I drained approx 2/3 of my water and my CYA is still high...@ 110!

[Jay15]

Do be ware of the risk involved in using a tarp. Children, pets, etc must be banned from the area. Constantly monitoring the pool area is required. We in general do not recommend this method due to the risks.

Yes, I saw the warnings on the tarp method and decided against it. Thanks.

 

[Jay15]

Update:
Yesterday evening I added 2 gallons of liquid chlorine (12.5%)
This morning the chlorine was > 5.0 and pH was >8 on the daily test.
A few hours ago, I had someone come to clean off the calcium buildup, which lowered the pH to 6.8.

Here are my latest test results (water temp 84/air 80):
FC = 12.5
pH = 6.8
TA = 90
CH = 425
CYA = 120 (used the 50/50 pool/tap water method)
CSI = -.68

Pool Math app is telling me to add 7lbs, 1.0 oz Soda Ash.

Does this sound right? Anything else I'm missing?

Thanks!

 

[wireform]

Do be ware of the risk involved in using a tarp. Children, pets, etc must be banned from the area. Constantly monitoring the pool area is required. We in general do not recommend this method due to the risks.

That method acts as a sinkhole and is very hard to get out of something like it.

 

[Flying Tivo]

Does this sound right? Anything else I'm missing?

Run your bubblers 24hrs and your Ph will rise without chemicals.

 

[Jeff J.]

Update:
Yesterday evening I added 2 gallons of liquid chlorine (12.5%)
This morning the chlorine was > 5.0 and pH was >8 on the daily test.
A few hours ago, I had someone come to clean off the calcium buildup, which lowered the pH to 6.8.

Here are my latest test results (water temp 84/air 80):
FC = 12.5
pH = 6.8
TA = 90
CH = 425
CYA = 120 (used the 50/50 pool/tap water method)
CSI = -.68

Pool Math app is telling me to add 7lbs, 1.0 oz Soda Ash.

Does this sound right? Anything else I'm missing?

Thanks!

I would add Borax instead of soda ash.

 

[Mokman]

No I did not run the pump until after the water exchange.

Hey just looking at this now. When this is all done you might want to do a calcium test

 

[Jay15]

Update:
Yesterday I added 3 lbs of soda ash (not the 7 recommended by the Pool Math app), and here are the results:

FC = 12.5 (same)
pH = 7.4 (up from 6.8)
CH = 425 (same)
TA = 110 (up from 90)
CH = 425 (same)
CYA not tested (has been 120 using 50/50 split)

Pool Math is giving me conflicting info. Do I need to raise or lower my pH? Acid or soda ash first? One or the other? (I do not have Borax)

Thanks for bearing with me while I learn and regain control of my pool!

 

[Jeff J.]

Update:
Yesterday I added 3 lbs of soda ash (not the 7 recommended by the Pool Math app), and here are the results:

FC = 12.5 (same)
pH = 7.4 (up from 6.8)
CH = 425 (same)
TA = 110 (up from 90)
CH = 425 (same)
CYA not tested (has been 120 using 50/50 split)

Pool Math is giving me conflicting info. Do I need to raise or lower my pH? Acid or soda ash first? One or the other? (I do not have Borax)

Thanks for bearing with me while I learn and regain control of my pool!

Your PH is fine. You really just need to keep your FC up.

 

[Jay15]

Your PH is fine. You really just need to keep your FC up.

Sorry, I guess I meant to add "due to the high TA." That's

For TA, Pool Math says to reduce pH to 7.0 to 7.2 with acid, then aerate to increase pH (I think this is my answer...?)
For pH, it says I need to add a pound of Soda Ash.

What do you think?

 

[Flying Tivo]

For TA, Pool Math says to reduce pH to 7.0 to 7.2 with acid

That is why i suggested to use your bubblers instead of soda ash to raise ph, its a never ending cycle if you use chems to control TA. Get off the roller coaster(acid/soda). Let the ph free roll and see where it sits, if higher than 8 then lower to 7.6 with acid. No more needed. PH anywhere in range is ok.

 

[Jeff J.]

Sorry, I guess I meant to add "due to the high TA." That's

For TA, Pool Math says to reduce pH to 7.0 to 7.2 with acid, then aerate to increase pH (I think this is my answer...?)
For pH, it says I need to add a pound of Soda Ash.

What do you think?

TFP only recommends lowering TA if you're having a problem with rising PH or high CSI.

 

[Jay15]

That is why i suggested to use your bubblers instead of soda ash to raise ph, its a never ending cycle if you use chems to control TA. Get off the roller coaster(acid/soda). Let the ph free roll and see where it sits, if higher than 8 then lower to 7.6 with acid. No more needed. PH anywhere in range is ok.

Thanks, Felipe and Jeff.

I'll keep an eye on the chemicals every day.

So I don't have to be too concerned with TA @ 110?

 

[Flying Tivo]

No, my fill TA is 220 so i always end up adding acid. As an example i had 40 inches of rain(drain/refill) with TS Hanna, My TA dropped to 50. My ph was 7.2 and aerated for a week straight and the ph only moved up .2. My auto fill is off now, but as soon as i open it my TA will start to claim.

 

[CrystalRiver]

TA will come down on its own over time as you add acid to reduce the pH. With high TA, your pH will naturally rise as the water is aerated.

 

[Dtkokay]

Your TA will come down over time and settle into a naturally stable number for your pool, so don’t worry about that. Your pH is fine as well. I would concentrate on keeping your FC level up and lowering your CYA at some point. You are very close to getting control of your pool, so keep it up!

The high CYA is why a lot of folks here use salt water chlorine generators. The SWCG makes chlorine continuously, allows you to maintain a lower level of FC, and, most importantly, does not add CYA like tablets do. And the SWCG also makes it easier to leave the pool unattended for lengthy periods. I just got back from a 2 week vacation and my SWCG pool was fine.

 

[Jay15]

Your TA will come down over time and settle into a naturally stable number for your pool, so don’t worry about that. Your pH is fine as well. I would concentrate on keeping your FC level up and lowering your CYA at some point. You are very close to getting control of your pool, so keep it up!

The high CYA is why a lot of folks here use salt water chlorine generators. The SWCG makes chlorine continuously, allows you to maintain a lower level of FC, and, most importantly, does not add CYA like tablets do. And the SWCG also makes it easier to leave the pool unattended for lengthy periods. I just got back from a 2 week vacation and my SWCG pool was fine.

Thanks for the encouragement! We would switch to a SWCG if we weren't planning on moving within a year (hopefully). I wish we had done it originally.

 

[mguzzy]

Thanks, Felipe and Jeff.

I'll keep an eye on the chemicals every day.

So I don't have to be too concerned with TA @ 110?

Nope, you don't need to be concerned with that TA.. Just to reiterate what everyone else is saying, just manage your pH and the TA will find its equilibrium.

 

[Jay15]

Another Update-

Here are today’s results after adding water:
FC 7.5 (added 3 quarts liquid chlorine)
pH 8.0
TA 100
CH 450
CYA 110 (did the 50/50 test and level was just between 50 and 60)
CSI .52 (potential for scaling...) this has crept up

I've been maintaining my pool since I partially drained it a few weeks ago...Brushing all surfaces, skimming surface, emptying skimmer and pump baskets and Racer, checking/adding chemicals. I haven’t bought a vacuum yet, so it’s been 2 weeks since it was vacuumed.

I notice that when I brush the spa, the water becomes cloudy. The pool doesn’t look cloudy but maybe that’s because of the greater volume compared to the spa. Although I can see some “debris” when I brush the steps.

I also noticed that the flow over the spa has slowed down somewhat. I checked the filter and the pressure is at the low end of normal. I had the filters cleaned on June 8th. Somethings up...so I’m having it looked at on Tuesday. Also, my Racer rotating brush isn’t working so that’ll hopefully be fixed Tuesday, too.

Questions:
- What do you think is causing the cloudiness?
- Why is the csi creeping up?
- What do I need to do now?

Here’s a link to my results:

PoolMath Logs

troublefreepool.com

Thanks All!

 

[mknauss]

Sounds like algae. Spa spillover slowing is due to less flow. Less flow is due to plugging filter. Debris when brushing is dead algae.

Do you have a clean filter pressure value? Once your filter pressure rises by 25% over the clean pressure, you need to clean it.

At your CYA, it will be difficult to follow the SLAM Process. Keep cleaning the filter and live with the algae until you are ready to drain.

The CSI level is due to high pH and elevated TA. Lower the pH to 7.4 or so.

 

[Jay15]

Thanks...although that's not what I wanted to hear.

Normal pressure is between 20 and 30, and I recall that it's usually right in the middle after the filter is cleaned. It's at 20 now.

Probably a dumb question that I could Google, but I'd appreciate your opinions: is it dangerous to swim in a pool with dead algae (and I'm assuming it's all dead because I don't see any spots where it's active/growing)?

Is there an algaecide I can buy?

I'm totally bummed out...having just done a water exchange. I'm sure I got my CYA down from an extraordinarily high number, but I've clearly got a ways to go. Next time I'm going to drain at least halfway, then start refilling. I can't wait for rain.

Here are some photos I just took.

Spa before brushing:


Spa after brushing: (what may look like algae on the bench is a reflection of the trees. There is no "green" in the pool)


The pool (also, no "green")