Algae recovery

Hi, it's your poolboy here, and you'll be saying "wow" every time you can actually see the deep end.

Raise it. Maintain it. Prove it overnight.

The pitch

It's like shock, it's like science, it's like a pool-cleaning boot camp.

A regular shock says, "Dump it in and hope."

SLAM says, "Test it, raise it, maintain it, prove it."

The promise

The SLAMWOW method is chlorine, testing, brushing, filtering, patience.

This is for the pool that needs more than another bag of shock.

The green pool.

The cloudy pool.

The "we went on vacation and came back to soup" pool.

The pool where the ladder is growing fur.

The pool where you say, "I shocked it three times!" and the algae says, "That's cute."

Now look at this

FC, CC, and CYA tell you where shock level really is.

You following me, camera guy? You don't just throw in a bag and walk away. No, no, no. That's how you work twice as hard.

Free chlorine

The good stuff still ready to work.

Combined chlorine

Used-up chlorine telling you it's been fighting something.

CYA

Stabilizer

Great in the sun, but too much of it and your chlorine needs backup.

Common SLAM targets

You don't guess the shock level. You match it to the stabilizer.

30 CYA

Around 12 FC

40 CYA

Around 16 FC

50 CYA

Around 20 FC

Use the quick SLAM calculator

Before chlorine goes high

Test first, fix pH, then bring in plain liquid chlorine.

Use a FAS-DPD kit

Not a strip you found in a drawer from 2019. SLAM chlorine levels get high and you need real numbers.

Fix pH first

Bring it down around 7.2 to 7.5, because once chlorine gets high, the pH test starts acting like it's in witness protection.

Use liquid chlorine

Sodium hypochlorite. Fast. Direct. No CYA. No calcium. It just does the work.

Read the label

Some chlorine products bring things you may not want.

Trichlor tabs

You using trichlor tabs for a SLAM? That adds CYA.

Dichlor shock

You using dichlor shock over and over? That adds CYA.

Cal-hypo

Maybe fine, but check your calcium, because that stuff brings calcium to the party.

Splashless laundry bleach

Absolutely not. Plain chlorine only.

The cadence

Test. Dose. Brush. Filter. Repeat.

Now we're gonna do this in real time. You don't let the chlorine drop and say, "Well, I shocked it yesterday." No. You test again. You dose again. You maintain.

1Test the FC.
2Add enough liquid chlorine to hit shock level.
3Pump on.
4Brush the walls.
5Brush the steps.
6Brush behind the ladder.
7Brush the light niche.
8Vacuum the bottom.
9Clean the filter.

Algae on top, algae on the walls, dead algae in the filter. That's gonna cloud. That's gonna clog. That's gonna make you think nothing's happening. But the chlorine's doing the work.

First day? Check every couple hours if you can. Chlorine disappears fast because it's chewing through algae, sunscreen, leaves, pollen, and whatever that mystery gunk is in the corner. Later, it holds longer. That's how you know you're winning.

Don't be fooled by blue-cloudy water. Blue-cloudy is not done. Blue-cloudy means "keep going." You want crystal. Not "better." Not "pretty good." Crystal.

The finish line

Three tests. Count them.

If all three pass, you're done. Let the chlorine drift back down to normal target range, keep your FC matched to your CYA, and now the pool sells itself.

Water is crystal clear

You can actually see the deep end.

CC is 0.5 or lower

Combined chlorine is 0.5 or lower.

Overnight loss is 1 ppm or less

Test after sunset and before sunrise. No sun, no excuses.

What not to buy

Stop throwing away your money.

You're gonna spend twenty dollars on random shock, clarifier, algaecide, phosphate remover, magic blue sparkle juice--throwing away your money.

This is for vinyl. This is for plaster. This is for fiberglass. This is for salt pools too, because salt pools are chlorine pools--your cell just makes the chlorine slower than a SLAM needs it.

Safety matters

Clean the pool. Keep the chemistry separate.

Don't mix chlorine and acid.
Don't mix different chlorines.
Don't use the same scoop for cal-hypo and trichlor.
Don't add water to chemicals. Add chemicals to water.
Wear gloves. Wear eye protection.
Store chemicals dry, cool, separate, and labeled.

One pause

Clear green water may be metal, not algae.

If your water is clear green, not cloudy green, hold on. That could be copper or iron. Metals need a metal plan. Algae gets SLAMmed. Metals get tested.

But wait. There's more.

We're giving away Poolometers.

But you have to act now because we can't do this all day.

You log it, you dose it, you maintain it.

Claim your Poolometer Use the quick SLAM calculator

Educational guidance only. Verify labels, manuals, local code, and site conditions before acting. Stop for electrical, gas, structural, drain, drowning, injury, emergency, or chemical-mixing risk.

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