Help!?

Dwiessner · 2025-05-03T14:11:45-0400

Had a rough year last year and just couldn't keep up with the pool. Just used tabs (will never use again), dropped liquid chlorine and acid occasionally, and hoped for the best. I'm now in a better place, and trying to reopen. I tried using my old taylor kit, but the results were weird and chemicals were crusty, so I think I need a new one. Took my water to leslies for analysis, and the results were shocking. Pool is about 10000-13000 gal, fiberglass, saltwater (SWG was off the past year, but back on). Just cleaned cartridge last weekend after vacuuming algae and debris.

FC 10.53
TC 14.64
PH 6.3
TA couldn't register due to cya
CH 296
CYA 216!
Iron 0.3
Copper 0.5
Phosphates 1619
Salt 4911

Yesterday, I drained about a foot of water, refilled, cycled over night, retested this morning to see if this would help, and everything improved quite a bit except cya was even higher, and ph was the same.

So my plan is:

1. Continue drain and fill process until I get that cya back down to near 90.
2. Add salt to get to the correct level.
3. Adjust pH
4. SLAM.

Does that sound like the right approach? Feel like a stooge letting it get this bad, but spilled milk at this point. I appreciate any advice you can provide. TIA!

PoolStored · 2025-05-03T14:27:41-0400

Do not make any changes based on pool store testing. You can do more harm than good.
I think the first step is to order a new kit. How old is the kit?
What were the results from your kit? Post them all of them.
Don't SLAM without a proper kit.
Don't add salt unless you test with a Salt drop test kit. K-1766 or TF Salt Bundle

Dwiessner · 2025-05-03T14:42:37-0400

My kit is from 2021. I tested cya first, and that was the weird test. I dropped like 4 drops in and couldn't see the dot. Off the charts. I figured, man it's either incredibly high, or this kit is jacked. Then I tested salt. Which it said was on the low end, and my swg also says it's low, but leslies says it's 5000.

i haven't drained water from the pool in some time. Probably 2 or 3 years, when my filter cracked and drained a bunch without my permission. Is it a bad idea to go ahead and drain some anyway, while I'm waiting for a new kit? I just had a new roof put on the house, and neighbors were doing landscaping that kept covering the bottom of the pool with dirt. I vacuumed it, and cleaned the filter, but since I haven't drained any in a while, and all indications seem that cya is super high, seems like not a bad idea to drain some now, while I wait?

I don't trust leslies advice on what to add, but should I also not trust their test?

PoolStored · 2025-05-03T14:45:27-0400

Get your kit ordered. Get this-->TF-Pro Salt
Best value for the money. Period.
Do not trust leslie's tests. We will not make recommendations based on Pool Store testing.
I would replace (not drain) as much water as you can (like all of it) while you are waiting for the kit. Easier to just start over.
See "No Drain Water Exchange" here:

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Donldson · 2025-05-03T14:51:30-0400

Dwiessner said:
but should I also not trust their test?

You replaced a portion of your water and their test said your CYA went up? No, you should not trust them.

Order replacement reagents for your kit, but be prepared for bad news. The CYA test reagent is particularly stable. If you only added a couple drops and the dot was obscured then 200 ppm would be optimistic.

Dwiessner · 2025-05-03T14:52:19-0400

Thanks so much! Ordering now. I'll be back next weekend for advice after draining and testing and getting cya back in line. Amazing how fast you forget everything, when you don't do it for a year.