TFP pre-SLAM

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Maureen03

Maureen03

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Jun 25, 2020
74
New Smyrna Beach, FL
Pool Size
5000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
SWG Type
Solaxx (Saltron) Reliant / Purechlor R4
7 months, dead sit, no power. Getting the crud out. Now keeping chlorine around slam level till official slam start. SWG not in use till … later. Concerned about inside the ladder algae (not yet bolted to pool top ledge). Asking for personal experiences, opinions, tips, and rationales on anything here.
 
Yank the ladder out & clean/scrub it inside & out.
Some have had luck with a pressure washer.
Leave it out.
Lower ph to 7.2 & Proceed with the
SLAM Process when your pump is up & running.
IMG_9495.jpeg
 
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Mdragger88 said:
Yank the ladder out & clean/scrub it inside & out.
Some have had luck with a pressure washer.
Leave it out.
Lower ph to 7.2 & Proceed with the
SLAM Process when your pump is up & running.
View attachment 562251
Click to expand...
I have not officially started the slam process though I have kept chlorine levels close to slam level. Thought I would just filter some Crud out first- make any sense to you?
Also I will take the ladder out today. I don’t think I can clean it thoroughly inside-I wonder about injecting chlorine into it?
 
Maureen03 said:
I have not officially started the slam process though I have kept chlorine levels close to slam level. Thought I would just filter some Crud out first- make any sense to you?
Also I will take the ladder out today. I don’t think I can clean it thoroughly inside-I wonder about injecting chlorine into it?
Click to expand...
No time like the present.
While you’re “not slamming” stuff is proliferating.
The more organic material you remove the less chlorine you will use to clear the pool. So scoop, vac, filter etc.
You may need to modify the ladder to make it possible to clean it.
Like drilling bigger holes in specific places to be able to get a brush or pressure nozzle in etc.
Something that makes them easier to clean preventatively while they are in the pool too & allows for the pool’s chlorinated water to flow more freely through them.
Post a picture of your steps for good ideas.
Many here have found creative ways to inject their steps/ladders with bleach- turkey baster, squirt gun, garden sprayer etc.
When cleaning the steps outside of the pool I often reach for the clorox cleanup because the foam coats well instead of running everywhere but a 50/50 bleach/water solution is fine too. Clorox cleanup contains surfactants so you must rinse well before putting them back in the pool.
Clean out your bleach injection vessel well too so it doesn’t get ruined.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
No time like the present.
While you’re “not slamming” stuff is proliferating.
The more organic material you remove the less chlorine you will use to clear the pool. So scoop, vac, filter etc.
You may need to modify the ladder to make it possible to clean it.
Like drilling bigger holes in specific places to be able to get a brush or pressure nozzle in etc.
Something that makes them easier to clean preventatively while they are in the pool too & allows for the pool’s chlorinated water to flow more freely through them.
Post a picture of your steps for good ideas.
Many here have found creative ways to inject their steps/ladders with bleach- turkey baster, squirt gun, garden sprayer etc.
When cleaning the steps outside of the pool I often reach for the clorox cleanup because the foam coats well instead of running everywhere but a 50/50 bleach/water solution is fine too. Clorox cleanup contains surfactants so you must rinse well before putting them back in the pool.
Clean out your bleach injection vessel well too so it doesn’t get ruined.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I did go ahead and start the SLAM, ladder is out and at least rinse inside and out. Will clean thoroughly Saturday. I like the ideas for cleaning the ladder.
 
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You have made great progress! May I ask a couple of questions for future SLAMers.

-How often are you testing and adding chlorine?
-What kind of chlorine are you using?

Keep it up and you will be able to swim as soon as the water gets warm enough!!
 
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Just so you know-
it is safe to swim so long as:
*FC is between min & slam level for your cya
* you can see the bottom of the deep end for swimmer safety
&
* PH is in the 7’s
 
kimkats said:
You have made great progress! May I ask a couple of questions for future SLAMers.

-How often are you testing and adding chlorine?
-What kind of chlorine are you using?

Keep it up and you will be able to swim as soon as the water gets warm enough!!
Click to expand...
Yes. Trying to stick to the TFP recommendations for checking and maintaining FC levels. Blind scooped a lot of very decayed leaves prior to getting pump connected after 7 months of stirring chlorine in intermittently with an oar. Using pool store chlorine and cartridge filter now. For what my starting stabilizer level was, my free chlorine should stay at 20- I aim for just a little above that to cover it being used in the process and keep it from going below SLAM. I ran pump 24/7 except for daily cleaning of filter (hose spray). When I had to work, I had someone put in an estimated amount of chlor (missed on my first work day though)

Day 0 April 2+3 till 3pm, stabilizer was 40-50, then trying to start higher chlorine dosing using an oar to mix but not officially slaming. FC was 16 and I added 24 oz more. Picture by my name is what pool looked like at start of that day.

Day 1 (partial day 16 hrs) April 3rd- 3pm with new filter and pump power initiated, working till April 4th 7am, ran for 16 hrs. I cleaned the filter- thick green; FC may have started at slam level but was 16.5 a bit later in the morning of day 2. OFFICIALLY start SLAM 7am April 4th.

Day 2 April 4th~ 7a rinse filter 3.5 hrs later FC was 16.5 (too low) two hrs later I added 21oz chlorine. 2.5 hr later rinsed filter (8 hrs since last rinse). Five hrs since last check-FC is 15 added 30oz chlor. Four hrs since last check FC is 15.5 (using very fast and allowed to get too low again) and added 27oz and rechecked after 10 minutes FC 20.5.

Day 3, April 5th~7a rinsed filter, FC check 17.5 added 15 oz. Missed mid day chlor dose, eleven hours later FC was 8.5. Added 70oz chlor ten min wait then recheck FC 25.5

Day 4, April 6th 8am FC 21.0 (not sure why but I added 32 oz chlor. Cleaned filter and brushed pool. Three hrs since last chlor check and FC is 22.5 one hour later (in sun) no change, 2.5 hrs later FC is 18.5 added 16 oz, recheck showed 18.5 again added 9oz rechecked 3 hrs later FC 16.5 and replaced DPT powder with new.

Day 5, April 7th ~ morn FC 21.0. Afernoon-vacuumed, rinsed filter FC 19, 14 oz added. Two hr later FC 17.5 added 24oz chlor. Recheck after 30 min FC 24.
……….
 
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You’ve come a long way in 5 days!
Btw- No need to recheck immediately after chlorine additions unless you suspect its not as potent as it should be. As you’ll really run through your reagents.
Just test and then replenish slam level as often as you can reasonably accomplish. Aiming for every 2 hours at the start (why we suggest starting on the weekend/off days) then at least 3- 4x’s a day after fc starts holding for a little longer is a good idea. You’ll be sparkling before you know it!
Just noticed your location - I have great childhood memories from New Smyrna Beach 🏖️
 
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Mdragger88 said:
You’ve come a long way in 5 days!
Btw- No need to recheck immediately after chlorine additions unless you suspect its not as potent as it should be. As you’ll really run through your reagents.
Just test and then replenish slam level as often as you can reasonably accomplish. Aiming for every 2 hours at the start (why we suggest starting on the weekend/off days) then at least 3- 4x’s a day after fc starts holding for a little longer is a good idea. You’ll be sparkling before you know it!
Just noticed your location - I have great childhood memories from New Smyrna Beach 🏖️
Click to expand...
Visiting or living for a while? It’s still a nice place!
 
Can I check my stabilizer at some point during my SLAM? My pH was a little higher than recommended, should I pause my SLAM by letting my chlorine go down to check it, or is keeping it up the priority?
 
Your cya shouldn’t really change unless you did something that would change it (exchange water, add cya)
If fc falls below 10ppm check ph, adjust if needed & then carry on with slam but it shows 7.6 at last check when your fc was 16ppm - generally the ph test goes falsely high as fc increases over 10ppm so it’s probably fine.
 
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SLAM is going GREAT. I figure if the algae is in the pool it's in the steps. I pulled them out took them apart. Confer plastics 7100X - drilled some more holes for water flow with the plan of working with the water flow- in one side top and out the other side bottom. I should have read what others did before doing mine, but too late to use the top injection/bottom drain precisely right but I am close to the plan.

Question-After spraying steps inside and out with Clorox Cleanup and thoroughly rinsing should I:

Soak in a 50/50 solution (but can't fit all long parts in? How long to soak?
Reassemble and let them finish in the water with the pool SLAM?
Other?
 

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With them all apart I would let them dry out completely. Anything still in there will die.


In a couple days i would dunk, fill and swish them with pool water for a minute each then drain somewhere in the yard. Then reassemble and put back in the pool.
 

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