Green Water

[Texas Splash]

Okay Amy ... well for simple math, we can expect that a 50% drain will lower your CYA to 60. That's not bad at all. I actually keep mine that high because of the intense sun. If you are comfortable draining that much at once, that's the best option. Knockout the water exchange and then you can resume normal chemical adjustments. Good thing is once the CYA is lowered, it will never go up again unless YOU want it to. If you have any more questions about the CYA or drain let us know.

 

[AmyMrsR]

So would we be able to say that the current haziness that just won't let go might be from the high CYA? Or something else? I've seen it crystal clear before.. And it's almost there but not quite

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[triptyx]

My CYA was over 300 when I drained, and the water was crystal clear. I don't think you can attribute water cloudiness to "high" CYA alone.

 

[Texas Splash]

Obsolutely! The high CYA impedes proper chlorination unless you keep the FC REALLY high. Even then, it becomes a problem testing pH. Having the CYA in a reasonable range (i.e. 30-50, some places slightly higher) is the #1 step to balancing your water. In fact, high CYA and CH are the two items that can only be reduced by water replacement. You're doing the right thing. How can I be so sure? Because I had to do it when I joined TFP. .... and so did many others.

 

[AmyMrsR]

Still kills me that I started with beautiful water and created this rollercoaster by letting it sit too long while I got the skimmer installed.. Keep telling myself next year will be easier.. Skimmer works great so it will be worth it as I watch it work it's magic this summer while I float with my tasty beverage

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[Texas Splash]

Absolutely! Good luck and stay in touch. If you have any problems, let us know.

 

[AmyMrsR]

FYI for anyone looking to drain without electric pumps.. Take your vacuum hose and once it's full, palm the end. I pulled mine over the side and put it in my back wash hose to the back yard. Drains from the bottom of the pool once I'm below my intakes. I'm filling back up now

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[Texas Splash]

Nice!

 

[AmyMrsR]

Double checked the chemical #s on those tabs.. Picked up a different type of chlorine tabs at the end of last yr that were "stabilized" and didn't know what that meant. Now I do, apparently thats where my huge CYA levels are coming from. Used them all last summer and again this year. Ugh

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[pabeader]

Just a quick note: All tabs are stabilized one way or another. Most use CYA some use calcium. Both are 'bad' only because the CYA and calcium will build up over time. That's why we only recommend liquid forms of chlorine.

 

[AmyMrsR]

Live and learn... Imagine what my CYA was before the winter drain if it was this high at the beginning of the year!! Ouch

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[AmyMrsR]

ARGH
Current numbers (refilled, circulating since this morning) could squeeze another inch or so of water before Im too high on the skimmer but as of now):
FC=44
TA=50
CYA=100
PH=6.8
CC=6 (?) it only took 1 drop to go back to clear
Temp=62

My liner is looking lighter..something needs to give. Will the FC drift down with the CYA that high?
The only thing I can say is that at least the water looks pretty....

- - - Updated - - -

wait..I did the 5ml for the FC test then doubled..I think I did that wrong. So if I did 5ml and 1ppm per drop then FC would be 22, correct?

 

[pabeader]

Correct. I'm also wondering about the CC level. 6?

 

[AmyMrsR]

Have to look at the test again.. My first year with a big kit like this so I may have been hasty in my initial understanding of the test...

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[Texas Splash]

Right Amy. If you chose to do the 5ml sample, each drop is simply 1 FC. In your case above = 22. Take your time, we'll help you. The MOST important test for you to do right now is that CYA. If the CYA is still showing as over 100, you really need to do some water exchange to lower it. No sense adding chemicals and $$ to water you're going to drain. Ideally, fix the CYA first, then everything else is much easier.

 

[AmyMrsR]

so let me get my "Duuuuh" out of the way :facepalm: . I CAREFULLY reread the instructions for the CC test again and given that I used a 5ml sample, that would make my CC number .5ppm
The CYA is right at 100 (I did it twice to be sure) but if I have to drain and fill again I might be filling out divorce paperwork while it fills...

 

[Texas Splash]

We treat a CC or 0.5 or less as zero.

 

[Smartjack]

How big of a drain did you do? Your CYA was 120 before the drain, and you only dropped to 100. That says you either did not drain very much water, or your CYA was way higher than 120 before you started.

 

[AmyMrsR]

I guesstimated what would be the halfway mark in the pool and shot for that target. When I was close to that mark, it was 11pm so it could be that, with the flashlight, I needed to go lower and just misjudged my 1/2 way point.

 

[Texas Splash]

No worries. It's tough to judge water exchange sometimes. But now that you're still showing it high, you definitely want to use your trick above to siphon and exchange water. Ideally, the lower the CYA is between 30-50 the better for a SLAM only so that you use less bleach. But even if you only get it down to 60 or so we can work with that. But at 100 or more ..... no Bueno.