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phillijp

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Aug 6, 2016
60
Cincinnati, Oh
I've been lurking as a guest for a year or so. This is my third season owning a pool and what got me here was growing tired of fighting CYA and pouring hundreds of dollars into the pool trying to keep the values in the acceptable range. Nothing new here. I replaced the broken tablet chlorinator with the Liquidator last week and so far things are running smoothly. Except for the CYA which is 190 everything else is in the acceptable range. FC is 5.1

Wednesday I noticed a slight chlorine odor while I was in the pool and my boys all had red eyes after they came out. If I read the pool basics correctly, red eyes are caused by CC and not FC. Is this correct? Tonight I could still smell a slight odor of chlorine in the water but no red eyes were observed. I did add Calcium (3lbs) on Wednesday prior to going into the pool if that matters.

Going back to pool basics a chlorine smell is an indication of CC which means the FC is "attacking" something (algae?) in the pool. The water is crystal clear but I did battle algae for the better part of June, early July.

The pool doesn't have a "nice" feeling, the water feels hard. We have a softener in the house, Cincinnati water is generally hard though our source is on the lighter side of the scale. Am I just spoiled by the softener?

Appreciate the advice and knowledge I've learned thus far.
 
phillijp said:
I've been lurking as a guest for a year or so. This is my third season owning a pool and what got me here was growing tired of fighting CYA and pouring hundreds of dollars into the pool trying to keep the values in the acceptable range. Nothing new here. I replaced the broken tablet chlorinator with the Liquidator last week and so far things are running smoothly. Except for the CYA which is 190 everything else is in the acceptable range. FC is 5.1

Wednesday I noticed a slight chlorine odor while I was in the pool and my boys all had red eyes after they came out. If I read the pool basics correctly, red eyes are caused by CC and not FC. Is this correct? Tonight I could still smell a slight odor of chlorine in the water but no red eyes were observed. I did add Calcium (3lbs) on Wednesday prior to going into the pool if that matters.

Going back to pool basics a chlorine smell is an indication of CC which means the FC is "attacking" something (algae?) in the pool. The water is crystal clear but I did battle algae for the better part of June, early July.

The pool doesn't have a "nice" feeling, the water feels hard. We have a softener in the house, Cincinnati water is generally hard though our source is on the lighter side of the scale. Am I just spoiled by the softener?

Appreciate the advice and knowledge I've learned thus far.
Click to expand...

Welcome!

How did you get your test numbers?
 
If you had a proper test kit you could already have your answer. I will bet that your CC's are elevated and you are on the verge of an algae bloom.

If your CYA is indeed 190ppm, your minimum FC level is 14ppm. That 5.1ppm (pool $tore result?) is not adequate.

I recommend you get a proper test kit. If you already own a FAS/DPD test kit that we recommend, please post a complete set of test results.

Dom
 
CC's associated with smell and irritation are typically from oxidizing things like urea and fertilizer.

Your pool doesn't happen to have an opaque cover on it all the time?

The irritation could very well be PH related - though one would expect the pool store to at least get the PH test correct :)

You can adjust the feel of the water by adding salt - although don't do anything until the test kit arrives.
 
lightingguy said:
CC's associated with smell and irritation are typically from oxidizing things like urea and fertilizer.

Your pool doesn't happen to have an opaque cover on it all the time?

The irritation could very well be PH related - though one would expect the pool store to at least get the PH test correct :)

You can adjust the feel of the water by adding salt - although don't do anything until the test kit arrives.
Click to expand...

No cover on the pool, urea wouldn't surprise me with 3 boys, their friends and two toddlers that occasionally use the pool.

Red eyes returned today, along with a fairly strong odor of chlorine. I'm so tired of replacing water but it looks like it's in my future again.

Is there a way to most efficiently replace the water and displace as much of the high cya water? I'm thinking about laying the garden hose in the deep end and running the water all night such that the fresh, cold water slowly pushes out the warmer, high CYA water?
 

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Getting your CYA down is going to be important. It's frustrating - but what else can you do?

At CYA 190 there is so little "chlorine" left in the water - you are just not properly oxidizing the waste in the water. You would think UV radiation from the sun would break up some of it - but clearly it's not enough.


For what it's worth - I spent quite a bit of time in the pool today with my daughter. No goggles, no irritation, no red eyes.

You're on the right path. Lower CYA and a good test kit - the perfect place to start.
 
but it's the best option until my test kit arrives.
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Not really. If you had a bogus tire gauge that said your tires were at 32 psi (but they were really at 4 psi) you would not want to use that gauge (test) and be comfortable driving to California.

Get a good test kit and post numbers we can all rely on. Trust your own testing---always!
 
phillijp said:
......... Is there a way to most efficiently replace the water and displace as much of the high cya water? I'm thinking about laying the garden hose in the deep end and running the water all night such that the fresh, cold water slowly pushes out the warmer, high CYA water?
Click to expand...
The most efficient way is to drain some water first (remove high-CYA water), then replace that amount with fresh water.

Dom
 
duraleigh said:
Not really. If you had a bogus tire gauge that said your tires were at 32 psi (but they were really at 4 psi) you would not want to use that gauge (test) and be comfortable driving to California.

Get a good test kit and post numbers we can all rely on. Trust your own testing---always!
Click to expand...

Well the alternative is no test....

My kit should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday then I'll post some results.

- - - Updated - - -

domct203 said:
The most efficient way is to drain some water first (remove high-CYA water), then replace that amount with fresh water.

Dom
Click to expand...

I have been advised not to go too low or else the liner could move around.

How low can I safely go?
 
Leave a foot of water in the shallow end to prevent liner shift.

Yes, the alternative is no test. But, we have seen many people make their pools worse because of inaccurate test reaults. Just because it gives you a number doesn't make it more meaningful than no number. If some random human stopped by your house and gave you a set of test results would you think that was better than nothing? :)
 
Ok, while I wait for the UPS man to deliver my test kit I drained and refilled the pool which resulted in about 87% of the water being replaced. I'm even going to fill just under the coping then drain it down to the normal level. Our water is $20 per 5000 gallons so a little extra can't hurt. I'm almost getting excited to do testing.

Once I'm done filling should I leave the pump (and chlorinator) on all night, shock, all of the above, none of the above?
 
phillijp said:
Ok, while I wait for the UPS man to deliver my test kit I drained and refilled the pool which resulted in about 87% of the water being replaced. I'm even going to fill just under the coping then drain it down to the normal level. Our water is $20 per 5000 gallons so a little extra can't hurt. I'm almost getting excited to do testing.

Once I'm done filling should I leave the pump (and chlorinator) on all night, shock, all of the above, none of the above?
Click to expand...
The pool will need chlorine, but it's hard to say how much without a CYA result, or what you are using for a chlorine source.

How do you plan to chlorinate?

Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Dom
 
max2k said:
since you just replaced practically all the water you can estimate how much CYA you need for 30 ppm using PoolMath (41 oz) plus how much bleach targeting 6 ppm (92 oz at 8.25%). When you get the test kit the actual fun begins :).
Click to expand...

I've got a few tabs left, I think I'll toss them into the skimmer in the morning and wait patiently for the UPS man for my newest present.
 

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