Pool Won't Clear Up

Jump to latest Follow Reply
jsnobles said:
Guys,

After doing two flush and fills (both were done until the water was 12" in the shallow end), my CYA levels are still above 100, as measured by my Taylor K-2006. I tested the FC and CC and they are as follows, again, using my Taylor K-2006:

FC: 8.8ppm
CC: 1.6ppm

Any suggestions? This is getting really frustrating. Thanks.
Click to expand...


Your CYA was likely WAY over 100, that's where the test tops out. That is also pretty common for a pool that continuously used tablets and powder shock. It's not unheard of for the CYA to be nearly 200 to 300+ in rare instances. Stay the course, drain and refill and it will come down, then use only bleach and the CYA problem won't ever be back.

With a vinyl liner there is not a lot of options, you don't want to drain much lower as the liner could shift. You could use the tarp method, if you have a tarp large enough to accomplish it. You put a large tarp over the pool and add fresh water on top as you drain high CYA water from underneath. This keeps the pool near capacity but keeps the fresh water from mixing with the high CYA water. It's more work but much more efficient than multiple water changes. Another user posted some great pics and video of the method in use a few days ago. If you want quicker results or have expensive or limited water it would be a good option.
 
Thx guys. Even though it is frustrating, I absolutely understand what you guys are saying. My pool will never clear up until I get the CYA levels well below 100....I'm assuming around 30-40 would be ideal? Correct? As was suggested earlier, once I get this fiasco straightened out, I'm not going to use the stabilized tablets anymore unless absolutely necessary (such as going on vacation, etc.). From now on, it will be liquid bleach for me that is around 6% sodium hypochlorite. As was suggested, the small inconvenience of having to get jugs of bleach FAR outweighs the consequences of having CYA rise to the levels to where a pool becomes unmanageable by using tablets. I just wish I had done my research, and listened to you guys before I started throwing pool store chemicals at it, unknowingly making the problem even worse than it already is. Live and learn. Once again, thank you all very much for your help. I will post back with my results. I am time constrained at this juncture in time, because me and the wife are leaving for Gulf Shores, AL on Saturday morning for our yearly wedding anniversary vacation. Hopefully, I can get this under control before we leave.
 
You can use concentrated bleach which is 8.25% - less jug hauling. You can also check around locally and see if anyone sells 10% or 12% liquid chlorine - even less hauling. I use my local big box hardware store and get an ok deal on 10% liquid "chlorinate", which is basically extra concentrated bleach. A local mom-n-pop pool store also sells 10% four gallons at a time for less than I pay at the big box.

In essence, you don't have to stick to 6%, you can get higher concentrations for a good value. :)
 
Ok guys, here are my current numbers after doing partial drains and refills 4 times.

CYA - Not even registering/well below 30 (I can still see the black dot with the vial filled all the way to the top)
FC - 1.6ppm
CC - 0.6ppm

Pool is a cloudy blue color as of now. I can see the shallow end to the bottom, and about halfway to the bottom in the deep end(8 foot deep end)

I haven't done anything to the pool as of this post except for doing a good backwash, and started filtering. We are leaving in the morning for the beach, and will return Monday afternoon. What are you guys' recommendations at this point? Thanks.
 
Well, you want the CYA around 30ppm and then to follow the SLAM Process process.

But, if you are going to be gone all weekend ... no real point in starting anything now. Could just bump up the FC to 8-10ppm until you get back.

FYI, use 10ml of water for the FAS-DPD chlorine test so each drop is 0.5ppm ... reagents will last longer.
 
So, if I understand this correctly, 60 ounces of Walmart store brand 7.86% Available Chlorine should raise my chlorine level to an acceptable level? Also, should I put a 3" puck or two in the pool to slightly raise the CYA level while we are gone until Monday? We have storms headed this way in an hour or so, so I want to be sure of what I need to do. Thx again.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
So, you are saying use the pucks exclusively for now, and not pour any liquid chlorine into it at this point? Sorry for my ignorance at this point, I just don't want to come back to a swamp on Monday. Also, I have the pump/filter set to manual so that it runs all the time while we are gone.
 
Try the tarp method. Buy a piece of plastic that is much larger than your pool, put it over your pool. Now fill above it, and pump out from below it. You can hit your target CYA in one shot. Make sure it is very large. But doesn't need to be thick. The cheapest large piece of plastic from your home store will do it. Make sure it is much larger so as it skinks down it doesn't get pulled in and ruin your separation.
 
xyz said:
Try the tarp method. Buy a piece of plastic that is much larger than your pool, put it over your pool. Now fill above it, and pump out from below it. You can hit your target CYA in one shot. Make sure it is very large. But doesn't need to be thick. The cheapest large piece of plastic from your home store will do it. Make sure it is much larger so as it skinks down it doesn't get pulled in and ruin your separation.
Click to expand...
I think you are in the wrong thread ... OP does not have high CYA anymore ;)
 
I think if I was in your shoes, i'd find a place that sells 10% or 12% gallons of chlorine. You'll save money in the long run. Lowes and walmart both sell 10% decently cheap. If you have an Ollies near by, they also have 10% and sometimes 12% for like $3 a gallon.

When you get back, plan on staying home for like 2 days and taking care of the pool. 2 days worth of a good SLAM and i think you'll be real close to clear. Remember, during a SLAM your pH reading will be off. Do don't worry too much about that...
 
Got home a little while ago, and just tested the water:

FC: 3
CC: 0.5
CYA: Around 30, definitely not higher


I ran the filter on recirculate while we were gone, because the chance of the filter clogging up. I have changed it back over to filter now, and I still have two days to "babysit" it. It needs to be vacuumed, and I will do this in a little while when the sun goes down. The deep end is now visible, but still cloudy, as there are some leaves, and dead debris I need to get out of it. Is another shocking of the water necessary at this point?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply