help- should we drain and refill?

[chicagomama]

We moved in to a house with a pool about a year ago. Everything was fine until this summer. My husband has to get in the pool at least once a week now to scrub off all of the algea that forms within a day, we have been using WAY too much chlorine to try and keep in under control, and now we had 2 separate recommendations telling us to drain our pool bc the water is old and has too much stabilizer in it, which is why the chlorine isn't working (I'm just repeating what they said, I Have no idea what that means). THe one guy wanted to charge $600 to come and drain the whole pool and do an acid wash to get rid of the algae.

My husband is worried abt draining the whole pool bc we have a really high water table, and he's worried the pressure of the water in the groun will pop out our pool or cause structural damage. So he wants to go to Home Depot, rent a pump, drain half the water himself, and then refill and try to start over with the chemicals.

Please help!!! DOes any of this make sense? Is that true about the stabilizer? What could we have done to preent this? What should we do in this immediate future? Are we allowed to dump a bunch of pool water to the street?

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

Welcome to the forum. I suggest reading the pool school section. I think you will find the answer there to your current question and learn more about your pool's needs.

Scott

 

[257WbyMag]

Welcome to TFP!

Don't drain your pool yet. Post some test numbers and then we will know what to do. We need the value for FC, CC, pH, TA, CYA, and calcium hardness. A pool store can run the numbers for you if you don't have a good test kit. Don't buy anything from them. Just get the test results and post back.

In short, yes, high stabilizer (CYA) levels can result in algae because the higher the CYA, the more chlorine it takes to keep things clean. You may think that you are using too much chlorine, but if you're CYA is high, you are likely not using enough. Fixable problem though.

Please read Pool School and post numbers for us.

 

[woodyp]

Don't panic.............and DON'T spend 600 bucks! Just put us up some good numbers of a water test and create a signature for your profile that lists the specifics of your pool like mine below.

 

[Guest]

We have all been where you are, don't panic. It's just time for you to take charge of your pool! First you need to go to Pool School and second you need to purchase a FAS-DPD test kit (Taylor K2006 or TF Test Kit TF-100). Once you have done both, you will know in what direction to go!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Where are you located?

You can pm me if you like...