What a mess!
- Thread starter cindyslou
- Start date
I would not hold off on adding bleach. Your pool needs CL to clear it up and a lot of CL over the next few days. An accurate CYA will tell just how much but I would just assume it's on the low side based on your comments and start from there. I'd probably assume a CYA of ~ 30 - 40 and add CL accordingly. You might as well throw in that 8 gallons of bleach because all the algae is going to use it all up pretty quickly. You're going to have to maintain shock levels of CL for the next 2 or 3 days which is going to take a lot more bleach. You will find that your FC is going to go down rather quickly when you add because of the contaminants. You need a large amount of FC to sanitize everything. You must maintain FC at shock levels. You can add the bleach at night and test your CL then retest CL in the morning and get a good idea what your demand is from the petri dish. You're going to need to test, add, test, add, test, add in order to maintain shock levels over the next few days. You may want to add some DE to your sand filter to help filter better. I'm not sure how often you may need to backwash your sand filter as I have a DE filter but it's pretty often with a DE filter as the pressure builds up quickly as it's filtering out crud.
AHA!!! I thought I had ordered a refill kit last summer - found it. It had a small bottle of R13 so I rechecked my water with that and still can see the black dot when the tube is full!! The kit is stored inside my house - so the reagents should be good huh? I added about 15 oz of muriatic acid. So should I get stabilizer & get that going so I can start the slam? I could go over to Wal Mart & get some. And Pool Math is telling me 178 oz. of stabilizer - does that sound right?
Are you adding liquid stabilizer? That sounds too much of granular stabilizer. How much PPM of CYA are you trying to add? I would go slow and first add enough to get to about 20 - 30 ppm CYA. I'm not thinking your pool is at CYA = 0. There should be some in the pool especially if your ex was using the SWG. I would start the SLAM immediately and slowly start adding stabilizer. It can take up to a week for the stabilizer to dissolve for testing. If you put too much in, you are going to have to drain the pool to lower it, so go slow. The test is a bit hard for new users as seeing the dot can be very subjective. You need to start slamming asap. The longer you wait the more the nasties multiply.
So just pour all the bleach in with the pump running - I won't be here all day tomorrow - that's ok? And the skimmer is not pulling much through - think the line is clogged up?
yeah, just pour all the bleach ideally with the pump running. You don't need to be there to watch. You probably need to backwash your filter if the pressure is high or it seems as if the lines are clogged up. You should be able to google your sand filter type and see on youtube how to backwash.
You're going to need constant bleach over the next few days. You need to maintain the FC shock level over the entire slam. You're going to lose FC while the pool is sanitizing.The pool should go from green to cloudy blue then eventually clear blue. Patience and maintaining Proper shock level is crucial.
You're going to need constant bleach over the next few days. You need to maintain the FC shock level over the entire slam. You're going to lose FC while the pool is sanitizing.The pool should go from green to cloudy blue then eventually clear blue. Patience and maintaining Proper shock level is crucial.
I've also gone at much higher FC shock levels when I was slamming my plaster pool (like 2x or 3x normal shock levels) and knew I wasn't able to watch it for a day or 2. I don't think high chlorine can damage plaster (maybe others can confirm). I know high chlorine levels will cause a false high pH reading, so you should get your PH in the proper range first. I don't recommend swimming in high CL but you're not swimming for a few days anyway.
Also, do I need a wire brush for the walls instead of the plastic type?
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Plastic works if you don't have algae growing in the plaster. If you have deep inbedded black algae you may need to use wire. Chlorine is the equalizer. You must get sustained CL in there to clear it up.
Thanks mac4lyfe - think I do need one with my swampy mess!
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Quick update - yesterday evening I poured 8 gallons of bleach in. Started brushing - it had already started turning more of a green than brown by bedtime! Yay - and I can now sew my 2nd step. So what to do this evening - brush some more, check the chlorine level, maybe start vacuuming? I'm just so excited that it's started to clear up a teeny bit even! Oh - went up to Atwood's and bought 20 gallons of 10% chlorine for $1.88 a gallon & muriatic acid for $2.88. WooHoo!!!!
Get any and all heavy stuff out you can with a net/leaf rake, whatever before you vac the pool. Depending on what's down there, it may plug hour pump/filter off very quickly. After that, you cannot brush too much. These early stages will need a close eye on the filter, and lots of Chlorine dosing, just like before.
This should be old hat to you now. :lol:
Stay at it, follow SLAM to the letter, and it will come around.
This should be old hat to you now. :lol:
Stay at it, follow SLAM to the letter, and it will come around.
Wow, those are GREAT prices. We don't have an Atwood's in Houston and I can't find CL or MA for that cheap anywhere. Keep loading up the CL and your pool will soon be clean.
- - - Updated - - -
^ It's looking better. All that black algae looks to be gone which is great. Keep slamming...
Thanks Patrick! This pic is from this morning - I have scooped a bunch out - wish I could see deep end bottom so I could scoop it more!
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Adding DE to a sand filter is a great way to take clean pool with a sand filter "to the next level", but I also have a Pentair sand filter and I find it very effective at trapping algae and other debris. I recommend holding off on DE until your water is clear. I had to backwash several times during my SLAM. When I was done, I backwashed a final time and then added DE to catch super-fine particles that may get through the sand. I also regret buying a large box of DE. It's a lifetime supply! I wish I had checked with pool owning friends and neighbors to see if I could just get a few cups from someone with a DE filter.
That's another question I have about backwashing - won't it wash my chlorine out as I'm backwashing? And I've read about DE. Where do I get it and how to add it to the filter?
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It will remove water from your pool, but as long as your pump is providing decent circulation the FC in the waste water will/should be proportionate to that in the pool. Here's how to add DE: Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter
As far as obtaining it goes, I recommend asking nearby pool owners if they have a DE filter, and if so, ask for just a few cups. I couldn't find a small qty. My lifetime supply came from Home Depot and cost less than $20, but pool DE can be hazardous and I'd rather not store it unnecessarily.
As far as obtaining it goes, I recommend asking nearby pool owners if they have a DE filter, and if so, ask for just a few cups. I couldn't find a small qty. My lifetime supply came from Home Depot and cost less than $20, but pool DE can be hazardous and I'd rather not store it unnecessarily.
Wonder if I could order from Amazon - being that I live out in the sticks [emoji12]
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