Told to drain the pool due to high nitrate

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M

Maxman

0
Jun 22, 2013
2
35000 IG plaster pool & spa

Initially the pool was eating up chlorine. Then we saw some small sites of algae. Had water tested on 6-22-13

6-22-13 test
FC = 0
TC = 0
Calc Hardness = 390
CYA = 30
Total Alkalinity = 70
pH = 7.2
Tot Dis Solids = 800
Phosphates = 100
This pool company said we needed to shock the pool 3 days in a row to get TC, FC up and algae out

I shocked with appropriate amount 70% Chlorine. TC and FC barely moved up.

Got water tested 6-24-13 at different pool company (gonna run out of pool companies soon)

FC = 0.2
TC = 0.69
pH = 7.1
Hardness = 439
Alkalinity = 47
CYA = 144
Copper = 0.1
Nitrate = 35
We were told to empty the pool approx 60% and refill with fresh water due to high nitrate level.

Any advice will be appreciated.
 
Well, I'm not worried about that nitrate level, but the pool store got your CYA up sky high. You'll have to drain and refill anyway to get that CYA back to around 30, back where you started.

FYI, pool stores are notorious for not testing the CYA level correctly. I'm going to be first in recommending you get a quality test kit and take control of your pool yourself. I suggest the TF-100 from tftestkits.net
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!! :wave:

I agree with Robbie, the best advice we can give at this point is to stop trusting pool store testing and order yourself one of the Recommended Test Kits.

After you get it, post a full set of test results. Your next step may be to replace water to lower the CYA (nothing to do with nitrates), whether or not that is required, you will then need to follow the Shocking Your Pool PROCESS to eradicate whatever is in the water. NOTE: this shock process is NOT what you have thus far considered "shocking".
 
Would be curious to know what exactly this 70% chlorine was that you added and how much was added?


I see the pool store test shows you went from 30 to 144 CYA.

With 35000 gallons, you would have needed to add:

60 LBS of Trichlor (would have raised chlorine by 188) (lowed ph by 10.0)
66 LBS of Dichlor (would have raised chlorine by 125) (lowered ph by 4.75)
33 LBS of Granual Stabilizer

Plan on having stores test your water again? :shock:
 
Maxman said:
Had water tested on 6-22-13
CYA = 30

Got water tested 6-24-13 at different pool company (gonna run out of pool companies soon)
CYA = 144
Click to expand...
Don't believe it....

I tested mine one day and saw about 40 ... took a sample on the same day to a store and they tested it and told me it was 100. I told the guy it wasn't possible since I don't add anything to the water that would add CYA.

He looked at me like I had 2 heads. He was shocked - then he retested... the second time he got the same as me - 40.

Another time, when the guy was testing TA, he quit putting in drops as soon as the sample turned pink, and he told me that my TA was too low. I asked him to put in another drop and it turned a brighter pink. I had him continue the drops until there was no further change in the color then subtracted that last drop from the count.... my TA was fine - HE just didn't know how to test.

At first, I wasn't overly confident with my numbers and had the store retest. When I saw their values come up different than mine, I questioned my own process until I got comfortable with testing and realized I was doing it right and if their numbers were different, they didnt do it right.

You can take the same sample to 2 different stores and get back 2 different results. (I know cuz I've done it!) What does THAT tell you?

Test your own pool - you can have the stores retest to validate your numbers, but unless you get someone at the store that actually knows how to do it, trust YOUR results. You will know when you found someone like that when his numbers are consistent with yours!

PS - The only reason to have the pool store test your water is just for the entertainment value!
 

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I'll jump in on the bandwagon because I was exactly where you are about 6 weeks ago. I posted numbers here that was a conglomerate of 3 different pool stores and my old test kit (from a pool store) and I was on about $150.00/month budget of scale remover, phosphate remover, mineral remover, and trichlor tablets (SWG was on blink, fixed with help from here by the way )and acid - I don't buy any of that anymore except acid (the cheapest chemical), my pool is under 100% predictable control, and it looks awesome - and I buy about $30.00/month muriatic acid now - that's it. I spent about $30.00 in bleach to shock b/c I was having algae spots.

It is frustrating to have multiple tests giving you different answers and it feels like a "safety blanket" to have a pool store re-enforce what you are thinking/testing. But the absolute BEST thing to do is stop having pool stores test your water. Get a good test kit (TFT-100) and trust yourself more than the pool store. What finally did it for me after reading pool school and all these posts I was asking the pool store employee if "unstabilized shock" (i.e. dichlor) had CYA in it - they vehemently told me "NO" - this I know for a fact, is false. So I dumped them. I got a good test kit, and I posted questions here - usually responded too within minutes. 0 complaints, have more money in my pocket, pool looks great and I feel like I am in control of it now.

It will re-enforce your comfort level when you calculate how much of whatever you need to add, you do so, and the results you predicted come out on your follow up testing.
 
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