Told to Drain pool UGH-New pool owner new to TFP

[Max1513]

We put in an in-ground pool last year this time. The water is not even a year old and we are being told we will need to probably drain it due to the Total Dissolved Solids number. We have 7425 gallon pool and our total dissolved solids is at 2500. We are told our Calcium Hardness is high but we have extremely hard water here in Arizona. This is the first time we have had a pool and I don't want to ruin it already or ruin any of our equipment. We have a filter system and not sand like most out here.

Every thing else looks great and our water is clear.

Do we really need to drain the water already!?

Thanks everyone!!

 

[woodyp]

NO------you don't!

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi Max,
Dont believe what you're told by the Pool Stores. They have their own back pocket at interest.

Taking care of your own pool is a piece of cake if you know how, or have acces to those who do. Well, you have found it.

My first piece of advice, is get your own test kit ASAP and dont rely on anyone else. We here at TFP recommend the TF100. Only available online and you can get one at TFTestkits.net If you dont have a test kit, its like playing Pin The Tail On The Donkey when it comes to pool care.

Next, start educating yourself by clicking on the pool school button. In there you can learn basic pool jargon such as FC, TC, CYA, etc. Also, in there are recommended water parameter levels, and a small write up of how one checmical or parameter interacts with another. Its real easy.

And last (for now), but not least... click on the tab at the top of the page that's named POOL MATH. It is a calculator tool that will tell you how much of some chemical to add to achieve a desired level.

PS. TDS really is not relevent to maintaining a clean and clear pool, if you just know how.

 

[Isaac-1]

Let me follow up on what the others have said, TDS is a very outdated measurement and is nearly useless for managing your pool water. TDS stands for total dissolved solids, these solids include salt, CYA, Calcium and others. Now 50 years ago using TDS in comparison with other local pools did give some hints as to what may be going on with a particular pool, however now we have easily available tests that give us accurate measurements of each of the major components of TDS so as we tend to say, TDS is useless.

Or to put it another way imagine TDS as like trying to bake a cake and the only thing you know is how thick the batter is, vs knowing how much sugar, flour and other ingredients are in it.

 

[gwegan]

With hard water you will almost always have high TDS. You can manege a pool with high calcium content. It generally means running the pool with a slightly negative CSI index. Look on pool math. Play with the numbers. Get a test kit. In the big picture TDS tells you little useful.

 

[Richard320]

I don't even know what my TDS number is. Never had it tested in over five years. Never had an algae outbreak, either. Never not been able to see the main drain through eight feet of water. Only not been able to tell the main drain screws were Phillips head a couple days in all those five years, and those were only for a day at a time after big parties or severe windstorms.

People with a saltwater generator have over 3000 ppm TDS just in the required salt! That TDS reading is useful only to increasing the bottom line of the pool store. He says drain and oh, by the way.... you need this startup kit to get things balanced again... cha-ching!

Leave the water in the pool and buy your own proper test kit and take control. You may need to drain if you've been feeding the pool a steady diet of pucks and shock, but we'll tell you precisely why it needs draining and why it got that way and how to keep it happening again. CH has to get pretty darn high -- like four figures -- before managing it becomes a real nightmare. I've been dealing with CH for years and so has Chiefwej in Tucson.