Bought a house with a pool....

[Tgmmeyer]

Was turned on to this site from a co-worker who just put in a new pool.
Just ordered my test kit, previous owner used strips, pucks and had a pool service. Once I get the kit, I'll start in converting to liquid chlorine. Pool is clear, it has been opened since April. Added photos of the pool. I think it is 18x36 with an 8 foot deep end approx 25,000 gallons.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
Very nice looking pool and backyard!
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Pool School eBook.

 

[Tgmmeyer]

Downloaded e-book and read also the ABCs of water chemistry. I updated my signature with the pool details, I still need to verify my pool volume. the details are a bit rough as I took the data off the info plates. My test kit comes tomorrow so I'll be able to analyze my water.

 

[Tgmmeyer]

Results are in - cya off the chart high, fc 0.6, tc 0.4, pH 6.8

 

[Tgmmeyer]

Results are in - cya off the chart high, fc 0.6, tc 0.4, pH 6.8

Time to drain and refill

 

[Msch99]

Welcome to TFP! Sounds like you are on the right track. Hopefully you won't have to totally drain. You probably saw you can do a diluted test on cya to better nail down cya level? So you can figure out what % to drain and refill.

Good luck on your mission!

 

[frogabog]

What does "off the chart" mean?

Please provide with your testing results

FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

Welcome!

 

[Tgmmeyer]

Time to drain and refill

What does "off the chart" mean?

Please provide with your testing results

FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

Welcome!
The pool is a bit of a chemical mess (but the water looks clear)....I had been using test strips and chlorinating pucks that the previous owner left and then got turned on to this site. Ordered my kit with the suspicion that my CYA was going to be high. Previous owner was using a lot of pucks, like 2-3 in each skimmer and two in a floating dispenser. Using strips, my chlorine showed very low. I stopped using the pucks, got some liquid chlorine, 2 gallons in so far this week.

Sorry off the chart means - CYA >100. I can estimate 120, but then it is just a guess.

FC=0.6, pH - 6.8, TA - 40 - I stopped testing realizing that I was going to need to drain and refill. I think the first order of business is to get the CYA to a lower value and chlorine to a safe level. Then I can get my other chemicals to a stable level. Sound like a plan?

 

[TKpoolOH]

Welcome, looks like a great pool! Good luck with your stabilizing.

 

[frogabog]

You can dilute your pool water by 50% and retest for CYA. Multiply the result by 2. That should help you know a little better how much you need to drain/refill. I'd plan for at least a 50% drain if you're at 100+ CYA.

Your plan is perfect! Chlorine is your friend in this case, so go ahead and calculate for 100+ppm CYA for the water as it is currently. I'd continue testing for FC while you do the drain/refill so you know how much to add and when to do so.

 

[Tgmmeyer]

Still draining and refilling, taking forever. I'm on a well, and being at a new house I'm not certain of how much I can take. Currently after work, doing a daily drain to below the skimmer (closed off), refill for about 3 hours - pouring in a gallon of chlorine daily just to keep some level of FC (1.0) . It's still low based on CYA, but pool is still clear. If I get my FC to >10 (by dumping 5 gallons of chlorine in), will it stay there with daily chlorine maintenance or will the CYA quickly knock it down?

Today, I'll do diluted CYA test and full chemical analysis

 

[Msch99]

Need to maintain FC level higher! 1.0 is really no better than zero. Maintain between minimum and target at all times for your cya.

Cya doesnt knock it down, it helps protect from sun.

 

[bmoreswim]

Need to maintain FC level higher! 1.0 is really no better than zero. Maintain between minimum and target at all times for your cya.

Cya doesnt knock it down, it helps protect from sun.

Msch99 is right on.

Being very straightforward, you are doing your best to create a green pool. Maintain your FC at the levels recommended here: FC/CYA Levels based on your CYA. You are only keeping your pool clear because luck is currently on your side. Additionally, inadequate FC allows bacteria to flourish which can be unhealthy to swim in. Clear water can contain bacteria so you wouldn't see any visible evidence of it.

So your pool may still be clear, but with that level of FC, it may not be sanitary and is certainly at risk for going green quickly.

Raising FC is a one-time thing. Maintaining, which is your question, should mean adding 1.5 - 5 ppm per day of FC. My pool uses on the low end of that scale at a similar latitude to your pool.

 

[Gorilla83]

Hey Tim! Glad you found your way to the site and creating this thread.

 

[Tgmmeyer]

Msch99 is right on.

Being very straightforward, you are doing your best to create a green pool. Maintain your FC at the levels recommended here: FC/CYA Levels based on your CYA. You are only keeping your pool clear because luck is currently on your side. Additionally, inadequate FC allows bacteria to flourish which can be unhealthy to swim in. Clear water can contain bacteria so you wouldn't see any visible evidence of it.

So your pool may still be clear, but with that level of FC, it may not be sanitary and is certainly at risk for going green quickly.

Raising FC is a one-time thing. Maintaining, which is your question, should mean adding 1.5 - 5 ppm per day of FC. My pool uses on the low end of that scale at a similar latitude to your pool.

Thanks - I appreciate the concern and you answered my question regarding FC and getting up to a level. I added 10 gallons of 10% chlorine this weekend, still not to the FC levels that are needed. At this rate, I need a Walmart truck full of chlorine to just park in my driveway. I was having trouble getting the pool to drain but have solved that issue. So I am going to focus on the draining an refilling project this week. Once I get a proper drain and fill, I'll be able to properly SLAM and then control my levels better. I didn't really expect to be pouring >2 gallons of chlorine daily. Motivates me to get my water chemistry under control.

 

[Tgmmeyer]

Update - FC is now above 15 - I haven't had a chance to tackle the drain and refill, so I took the alternative and bumped my FC to a level commensurate with the CYA. I hit a point where I was no longer dumping in 2 gallons of chlorine a day, and the chlorine level would hold for 2 days above 10. So lowered my green pool chance dramatically.