Help! Newbie with lots of questions - specifically CYA, metals, and adding chems

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technicolorfrog

New member
Aug 12, 2022
1
Fort Worth, TX
Hi all! Brand new here. Just moved in to my new home this past Saturday. New owner was supposed to walk me through all the pool maintenance/chemical stuff but it hasn't happened yet so I've taken to researching on my own (and I have slightt prior knowledge from growing up with a pool).

I've absorbed all I can from the forums and am now diving head-first to get this sucker at the minimum swimmable. We swam the day after we moved in (I used a Leslie's pool kit to test and FC was plentiful) but now all FC is gone and I'm worried and we'd like to swim this evening/tomorrow.

I don't have a reputable test kit yet so I took a sample to Leslie's to confirm what my little strip told me and get additional metrics. The readings seem odd, the CYA is astronomical, and metals are really high. And I'm not sure if it makes a difference or is causing the metal, but our street is under construction so the road is currently dirt and gravel and I've been having to vacuum the pool as much as possible as the dirt gets in. Also, based on the stains on our shower glass and dishwasher, I get the feeling we have very hard water. The guy at Leslie's suggest we drain it because of the high metal and CYA levels, or spend hundreds on chemicals.

That being said, the pool water is crystal clear and seems swimmable, we certainly had no problem swimming last weekend.

I'm having a pool service come by Wednesday just to get me started and then I plan within a few months to transition fully to TFP, this forum has already been a huge resource. That being said, here is my plan for today, based on the readings, just to get it swimmable. Any and all advice is welcome, esp in regards to the strange readings.

  1. Going to add 3lbs 6oz of soda ash.
  2. Planning to sodium hypochlorite (Aldi Tandil brand bleach, 6%).
  3. Order a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006 test kit
  4. Swim
My questions:
  • Is it necessary to put the soda ash in a bucket and mix with pool water first? I honestly don't have a bucket I can use.
  • The owner left some clorox trichlor tabs as well as the dichlor "15-min" granulated shock packs, should I go with one of those instead of the bleach in the interest of getting it swim-ready quicker?
  • I've read a lot of conflicting accounts on this forum and elsewhere in regards to time needed in between adding chemicals, as well as time needed to wait before swimming. Does anyone have a good rule of thumb here? We really want to swim and TBH since the water is crystal clear, had I not tested this morning we would've planned to get in anyways and we've got some friends planned to come over tomorrow. I realize this makes me sound spoiled and entitled, but it's not like I'm starting with a cloudy, murky, or green pool here. It's sparkling.

Below is a pic of the read out, as well as a pic of the equipment and the pool.

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Welcome to TFP! :wave: You have a very simple pad set-up, somewhat similar to mine. Unfortunately, with no accurate test results, there's not much we can advise you on at the moment. I can assure you the weekly maintenance service will be of no help either with their "dump & run" technique. Don't let what appears to be clear water fool you, the chemistry can be off. A TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C test kit should be your #1 priority. It's that important and you can do it yourself - easily! Pool store testing and advice will bite you in the wallet :shark: .

Most of your chemical questions can be answered in our Pool Care Basics page. Look for recommended chemicals. There's a lot we could discuss and help with, but it all starts with accurate testing. While I don't have much confidence in those test results above, I will offer you this bit of caution though:
1 - If the pH and TA are that low, it's dangerously corrosive to the pool and equipment.
2 - If the CYA is that high (probably from tabs), you'll need to exchange water in stages (to avoid pool pop-out) to lower the CYA.
3 - If there is indeed a high level of copper, the only way to remove is is changing water.

Confirm with a proper test kit, but it looks like changing water (carefully in stages) needs to be priority #1, followed by verifying the pH and TA with the new water. If you have more questions let us know.
 
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Having no TA and very low pH plus having no active sanitization in your pool is a recipe for making someone ill, especially if you have a large group. I think it was great that you decide to get the water tested and seek advice. I see the advice from Leslie’s was to drain the pool which is the best way to proceed. the water is in terrible shape and not only will it affect people it can damage your equipment.
 
Add enough liquid chlorine to get FC to 5ppm (pool math app will tell you how much) each day until test kit comes in because you have pretty much 0 FC which is asking for algae.

I would hold off on doing too much besides FC until test kit comes (if getting Taylor K-2006 get the one that has the C - Taylor K-2006C) because if your CYA & metals are high you will have to replace the water and these folks can help you.

Liquid chlorine is preferred over tabs etc because they can raise your CYA (which looks like was used by previous owner & would be why CYA so high).

As far as you being able to swim in it while it is clear…the experts here can chime in. I would be concerned about low pH for these reasons (but you need an accurate test).

“Low pH levels lead to a number of issues from maintenance headaches like premature erosion of grout and corroded fixtures like ladders and diving boards. Low pH causes pool liners to become brittle and crack. It also causes discomfort for swimmers like burning eyes and itchy skins.”
 
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If the CYA measurement is correct then TA is not actually zero. Leslie's reports corrected TA, which is not actually total anymore. With a CYA around 200, the real, uncorrected, TA should be at least 60-70.

At TA zero, pH should be still lower, like 4.5.

Add chlorine first and maintain a higher FC as suggested above until you get a proper test kit.

Once you have confirmed the high CYA yourself, you'll likely have to drain and refill. If pH is still low (tested with your good soon to arrive test kit) you can bring it up with Borax if TA gets confirmed at 60-70, and if you can't drain immediately.

Look at the Test Kits Compared page and order one of the recommended kits.

Edit: Personally, I would wait with swimming until I had test results from my own test kit and adjusted pH and FC.
 
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Additionally, you'll have to choose a another method for long-term chlorination of your pool. The only two viable options are SWG and liquid chlorine. As you can clearly see, trichlor tabs are an unsustainable choice.
 
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pjt said:
Additionally, you'll have to choose a another method for long-term chlorination of your pool. The only two viable options are SWG and liquid chlorine. As you can clearly see, trichlor tabs are an unsustainable choice.
Click to expand...

Very good point. Using tabs will not only drive CYA further up, but also pH further down. Definitely use liquid chlorine.
 
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