Becoming a pool boy

[zcmack]

Hello!

My pool guy went MIA two weeks ago so I guess I have no time to waste becoming a subscriber to the TFP methods. There is no one size fits all answer to everything so just looking for some validation of my approach.

• The size of your pool in gallons - ~16,000
• If your pool is an AG (above ground) or IG (in ground) - IG
• If it's IG, tell us if it's vinyl, plaster/pebble, or fiberglass - plaster/pebble
• The type filter you have (sand, DE, cartridge) - cartridge
• If you know, tell us the make and model of your pump and filter. - hayward
• List other known details of the pump - Horsepower, Single speed, 2 Speed or Variable Speed - variable hayward
• List any other equipment you have: SWG, second pump, etc. - SWG***
• List what test kit you use to test your water Taylor 2006
• Please mention if you fill the pool from a well or are currently on water restrictions - n/a

FC - Free Chlorine - test strip 0, reagent test couldn't get the solution to turn pink, assuming 0
CC or TC - Combined Chlorine or Total Chlorine -
pH - 8.4
TA - Total Alkalinity -
CH - Calcium Hardness -
CYA - Cyanuric Acid (stabilizer/conditioner) - 140

***SWG is disabled in the aqualogic board. I turned it on and there is an error being reported. I have a request to my home warranty co to validate if the SWG needs replacement or if the logic board is having an issue.

Please validate -- I can add HDX chlorine to restore my chlorine level regardless of the SWG being present in my system, though it is not operating at the moment.

I did not complete the rest of the tests as the CYA reading was very high (140). I am currently draining the pool (plan is to drain about 50%) and will replace water with fresh. My assumption is that by adding fresh water, all my other numbers will change so why bother testing them before the drain and re-add.

Once I get CYA to a reasonable level, I will do a full test but I expect to add a lot of chlorine and possibly muriatic acid to lower that pH (depends on the results of the tests after refill)

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum.

If you have not drained the pool in a couple years, I would suggest a full drain. Your CH level is most likely very high due to evaporation. If you have a water softener at your home, once you refill the pool with regular tap water, use the soft water to fill it for evaporation.

You can use liquid chlorine at any time. See Recommended Levels for once you refill the pool.

 

[zcmack]

thanks! its a new home for me, so no real idea when the last drain was. there is evidence that stabilized chlorine pucks were the norm (empty buckets). the pool has a leveling valve that i planned to reopen after i had sufficiently drained

 

[mknauss]

Test the CH then. If above 500 ppm, drain the whole pool and start over.

Do you have a whole house water softener?

 

[zcmack]

i have a water softener yes but i'm reasonably sure it is not feeding the pool, the pool fill valve was not impacted when i shut off water to the house, but rather when i shut off the sprinklers to the backyard. you're suggesting i run a hose from a softened line in the house somewhere to do the initial fill so that my CH starts closer to the appropriate level, yes?

 

[mknauss]

That is typical that they do not plumb the pool to the softener. If it is not a hassle, yes, it is best to top up with soft water. I actually installed a small softener just for my pool make up water.

Or, just monitor your CH. When it gets to 600+ppm, time to drain.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

you're suggesting i run a hose from a softened line in the house somewhere to do the initial fill so that my CH starts closer to the appropriate level, yes?

Just to be clear, Marty was recommending to fill with tap water and top off with softened water.

If you have a water softener at your home, once you refill the pool with regular tap water, use the soft water to fill it for evaporation.

 

[mknauss]

Marty was recommending to fill with tap water and top off with softened water.

Correct -- thank you!!

 

[zcmack]

just tested CH, its at 775. full drain it is.

thanks for the clarification on the softened water. what % roughly would you consider the top?

 

[mknauss]

Your non softened fill water is 250 ppm CH. So you want to refill the pool with non softened water. Then, as the pool needs water due to evaporation, you would use softened water. But as you have an autofill, you would have to disable that and add softened water. Or, manage your CH as it rises by tracking CSI (Calcium Saturation Index) so that you do not create scale, and when your CH rises to 600+ ppm, drain again.

 

[zcmack]

got it. thanks again, will follow up once i've drained.

 

[zcmack]

I realize this might be a lot to ask on a forum but is there any chance this could be setup to drain? I'm using a sub pump right now but it's gonna take awhile. I also have no idea if this old pump is functioning or it's just left behind before the upgrade to the variable speed. Including it just in case the idea of a drain pump exists.

 

[mknauss]

You are better off to rent a sump pump from Home Depot. You can drain your pool in a few hours with one. They normally throw in the hoses.

 

[zcmack]

finished my drain on saturday morning, washed the walls and refilled in just about 36 hours. also had the pleasure of the autofill float valve disintegrating in my hands and spraying me in the face quite thorougly and mad dashing around my house to find the shutoff valve... fun times!

the pool is deeper than i included in my calculations and my updated estimate is about 22k gallons. hard to really be accurate as it is uniquely shaped, has two shallow ends, and a tanning ledge. i added the pool math suggested amount of bleach, circulated for 30 minutes, checked pH and added a bit of muriatic acid to bring it in range. i also added 45 ounces of dry stabilizer via a sock in the skimmer (i realize this is probably not enough to hit ideal level, but playing it safe with my volume calculations). my plan is to check FC again in a few hours and add more bleach to 5ppm if needed otherwise let it continue to run to dissolve the CYA and test in 24 hours.

my goal is to get FC, CYA, pH within the ideal range for plaster/pebbletec and then go swimming. would be great to get the SWG going before my first vacation in a years time. love the thought of not having to use those Dang tablets for any reason.

 

[zcmack]

numbers are looking better today. FC was 4ppm, CYA was 40 but my sock was fully dissolved so i added the rest of the bag (35.5) oz which should get me to the low end of the ideal range if all goes well. pH is 7.3, TA is at 150, my assumption is that TA will decrease as the spa spillover aerates the water, I do have an aerator on the spa that I could run if I should try to drop this number faster.

the pool tech who serviced my warranty claim confirmed my SWG needs to be replaced and is working with the home warranty company. He suggested the powerclean ultra 540 as it is a separate unit and won't require the warranty company to furnish a logic board replacement. fingers crossed this goes without a hitch!

i did have a question about my variable speed pump. i am currently running at a constant 3250 RPMs and the pool tech said I should always keep it over 3000 RPMs but never really gave me a specific reason why other than "it will last longer." I'm curious if there's any rule of thumb about this. I have a solar heater, gas heater and caretaker floor units in the pool, but my waterfalls run from a separate pump. I would love to turn the pump down when circulating, especially when I'm trying to sleep on the other side of the wall but i don't want to create problems.

 

[mknauss]

I should always keep it over 3000 RPMs but never really gave me a specific reason why other than "it will last longer."

Wow. What a fool.

You need to run the pump at the rpm needed to achieve what you wish to do. When you have a SWCG, you need to run at an rpm to close the flow switch. That is normally between 1200-1600 rpm, depending on the VS pump that you have and if you have a heater, etc.

The next reason to run the pump is to skim the surface of the pool. You need to see if the rpm needed for the SWCG will also work for your skimming needs. If so, great.

 

[mknauss]

I just saw 'caretaker' in your message (please fill out your signature). That is infloor cleaning. Really inefficient. You will need to run at higher rpm to make those work. Your solar may need a higher rpm above what I discussed above to work. You need to experiment and see what works.

 

[zcmack]

Got the new SWG up and running, salt added and FC being generated . My CH is currently below ideal range and I wanted to confirm if I should take steps to increase it (adding calcium chloride) or if I should be expecting top-off water to increase it. I was under the impression from earlier in the thread this will continue to rise and as it gets too high will require water replacement, so wanted to check before I went about increasing it intentionally.

My alkalinity is also just above range so after this weekend of swimming is done I planned to adjust to 7.2 with muriatic acid and run the spa aerator and water feature in my pool to aerate.

 

[mknauss]

My CH is currently below ideal range and I wanted to confirm if I should take steps to increase it (adding calcium chloride) or if I should be expecting top-off water to increase it.

After the refill, what is your CH? Should be above 250 ppm, which is in range and fine. Adding non-softened water for the next several months will come close to doubling that.

 

[mknauss]

My alkalinity is also just above range

No reason to force lowering TA. As you keep pH in the 7's, the TA will come down over time. Also, with your CH at a lower level, the higher TA is a good thing, for now.