The pool chemists here are amazing!

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L

LovingArizona

0
May 7, 2013
19
Tucson, AZ
First, thanks to all of the smart posters sharing their knowledge...I've been lurking for a few days as I've gone through pool green water heck, and I think thanks to various posts I know what I am dealing with....

I have not gotten my own home test kit, but I have taken multiple samples to two different pool stores and am now pretty confident my CYA is out of whack, hence the green pool water and high chlorine bill doing NOTHING to fix it. All of my other readings...alk, dissolved solids, FC, PH, ect..all in the good to high end ok of Pool School readings.

First CYA test came back at 100 a week ago. I found your site, and became suspicious that was my issue. Next I had a reading done at a different pool company test, 50/50 distilled to pool water...THAT reading showed 200. To verify I was FINALLY at the top end of my CYA reading, I made my own 25% pool water to 75% distilled mix at home, ran to another pool store and had them run the test...it showed CYA around 40....So I think(???) my reading of 200 is pretty accurate.

My question to the smart folks here is simply...think I would be good with HALF refill of my 24,000 pool....or maybe like 2/3's? I live in a desert area, water is precious, so I will do what I need to do, but I'd like to waste as little as possible.
Thanks for reading this :)
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

If you want to waste as little water as possible (and you believe the 200ppm number), then replace 75+% of the water at once. Doing it in one shot will use the least amount of water to get it down to the recommended levels.

Note the 75+% assumes you do not have a SWG.

Please add your pool details and location as described HERE as it will help us help you.

EDIT: And order yourself one of the recommended test kits already ;)
 
Although, the 25/75 mix with a reading of 40ppm, would put the CYA around 160ppm.

Might be best to get your own test kit first and re-test the CYA before you start replacing water ... CYA is the test that the pool stores are the worst at performing.
 
Oh yes...the evil chlorine pool pucks and assorted shock stuff from a certain well known pool company I suspect caused my cya issues.
I need to fix my log in, but for now, my stats are:
In Ground, in Tucson, Arizona.
High high water table...my pool is in really dry dirt
former home owners installed in 2000
CARTRIDGE filter. Pentair..a big one
Solar heating for pool only...separate pump/motor system
Attached hot tub, but it's part of the whole system...water falls into the pool to filter from the 'cuzzi....we have a separate gas heat source not connected to the main pool, and isolate the tub when we want to have fun.
Pop up sweeper system on the pool floor
two skimmers, one a self contained quik skim, the other connected to the main system
Leaf skimmer in line with the pentair cartridge filter.
3-m quartz concrete lining
two speed filter motor...low speed daylight hours, high speed at night...8-10 hours a day 50/50

Think that's it???
 
Oh dang...yes...LOW LOW water table...yikes....sorry, it's been a long day...
Point is, our weather is pretty perfect this week for me to get the sump pump and drain like, tomorrow....the refill will take longer since I can only get so much out of my municipal water service and 2-3 hoses that will reach to the pool...supplementing the auto water pool filler...so I'm trying to have an attack plan for this bad boy in place by tomorrow to rent the pump and get started...my mom-in law in visiting in two weeks from Virginia and she wants to go swimming!!
 
The no brainer option seems to be dumping the whole pool and starting over...I already have a system set up with a really cool LOCAL pool supply company, and have 4 gallons of nice clean liquid chlorine ready to pour once I start the refill. But...the thought of having to add back anything with CYA after all the $$ I've already spent (wasted? being stoopid??) on chlorine hockey pucks with the stabilizer...having to ADD anything with CYA to bring fresh water up to standards seems...like insult to injury.....
 

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Perfect weather? It has been too windy and the dang pollen is killing me ;)

Order the test kit ASAP because you will need it to follow the shock process and that may take over a week to finish.

Here is a hint: Home Depot rents the pump for 24 hours or 4 hours, but if you pick it up after 5PM for 4 hours, they close at 9PM, so it has to be back by 9AM the following morning. So you can get 16 hrs for the price of 4 hrs. But, you will have to be pumping at night. It took be about 5 hours to drain mine as I recall and did it on a Friday night, so I just stayed up late to finish.
 
JB...Ha...I'm slow...you and I are HERE...yes..the wind and assorted flying Crud has contributed to my pool being a major pain..along with my sinuses, coughing up dirt, etc....but hey...we're in the 80's till the end of the week...may be 100 by next week...better for my pool wall to be dry like TOMORROW than next week.
I really like the guys at E-Konomy pool, on 22nd street....4 gallons at a time for like 10 bucks, 6 dollar deposit on the crate and containers, I take back and either re fill or return and get my deposit back....
 
Bummer, I would likely spend more in diesel fuel to get over there than save on the chlorine ... although I may have to run the numbers ;)

Unless the place on Belvedere also sells it, that is a little closer to my usual routes.
 
Give them a call and crunch numbers...gas prices are down..at least they are this week, haha.
So...I'll run my numbers from my water company for refill one more time...see if the cost of draining like 3/4's is worth it, or just dump it all and start over.
But...starting over from scratch with Tucson water...please don't tell me I have to add conditioner to the dang water over the summer...because if I don't ADD the stuff back, I'll end up in another can't keep enough chlorine in the pool nightmare again.....
 
LA,

just to make sure you understand, there is no reason to drain your entire pool. If your CYA is a guestimated 160, then drain enough to get you to 50 ppm.....2/3.

In your climate, that'll be about right for a manually chlorinated pool.
 
Thank you, Dave...yes, until I get my own test kit from your site, I am pretty sure with my multiple tests from both pool shops that I am below 200, but could be close to that...so I think I'm better off erring on the side of caution since I know I'm dumping water. My gut from taking care of my pool beast myself over 7 years feels like the 2/3 or 3/4 option would be fine...tomorrow I'll do the math knowing my water company's sliding scale for water usage and see if the extra 5or 6 thousand gallons to do the whole dump is going to break the bank. Sad thing is...I just bought a 35lb of hockey puck chlorine BEFORE I found you guys...so maybe a dump all the water out, and use SOME of them in the hot summer months to get the chemistry where it needs to be, then use liquid and never look back.....
 
That can work, although you will now see just how fast the CYA adds up. I used 10 tablets to raise my CYA some after my water replacement.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short ;)
 
Follow up: Thanks, all, for your insight. As my sump pump pumps the last of my green gross water out of my sweet oasis in the desert, and I've re-cleaned my cartridge filters, etc...I can not help but think besides my CYA issue that the PoolPerfect + PhosFree stuff I used to help get rid of the organic matter my Chinese Pistachio tree dumps into the pool may have been a big contributor to my green slimy but still highly chlorinated water...problem.
I know I didn't mention that last night, but the outcome would be the same...dump the water, get a TroubleFreePool test kit, don't make the same mistake again....
 

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