How much water should I drain ?

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Yep, water is cloudy. Shallow end has cleared enough that I can see the bottom, but my polairs is in the bottom of the deep end ( hose came apart :( ) & I can't see it. I hate to empty enough water to get CYA to 50( that would be 28k gal), then have to refill & add CYA to get back up to 70(SWG).
 
CYA is cheaper than chlorine, and in most cases CL is cheaper than water. However the latter doesn't apply when CYA is so stratospherically high that shocking exceeds the cost of a drain and fill, not to mention the unfathomably large amounts of bleach you'll need to dump in daily to maintain a proper FC to CYA ratio.

It's just not financially smart or feasible over the long haul. Think 50 gal. drums and a tankerd. The cost will exceed a drain and fill by untold numbers.

You have a few choices. Let the pool go totally to the dogs, green swamp and all, crossing your fingers, hoping your pool gets infected with the elusive CYA eating bacteria. Or it develops so much ammonia from decomposing vegetable matter that it destroys the CYA.
Hire a company to perform a reverse osmosis treatment on the water, thereby removing the CYA.

#1 is very risky and dangerous to the pool, there more than likely will not be a cost savings overall vs. a water change. Clearing a swamp is eeeeeeexxxxxpeeeennnnssiiivvvveee!! And time consuming, read 3+ weeks or longer.

#2 Would be pretty awesome if it were cost effective, but it's not. Unless you know someone with the equipment. Read salt water aquarium hobbyist and expert.


I'm a bit of a hippie myself and I'm the 1st one to look for the most environmentally friendly option, and wasting water..... that much??!! It saddens me!
But sometimes the more environmentally smart thing to do is that which seems most wasteful. As the simplest thing is often the best and the most complex is often the worst. When it comes to being environmentally friendly that holds true at least. As in this case, with the cost factors, electrical consumption, chemical impact, etc.... Draining and filling, at least a partial, looks mighty smart!! Both fiscally and environmentally.

Hopefully that makes sense. I'm a realist, but at the same time a think outside the box, the glass is both half empty and half full at the same time, kind of guy.
Ps. I'm not a real hippie.... but I think along those lines a lot. It's complicated. ;)

Hopefully this helps you in your decision and to see things through a different lens. :mrgreen:

Happy pool time!
Ps. We are here to support and help you in whatever you decide to do. So long as It's informed and you know what's going on in your pool and why. As that's what really matters here @ TFP. :goodjob:
 
I tried to get my pool fixed last time by adding CL and filtering. I was dealing with a green swamp full of leaves and duck poop. In my case, I looked to see how much the water was going to cost me and determined the water cost was lower than the time, effort, electricity, filter media, angst and I drained and filled. My water is cheap. If your is expensive, you may find osmosis a real option.
 
I drained my water down to 18in.( afraid to go any lower). My husband almost needed CPR when he came home :lol: He didn't believe me when I told him I was going to drain the pool & start over! He hasn't completely bought into the TFP info I've been telling him about. He will when I'm finished & he sees how easy the pool will be to take care of & how much $$$$ we will be saving!!
Should be refilled & ready to start the shock process tomorrow- wish me luck!!!
 
When I said I drained my pool down to 18 in, obviously I meant 18 in in the shallow end. I refilled and let everything circulate for about 1 1/2 hours. test results:
PH: 7.0
FC: 9
CC: 0.6
TA: 70
CH: 30
CYA: 80 :party:
( I know it's the high end of normal, but it's WAY better than the 180 I started with!)

I'm in the process of raising the PH, then I will start the shock process. I have a vinyl liner, so should I raise my CH or leave I as is? I am making progress!! :-D
 
Only raise pH to 7.2 since you're going to be shocking.

Yeah, 80 cya is fine for your SWCG and CH that low is also a blessing since you have an SWCG and vinyl pool. The lower the better, as it keeps scaling down. Also, leave your SWCG off while shocking and only add bleach in front of a return, slowly, with the pump running. Totally ignore pH while shocking, doesn't matter.
Don't buy splashless, outdoor, or scented bleach. If it says "safe for he washers", that's also fine. So long as it isn't "splashless".

You can adjust your salt for the SWCG when you have completed shocking. Just ignore the SWCG aspects for know and behave like it doesn't even exist.
 

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Thanks for all the quick replies!! I didn't think I should do anything with the Ca, just wanted to be sure :wink:
My SWG isn't in use right now. I just received a new cell & wasn't even going to install it until the pool was all balanced, had appropriate salt levels & was crystal clear!!
I have been battling this beast for several weeks, but now I'm gaining ground!! :whip:
 
I don't think "Spakle Up" is what you need. I would get something like this:

20130612_093344.jpg


I took this in my local Wal-Mart's garden section but you can get it elsewhere. This is a 10 pound (lifetime supply for a sand filter) box but the other stores sell 25 pound bag/box.
 
Is this what you bought?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006MHSFG ... -1&pi=SL75

It sounds like a flocculant, as per its description it contains no DE.
It's definitely not the right thing. In fact we discourage the use of flocculants in most cases.

In place of DE, you can also use cellulose fiber DE alternative media. It's a lot more compact than DE in that it goes farther, so the packages are smaller and because It's made from wood pulp, It's also very light and feathery. So much easier to handle, as opposed to DE and its bag of dirt weight. Lol

Either (DE/cellulose) will do what you need though.
 
Thanks for advice. I double checked to make sure that what I ordered is a cellulose DE substitute. We live in the country & I wanted a cellulose product because I didn't want to waste DE into the environment. The following is the description of the product I ordered:
"Sparkle Up is a cellulose filter aid intended to be used when your filter experiences difficulty in filtering very small particles. This product helps the filter remove tiny particles of dirt, plaster dust, dead algae, pollen, and other small bits of debris. It also helps prevent metals, which prevents staining. Sparkle Up has been proven to enhance filter performance and it is approved for use in all filter types. "
I searched for information on the product on other sites & it is in fact a cellulose DE replacement.
I know it's not easy to find information on a product, sometimes. I really do appreciate everyone looking out for me. I am still learning. :)
 

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