Where do I start??

[Honourks]

I have been reading forums all day. I have had trouble holding chlorine all summer. I used to have cya in 40-50 range. Now it is in 70 range. I cannot find chlorine pucks without cya in it at any pool stores. I have been backwashing everyday to decrease my cya but it keeps going up because of my chlorine pucks. I use granular shock (hypocal) but have used liquid chlorine in the past. I feel like I see better results with the granular shock.

My pool started getting mustard algae after all the rain the Midwest has been having. It got to the point where it is super cloudy. We added 10 cups of shock and it was so milky and could not see bottom. After four days, it is clearer but still cloudy. Cannot see the bottom of the deep end.

We have a chlorine pool, sand filter, vinyl pool. It is 40,000 gallons. I feel like I spend thousands on putting shock into this pool. Should I continue to drain the pool via backwashing and rinsing and replace the water? Find chlorine pucks without cya? Use liquid chlorine to SLAM the pool? I have been reading forums but I am still very confused. I want to cry.

Ph 7.6
alkalinity 109
cya 70
phosphates 40
calcium hardness 176
free chlorine .7
total chlorine .7

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! Some key points to your situation:
1 - You'll never see ideal progress/results unless you are testing your water with a TF-Series test kit (link in my signature) or Taylor K-2006C. Pool stores do inconsistent testing at best.
2 - If you have algae, you need to follow the SLAM Process. It works when followed properly, and you'll need a proper test kit.
3 - Liquid chlorine. That's it. Tabs and cal-hypo all have side effects. Liquid does not. Maybe next season look at a Salt Water Generator, but for now you need to use liquid chlorine to maintain the proper FC level as noted on the FC/CYA Levels..
Also see our Pool Care Basics for very important articles. Enjoy the forum.

 

[kimkats]

Use liquid chlorine to SLAM the pool?

There is your answer! This and all of this! Just in case you don't have the SLAM link bookmarked here it is : SLAM Process

 

[V___25]

Don't get discouraged!
Main things to do at this point:
1. get a good test kit
2. Read all the stuff in Pool School on SLAM
3. get a good source of liquid chlorine and buy as much as can fit in your trunk!
4. If you don't have a test kit yet, use the PoolMath app to add 5ppm of liquid chlorine every day until that kit arrives (given your pool size, this could easily be a gallon or more).
5. Brush, brush, brush

when you have that test kit, post a full set of results and begin your SLAM.

 

[Honourks]

Welcome to TFP! Some key points to your situation:
1 - You'll never see ideal progress/results unless you are testing your water with a TF-Series test kit (link in my signature) or Taylor K-2006C. Pool stores do inconsistent testing at best.
2 - If you have algae, you need to follow the SLAM Process. It works when followed properly, and you'll need a proper test kit.
3 - Liquid chlorine. That's it. Tabs and cal-hypo all have side effects. Liquid does not. Maybe next season look at a Salt Water Generator, but for now you need to use liquid chlorine to maintain the proper FC level as noted on the FC/CYA Levels..
Also see our Pool Care Basics for very important articles. Enjoy the forum.

Should I try to get my CYA down first?

 

[Honourks]

Don't get discouraged!
Main things to do at this point:
1. get a good test kit
2. Read all the stuff in Pool School on SLAM
3. get a good source of liquid chlorine and buy as much as can fit in your trunk!
4. If you don't have a test kit yet, use the PoolMath app to add 5ppm of liquid chlorine every day until that kit arrives (given your pool size, this could easily be a gallon or more).
5. Brush, brush, brush

when you have that test kit, post a full set of results and begin your SLAM.

Should I get my CYA down first?

 

[PoolStored]

Should I try to get my CYA down first?

Given the number of pools we have helped to recover, I would say, yes.

Read the section on "no drain water exchange" and exchange about 40% of your pool volume, then follow this process. Link-->SLAM Process

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Honourks]

Welcome to TFP! Some key points to your situation:
1 - You'll never see ideal progress/results unless you are testing your water with a TF-Series test kit (link in my signature) or Taylor K-2006C. Pool stores do inconsistent testing at best.
2 - If you have algae, you need to follow the SLAM Process. It works when followed properly, and you'll need a proper test kit.
3 - Liquid chlorine. That's it. Tabs and cal-hypo all have side effects. Liquid does not. Maybe next season look at a Salt Water Generator, but for now you need to use liquid chlorine to maintain the proper FC level as noted on the FC/CYA Levels..
Also see our Pool Care Basics for very important articles. Enjoy the forum.

Hi! I have watched many videos about the SLAM method. but I still am a little confused. I am going to get cya to 45 by draining. I will get my ph down to 7.3. Because I have 43,000 gallons- pool math notes to do 12 gallons per volume (which they note is not recommended). Does 12 gallons by volume mean 48 gallons????? or is it just 12 gallons? Since it is not recommended to do all at once, how much should I do at a time and what does the timing look like?

 

[mc2021]

Assuming your cya will be 50 (we round up) your slam chlorine level will be 20ppm. If you were at zero, you would need 7 gallons of 12.5% chlorine. You can add it all at once, just slowly with the pump on. When it says gallon, it means a gallon, not the entire case.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Thats a big pool, but keep in mind this is not a one-time addition.

You will need to use x number of gallons to get you to SLAM level, x number of gallons to keep you at SLAM level (could be a few days, could be a week or more), then you will still need liquid chlorine to put in on a regular basis in your sparkling clear pool post SLAM.

In my area Walmart is the best place to find liquid chlorine, which will be 10% strength. So for your pool, 1 gallon would raise the FC by 2.3.

 

[Brian PacNW]

“by volume” instead of “by weight”. Maybe it’s trying to be helpful for those cases where an ounce of matter has a different volume than one fluid ounce. Sometimes I need to add 15 ounces by weight according to the app; I get out my cup measurer rather than my scale.