Advice on draining Pool

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H

Hereinthe210

0
Aug 3, 2015
74
San Antonio
With a lot of the feedback and help that I have gotten from this forum I have decided to drain my pool and start with a fresh canvas.

The main reason is that (before I found TFP) I had been getting tests at Leslie's. CYA was always in the 100+ range, with one anomaly at 50 (probably a bad test). After getting my k-2006 and running a couple of CYA tests, I see that it is WELL above the 100 mark.

Before bothering you I have scanned some of the others' questions and answers. I noticed that all of them say a picture is worth 1000 words so I will add pics with the information.

The pool is located in San Antonio, TX. Direct sun - staying around 90* for the month that I have been in the house.

13x23x5=9800 gallons if I run it as an oval - is that correct for my shape pool?

Questions:

My pool is partially in-ground - on a slight hill. See pics. We have had little rainfall and San Antonio has a low water table. are there any issues I should check for during the drain or possibly avoid? mos of the lawn watering will be done in the front of the house because I don't want to saturate ground near the pool or to where the run-off could get to the ground surrounding the empty pool (my thoughts)

Should I just drain from the main floor drain or rent a pump - I will be watering the lawn with it because it is thirsty in this climate. I know that it will take longer, but I will be able to handle the watering with the main pool pump.

If draining from the main pump and shutting down the skimmer with the valve should I be concerned with anything? There should be no water coming back through the return jets if I divert it to the hose I assume.

Algae on walls - I plan on brushing it to the drain as I empty the water. I have read not to bother with major bleaching or wipedown before refill. Should I try to Kill the algae with any particular method or just brush it as the pool drains.

Watering lawn - Chlorine is minimal ( thus the problem) is there anything else I should be worried about that could damage the lawn?

Water Softener - I have a whole house softener. The hose bibs are coming through the foundation. I am not sure if they are piped in to the softener or not. Is there a way to confirm this before I move forward. Someone said that the outside spigots should not be looped to the softener, but I want to confirm that. All of the softeners that I have put in have had extra unsoftened water spigots that were piped.

Will upload pictures shortly.
 
b49c09509f6bbd3020e179412e81a143.jpg


Pump set up


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Hello! Before draining your pool I would get an exact cya reading. Try diluting 1/2 pool water with 1/2 tap water. Perform the CYA test and multiply the result by 2. Also it would be nice to know a full set of results: pH, FC, diluted CYA, TA and CH. If you CYA is really 100 then I would recommend a partial drain/refill, say 50%. Afterwards I would SLAM that sucker...that pool looks pretty good and the slam should not be too bad.

You can also perform a CA test on water from the spigot and from the inside faucet that will tell you about your CA levels.
 
Hi, Matt,

Certainly I would suggest you drain but perhaps not a complete drain. a 75% drain will get your CYA down to 50 (about perfect) and will save you some water and time.

The point of my post, however, is I am reading between the lines and it seems you might be thinking it will help with the algae......it wont. Not even a 100% drain Will cure your pool of algae. YOu will need to SLAM the pool but don't worry about it until you start your refill.
 
I understand Dura. Thanks. The drain is impending. I have just been advised to drain because with this high of a CYA I am thinking CYA might be higher than I logged. Here is another question. When the dot disappears on the CYA TEST as the water settles I can faintly see it again. If you should go off of when it first settles my CYA is higher.


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Yep, you are going to have to drain and refill...then it is possible, depending on how much above 200, you may have to do a smaller drain and refill again to get your CYA to a manageable level. 50 ppm is about where you want that CYA.

Is that CA level from the pool, indoor faucet or outdoor spigot?
 
Sorry. Just learning. The Ca level from the CH was from the pool. I am color blind and have a difficult time on that test.

Have not done one from the hose spigot. How would I determine if it is soft water or not? Levels?


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I'm betting you have hard water = higher CA levels...if you test the water from an outside spigot that will confirm how hard your water is currently. If it is high you will have to manage your CSI using a lower pH/lower TA. Right now the main thing to concern yourself with is getting that CYA down. We can worry about your calcium later.
 
Agreed. That leads us back to my other questions posted.

I assume my pool will not hop out of the ground.

Lawn - OK

Drain from the main drain.

Brush algae but don't kill myself professionally cleaning walls.

Water softener - deal with hardness later. Hopefully won't break my water softener by over using it.


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1. Lawn use is OK
2. It can pop out, depending on your water table. Maybe somebody else can chime in on that one.
3. You can drain from the main drain.
4. Brush it good, brush it real good or you can pressure wash.
 

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