CYA reading off the charts!

[macultra20]

I finally got tired of dumping tons of money into my pool chems every season. After reading all the "Getting Started" info here and finally learning about pool chemistry. I now know that using the 3" "puck" floater for chlorination, 2 bags of shock every week, and a bottle of algaecide each month, I was destroying my pool chemistry. I now know why every other year I have been instructed to drain (as much as I can) the pool and refill. My CYA level is off the charts (150 by strip, just below the 1.8 mark on my Taylor 2006 kit). I'm trying to learn how to use my new test kit by reading and watching all the videos. I tried to complete the DPD test and stopped after 20 drops of R-0871 failed to "clear" the tube. Rather than waste my time and reagents I'm going to try and lower my pool water and refill so I can get my CYA level down. My question is as follows: by using the pool vac hose and by sealing the other skimmer, I can usually get the water level to drop about 3 feet. Is this going to be enough to lower my CYA level or am I in need of a sump pump? Unfortunately I live in a drought area (California) but I have my own well. It usually takes me several days to fill the pool with a garden hose. Sorry for the long-winded question...but I'm really upset that nobody at the pool store bothered to tell me I should be using liquid chlorine. Other strip readings are as follows: TC-5, FC-5, Ph-7.2, TA-120, CYA-150

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

If you can drain about 3 feet out of the pool, that is probably well over 50% of the pools volume and will lower the CYA by that same percentage. The issue is you do not know how high the CYA really is to know how much water you need to drain.

Forget about the test strips.

Try the diluted CYA test method as described in the Extended Test Instructions.

 

[duraleigh]

+1 what jblizzle said.