Gone for a week and my pool is a mess! Help!

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susiturk53

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LifeTime Supporter
Aug 17, 2008
9
Lufkin, Texas
Hi guys- I surely do hope you can help me. I have a 15' x48" above the ground pool that has been wonderful. I have been gone a week and when I returned home it had what looked like a yellowish brown stain in various parts on the bottom. I had my husband put 2 gallons of the liquid shock in this morning. After about 5 hours, the water looked great- clear,except for yellowish brown stain. We just got in and the "stain" wasn't a stain at all- I am guessing it is some sort of algae. Of course when we got in the water became cloudy-I bet when my husband gets out the stuff will settle back to the bottom. Here are my levels on the test strip:
Total Hardness- 400
Free Chlorine- 0
pH:8.4
Total Alkalinity- 180-2--
CTA- 150

I've been reading here and I am guessing we need to drain the pool some and add yet more Chlorine. Can you all advise me what to do next? I am in deep East Texas and it is supposed to be over 100 here today which I know makes a difference in the chlorine levels.
Thanks ahead of time for you help!

Susi in Deep East Texas
 
Welcome Susi! If you'll read shocking your pool in school, you'll realize there is no reason to drain down or empty your pool unless your CYA is excessively high and unmanageable. I ASSUME you meant CYA is 150 instead of CTA? If so, there's a good reason to start by replacing at least half your water and drop it to 75 if you have a SWG installed. If not, you may have to repeat again to cut that in half which would put you in the 40 range and almost perfect. See the chlorine/CYA chart in pool school as well. The pool calculator is your friend too! Get your PH down in the mid 7 range is the first priority.
 
Thank you so much! Yes- my CYA was over 300. My husband put two gallons of the liquid pool shock in it and now it is down between the 30-50 range. We are draining the pool right now- do not have the sand filter, so would you think we still need to empty half of it?
Thanks so much again!
 
Adding "liquid shock" has nothing to do with lowering your CYA level----only swapping out water will. Edit your signature line in your profile in user control panel and tell us what kind of pool and your equipment specs like mine below. Easier for folks to help and you don't have to keep retyping all that info. Cartridge or DE filter is fine too-makes no difference.
 
Okie dokie- here are the levels: free chlorine is 1/2
pH is 8.4
TA is 240 and CYA is now 30-50. We have emptied about 1/3 of the water and are replenishing it at this time. Since the CYA level is down- should we now worry about the Chlorine level? The PoolSchool article said to add 1 qt and 1c. every hour since it is now coming up some. Would you still recommend that?
Thanks!
 
The fact that you now show 30-50 and earlier showed 150 for CYA just goes to show how how prone to error test strips are. If they were right you would have to remove and replace 2/3 to 3/4 of your water to make that change.

Ike

p.s. on a side note what part of east texas are you in?
 
susiturk53 said:
Oh shoot! This morning the test strip says it is almost 0 for the CYA! We did replace about 1/3 of the water yesterday. Should I wait till the evening to start again with the Chlorine?
I am in Lufkin!
Thanks so much!
Susi
Click to expand...


Something is up with your CYA test. CYA only goes down if you change out water. For it to go from your original reading to 0 would require empltying the pool half way and refilling it dozens of times.

Get your pH straight, and then get a good CYA measurement, and go from there.

-dave
 

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