Newbie First Time Test Results - May have serious CYA problem

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LoraT

LoraT

0
Bronze Supporter
May 24, 2016
51
Owensboro, KY
Pool Size
12000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I just received my new Taylor TF-100 test kit today and here are the results:

FC - 1
CC - 2.5
PH - 7.2
TA - 130
CH - 300
CYA - 90

***Edit - just ran the CYA Extended directions and the result was 120***

A little background - opened pool Sunday (5/22). As per pool store added on bottle of algaecide and 4 bags of shock. Put 1 chlorine tab in each skimmer (total of 2). I am planning on using 10% bleach instead of the tabs this year, just put those in until I knew the results. Vacuumed all the worms, etc. to waste. Pool looks pretty good overall, just a little cloudy.

I found the TA test a little difficult. Ran it 3 times. Sometimes it would flash red, then go back to green. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to stop on the flash of red or when it stays red.

Also found the CYA test to be a little difficult, so I did it twice. Same results both times.

Not sure which problem to tackle first, but assume CYA. Looks like I will have to drain a LOT of water!

Would love to hear suggestions from the experts on this forum.
 
Hi Lora. Yes, I'm afraid the CYA is your first chore. With a CYA of 120, removing/replacing half of that should get you to around a 60 CYA which is much better. I wouldn't waste adding chemicals to the water until you do that water exchange, then reevaluate your CYA and adjust the FC accordingly. Does that make sense?

Oh, and for the TA .... the flash doesn't count. You need it to stay Barbie pink. :)
 
Texas Splash said:
Hi Lora. Yes, I'm afraid the CYA is your first chore. With a CYA of 120, removing/replacing half of that should get you to around a 60 CYA which is much better. I wouldn't waste adding chemicals to the water until you do that water exchange, then reevaluate your CYA and adjust the FC accordingly. Does that make sense?

Oh, and for the TA .... the flash doesn't count. You need it to stay Barbie pink. :)
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Thanks for your quick reply. That's what I was afraid of! What about the chlorine situation? Should I take the pucks out and add a bottle of the bleach? I plan on starting the process of draining and refilling tonight. Good to know about the TA test. Wont worry about it for now, will wait until I have the CYA back to a good level.

Thanks for your quick response.
 
Yes, definitely remove the pucks. They are contributing to the high CYA. No more pool store bags of shock either. Once you exchange the water and lower CYA, it will never go up again unless YOU chose to allow it by adding stabilizer or using a puck or two when deemed necessary. :)
 
Texas Splash said:
Yes, definitely remove the pucks. They are contributing to the high CYA. No more pool store bags of shock either. Once you exchange the water and lower CYA, it will never go up again unless YOU chose to allow it by adding stabilizer or using a puck or two when deemed necessary. :)
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Ok. Thanks. The pucks are out. I thought I would keep a few around because at the end of August we will be out of town for 2 weeks. I thought the easiest thing to do would be to have a friend throw a couple of pucks in every few days while we are gone. Otherwise, I will never use it again! Off to buy more bleach. Meijer's is having a grand opening here - 4 gallon bottles of 10% for $9.99. Stocking up while I can. :D
 
Stocking up is good but don't add any to the water you're going to be draining. Once you drain and refill then you can hit it with some bleach.
 
I drained a bunch of water, let the pool circulate, and then tested yesterday evening. I came up with a CYA of 80. Drained a bunch of water and refilled last night - ran the pump all night to circulate the water. Just now tested again and the CYA is still 80! I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. I ran the R-7065 CYA Standard test that came with my kit and got the correct reading.

So - I guess I need to drain a bunch more water? BTW, my husband thinks I have completely lost my mind and that I have found a bunch of "snake oil salesmen" on the internet. LOL So I'm dealing with that too! He wants me to take the water to the pool company and see what they say. So far, I'm winning though. :D

Do I need to run any other tests? I am really worried about the fact that I probably don't have any chlorine in the pool. I am going to go start draining more water, then check back in a little while to see if any knowledgeable people are online to give advice.
 
LoraT said:
I drained a bunch of water, let the pool circulate, and then tested yesterday evening. I came up with a CYA of 80. Drained a bunch of water and refilled last night - ran the pump all night to circulate the water. Just now tested again and the CYA is still 80! I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. I ran the R-7065 CYA Standard test that came with my kit and got the correct reading.

So - I guess I need to drain a bunch more water? BTW, my husband thinks I have completely lost my mind and that I have found a bunch of "snake oil salesmen" on the internet. LOL So I'm dealing with that too! He wants me to take the water to the pool company and see what they say. So far, I'm winning though. :D

Do I need to run any other tests? I am really worried about the fact that I probably don't have any chlorine in the pool. I am going to go start draining more water, then check back in a little while to see if any knowledgeable people are online to give advice.
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First of all, your husband is doing you a big disservice by not supporting you. About the last thing you should do is run to the pool store and listen to their advice. Some of the best minds in the US are on this forum and will help you with your pool at no charge. It's your call to decide the best way to proceed.

I will tell you this from 12 years or more of doing this. Trying to blend Pool Store info with what we tell you will result with you right in the middle and not knowing what to do.

Ok. CYA. When you say you drained "a bunch" of water how much was that? 1/2 your pool? 1"? 3" You'll need to be particular when you do these tests.

When you say
I ran the R-7065 CYA Standard test that came with my kit and got the correct reading.
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What was that? 50 ppm right?

So, if your CYA is 80 and you want it to be 40, you will have to drain half of your pool and then refill to get to 40 ppm. I get the feeling you are simply not draining enough water to get your CYA where it needs to be.

Now, after all that, you need some chlorine in the pool......that's more important than diluting your CYA right now. You have a 12k pool and have 0 FC. You need to bring that FC up to around 4-6 ppm to provide sanitation so your kids can swim.

Please add a SMALL (96 oz jug) of 8.25% plain clorox into your pool....that'll bring your FC to about 5 ppm and perfect for swimming. Please do the same thing tomorrow and the next day (Monday) for swimming.
 
As above, we don't sell anything so we have no incentive to mislead anyone. I know your pain as my girlfriend is the pool owner and it's been like trying to get her to cut off her arm. I can't count how many times I've been told the pool store said to do it this way. She's still operating off the indoctrination she received 15-20 years ago.

All I know is that even after buying the TF-100 and speed stir I still saved money the first year and the water is absolutely clean looking and sanitary. No more opening shock packs or powders along with algeacide and flocking. Clean all year with just maintenance using stuff I can pickup at a box or grocery store.

I'd do one more drain and refill and then toss in some bleach according to your next CYA reading and the table. Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
If you're really worried you can always toss in a bottle now. It's only three or four dollars and if it gives you peace of mind it's worth it.

The CYA test can be difficult and frustrating.
 

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Kiss4aFrog said:
Stocking up is good but don't add any to the water you're going to be draining. Once you drain and refill then you can hit it with some bleach.
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That advise was based on doing one drain and refill and being in an acceptable CYA range. Now that it's been a couple days it's time for bleach like Duraleigh pointed out.
I was still writing when he posted, sorry. :(
 
Thanks to everyone for your sound advice and encouragement. After a fun-filled couple of days draining & refilling, here are my current test results:

FC - .5
CC - 1
PH - 7.5
TA - 150
CH - 350
CYA - 50

I'm pretty sure I drained over half the pool to get the CYA down. I am planning on adding 100 oz. of 10% bleach to get my FC up to the recommended number of 7. Not sure what, if anything, I need to do about the TA being so high.

Assuming everything is ok with the FC tomorrow, will it be safe to swim?
 
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Hi again Lora. I'm glad you got the CYA back down to earth. I'm surprised though that your CH actually went up. Water exchange is the only way to lower CH. Is your local water that hard? Any chance that there was a testing error on that one? Anyways, you can probably swim tomorrow, but I am most concerned about that slightly elevated CC. Since it's over 0.5, I would recommend just for tonight increasing your FC to somewhere around 10-12. It's about half of your SLAM level, but your water has been through a big transformation the past few days. It may be struggling with the previous stuff added, and/or the low FC levels. I think your water could use it. I would also recommend an OCLT tonight. Let that water mix real good, then take a good FC reading tonight before bed and one more in the morning before the sun hits the water. See if you hold the FC or lose no more than 1 ppm. If you pass, no harm done. The extra FC may help your water as it tries to process the elevated CCs and you are still fine to swim tomorrow. If you fail, you will need to elevate your FC to 20 for a SLAM. But let's see what kind of readings you get in the morning okay.
 
Sorry I didn't see these replies before I went to bad last night. I added the chlorine and went to sleep! Anyway, here are my results this morning.

FC - 2
CC - 5
PH - 7.8
TA - 170
CH - 200
CYA - 60

There is absolutely a good chance of a testing error on any of these tests. On the CH test, I never see it turn to a blue color, always purple. This morning I just recorded when it first changed at 200. On the TA test when adding R-0007 it started flashing red at 13 and stayed at 17, hence the 170. I have a terrible time getting consistent drops to come out with this test. I also struggle with the CYA test, but this morning I would have to say it was 60 instead of 50. Should I try to replace more water today?

I can go ahead at add chlorine today to get to the 10-12 level, then do the OCLT. I realize now I should have waited and tested the chlorine I added last night. I think I would have failed the OCLT test since my chlorine is at 2 this morning though.

Also, how long is the water sample good for before you test it. For instance, this morning I filled up my bottle but didn't test it until about 90 minutes later.

BTW, the water is so crystal clear that it actually sparkles! :D

Thanks to everyone for all your help and advice. BTW - Texas Splash - you signature is outstanding! I have used those links many times.
 
Glad you used the links. :) You can grab a water sample and let it sit for a while, that's okay. The TA test - that's fairly common. 170 is a bit elevated, but we can work on that later. No rush yet. Stay focused more on pH as opposed to TA for the moment.

Based on your elevated CC level, I'm concerned you may need to SLAM the pool, but you say it's very clear right now right? Well, your FC is very low for a CYA of 60, so I would elevate that right away to the 10-12 range. A little higher than normal yes, but not a SLAM just yet. Leave it there all day to see if it helps with the excess CCs. Then do an OCLT tonight. Tomorrow we can reevaluate your CC reading and see how you did on the OCLT to let us know if you have excess chlorine consumption.
 
Texas Splash said:
Glad you used the links. :) You can grab a water sample and let it sit for a while, that's okay. The TA test - that's fairly common. 170 is a bit elevated, but we can work on that later. No rush yet. Stay focused more on pH as opposed to TA for the moment.

Based on your elevated CC level, I'm concerned you may need to SLAM the pool, but you say it's very clear right now right? Well, your FC is very low for a CYA of 60, so I would elevate that right away to the 10-12 range. A little higher than normal yes, but not a SLAM just yet. Leave it there all day to see if it helps with the excess CCs. Then do an OCLT tonight. Tomorrow we can reevaluate your CC reading and see how you did on the OCLT to let us know if you have excess chlorine consumption.
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Wow - that was fast! Going to up the chlorine right now. Will post tomorrow re: OCLT. Thanks!
 
This is probably a stupid question about the weekly chlorine test - but I'm asking anyway for clarification. When adding and counting the drops of the R-0871, do the results get recorded when the solution first goes to clear, or when the solution stays clear. Mine will get clear at a reading of 4, but then after a second turns back to a very light pink. It stays clear when I get to a reading of 11 (which is where I need to be).
 
LoraT said:
This is probably a stupid question about the weekly chlorine test - but I'm asking anyway for clarification. When adding and counting the drops of the R-0871, do the results get recorded when the solution first goes to clear, or when the solution stays clear. Mine will get clear at a reading of 4, but then after a second turns back to a very light pink. It stays clear when I get to a reading of 11 (which is where I need to be).
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Check out the extended test kit info here: Extended Test Kit Directions

It may answer your question. I always count until it goes clear and stays clear.

Edit: As long as you're not waiting a couple of minutes and THEN it's turning pink again. That's to be expected.
 

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