there's also a liquid version at home Depot I believe. Per the pool calc to raise the CYA to 40, I would need 255oz of liquid stabilizer or 102 oz by volume of stabilizer.

The water is still blue but cloudy. There's nothing in the floater, it's just there so I can make sure the water is circulating at night from the bedroom.

 

[Mr Bruce]

The liquid CYA is very expensive. The granular stuff is available at Lowes/Home Depot and Wal-Mart. Make sure it's 100% cyanuric acid with no "Blue" in the product name. Put it in a sock, tie the end off and hang it in front of a return. Squeeze it to help it dissolve faster.

 

[magik1017]

Thank you Bruce, i plan on getting the stuff in this picture from Lowe's shortly.

 

[splashpad]

Thank you Bruce, i plan on getting the stuff in this picture from Lowe's shortly.{pic/Clorox Stabilizer}

Perfect, use PoolMath for how much is needed to reach: Goal/30-40, then use 75% (to account for miscalculations) put it in a sock and hang it in front of a return (not touching pool wall) You COULD put the sock in your empty floater (it's clean of all chemicals yes?) but it would take longer to disperse in the water that way.

 

[kellyfair]

Magik, if you are impatient like me, get your hands in the water and squish that sock! I actually jumped in yesterday and walked around, squishing the last of it.

 

[magik1017]

Actually starting to too the bottom as I couldn't yesterday.

Yeah going forward I will double check my knots lol.... I put a little in one tube sock in front of the return fitting and just squeezed it every so often to see how it worked (white cloud evaporated fast, so did the stuff). So i filled a second tube sock and was going to tie it in front of the return fitting, it held for like 5 seconds then fell into the pool. Without thinking, I jumped into the pool to retrieve it and had to climb out as I don't have my steps installed...

I stood in front of the return fitting just squeezing until it was all gone, it didn't take long. I'll wait a day or so to check the CYA level.

Learn from me folks and double check your knots.

 

[kellyfair]

And install steps before jumping in!