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Ok, I'm going to try the method linked above to ship over the border to get a test kit from Test Kits.

Which one should I be getting? "TF-PRO *SALT WITH SMART STIR-FOR POOLS WITH SWG"?

Any of the options? Obviously due to shipping costs I want to get the most bang for my buck in a single shipment.

I've read the smart-stir is helpful.
 
The pro is AWESOME!!! You will need to add the k-1766 with only the TF-100 and the smart stir is one of the best purchases you can make. You’d have to pry it out of *ANY* of our cold dead hands. Not once had anyone came back disappointed with it. With all we recommend it, and purchase it ourselves.

So the pro kit is the way to go for a newb with salt. (y)(y)
 
Also..... to ‘put my money where my mouth is’... I have a TF-100 that still has enough reagents to get some time and am building again after moving. I will be buying a pro kit to start fresh and also for the cool new case. The TF-100 case was very functional but left a bit to be desired. :)
 
KevinBond said:
Ok, to clarify, this one? TF-Pro *Salt with Smart Stir-for pools with SWG
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Exactly that one (y)
KevinBond said:
pH meter?
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A fun toy for some but it needs to be calibrated fairly often and stored a certain way. Most skip it.
KevinBond said:
Salt test strips?
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No. Far less accurate than the k-1766 that you’ll already be getting. The test is easy enough once a month. No need to make it easier.
KevinBond said:
Xl option?
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Great buy for newbs learning to test. You will take a few tries to get the hang of it and the XL will give you plenty to play with. Also great for clearing swamps that need many more tests and deplete the normal supply quickly.
KevinBond said:
Standard sampler
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A great tool to make testing easier. You fill the vial completely and shove in the sample sizer to get quick measurements. It’s easy enough to do by eye so it’s great, but not essential, and up to you.
 
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Ok, I ordered that test kit. I'm guessing it will be a few weeks before I get it... For the record, I followed @MostlyCanuck's instructions here. Thank you @MostlyCanuck! I would have never thought of this method.

In the meantime, @needsajet (and/or others of course), can I take you up on your offer for a "flying mostly blind" SLAM? It's supposed to be nice this weekend finally and it would be nice to be able to go in.

I only have the test strips to go by right now. I did get a water test from my local pool store and they said I need to shock it.

I vacuumed as best I could yesterday (I can't see the bottom of the deep end), backwashed and added 10L (2.64 gal) of liquid chlorine last night. This morning it looked to be ~3ppm FC so I added another 10L (2.64 gal). For the last 6-7 hours the strips show it's maxed (10+ppm). The shallow end is looking much clearer but still can't see the bottom of the deep end. I've been seeing a white oily film on the surface all day today - is that a good thing? The water is more blue than green but opaque blue in the deep end.
 
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You need to be able to see the bottom of the deep end for swimmer safety. If you can’t, someone could be drowning and you wouldn’t know.

Of course the ‘Buddy system’ would work but be extra vigilant about your Buddy and that they are ok and vice versa. :)
 
It can go from fun to utter panic in mere seconds. From there it’s 5 mins or less to an utter tragedy. Sorry to be so grim, but its that important.
 
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So, I retested the water (with the strips) and the chlorine is still maxed (~ 11 hours since I last added chlorine). My current thinking/plan is this:
  1. Do nothing more tonight
  2. Test chlorine in morning
  3. Vacuum tomorrow morning
  4. Back-flush if necessary
  5. If chlorine has lowered and pool is still opaque, add more?
Any thoughts/advise?

BTW, my SWG is currently set at 50% - should I have turned if off as the SLAM document advises? If so, how do I do that? Just set it to 0%?
 
As far as "flying mostly blind SLAM, I'll need to know something about your CYA level, and also whether or not you have the usual "4 in 1" test kit for getting started at the right pH (7.2) for the chlorine to be the most effective it can be.

So for CYA, you may have a number from pool store testing, which is better than nothing, but not especially reliable. If you have a record of the weight of all solid forms of chlorine (trichlor pucks and/or dichlor powder) that have been added, that would be more reliable. Also any quantity of stabilizer added.

Let me know if you have the "4-in-1 test kit" which would have a rough chlorine test (deepness of pink), a pH test with acid demand reagent, and an alkalinity test.

Also, let me know as much as you know about your CYA level (aka stabiliser, aka cyanuric acid).

Also, list whatever you know, as follows:

FC X.X ppm
CC X.X ppm
pH X.X
TA XX ppm
CH XX ppm
CYA XX ppm

If it's pool store, just include (PS) after each result.

If it looks like your proper test kit is going to make it, and relatively soon, we can abandon this and wait and do it properly. If you can see the bottom of the pool, you can swim as long pH is between 7.2 and 7.8, and FC is reasonable relative to stablizer.
 
The SWG won't be hurt by a SLAM. It can just make things hard to follow and understand what's happening. Until you actually start trying to kill off the algae, you can keep on using it. Once you have a reliable test kit, it can be used for maintaining the chlorine at SLAM level, but must be off for the OCLT test when the SLAM is being checked for completion.
 
For clearing algae in places where a proper test kit can't be obtained, we have to be a bit inventive. Therefore, henceforth, we will not call this a SLAM, because that could be confusing to anyone reading this thread. By rights, it's not a SLAM which is a specific TFPC process which relies on knowing everything that's going on.

So how bout we call it an SS for sustained shock?
 
needsajet said:
and also whether or not you have the usual "4 in 1" test kit for getting started at the right pH (7.2)
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Yes, I have the 4 in 1 strips (pH, FC, TA, stabilizer)
needsajet said:
So for CYA, you may have a number from pool store testing, which is better than nothing, but not especially reliable.
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This may be tough, see below...
needsajet said:
So how bout we call it an SS for sustained shock?
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Sounds good!

Ok, so this morning the FC was lower, ~3ppm (on strip test). The water was pretty clear and I was able to vacuum the entire pool. Now the deep end is kind of cloudy again but I can see the bottom. I'm guessing vacuuming stirred stuff up. The filter was very dirty so I back flushed after vacuuming. I haven't added anything to the pool yet today.

I took a water sample to a pool store and these are the results:
FC 3 ppm (PS)
CC 0 ppm (PS)
pH 7.4 (PS) Note: on my strip, this looks lower - closer to 6.8
TA 110 ppm (PS)
CH 300 ppm (PS)
CYA 0 ppm (PS) Note: on my test strip, this looks closer to the 30-50 color. Last week, a different pool store said 48ppm...

Looking for what I should do next. Would you consider the pool "swimmable"?

I don't think I'll be getting a proper test kit until late next week...

Question: can I be putting the solar cover on over night yet?
 

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