CYA levels High

[crawfosr]

So we purchased a bank owned house last year that has a 24' round above ground. The water had been sitting for around 3 years...it was black/green muck. It took me about 5 days to get it balanced. Last year I used liquid shock and PH Down maybe twice all year...I had one algae bloom when it got over 100 for a few days (Dayton, Ohio). Closed it in October...opened it in April, water was clear and tested (strips) fine.

So I decided to go to Leslie's this year due to the fact that it's close to work so I can grab my pool supplies while at lunch. BIG MISTAKE APPARENTLY. They talked me into Power Powder and now my pool has high CYA - we've been in it for two weeks, but I knew something wasn't quite right because of the way my skin feels.

They are telling me to drain 18 inches and re-fill...we were also using 3 inch tabs from leslies, which they sell in a bundle with the shock (now I'm reading that you shouldn't really use them together).

These are my readings:

FAC - 1.0
TAC - 1.0
PH - HE HAS A ZERO WITH A .6 IN IT AND THEN A ? - (WHICH SCARES ME A LITTLE).
CYA - 100+
CALCIUM HARDNESS = X (IS THAT CODE FOR REALLY BAD IN POOL LANGUAGE?)
TDS 1200
PHOSPHATES <500

So my question is this: If I do the drain/re-fill should I stay on the power powder or go back to my weekly liquid and do I use tabs with either of these or what? we use our pool DAILY and I'm furious right now with this situation...I also found it odd that when at Leslie's getting the test done, 2 other people were given the exact same results as me...All I know is that I had ZERO issues last year, and 2 doses of powder vs. liquid and I have a rather expensive fix on my hands.

I would love to avoid the drain -but more importantly I want to avoid doing it over and over - I have to purchase water b/c I'm on a well.

Thanks
S

 

[zea3]

If you continue with power powder and tabs you will continue to have problems with excess CYA. The only way to correct this problem is to drain at least 50 % of the pool water and refill. You may have to do this a couple of times, since the CYA test only goes to 100 and you could have well over 100 ppm. Using liquid chlorine or a saltwater chlorine generator is the best way to sanitize the pool without adding CYA or calcium.

As for the rest of the test results...I question their accuracy. It looks like either they test with a computer or input the results to generate a print out. Computers have difficulty rendering accurate test results on a consistent basis. It looks like either there was an error in the pH test, or he put the results in wrong. I am assuming they did not run a calcium hardness test. Do not worry about the phosphates or TDS.

The best way to take control of your pool is to conduct your own tests with a high quality test kit, such as the TF 100 or Taylor k2006. A high quality test kit is an investment in the life of your pool, and will save you money over time since you will not feel obligated to buy something from the pool store whenever you get the water tested.

 

[Richard320]

What she said!

If it's like the Leslie's nearest me, they use a test strip and scrawl the results onto a pad, then follow the canned instructions. Others have reported being sold "pH up" and "pH down" simultaneously!

Get your own test kit. Most of the veterans here use a TF100, so if you have any questions about the tests, we have answers.

 

[crawfosr]

So If I keep the Power Powder do I stop the tabs or should I just move to Liquid and tabs? I hate to eat 170.00 that I paid for the bundle, but I also want to get rid of this problem...I don't have an issue using the powder as long as I know how to use it correctly.

Honestly, I think I'd feel much safer going back to the liquid. Leslie's said they would take the powder back for store credit.

 

[crawfosr]

This is odd as well.. I always use a test strip just bascially to test PH/Chlorine...for weeks I've been getting the highest chlorine levels possible...now today I get ZERO...it's clear vs. the extremely dark purple that it was just a few days ago...now I'm wondering if any of the readings I got are correct.

Looking into the test kits TODAY.

 

[chem geek]

Leslie's Power Powder is calcium hypochlorite (Cal-Hypo) so that's OK to keep and use unless your Calcium Hardness (CH) reading is high. For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) it will also increase your Caclium Hardness (CH) by at least 7 ppm.

The Trichlor tabs can be used when you go on vacation or need to raise the Cyanuric Acid (CYA) level. For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC), it will increase your CYA by 6 ppm. However, if you've got a lot of tabs, you might want to give/sell most of them to someone else since you probably won't use/need that many.

You would mostly use chlorinating liquid or bleach as your primary source of chlorine (though you can use the Cal-Hypo until your CH gets higher), but get a real test kit, post the numbers, and we can go from there.

 

[crawfosr]

Thanks...I got the water moved in...my CYA is down to 50...now I've just added alk up and waiting to test again. returned the powder and got 4 cases of liquid...they swore to me that it's not the powder that caused the issue...its the tabs and that they shouldn't be used together...so my question to him was "then why do you sell them in a bundle?"...he had no answer...I think I'm on the move now thanks so much for the great advice.