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fkrobertson

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May 23, 2016
11
Phoenix, AZ
Hello everyone! I'm new to joining the forum and a new pool owner. (The pool was put in in the 1960s, its just new to us.) I've been reading through all the very helpful information on this site over the last two weeks and am so grateful for all the helpful information. Like many others who've arrived here I've been constantly battling little patches of algae, and scratching my head when my Pool Master 5 way test kit told me I had plenty of chlorine in the water. My Taylor Kit arrived last weekend, and both my understanding of what was happening and my pool water are much clearer now. I am also very frustrated with my local pool store who sold me boxes of Dichlor. MY CYA levels are out of control. I can't even get an accurate gauge of the levels with how fast that little black dot disappears. I don't have a way of pumping water out below the skimmer basket level, so I guess I will just drain a foot at a time and refill as necessary.

I have my work cut out for me! The sand, pump, and service lines all need replacement. The pump works but not very effectively. There is also a huge slide and fountain that have not been maintained and therefore are cracking and dangerous. And we need a fence with a one year old who just took his first steps. I'm a little overwhelmed, but the success of my recent SLAM has me confident that with the information on this site and some elbow grease I can tackle the challenge. I'll post my questions and progress as I go along. Thanks again and nice to "meet" you!
 
Welcome to TFP! Congrats on the new old pool! Nice work on your successful SLAM!

Trivia time. Phoenix is a city in 6 states, please add your state to your location in your profile so it shows up over there <----, climate is often important when we are helping you with your pool. Phoenix, GA is quite a bit different from Phoenix, IL.
 
Location updated! I am in sunny Arizona. And thanks, the SLAM process was the absolute easiest way I've gone from green spots to blue pool in my relatively short amount of experience. Knowing what to do, and having a kit that tells you what is really going on saves so much money and guess work.

Not a bad plan YippeeSkippy. If it gets to be a pain I'll buy or borrow a sump. As it sits, I staring down some pricey changes. But it may make cents to get that CYA out now and avoid the added chlorine cost.

That leads me to my first question: I Understand that with my high CYA levels I need to have a correspondingly higher FC level. Assuming a high level of CYA, does the correspondingly higher FC level result in more rapid loss of FC? Or in other words if my CYA levels were proper and I was at 3-4 ppm, could I expect lower daily FC ppm loss (all things being equal) with those figures than I would in my current situation? I've seen posts here from some pretty knowledgeable people that state high CYA levels make FC maintenance virtually impossible for the average joe.

Eventually I will need to correct the CYA levels. But if I can buy some time by just raising FC for my current situation, I'll add the extra bleach and maintain those levels until I have the time for the partial drain. Plus, the removal of the fountain I mentioned above will require a partial drain, and so will the media change. I'd like to take advantage of those water losses as part of my efforts to reduce CYA, and given the labor required, I can't get them done right away.

Here's my second question: Should I have posted the question above in a different section of the forum?:)
 
Ha! We can get a mod to move it if needed.

First, do the extended CYA test here, Pool School - Extended Test Kit Directions and let's get a rough idea where you are from your BOXES of dichlor. :)

Chlorine level is set based on CYA level, keep it at target at all times. If FC drops below minimum the pool will be unsanitary and algae can grow. Chlorine CYA Chart. The chart stops at 100 but the math works to extrapolate numbers above 100.

Once you get your FC up to the correct level your pool won't use any more chlorine than it would with CYA at 60, it should even use less. But, if you get algae and have to SLAM then it will take a lot of bleach to get to shock level. But, I've SLAMed my pool at 28 FC before, it isn't a huge deal.

The biggest problem to me is that the PH test is not valid with FC above 10. So, CYA at 80-90 is about as high as I like to be.
 
Finally did the extended test. The CYA level was bad but not as bad as I thought. I did the original test inside, and visibility was better in direct sunlight. CYA was still very high at 130ppm. Drained a good portion of the pool, then let it refill while I changed the sand in the filter, put in a new single speed pump, and replaced all the above ground PVC lines. Back-washed and drained again, and after refill CYA is at 90. I think I will leave it there for now as I plan to switch to salt water in the near future. I will also need to do a partial drain to remove the gigantic, crumbling fountain and repair the cool deck so I should see a drop then, too. But its going to be 117 this weekend, so I'll be swimming, not jack hammering. Thanks for all your help!
 

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