Well, I screwed up...

[firefighter75]

But nothing that cant be fixed!

New pool owner, installed in November and took the cover off last weekend. I closed it pretty well, as the water was only a bit cloudy and a slight green tint. Got the FC up and cleared the pool, but the rain and snow over the winter lowered the CYA to under 30. The dot was visible even when the tube was filled to the top, but there was a bit of cloudiness in it.

I used PoolMath and entered the current level as 20 and the target as 80 due to the SWCG I will be using as soon as I get everything balanced. PoolMath said to add 5lb 3oz of CYA to get to 80, so I used the sock method to add 5 lbs, but I placed it in front of the return instead of inside the skimmer because of the size. I did this Friday morning. Tested tonight and the dot goes away at well over 100. Also added washing soda to bring the PH back up to 7.2. I know this has to come up more, but I'll deal with that tomorrow.

I now that I have to drain a bit and refill to bring that CYA level down, and I guess that's the project for me after work tomorrow morning....

At least I read Pool School over and over since last fall and I have the knowledge!

 

[pwrstrk]

Live and learn. It's only pool water ! The best way to make CYA adjustments is in steps, then you can cut down the chance of overshooting the desired level.
Congrats on taking the time to read in pool school. ?

 

[woodyp]

Your Ph will probably rise some on it's own due to the SWG.

 

[Casey]

When you originally tested the pool water to determine how much you had after opening, did you let the pool pump/filter circulate for an hour or so before you tested?

 

[firefighter75]

Casey - I did, although I put some bleach in and ran the pump for about 6 hours and then tested.

woodyp - the SWG is not running yet. Havent added the salt yet because I'm not balanced out yet...

 

[duraleigh]

It's not much of a mistake if you know why it happened. Congrats on your TFPC skills....you are well on your way to becoming a pool geek like most of us!!

 

[firefighter75]

Drained half of the pool and refilled. CYA is now at 100.

 

[pwrstrk]

Use pool math to see how much more to drain to get to 80. I know it's a pita but, your almost there. ?

 

[firefighter75]

Already did. 20% drain. Awesome.

I guarantee I will never do that again. lol.

 

[pwrstrk]

Good job ?

 

[firefighter75]

And I was SO proud of myself too... Opened to a mostly clear pool, only had to vacuum twice and add some bleach to clear the water. Not bad for a guy that's never had a pool and had to stare at one all winter!

 

[firefighter75]

One more question - since I added the CYA Friday, and it could take a few days to fully dissolve, is it possible the reading isn't accurate due to that?

 

[JasonLion]

Yes, that is possible. But if that is the issue, it is going to go up further.

 

[firefighter75]

I was afraid you were going to say that...

 

[timerguy]

How did you find your cya was 20 to begin with? And if your calculation was correct and then you drained and refilled 50% of your water and the resulting test still showed 100, that means your cya before the drain and refill was at least 200. I suspect your 20 may have been a pool store test and your cya was much higher than 20 to begin with. My pool store was telling me my cya was 40 for months. When I finally got my own test kit I found to in fact be over 340! Good luck on getting it straightened out!

 

[firefighter75]

I assumed it was 20 because the black dot was still a bit visible in the tube when it was filled to the top (Taylor K2006). I plugged in all the numbers to PoolMath and the result was add 5lbs 3oz CYA to get to the target of 80. Obviously, I missed an entry somewhere that threw it off that much. After the add, the level was WAY over 100. Dont know what it was exactly since the tube isnt numbered that high. I havent taken any water samples to the pool store to be tested...

 

[timerguy]

I figured your pool volume to be 11,700 gals and to increase from 20 to 80 would take 5lbs 14 ozs , small potatoes when it really comes down to it and doesn't come close to explaining over 200 cya. So, I've run out of ideas. And if your final test results were 80, then congrats, you did it!!!

 

[firefighter75]

It would be 11,700 gallons if I filled it to the rail, which of course I dont. 10,400 based on a 48" fill. I was debating having a pool store test it just for the fun of it to see how close I actually am to being right... Maybe Tuesday I'll do that. Not at 80 yet though. Today's test showed 100.

 

[pwrstrk]

It would be 11,700 gallons if I filled it to the rail, which of course I dont. 10,400 based on a 48" fill. I was debating having a pool store test it just for the fun of it to see how close I actually am to being right... Maybe Tuesday I'll do that. Not at 80 yet though. Today's test showed 100.

I wouldn't bother letting the pool store test for it. The CYA test is usually one the not very good at. I've seen it a lot here on the forum with the pool store test vs the TF 100.
Bottom line .... Trust your own testing ! ?

 

[zea3]

How long did you run the pump before you took the first test?