Super high CYA and CH

[Jtowne99]

We just bought a house with our first pool- 10k gallon, IG, marcite with DE filter. I used my new Taylor K-2006 test kit and got the following results:

pH: 7.3
TA:170 ppm
FC: 2.2 ppm
CC: 0.4 ppm
CH: 750 (tested twice to be sure)
CYA: well over 100. Local pool store test said 195 and the water mixture was just below the 1.8 ml mark in the vial when the dot disappeared.

I know we need to drain the pool. We are unable to keep the FCl up I assume because of the high stabilizer level. And are battling algae. Our tap hardness is only 100 ppm, so I'm guessing the former owners must have used a ton of powdered sanitizer to get the levels this high. We are using basic bleach for sanitizer.

I have 2 questions:
1) do we run any risk of hurting the pool by draining half at once? This still won't get the CYA down enough, but it's a start.
2) can we use this water on our lawn and shrubs, or will the cyanuric acid hurt the vegetation?

Any guidance is appreciated.

 

[jblizzle]

1) 50% should be totally fine ... likely need to do that a few times to get the CYA and CH down.
2) Water should also be safe to use on plants.

 

[Jtowne99]

Great. Thank you. Now we have to figure out how to drain it since the water level is lower than the surroundings!

 

[jblizzle]

Rent a submersible pump ... or buy a smaller cheap one from Harbor Freight as it will be easier to water plants than with the fire hose that comes with the rented ones.

Although the smaller pump will make the process much slower.