New pool owner - High CYA and algae

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Tally324

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Sep 16, 2015
3
Escondido, CA
Hello! I'm excited about moving into a rental home with a pool, but have managed to turn the pool into a swamp in less than a month through my inexperience.
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Based on what I gather from Pool School, I need to drain the pool before attempting to fix the algae problem since CYA levels are too high to SLAM. The previous owner maintained the pool following advice from Leslie's and was using "Shock" on a regular basis.

Results from TF-100 test kit
FC: 1 ppm
CC: 1 ppm
pH: 7.5-7.8
TA: 260
CH: 800
CYA: 180

The pool calculator says I need to drain about 90% of the water to get CYA to the correct level. I plan on doing this all at once. The water tables in Escondido should be quite low because of the drought, and I'm on a hillside anyways.

I am entirely unsure how to drain the pool: the valves and pipes are a bit intimidating. Should I just rent a sump pump from Home Depot, or is there a way to drain the pool without it?
And once the pool is drained, what anti-algae actions should I take before refilling? Thanks for any help!

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Hi! I am SO glad to see you have a good test kit! THAT is going to what helps you clear that pool up!

You can rent the sup pump or you can get a cheap one from Harbor Freight. It is up to you.

I am going to link you to how we do things here. You will see that we use the test kit and bleach! Those are the main two thing to get and keep a pool clear!

Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

Here is how you are going to clear your pool after you drain and refill it!

Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

Kim
 
I am assuming you did a dilution test with 50% tap water and 50% pool water to arrive at the 180 CYA? If so, you can manage a SLAM with CYA Levels at around 50-60, but no more. At a CYA of 60, that is a 66% water replacement, not 90%.

Because you have the recommended test kit, the SLAM will be a lot easier. Please post new results after draining water of where your CYA levels are and we can all go from there.

You may want to do another CYA test with 2 bottles of tap water and 1 bottle of pool water. Mix it real well in a small bucket and test CYA again. You should be at around 60 ppm. This will confirm your initial testing.
 
Catanzaro: You're correct, I diluted 50:50 to get the CYA reading of 180. I just repeated the test with 2 parts tap to 1 part pool water, and got test results of 60 PPM, which confirms the 180 reading for the pool. Should I aim for a CYA of 60? This pool receives sun most of the day. I was leaning towards 40 CYA.

Kimkats: Thanks for the advice! I'll go with the Harbor Freight pump since a location is just down the street, and it may come in handy later. I'll stock up on liquid chlorine too to prepare for the SLAM. Any advice on what to do with three boxes(!) of powdered "Shock" the previous resident left me? :p
 
Tally 324:

Starting with a CYA of 60 is fine. Even 80 to start the SLAM is fine. The reason behind this is that your SLAM will start at 80 and as you backwash, remove and add water your CYA will be lowered automatically. while your are in the SLAM process, continue to remove and add water, including backwashing to get to the desired level. Because you will be backwashing frequent, sometimes your CYA is lowered too much and you will then have to add stabilizer. Lastly, you will loose about 2 ppm, per month during the winter months (at least that has been my experience). Maybe others can give you there experience. So finishing the SLAM with a little higher CYA will only correct itself to the level you are needing for the following year, but all up to you.

I find that if a person waits that extra few days to start the SLAM, the pool becomes worse. If "Procrastination" sets in (wow, that used to be school), it takes even longer. The extra CYA only leads to a little for liquid chlorine for only a few days, which in turn starts the SLAM sooner, than later.

Please note that it will appear that you may not be making progress in the beginning. Be patient. Sometimes people give up. Then one morning you will wake up and the water will look different. Keep a "timeline" of levels and additions, which includes time, etc. This way you can visually see your progress.
 
An interesting note: There is a cartridge filter listed in your sig., but I see a plunger valve. Maybe you can use that to drain the pool by pumping out to the ground. That little blue hose piece is part of a backwash hose that has gone bad, but you could pick a new one up and then direct it where it might do some good.
 
After two days of draining and three days of refilling, my CYA is now at a manageable 50. I'll post full test results later, but I thought I would share the pool progress after two days of SLAM!

Pabeader: After reading your comment, I realized that the filter is in fact a DE filter, not cartridge. I was able to drain the pool using the backwash hose, plunger, and pool pump (after repairing some cracked PVC.) Then I recharged the DE filter. Thanks!

9/20: Before SLAM

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9/21: 24 hours after SLAM

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