Just got my TF-100! Results are in! HELP!!!

[Flyguppy]

OK.....here we go. Time to get serious about keeping my pool in balance.

IG 23,000 gallon pool. Manual chlorination (chlorinator with tabs). Reason I found this forum and bought my TF-100 was I can't keep chlorine in my pool, even with the chlorinator at it's highest level.

From what I can tell, I've obviously got a CYA problem and high alkalinity. The high CYA level is causing my chlorine to be ineffective. Having a small yellow algae issue.....not too bad yet. Would appreciate suggestions on which to treat first. A general game plan.....reading all the sections of Pool School has helped. But, I just need help with the "next step" and what order to address them. THANKS!!!

Test results:

CYA = 90-100
Calcium = 375
FC = 3
CC = .5
Alkalinity = 150
pH = 7.8

Thanks,

Brad

 

[YippeeSkippy]

You can confirm your CYA level by doing a 1:1 dilution- take 10 mL of pool water and combine it with 10 mL of tap water (which of course has *no* cya in it). Mix well. Then use this mixed water to perform the CYA test (filling the bottle to the bottom of the label and adding the reagent to the top, aprox 7mL each I believe?). Then you double whatever result you get. Your CYA might well be much higher than you realize and that is going to cause a huge conundrum if you need to SLAM your pool. If you're using tablets you're just complicating the issue because you're continuing to add more CYA (which is *also* in those chlorine tabs).
A high CYA level requires a drain to become more manageable. Pool Math can help you determine how much might need draining, and it can be done in smaller partial drains. Then adding new CYA-free water gives you a pool which should be much easier to manage.

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP!
First, stop using the tabs. They add CYA to your pool. You will need to drain and replace some of the water to bring the CYA level down between 30-50 ppm. Use PoolMath to determine how much to drain.

After the CYA level is corrected you will need to complete the SLAM process to kill the algae. Check the pH and lower it to about 7.2 before starting the SLAM. You won't need to check pH again until the SLAM is completed.

Keep reading pool school and ask any questions you may have.

 

[Flyguppy]

You can confirm your CYA level by doing a 1:1 dilution- take 10 mL of pool water and combine it with 10 mL of tap water (which of course has *no* cya in it). Mix well. Then use this mixed water to perform the CYA test (filling the bottle to the bottom of the label and adding the reagent to the top, aprox 7mL each I believe?). Then you double whatever result you get. Your CYA might well be much higher than you realize and that is going to cause a huge conundrum if you need to SLAM your pool. If you're using tablets you're just complicating the issue because you're continuing to add more CYA (which is *also* in those chlorine tabs).
A high CYA level requires a drain to become more manageable. Pool Math can help you determine how much might need draining, and it can be done in smaller partial drains. Then adding new CYA-free water gives you a pool which should be much easier to manage.

Thanks!!

Just did the diluted CYA test and came up with 55-60, which would put my CYA in the 100-120 range.

So.......first step should be a drain (pool math shows about a 60% drain and refill) to get my CYA under control, then move on to the alkalinity and others?

- - - Updated - - -

Hi, welcome to TFP!
First, stop using the tabs. They add CYA to your pool. You will need to drain and replace some of the water to bring the CYA level down between 30-50 ppm. Use PoolMath to determine how much to drain.

After the CYA level is corrected you will need to complete the SLAM process to kill the algae. Check the pH and lower it to about 7.2 before starting the SLAM. You won't need to check pH again until the SLAM is completed.

Keep reading pool school and ask any questions you may have.

Thanks!

I travel a LOT for work....not being around for 4-5 days is a multi times a month occurrence.

Can I keep my chlorine levels up with bleach if I'm not monitoring it every day or two? Was hoping to use the tabs for that.

 

[duraleigh]

If you use the tabs, your CYA will go right back up (1/3 of tabs is CYA) and your chlorine will be ineffective again. Liquid chlorine or bleach more than a day or so may prove troublesome.

You can use the pucks and drain down each time your CYA gets over 60 or you can consider an SWG. Those are probably the two best solutions.

PS - To be safe, drain roughly half of your pool, refill and then test for CYA again and then drain once more if necessary. If you continue to use pucks, I would suggest you drain enough to reduce your CYA to 40 ppm.....that'll give you some leeway before you get to 60.

 

[Flyguppy]

If you use the tabs, your CYA will go right back up (1/3 of tabs is CYA) and your chlorine will be ineffective again. Liquid chlorine or bleach more than a day or so may prove troublesome.

You can use the pucks and drain down each time your CYA gets over 60 or you can consider an SWG. Those are probably the two best solutions.

PS - To be safe, drain roughly half of your pool, refill and then test for CYA again and then drain once more if necessary. If you continue to use pucks, I would suggest you drain enough to reduce your CYA to 40 ppm.....that'll give you some leeway before you get to 60.

Dave,

Thanks for the insight.

Just so I'm clear on your sentence above...."Liquid chlorine or bleach more than a day or so may prove troublesome."

Are you saying, if I go more than a day or two without adding liquid chlorine or bleach, I will have trouble keeping up proper chlorine levels?

 

[Flyguppy]

After a 3/4 pool drain and refill, I just did a CYA test and I still seem awfully high for what I just went thru........

In the 60-70 range if I'm doing the TF-100 test correctly? A couple questions on that....

1. Shake the bottle. Wait at least 30s, then shake once more. Is that a good shake? As in, shake it up real good one more time? Or just a simple, single movement shake? Just wondering if I'm stirring things up too much with an aggressive shake?

2. As I fill the view tube.....If I wait a few seconds after stopping the fill, the black circle returns to a slight view. (Things seem to settle?) Eventually, no matter how long I wait, there is no black circle. When is the proper level reached?

Just making sure I'm doing this correctly. After spending one afternoon draining and over 1 day filling......just trying to avoid doing it again unless necessary.

 

[Richard320]

After a 3/4 pool drain and refill, I just did a CYA test and I still seem awfully high for what I just went thru........

In the 60-70 range if I'm doing the TF-100 test correctly? A couple questions on that....

1. Shake the bottle. Wait at least 30s, then shake once more. Is that a good shake? As in, shake it up real good one more time? Or just a simple, single movement shake? Just wondering if I'm stirring things up too much with an aggressive shake?

2. As I fill the view tube.....If I wait a few seconds after stopping the fill, the black circle returns to a slight view. (Things seem to settle?) Eventually, no matter how long I wait, there is no black circle. When is the proper level reached?

Just making sure I'm doing this correctly. After spending one afternoon draining and over 1 day filling......just trying to avoid doing it again unless necessary.

You want that stuff mixed well, so it reacts 100%. I use the speedstir to mix my CYA sample. You want cloudiness, that's what you're measuring: the cloudiness (turbidity is the technical term). Dribble the sample into the view tube and as soon as you can't see the black dot, see where that is. Then pour the sample back into the mixing bottle, give it another couple shakes, and repeat it until you get close results every time. At the beginning, it's not at all uncommon to need to take 10 readings to get three to agree! Maybe more.

 

[JesseWV]

I just noticed that even though he says "with your back turned towards the sun," he is actually facing the wrong way toward the sun in the video!