Closing a pool with high CH & CYA

[muzer66]

A first-time pool owner here in Atlanta, GA with a closing question:

A few rookie mistakes...like shocking the pool once-a-week with dichlor & trusting the "free water testing" and "advice" from a chain pool store...has got our pool to this state, according to my K-2006 test kit:

FC 10
CC 0.4
pH 7.4
TA 110
CH 475
CYA 125

I now know, because of this website, that a pair of 50% drain-&-refills are in our pool's future to get the CH and CYA levels down to more realistic levels. Pool closing is scheduled for mid-October. Should I do the drain-&-refills now, or wait until I open the pool next year ?

 

[Smykowski]

Welcome to the forum!

First, how does the water look? How much water do you typically drain for closing? My gut reaction would be to do one drain and refill now, then let the closing process take care of the rest.

 

[muzer66]

Thank You !! I'm so glad I've found TFP. I've learned so much !!

Right now, our water is crystal-clear. We are newbies at this, so we have "farmed-out" the opening & closings so far and have no real idea as to how much water we've had to drain to close. I remember that when the pool was opened, we didn't have to add that much water...maybe 30-40 minutes worth straight from our garden hose.

Where we live in Atlanta (DeKalb County), we need to contact the water department to obtain a "hydrant meter" in order to fill the pool. Sewage rates are tied to water usage here, so by using a hydrant meter, we avoid getting hit with a massive sewage bill for using ~9,000 gallons of water in one month. So if we do one 50% drain-&-refill now, that has to be coordinated with the water department before pool is closed in mid-October.

I was just wondering...chemically-speaking...if it was OK to close our pool, especially with our high CH level just sitting there for 6-months. In a perfect world, I'd like to do this when we open the pool in 2015:

*50% drain-&-refill
*wait a week
*do another 50% drain-&-refill
*adjust CH & CYA accordingly

 

[duraleigh]

If it were my pool, I would rather get it fixed now so I could begin to manage it properly.

Your way will work but may 'cause some complications if you fall behind in the Spring.

 

[tim5055]

In a perfect world, I'd like to do this when we open the pool in 2015:

*50% drain-&-refill
*wait a week
*do another 50% drain-&-refill
*adjust CH & CYA accordingly

I'm not understanding why wait a week between the first and second 50% drain/refill

If it were my pool, I would rather get it fixed now so I could begin to manage it properly.

Your way will work but may 'cause some complications if you fall behind in the Spring.

Agreed. My personality would not allow it to sit that way until it was opened in the spring.

 

[muzer66]

Thank You for all of the advice !! It looks like we'll do a 65% to 70% one-time drain to get our CH & CYA levels in-line for closing the pool. Now I just have to figure out where to put ~10,000 gallons of water into our small, suburban yard.