2 years later, the CYA is already at 330

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Ecrivan

0
Jul 3, 2012
28
Dallas, TX
First time posting and love this board/forum so far. I need similar help with my CYA. My pool is 20k gallons and was resurfaced 2 years ago, which (of course) required a refill. Now, 2 years later, the CYA is already at 330 (per a test done at Leslies a week ago). I knew there was a problem with it because every time I test it, the FC is extremely low or 0 no matter when I last shocked or add new tablets. I can't believe the CYA got that high in only 2 years.

Because of this, I decided to pursue the BBB method outlined here, but first I need to get rid of the algae, which is (thankfully) only 2 weeks old, not a season's worth. So I drained 70% of my pool's water and refilled over this past weekend. I just got back from testing the water at Leslies, and the CYA is 100--still too high to begin BBB or clear the algae. What happened? Do I have to drain it again? Please tell me no. For what it's worth, the pump has not been running for a week.

Any help much appreciated.
 
First step honestly is pool school. Read, Read, Read. You'll learn alot about your pool water. Next is a good test kit. I'd love to see how they got the reading of 330, as almost NO test kits I've seen go up that high.

If your water is still above 100, then ignore the algae. Work more (drain again) to lower your CYA level. It will make your life ALOT easier.
 
Open three tabs in your browser.

Tab 1 = Pool School
Tab 2 = http://tftestkits.net
Tab 3 = Trouble Free Pool Forum

Read pool school, order the kit, read pool school, read the forum and any thread about green pools. Read Pool School again... drain to lower CYA to 40-50ppm, buy bleach (lots) and pack away the trichlor tablets to be used for vacations only... begin shocking process per pool school when your kit arrives and CYA is lower. Good things will begin to fall from the sky upon you.

Post here with questions, have fun with your test kit. You'll be swimming in short order and will never have high CYA again. You might even need to add some someday.
 
frogabog said:
Open three tabs in your browser.

Tab 1 = Pool School
Tab 2 = http://tftestkits.net
Tab 3 = Trouble Free Pool Forum

Read pool school, order the kit, read pool school, read the forum and any thread about green pools. Read Pool School again... drain to lower CYA to 40-50ppm, buy bleach (lots) and pack away the trichlor tablets to be used for vacations only... begin shocking process per pool school when your kit arrives and CYA is lower. Good things will begin to fall from the sky upon you.

Post here with questions, have fun with your test kit. You'll be swimming in short order and will never have high CYA again. You might even need to add some someday.
Click to expand...
Great post. I'm stealing your "three tabs" idea when I'm posting to new members.

Ecrivan, welcome to the forum.
 
Thanks for the replies. Rest assured, I won't be using stabilized chlorine again. I still have no idea how the number got that high in just 2 years.

I have already read almost every Pool School topic, I purchased a complete FAS-DPD test kit, I am following the guidelines in the ""Turning Your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis" forum, I have my bleach, borax, baking soda, and muratic acid standing by, and I used the Pool Calculator to find out how much water I needed to drain with a CYA level of 330.

But the question remains, after draining what the Pool Calculator told me to drain (70% of my water) and refilling, do I have to drain again? That is a HUGE waste of water, not to mention a major expense (x2). If so, how much do I have to drain and what proof do I have that the CYA will go down enough this time?

Before I go through that process, shouldn't I run the filter for a couple of days straight and re-test? It's been off for over a week, so the water's been stagnant. Am I getting an accurate CYA reading if it just finished refilling today but the water hasn't been moving?
 
If you are using pucks, it's amazing how fast it can climb. I keep my CYA on the lower side to allow for creep on vacation. I was gone for 14 days in June and had to use pucks in a floater. Went from 40 to 65 in two weeks. I knew it would jump but was surprised it jumped that much. I tend to drop 20-30 its each winter and we have a lot of splash out so I'm fine if I start the summer at 40 and go up to 60- 70 by the end of the season. I use only liquid chlorine except covering travel.
 
Yes, you will need to drain & fill some again to lower the cya level. How did you get 100? Did you test with 50% pool/50% tap water then double the results? The test kits only go up to 100, so if you are at 200 it will still only show 100. Use the 50/50 then double method to see where it's really at. Then use the pool calculator to see how much water you need to drain. My guess IRS that the pool store test results were low, hence why it's still too high after the 70% change.
 
make sure the pool is circulating for awhile and then test the CYA again.

Use a 50/50 mix of pool water and tap water to start and then double the result.

The pool store was just guessing at your CYA level as most tests read the same anything over 100 is using the good test. If they used a test strip and then maybe a computer to read the color ... then that test is worthless.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone ;)
 
Always let the pump run an hour or so before testing. I'd also suggest before draining the water again performing your own test. Don't ever trust somebody else's readings to influence a costly call such as draining. There's a chance your water levels are fine, there's a chance the water levels are to high. Only an accurate test can tell us. In all honesty, the stores test look fishy at best.
 
Odd thing is my home test kit keeps giving me a CYA reading of 50-60ppm, which is the range I'm looking for. I did the test 3 times over 3 days. But the pool stores (used two different ones) keep saying 90-100.

To be safe, I may drain a few inches off the bottom each week and replace with fresh on the top. But if my home test is correct, then I don't even need to do this.
 

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Here's a great spot where self testing is your best solution. Honestly.....I'd trust neither test result. Test strips stink on a good day.....and I honestly have NO idea where in the world the pool store got a reading of 300+


EDIT...not sure why I thought you were using test strips. How do you test your CYA levels??
 
You have a TF100. You do NOT need to ever have the pool store test your water again. I know it's hard to accept that your own results with this new kit are more accurate than the pool store, but you're seeing why we say trust your own results. You did the test 3 times, 3 days in a row. Got the same result. Sounds to me like your results are at the very least... consistent which indicates that you're doing it the same each time. I assume you followed the directions each time as well?

OK then. Let's say you're at 60ppm CYA and call it good. Time to move forward and stop worrying about draining. Let's get your pool pretty, k?

Next step. Make sure the pump is on, and begin shocking the pool with bleach. Are ya ready? I know you read pool school :~}
 
Latest test from the pool store (I had to get more regeants for the test kit) finally confirmed my home readings: 60ppm CYA. I got the TA and pH levels within range and started the bleach shocking stage. Two days later, my pool is almost green free. Started the brushing process today and will backwash my DE filter tomorrow. I am actually pretty amazed at how consistently my pool holds the shock level--have only had to make minor adjustments to it in 2 days. Here's hoping it will be totally algae free in another day or two, so that I can work on the cloudiness (a question about which I will ask in another post). Thanks for the input and this forum.
 
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