I live in CA and really don't feel right draining my pool and filling it during a drought. What other options do I have? Will the cost the be the same as if my cya were lower? Meaning, I would be adding bleach more often at lower amounts compared to adding a lot and it lasting longer.
Cya 100+
- Thread starter Jfdelman
- Start date
You will have to add a lot more bleach up front. Here is the Chlorine CYA Chart that shows how much FC is needed for a given cya level.
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The other problem is that the test stops at 100 and so does the chart. Your cya could much higher than 100, even 300 or 400 is not unheard of. Have you tried the extended cya test? How are you testing cya?
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/24188-Extended-Test-Kit-Directions
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The other problem is that the test stops at 100 and so does the chart. Your cya could much higher than 100, even 300 or 400 is not unheard of. Have you tried the extended cya test? How are you testing cya?
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/24188-Extended-Test-Kit-Directions
You might do a little research and see if there is a Pool Service which offers Reverse Osmosis. The market for that is small and likely located in a Big City, but if you do some googling, you may be able to find one within a reasonable distance from you.
How is your water? Do you have a test kit and a full set of test results?
If you water is good and you are not battling algae then your CYA level is something you can deal with. When I was in your shoes (bought a house with high CYA pool) I was lucky to have a clear pool and find this web site. The pool stores (my first pool, I also had no clue) wanted me to stick with floating 3" pucks and shock it every Saturday. Oh, and a little algacide, a little clarifier, a little of this and a little of that. I stared my research on line and ended up here.
A water exchange is your best course of action and reverse osmosis is certainly a viable solution if available in your area. What I'm going to talk about is based on a clear pool, no algae. I've read through your other threads quickly and don't see any comments about cloudy/green water.
My CYA was 200+ to start with. I have slowly worked it down to 50, right where I want it. How? Using NO solid chlorine products, none. I use bleach, it's all I can get in South Carolina. I got a good test kit and I was off to the races. Keep chlorine at appropriate levels. If algae gets afoot hold at these CYA levels the amount of chlorine necessary to eradicate it is massive.
For the past year I have been quick to back flush, I do it a little longer than necessary and look for any source of water to get into my pool. My main source was harvesting water from a roof gutter downspout. When it rained my pool level went up and I pumped some out. Slow but steady.
You are lucky. In your area there are HASA Dealers who sell higher % chlorinating liquid. Usually this will work out a little less expensive.
You need to get a test kit and figure out how your pool is doing.
We generally do not recommend extended tests anymore as there is a greater error factor when doing testes this way, but you may need to do it. 100 is the limit of the CYA test, so you have to do a diluted test. While the full instructions are in the Pool School, here is the short version. Mix 50% pool water with 50% tap water. Use this mixed sample as your test water. Multiply the test result by 2 and you have your CYA. In the past we may have recommended further dilutions but history has shown that even a 1:1 dilution introduces error into the computation. Further dilutions introduces errors that are just too high to make the test results usable.
Read Pool School. Read the forums here. You will begin to understand what is going on. At first it is like drinking from a fire hose, too much information too fast.
For now, keep liquid chlorine in the pool to keep the algae away.
- May 22, 2013
- 2,796
- Pool Size
- 12000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Please add your pool equipment info to your signature as outlined here: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/165-getting-started
Here is some info on reverse osmosis but these guys are 5 hrs from you : http://poolservicestech.com/tag/reverse-osmosis/
Here is some info on reverse osmosis but these guys are 5 hrs from you : http://poolservicestech.com/tag/reverse-osmosis/
Although a partial drain & refill is the fastest approach to lowering CYA, I completely understand why you are reluctant to do that, given the water situation in CA. I also inherited a pool with a CYA of around 100. I did longer than normal backwashes followed by a quick top-off and I used only plain unscented liquid bleach for chlorine. One thing going for me at the time was that I inherited my pool towards the end of the swim season, so mother nature assisted me by reducing sunlight and water temperatures which slowed chlorine consumption. The CYA level slowly but steadily dropped. Diverting water to your pool via a downspout will also help, but that of course depends on getting rain.
The main key to the slow & steady approach is that you must stay on top of your chlorine levels to avoid an algae outbreak. As tim5055 stated, it will take prodigious amounts of chlorine to eradicate algae at this CYA level. Therefore, your best bet is prevention.
Reverse Osmosis is another option worth looking into since it seems to be available in your area, though I have no first-hand experience with that process.
For more information on managing your pool, there are several articles in Pool School. I would start with this one: ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry
Your water-consciousness is very commendable. I often wonder how much water can be conserved nationwide by avoiding periodic drain & refills if more pool owners understood the CYA-chlorine relationship.
The main key to the slow & steady approach is that you must stay on top of your chlorine levels to avoid an algae outbreak. As tim5055 stated, it will take prodigious amounts of chlorine to eradicate algae at this CYA level. Therefore, your best bet is prevention.
Reverse Osmosis is another option worth looking into since it seems to be available in your area, though I have no first-hand experience with that process.
For more information on managing your pool, there are several articles in Pool School. I would start with this one: ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry
Your water-consciousness is very commendable. I often wonder how much water can be conserved nationwide by avoiding periodic drain & refills if more pool owners understood the CYA-chlorine relationship.
The pool was getting green during escrow, but we let them know it needed to be taken care of. We've been in since April 2nd and I've only added 2 one gallon jugs of liquid chlorine. I have had no signs of algae, and I can't recall my chlorine reading, but it's always a real dark yellow. Can someone explain chlorine and free chlorine? Is it the same thing?
Your Free Chlorine is the chlorine not tied up in the CYA and available to fight algae and other cooties.
It doesn't sound like you're using a preferred test kit, one with the FAS-DPD test. That is the important test to determine chlorine levels up to 50ppm. You need to know hard core numbers of your chlorine level not "colors of real dark yellow" to act on.
The two test kits TFP recommends are the TF-100 and Taylors 2006 with FAS-DPD. Either can be ordered from the link in my siggy line. They aren't available much elsewhere.
It doesn't sound like you're using a preferred test kit, one with the FAS-DPD test. That is the important test to determine chlorine levels up to 50ppm. You need to know hard core numbers of your chlorine level not "colors of real dark yellow" to act on.
The two test kits TFP recommends are the TF-100 and Taylors 2006 with FAS-DPD. Either can be ordered from the link in my siggy line. They aren't available much elsewhere.
This is not totally correct. The FC includes the chlorine bound to the CYA. When we say "chlorine" we are generally referring to the FC.
See: ABCs of Water Chemistry
- May 22, 2013
- 2,796
- Pool Size
- 12000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Jfdelman, reading the articles is your best bet. You'll likely need to re-read them a couple times and you'll still be confused but that's what we're here for. We've all been there, new to pools and trying to learn. The more you read and the more questions you ask the more it starts to sink in and it's kind of hard to get a grip at first but you have plenty of back up here on line and soon you'll be answering questions instead of asking.
You will need a good test kit like a Taylor K-2006 or the TF-100.
http://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNO...ie=UTF8&qid=1430944522&sr=8-1&keywords=k+2006
http://tftestkits.net/TFTestkits-TF-100-p4.html
The TFTestkit site also has some handy videos on testing your water.
You will need a good test kit like a Taylor K-2006 or the TF-100.
http://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNO...ie=UTF8&qid=1430944522&sr=8-1&keywords=k+2006
http://tftestkits.net/TFTestkits-TF-100-p4.html
The TFTestkit site also has some handy videos on testing your water.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/24188-Extended-Test-Kit-Directions
See if that helps. Sure we're talking about the CH test?
I think you must mean the FC test.
No color with added powder means your FC is 0
It should not say to keep adding powder. 1-2 scoops is all you will ever need.
Which kit do you have? Guessing the K-2006 ... too bad as the TF-100 has the OTO test which is an easy way to confirm 0 FC
Move on to the next test, yo have shown "0" FC. But, you need ot get a bunch of chlorine in that pool ASAP before algae rears it's ugly head. 7 is the minimum for CYA 100.
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Re: Just got k 2006 and hung up on ch test
With a high CYA, you need to replace water.
With a high CYA, you need to replace water.
Re: Just got k 2006 and hung up on ch test
I was reading my book and it talks about there possibly being too much chlorine and it bleaching out the reagents? Before I got the 2006 I use a basic 5 test kit and my chlorine looked to be over 5ppm since it was a dark yellow/orange.
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I had this question yesterday about the high cya, I live in ca and really don't think it's cool of me to waste that much water during the drought.
I was reading my book and it talks about there possibly being too much chlorine and it bleaching out the reagents? Before I got the 2006 I use a basic 5 test kit and my chlorine looked to be over 5ppm since it was a dark yellow/orange.
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I had this question yesterday about the high cya, I live in ca and really don't think it's cool of me to waste that much water during the drought.
Then look into reverse osmosis treatment. Or you need to get a better idea by doing the diluted cya test and keep your FC very very high.
If you have a weekly lawn watering allowance, use the water from your pool on the lawn and put the fresh water in the pool if reverse osmosis is not an option. It will still take a long time to lower it this way but it will eventually go down.
Feldman,
you really need to determine what your CYA actually is. You can do that by diluted testing.
Use 1 part pool water and 1 part tap water, then multiply the result by 2 to find out your CYA. If the dot still disappears at 100, then do a 3:1 dilution.
the FC you need to maintain the pool is 11.5 % of your CYA... so, for example, if your CYA is actually 300, then your FC needed to just maintain the pool is 300*.115 = 34.5.
If by chance you get algae then the SLAM level FC is 40% , that would be a FC level of 120!! This is an extraordinary amount of chlorine! There isnt even a reasonable way to test FC levels that high. The test kit is only reliable to 50.
I really believe Reverse Osmosis would be the way forward for you to get control.
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Since you dont list any details at all about your pool, I will give you an analogy of the cost your looking at for maintaining and slamming.
Maintaining
Pool of 15K gallons, CYA of 300. FC of 5. You need 34.5 = 5.2 gallons of bleach at average price of 4.24 = 22.15 just to bring to target FC.
Loss of 4 ppm per day due to sun= 102 ozs of bleach every day would need to be added.
SLAMMING
15K gallons at 300 CYA,
FC level of 5 needs to raise to SLAM FC of 120 - would require 20.3 gallons of bleach to get you to SLam Level. (approx 87 dollars).
You will lose a LOT of that FC every day during SLAM, so the math is easy enough to figure out .....
In short, maintaining FC that high is neither logical, nor is it is economically reasonable, and thats what TFP is all about.
you really need to determine what your CYA actually is. You can do that by diluted testing.
Use 1 part pool water and 1 part tap water, then multiply the result by 2 to find out your CYA. If the dot still disappears at 100, then do a 3:1 dilution.
the FC you need to maintain the pool is 11.5 % of your CYA... so, for example, if your CYA is actually 300, then your FC needed to just maintain the pool is 300*.115 = 34.5.
If by chance you get algae then the SLAM level FC is 40% , that would be a FC level of 120!! This is an extraordinary amount of chlorine! There isnt even a reasonable way to test FC levels that high. The test kit is only reliable to 50.
I really believe Reverse Osmosis would be the way forward for you to get control.
------------------------------------
Since you dont list any details at all about your pool, I will give you an analogy of the cost your looking at for maintaining and slamming.
Maintaining
Pool of 15K gallons, CYA of 300. FC of 5. You need 34.5 = 5.2 gallons of bleach at average price of 4.24 = 22.15 just to bring to target FC.
Loss of 4 ppm per day due to sun= 102 ozs of bleach every day would need to be added.
SLAMMING
15K gallons at 300 CYA,
FC level of 5 needs to raise to SLAM FC of 120 - would require 20.3 gallons of bleach to get you to SLam Level. (approx 87 dollars).
You will lose a LOT of that FC every day during SLAM, so the math is easy enough to figure out .....
In short, maintaining FC that high is neither logical, nor is it is economically reasonable, and thats what TFP is all about.