Green water...still waiting on test kit

[Jann]

I'm new to BBB but rather accustomed to green water. Yes..I have been pool stored for 3 solid years!
My water is green and getting worse each day. The pool store says to floc and i realize this may help my CYA levels but the other results are questionable. I ordered the Taylor k-2006 but it won't be here until Monday. Do I SLAM without being able to do a thorough test?

I did have my water tested at a pool store on Wednesday and here are my results:

33 Ft AG-i think around 29k gal?
FC 7
CC 0
TA 140
PH 7.8
CH 355
CYA 96

 

[JohnT]

Welcome to TFP!

Floc will do absolutely nothing for you. You need chlorine and more chlorine.

Your main problem is your high CYA. That will drive your chlorine needs insanely high.

Normally I'd tell you to start changing water, but if you live someplace where you close for the winter, you may be able to live with the high CYA and hope that winter rain and inactivity gets your CYA down to a reasonable level.

But your 96ppm number makes me suspicious. CYA is hard to test, and +/-10 ppm is pretty good accuracy, so that number could be wildly wrong.

You can test high chlorine roughly by diluting your pool water sample with distilled water and testing the mixture. You then multiply the result by your dilution. For example if your chlorine is at 25ppm, and you dilute your pool water with 5 parts distilled water and multiply the result by 6. You will read a little above 4ppm when you test the mixture.

 

[ping]

John beat me to it, but I'll post anyways.

What have you been using for chlorine? If pucks, I would go ahead and drain half of the water to lower the CYA since you have been using the pool store method for 3 years. There is a good chance the CYA is higher than 96 since most CYA tests top out at 100. Note that pool stores are not the best at testing CYA and you might just want to wait until Monday for your test kit to come in.

If you close the pool for the winter then that is another issue if you want to spend the money to clear up the pool for only a short time remaining for swim season.

 

[Jann]

I know my CYA is very high. Year 1 (2011)and most of year 2 (2012) we were sold stabilized shock and 3" pucks. Since I was a newbie to pools I used it and by the end of July 2012 I was draining my pool over halfway. I had a CYA reading of 50 on June 18, 2013. They told me to use a cal hypo shock and continue with the pucks and after my winter drain it would keep my levels in check. That obviously didn't happen and that is how I ended up here :-D

We do close for the winter and it can be as early as mid September or late as the first of October depending on our KS weather! I don't know if my husband will got for a drain/refill this late in the season.

I realize it may be a toss up but should I just let it go and grow until Monday or just somewhat blindly (using the distilled water) start SLAMing tonight?

 

[JohnT]

I'd go ahead and use the distilled water to get a start on it.