CH at 1450

[maggiesfan]

So, Looks like I need to replace some water in the pool to lower my CH, according to pool math I need to exchange 94% of the pool water to get my CH to 400
my fill water is as follows:
Unfiltered
Ph: 7.8
TA: 110
CH: 275
The temp of my fill water is currently 62F and the pool water is currently 60,
Should I be following the differential draining as per JoyfulNoise instruction or as it is still reasonably cool here can I empty the pool first before filling?

 

[Texas Splash]

I personally don't see the problem with a quick drain & fill, but I'm sure @JoyfulNoise would like the opportunity to reply since you called him out by name.

 

[duraleigh]

I would suggest you drain 50% of your water , refill and test again. Draining 94% is extreme (I am not sure about that math) and I see no reason not to do it in stages. The extra water will be minimal.

How are you testing....with the TF-100?

Also by draining half, you can safely drain and refill after the drain........not bothering with differential replacement.

 

[maggiesfan]

I would suggest you drain 50% of your water , refill and test again. Draining 94% is extreme (I am not sure about that math) and I see no reason not to do it in stages. The extra water will be minimal.

How are you testing....with the TF-100?

Also by draining half, you can safely drain and refill after the drain........not bothering with differential replacement.

I’m testing with the TF-100, it’s been reading that high since the beginning of Feb. I have just been waiting for my Feb. Water bill to arrive so l can refill without effecting my sewer rate?.
my pool is 11,800 gallons, I got the drain amount from pool math.

 

[mas985]

Differential draining is the way to go. I have done it multiple times:

Refill Experiment

Every year I need to replace at least half of the pool water due to high calcium but this year, instead of a traditional drain and refill, I tried something different. I had read of people doing an in place refill using plastic to separate the new water from the old water. So I thought to...

www.troublefreepool.com

The problem with multiple partial water replacement is that method will use quite a bit more water if mixing is allowed in-between. To replace 94% of the water using 50% partial drains would require 4 of them or 200% of the pool volume.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Even if you cut it in half to 700ppm, that is totally manageable here in Tucson. Drain and fill however you want, do what’s easiest.

Your bigger problem is getting the CH out of your fill water. I finally got fed up with the terrible water supplied by the City of Tucson and installed a whole-house water softener that was hooked up to my autofill line. Now my pool is fed a steady diet of zero CH fill water. You need to do something similar or else you’ll be battling CH every 2-3 years.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

I guess I am lucky that the detached CDT system is a lot lower on CH, It's not been higher than 175 and I've been testing it monthly. TA is pretty high out of the tap though... I haven't had a detectable rise in CH yet, but I am sure that is coming in the summer. I wanted to have the autofill run to the softener, but there was no good way of doing it without tearing into the walls. I am contemplating a shed and a cheap softener outside if it becomes a problem, it would actually be less expensive....or tearing into the walls myself...

It will be interesting to see. I really should take a sample of my neighbor's 2 year old pool and I can probably also rub in how high is CYA is too.... But it would be interesting to see his CH level after two seasons...

 

[maggiesfan]

Even if you cut it in half to 700ppm, that is totally manageable here in Tucson. Drain and fill however you want, do what’s easiest.

Your bigger problem is getting the CH out of your fill water. I finally got fed up with the terrible water supplied by the City of Tucson and installed a whole-house water softener that was hooked up to my autofill line. Now my pool is fed a steady diet of zero CH fill water. You need to do something similar or else you’ll be battling CH every 2-3 years.

We have a whole house Enviro combo series system but doesn’t do anything for the CH, we might just change that out for a water softener system, can you tell me what system you have please.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

We have a whole house Enviro combo series system but doesn’t do anything for the CH, we might just change that out for a water softener system, can you tell me what system you have please.

WaterTec is the company we used. They are the largest manufacturer of custom softener systems in the southwest and build their own tanks and units in their manufacturing facility here in Tucson as well as build the tanks that other water treatment companies use. They also use Clack control valves which are considered the industry best-of-breed when it comes to valve automation. The company has been in business for over 45 years here in Tucson. They supply most of the water treatment technology to Davis-Monthan Airforce base and the president of the company, Leigh DeGrave, lives near me here on the Eastside. I would not recommend any other company or softener system, WaterTec is the best. I have their dual eliminator system - a 52k grain softener with a granulated active carbon (GAC) filter to remove chlorine and chloramines. Their largest residential system is a straight 64k grain unit that only removes hardness (magnesium and calcium). I opted for chlorine/chloramine removal as I hate the smell of it when I shower. They do everything themselves with in-house technicians and plumbers, nothing is ever sub’ed out.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

I suspected that Tucson Water used Chloramines for sanitation. Good to know I guess and in the heat it is probably more stable for them, but yuck otherwise.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I suspected that Tucson Water used Chloramines for sanitation. Good to know I guess and in the heat it is probably more stable for them, but yuck otherwise.

Chloramination of drinking water is standard practice for many municipal suppliers and is the recommended method of of water treatment prior to entry into the delivery system. Chlorine sanitation is typically only used in the early stages of the water treatment process (after clarification and filtration) as it is too unstable for long-haul delivery. Tucson water is typically delivered with a monochloramine concentration of 0.8–1.0 ppm and an FC concentration of 0.2ppm or less. TC must be less than 4ppm by EPA regulation but Tucson water is never that high.

If COT Water comes to Corona de Tucson offering to “manage your water supply for you to make it cheaper...” and CDT accepts, move! Your water bill will triple and the quality will go way down. Most independent towns use local wells which produce much better quality water than the CAP water that COT mixes into their distribution supply. CAP water raises the dissolved mineral content much higher than local well water.

 

[maggiesfan]

WaterTec is the company we used. They are the largest manufacturer of custom softener systems in the southwest and build their own tanks and units in their manufacturing facility here in Tucson as well as build the tanks that other water treatment companies use. They also use Clack control valves which are considered the industry best-of-breed when it comes to valve automation. The company has been in business for over 45 years here in Tucson. They supply most of the water treatment technology to Davis-Monthan Airforce base and the president of the company, Leigh DeGrave, lives near me here on the Eastside. I would not recommend any other company or softener system, WaterTec is the best. I have their dual eliminator system - a 52k grain softener with a granulated active carbon (GAC) filter to remove chlorine and chloramines. Their largest residential system is a straight 64k grain unit that only removes hardness (magnesium and calcium). I opted for chlorine/chloramine removal as I hate the smell of it when I shower. They do everything themselves with in-house technicians and plumbers, nothing is ever sub’ed out.

Thanks for the info, l will check them out.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

Chloramination of drinking water is standard practice for many municipal suppliers and is the recommended method of of water treatment prior to entry into the delivery system. Chlorine sanitation is typically only used in the early stages of the water treatment process (after clarification and filtration) as it is too unstable for long-haul delivery. Tucson water is typically delivered with a monochloramine concentration of 0.8–1.0 ppm and an FC concentration of 0.2ppm or less. TC must be less than 4ppm by EPA regulation but Tucson water is never that high.

If COT Water comes to Corona de Tucson offering to “manage your water supply for you to make it cheaper...” and CDT accepts, move! Your water bill will triple and the quality will go way down. Most independent towns use local wells which produce much better quality water than the CAP water that COT mixes into their distribution supply. CAP water raises the dissolved mineral content much higher than local well water.

Heh.. honestly in about five-seven years I will likely give up the pool thing and move out to the country (I like Sonoita, but there are other options) here anyway-- once I finally successfully drive the then all adult children out. The VUSD itself makes our property taxes almost double yours. CDT isn't incorporated-- so it really is "Pima County" (with a Vail mailing address and zip code), so I don't know how this will happen. Tucson Water, which runs the CDT system and always has, hasn't been a real problem, and I don't see any movement to replace them. There has been talk of incorporation (for years, just like Vail) but I don't see that as being successful for several years if it even becomes a "thing". I would imagine if there is another incorporation push in Vail it would most likely succeed, but I suspect that we are too far away to become a part of that.

The only way that would change is if there is another serious push by Tucson to annex us. That is STRONGLY opposed down here and that could cause that to change fast. Or Tucson could carry through on the threats they have made in the past with Tucson Water and then I think a movement to take it away from them could also succeed.

I actually haven't really noticed the chloramines via my testing, but of all crazy things, I so have a "lucky bambo" at my desk at work. This water is 100% Tucson main system water at work. I have read that they are REALLY sensitive to chlorine and especially chloramines. I ran out of bottled water one day but had a cup of tap water that sat for 5+ days on my desk. Even with that delay it burned the "lucky bamboo" a bit. So that is why I suspected fairly strong chloramines. Crazy as it sounds. That plant is like a canary in a coal mine for chlorine in the water.