Chemicals Gone Wild

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Marci M

Marci M

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LifeTime Supporter
Jul 23, 2015
102
Kapolei, Hawaii
Help! Pool newbie, just got my TF-100 test kit. I have been using strips until my kit came in the mail. (very inaccurate results.)

My actual results are:
FC: 1.5
CC: 1
Ph: 7.2
TA: 190
CH: 125
Cya: >100

I use 3" tabs regularly via inline chlorinator. I have added ph up almost daily. I still can't maintain a decent level.
Just got over a bout of mustard and green algae last week. (Used yellow treat, shock and liquid chlorine.) Algae is no longer present, but chemical levels are all over the place and I'm clueless.

I'd appreciate any help you can give me.

Mahalo!
 
Welcome!

Congrats on your purchase of a proper test kit, this is your first step to Trouble Free Pool Care.

I advise you have a read through Pool School, especially the ABC's of Water Chemistry.

Your FC is way too low for your CYA level, the algae is winning, and with that CYA level you'll need a small loan to purchase the bleach (chlorine) you will need for a proper S.L.A.M. to kill it.

You will need to lower that CYA level, and unfortunately that requires draining a portion of the water and re-filling with new water.

STOP using powdered shock and 3" chlorinating tablets. These item are the root cause of your high CYA as that is the binder used to create a "solid" form of chlorine. You should sanitize with only chlorine, aka bleach.

Be aware of the water table in your area, if it is high you can only drain a small % of the pool at a time so it does not float out of the ground!

We can help you get your pool back under your control, but you need to follow the advise given.

Dom
 
Welcome to TFP! Dom gives you some great advice...you can get a better idea of your cya by diluting your pool water with tap water. Mix equal amounts of pool water with tap water, test your cya and multiply your results by 2. If your water has a super high cya level you might have to dilute your water 1 to 3. If that is the case add one part pool water to two parts tap water and multiply your result by 3.
 
Hi Dom,

Thank you for your direction. I will read "Pool School" posts as soon as I'm done posting here.
I'm just clarifying what you have said.

1) Purchase several gallons od bleach for sanitization?
2) Remove 3" tabs from inline chlorinator?
3) Plan on draining a good portion of my pool water? How much? Or would that depend on the test "jaduck" (response below) has suggested?

I'm naïve, but I can follow instructions well. :)
Thanks again.
 
Hi jaduck,

Are you suggesting that I retest my cya, but instead of using straight pool water I should use half pool water and half tap water? Then, if its STILL reading too high I should retest using 1/3 pool water and 2/3 parts tap water?

My initial cya test was not even close to the 100 mark on my tube (maybe half way from the black dot to the 100). I will try your method when I get home.

Thank you for your response. :)
 
1. Yes, 10 to 20 jugs...may need more or less! Can't really have too much.

2. Yes, yes, yes

3. We can't advise until we know a correct CYA. Start with a 1 to 1 dilution with tap water. 10 cc of pool water + 10 cc of tap water. Mix this solution well and perform the CYA test. Multiply your results x2. If you CYA is still greater than 100 perform a 1 to 2 dilution. One part pool water to two parts of tap water (10 pw + 10 tw + 10 tw). Test the mixture for CYA and multiply your result x3. Once you get that result use pool math to determine how much water to remove. DON'T remove ANY water until advised on how to perform a water replacement. We do not want you to float that pool!

Being a guessing man I would say that your CYA is gonna be close to 150. You may start with a 1 to 2 dilution if you desire.
 
Marci, you are welcome to try the diluted method (for those whose CYA is over 100), but either way you slice that pineapple (ha ha), you can bet your first course of action will be to lower the CYA. No sense doing anything else until the CYA is fixed. So whatever your CYA truly is (i.e 110, 150, 200+), plan on draining about half the pool, refill, then test again until you know your CYA is well below 100 - recommended CYA is 30-50, but at least get it to 70 or below so if you have to SLAM again in the future, it will be manageable.

After the drain(s) and CYA adjusted to 70 or below, post one new set of numbers so we can keep you on track. Mahalo!
 
Hi Marci,
How much R-0013(CYA) & R-0871 (FC) reagent do you have?

I'll agree on jaduck on #'s 1 & 2, but for #3 I would ask what your drain/refill plans are. If you plan to do multiple smaller drain/refills I would save reagents and do the extended CYA test after one or two small drain/refills.

Even if you overshoot and go lower than 30ppm (doubtful) with the initial small drain, it's easier to add CYA than remove it.

Now, if you think it's safe to drain 50% or more then by all means do the extended CYA test first.

Dom
 

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Dom,

I just got my TF-100 test kit yesterday and I bought an entire refill set.

Is it recommended that I do small drain and refills rather than one big one? I heard that removing too much water at one time could compromise the integrity of my pools structure. (Vinyl Liner)

Marci
 
Marci, it depends on whether or not you have high ground water. If your water table is not very deep, then it's best to drain in 1/3 or 1/2 increments at a time. With vinyl you need to be extra careful you don't go too low, but try to find out more about your water table depth to be safe.
 
Marci M said:
Is it recommended that I do small drain and refills rather than one big one? I heard that removing too much water at one time could compromise the integrity of my pools structure. (Vinyl Liner)

Marci
Click to expand...
As Patrick said, this all depends on the water table in your area.

domct203 said:
........ Be aware of the water table in your area, if it is high you can only drain a small % of the pool at a time so it does not float out of the ground!
Click to expand...

With CYA at 150ppm, that would mean two 50% drain/refills to get to ~40ppm. If you can safely dig a hole alongside the pool (be aware of utilities, sprinklers, etc), dig down as far as you anticipated to drain. If the hole stays completely dry it is safe to drain to that level. If you start digging and start to see water collecting in that hole, that is as far as you can safely drain.

Dom
 
**UPDATE FOR ALL WHO ARE HELPING ME

After 2 drain and refills, I seem to be getting on track, not quite there yet.

I've started a new thread called "Frustrated after drain and refill". This was started when my first drain didn't bring my cya down enough.
Completed second drain and refill yesterday and my numbers this morning look like this:

All chlorine levels are at zero.
pH: 7.5
CH: 75
TA: 130
CYA: 35

Thanks for helping me tame the beast (CYA)!

ALOHA
 
Hi Marci. I've been practicing the methods taught here for about a season and a half. This is the only place that is not only going to help you beat the algae and help you get a crystal clear pool, but also teach you how you got that out-of-control CYA to begin with and show you how to maintain that cya where you want it from now own. Pool stores and chemical companies don't teach this stuff; they only teach you how to get your pool in a mess over time w/o knowing why it happened. Stick with TFP as long as you own your pool and it'll be trouble free and easy to care for forever. But you can't get this same advice anywhere locally. Usually not even professionals know or practice these methods.
 
Thanks! I've learned so much already. I had never even heard of CYA before stumbling upon this site.
Discovering that my high cya readings were what was costing me so much time and money was what sold me on this method.

I still have a lot to learn but everyone here has been awesome and not a single person has called me an idiot yet. LOL
 
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