New pool owner-Pool outta whack

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scomea

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May 21, 2016
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North DFW Metro-Highland Village, TX
Hello all,
This is my first post so thanks for taking the time to read it and offer advise. I bought a house with a 16,000 gal, SWG, VSP pump and have been lurking around this site for a week. This was a divorce and the pool was poorly maintained for 9 months because Mr. Hubby was booted from the property. First things first, I ordered and received my TFTestkit XL arrived and the results indicate the water is out of whack.

CYA 105
TC .8
FC .8
pH 7.5 (surprise)
TA 74
CH 197
Salt 2900

Pool Math says I need to replace 33% of the water due to high CYA and add other chemicals later.
My question is: After I replace the water, do I tune up the salt, TC, pH, TA and CH in that order. Is it better to dump all Pool Math recommended chemicals in at one time or maybe add them over 3-4 days to let the percolate. And how often should I test during the healing period?

Thanks
 
Welcome to TFP!

Your first 2 priorities should be to drain the pool to get the CYA down and get some chlorine in as well - it is way too low for your high CYA level. How does the water look?

Also just use the 10ml sample for the FC and count each drop as 0.5. It will save your reagents. We also need a CC number with your other numbers
 
Welcome! :wave:

What you do first sort of depends on how the water looks. After you replace water, it needs some time to mix and then you retest. Where'd you get 105 CYA? Take a closer look at that CYA view tube. The graduations aren't equidistant. What looks like 105 may well be 120 or 150. Before you start draining, double-check that reading using the dilution method. Fill the CYA mixing bottle to the lower line with pool water, then to the upper with tap water and mix. Then dump out half and proceed with the test as normal. Then double your result. Alternately, borrow a measuring cup from the kitchen and mix half pool and half tap and then pour from that into the mixing bottle. It might be easier to end up at the right level that way.

Anyway.... moving on to your question....

You've drained whatever and now your CYA is at a workable 50 or 60 or whatever. The pump has been on and you've brushed around to really ensure its blended and you've got test results. Is the water clear? Are there algae patches? Do you plan to SLAM the pool? These variables all affect what comes next.

If pH is low, how's TA? If TA is below 50, boost that a little, give it an hour to mix, then raise pH. If pH is high, lower it with acid.

Next up is FC. If SLAMming, how much is different than just raising it to normal. If CH is low, you could use some Cal-hypo to raise CH as you chlorinate.

Once the pool is all clear, CYA is where you want, pH is in range, pool holds chlorine and has some, then you add salt and let the SWG take over. There's no point adding salt if you're going to SLAM and end up backwashing a bunch of it away as the filter loads up.

And after all that typing, we're back to retest after refilling and post up results and ask for advice again. There's too many ifs and buts to say so far in advance. Time frame? Depends on water clarity and algae. An hour after refilling and mixing you can start testing and treating. If all you're dealing with are adjusting chemicals, it can all be fixed up in a day. And most of that is waiting for salt to dissolve. Your CYA is already there, so no waiting for it to dissolve, and the rest can be added one after another spaced thirty minutes apart. Salt comes last and usually gets 24 hours to fully dissolve and disperse.

If algae, minimum is probably three days, really bad cases can drag on for a week or more.
 
Welcome to TFP! :wave: You can add the salt at any time now. Once you get that CYA back down to something more manageable, what to do next depends on the condition of the water. If it is cloudy or show any signs of algae, then go this route:
- Lower pH to 7.2
- Increase FC to SLAM level based on your new CYA and keep it there 24/7 until you pass the 3 SLAM criteria. I would leave the SWG off for the SLAM and use just plain/regular Bravo (HEB) or Great Value (Wal-Mart) bleach.

If your water is clear, then go this route:
- Increase FC right away to your new target zone based on your new CYA (see Chlorine/CYA Chart link below).
- Your CH is a bit low (min 350). I would increase at least close to 300 and let your hard fill water make-up the other 50. Or you can just increase to 350 now. Increasng CH can sometimes make the water a bit cloudy for a day or two, then it should go away.

If you have any more questions, just let us know.
 
Welcome to TFP :)

How does the water look? If green you will need to SLAM and that can take a truckload of liquid chlorine..

You need to make a decision on CYA, we recommend 70 to 80 CYA for a SWG pool but that will require a SLAM free chlorine of 31, this is probably your best option.

the other option is to take your CYA down to 30 and your SLAM FC would be 12 (less bleach) but then afterward you would have to add CYA back to 70, this option you would have to empty 70% or so of your water...

let us know :)
 
You are welcome and thanks for donating, your donation helps keep the light on :)

after your drain and refill do another test and post your numbers back here so we can see where to go :)
 
scomea said:
The pool is refilled and tested using the TF-100. Here are the results:
FC .5
pH 8
TA 120
CH 250
CYA 35 (tested twice)
Salt 3100

I put the numbers in the calculator and am correcting the pH now. Should I adjust the CYA before the FC? And should I use liquid stabilizer?
Click to expand...
No need to wait to get some bleach in there. If you intend to shock, even if just overnight for peace of mind, 35 CYA makes it a lot easier.

Fix pH as you're doing. Raise FC. Then if you don't intend to SLAM, add CYA granules. No need to buy the expensive liquid. You're not totally unprotected and the granules dissolve pretty fast anyway. If there's any leftover trichlor or dichlor left behind, you can use that to raise CYA along with the FC.

Good job so far! :goodjob:
 

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