Hi, I am new to the pools and new to this forum. We recently moved to a house with a outdoor inground pool in Southern California. As we are moving, we haven't paid attention to the pool until 5 days ago I noticed mustard algae on the pool walls. I used the Taylor test kit, and in the FC test the sample didn't change any color, i supposed that there is no FC in the pool. The ph was fine. But, when I did the CYA test the read was way above 100! There was not a number I could read. We are now thinking about the partial drain and refill the pool but after reading the feeds here we are afraid about the potential cost if there will be a destruction. Is there any other way that we can deal with this? The heat will hit us during the coming weekend.
New to The Pool--About FC and CYA
- Thread starter seanfreeman
- Start date
Sean,
Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all new-to-you pool owners...
Just so that I understand... the dot disappeared almost immediately... This was not a case where you filled the tube and the dot was still visible???
If the dot disappeared right away, then the only real option is to drain water from the pool. How much depends on the actual CYA level.
I suggest you contact your city water department and see what their policy is. It may not be as costly as you think, or it could be not allowed at all.
You need to know the actual facts and not rely on what you see here, as it might not apply to your specific city..
Thanks,
Jim R.
Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all new-to-you pool owners...
Just so that I understand... the dot disappeared almost immediately... This was not a case where you filled the tube and the dot was still visible???
If the dot disappeared right away, then the only real option is to drain water from the pool. How much depends on the actual CYA level.
I suggest you contact your city water department and see what their policy is. It may not be as costly as you think, or it could be not allowed at all.
You need to know the actual facts and not rely on what you see here, as it might not apply to your specific city..
Thanks,
Jim R.
Thank you Jim. Yes, the dot disappeared very quickly. So quick that there was not a number indicating the level. If we get may too much CYA that we can't get a number from the test kit, should we get a professional guy to deal with this? Or is this DIYable? Sorry for many dummy questions!
Sean,
Professional??? We don't need no stinking professional....
One thing you can do is a diluted CYA test.
Mix a sample of your pool water with an equal amount of city water. Re-run the CYA test. Multiply the answer by two. So, if you get 50 ppm with the diluted test your real CYA level is 100.
No matter what, it sounds as if a drain and refill is in your future. I still recommend getting the facts from the city so you can make a sensible decision.
In my case, I can fill my whole pool for $50.. so it would be a no brainer for me. In California, maybe not????
Jim R.
Professional??? We don't need no stinking professional....
One thing you can do is a diluted CYA test.
Mix a sample of your pool water with an equal amount of city water. Re-run the CYA test. Multiply the answer by two. So, if you get 50 ppm with the diluted test your real CYA level is 100.
No matter what, it sounds as if a drain and refill is in your future. I still recommend getting the facts from the city so you can make a sensible decision.
In my case, I can fill my whole pool for $50.. so it would be a no brainer for me. In California, maybe not????
Jim R.
First, welcome to TFP!!
The last thing you want to do is contact a professional about this. Professional advice is what got the pool in this situation in the first place and I can tell you from working with many that few know of the FC/CYA relationship and even fewer stick to it.
By your description it sounds like the CYA level is several hundred ppm high, very much warranting a water change. It will be very difficult to kill algae in that situation, requiring potential FC levels over 100 to take care of it. That just isn't reasonable. So with some bad news, I can give you some good news! You have found this site, this is good. You have access now to the information you need to fix the problem and make sure you never encounter it again. So the work ahead on your new pool may be a bit overwhelming at first, but it is going to make things easier and allow you to properly care for it so you are able to keep the water sanitary and crystal clear permanently.
So don't get discouraged, we have your back and you can make this work! Don't worry about the "dumb questions", the fact you are asking them rather than just going to a professional shows you have what it takes to get this pool in shape!
The last thing you want to do is contact a professional about this. Professional advice is what got the pool in this situation in the first place and I can tell you from working with many that few know of the FC/CYA relationship and even fewer stick to it.
By your description it sounds like the CYA level is several hundred ppm high, very much warranting a water change. It will be very difficult to kill algae in that situation, requiring potential FC levels over 100 to take care of it. That just isn't reasonable. So with some bad news, I can give you some good news! You have found this site, this is good. You have access now to the information you need to fix the problem and make sure you never encounter it again. So the work ahead on your new pool may be a bit overwhelming at first, but it is going to make things easier and allow you to properly care for it so you are able to keep the water sanitary and crystal clear permanently.
So don't get discouraged, we have your back and you can make this work! Don't worry about the "dumb questions", the fact you are asking them rather than just going to a professional shows you have what it takes to get this pool in shape!
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