Higher TDS levels can cause more problems than high CYA

[polaris mechanic]

Split off of this topic because there are controversial subjects here that will be distracting in that topic. JasonLion

In addition to all the good advise above, please note that CYA tests, in our industry, are our least accurate.
Mainly due to the individual tester. the sample should be diluted 50/50 with distilled water. then carfully read
and the final result multiplied by 2.
also, what is your TDS reading? (Total Dissolved Solids)
Higher TDS levels can cause more problems than high CYA.

if you are still fighting this problem - this has worked well for me in the past.

1. treat the stain.
2. add the sequestering agent.
3. next day: double the chlorine pucks or load the feeder and set to high.
DO NOT SHOCK

stop using liquid chlorine, it doesnt help residential pools at all, it only adds to your
total dissolved solids, shortening the life of your pool water and making it more difficult
to effectivly sanitize the pool.

We all have good answers here, and ALL pools are different.
So try them and see which one works for your pool.
Good Luck,
Tim
[email protected]

 

[Melt In The Sun]

Here comes the angry mob......

 

[JasonLion]

I don't like to think of us as an "angry mod". We are here to help people understand the chemistry behind pools better

There are a couple of things in this post that I strongly disagree with. All of these are things that have been said in the pool industry for years, but they aren't actually true. There is a lot of that kind of thing in the pool industry, and it is sometimes very difficult to separate out fact from myth.

Higher TDS levels can cause more problems than high CYA.

High TDS levels don't cause any problems worth mentioning. Various specific chemicals can cause problems, while others are completely harmless. If all you have is a TDS measurement, there is no way of knowing if you have lots of the harmful things or lots of the harmless things. Luckily, nearly everything that really matters can be tested for separately. It is those separate test levels that really matter, not the TDS.

For example, I can have a pool with 35,000 ppm of salt, which gives an extremely high TDS level, and not have any problems what so ever. On the other hand I can have a pool with 300 ppm of CYA, which has a relatively low TDS level (under 1,000 anyway) and have all kinds of problems.

stop using liquid chlorine, it doesnt help residential pools at all, it only adds to your
total dissolved solids, shortening the life of your pool water and making it more difficult
to effectivly sanitize the pool.

The members of this forum have thousands of pool years of experience that clearly demonstrates that this isn't even vaguely true. Perhaps 1/3 of the 12,000 members of this forum use bleach/liquid chlorine as their only chlorine source in a residential pool, and I promise you that they have many fewer problems than the average pool owner.

3. next day: double the chlorine pucks or load the feeder and set to high.

One of the problems the original poster has is that their CYA level is already too high. If they were to use chlorine pucks, which contain trichlor, which adds yet more CYA to the water, then they will have even higher CYA levels and even more problems than they have right now.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

stop using liquid chlorine, it doesnt help residential pools at all, it only adds to your
total dissolved solids, shortening the life of your pool water and making it more difficult
to effectivly sanitize the pool.

Yeah, I gotta disagree here too.

In the first 5 years I had my pool, I used a Pool Frog and trichlor bac pacs.
I had NOTHING but trouble and spent a fortune not enjoying the darn pool.

In 2007 I switched to bleach as my sole source of chlorine and have had a trouble-free pool ever since. I've not had a trace of CC, I've had crystal clear water 24/7 and each spring I have opened to a crystal clear pool with a FC residual. I've had to shock my pool 6 times in 3 years - 3 extended vacations-as a preventative; and 3 winterizations.

I can virtually guarantee my pool is the ONLY trouble-free one on the block.
(my neighbors behind me use Baq... )

 

[Guest]

Yeah, I think Tim may have come to the wrong place at the wrong time :lol:

I can honestly say that I have learned an awful lot here, even after being in the industry for almost 15 years. Sometimes we are told things that just aren't true, but we don't check the facts; we just assume that because somebody told us it must be true! I have had three different SWCG, for example, and have none now. I've had the Nature2 system and a T-320; I have neither now. I've had the Polaris Di-Chlor feeder (with ORP!) and I don't have it anymore either. I do have WalMart 6% bleach, some muriatic acid and a sparkly clean pool though (maybe the Puripool Process has a little to do with some of that ), and I don't see changing back anytime soon!

This could turn in to an interesting thread. Think I'll make me some popcorn, grab a cold beverage and sit back and enjoy the show.....

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

Tim, you're going to learn a lot of things that we were taught over the years was BS. Want to earn a customer's trust? Show them this site. And don't tell the boss if he has a retail store. The truth will hurt him and set you free.

Scott

 

[Guest]

Everyting below Jason's post.... Ditto!