CYA off the chart?

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L

LCSJersey

Member
Jun 28, 2024
14
central New Jersey
Hi!
2 weeks ago we closed on a home with an inground pool (30Kgal, vinyl liner, chlorine, DE filter). We had a pool company come out to show us the ropes of our equipment. They handed us test strips and kind of said "good luck!". The water looks great. Husband had a business trip this week so I've been maintaining the pool for the first time. The strips were showing FC >10 and CYA readings all over the place.... so I ordered the TFPro. It came today. Here are my results:

water looks clear.
pH 7.5
Cl was a yellow color that was practically orange, didn't match anything
FC was 13
CC 0.5-1 (the second drop dripped in super fast so perhaps 1 drop would have been enough?)
TC 14
TA 100
CYA was >100
Calcium Hardness 250.


Edit to include: Dilute CYA was 120



I think that my biggest problem is that the CYA is sky high? And I need to drain water and refill until I get the CYA and FC down? And then SLAM due to the CCs? We were hoping to have our first pool party next weekend, but now I'm not so sure it will be ready :(

The pool company opened the pool for the prior owners. We have not added CYA.

Thank you for any advice!
 
Last edited:
Welcome to TFP! :wave:

LCSJersey said:
Cl was a yellow color that was practically orange, didn't match anything
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That's because it's high
LCSJersey said:
FC was 13
Click to expand...
From the FAS-DPD correct?

LCSJersey said:
I think that my biggest problem is that the CYA is sky high? And I need to drain water and refill until I get the CYA and FC down?
Click to expand...
Correct & correct. Ha.

Try to get the CYA down to around 50 or so if you can. You'll probably have to exchange in increments as to not allow the liner to shift. In between exchanges, try to keep the FC elevated like you are now to avoid algae. As long as you don't go over the SLAM level based on your CYA you can still swim. I'll post the chart below. IN that chart with a CYA of even just 100 your FC can be quite high and still okay to be in the water.

full
 
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Do the diluted CYA test, #8 here. That will tell us how much we need to replace.

www.troublefreepool.com

CYA - Cyanuric Acid Test

Cyanuric acid (CYA) is the chemical name for the product commonly called “pool water stabilizer” … Read more…
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Read up on the NO DRAIN WATER EXCHANGE here:

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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LC,

Welcome to TFP! And you're way ahead with your credible test kit results right to start! And you've clearly read up and already know what to do. Good for you! Always remember we don't sell anything so our advice is never conflicted and your test results are gonna be better than the pool store. I don't have anything to add except the previous owners probably just used tablets and they may have used the "blue" kind. Look around to see if there are any empty or partially used containers to give you a clue.

I hope this is helpful.

Chris
 
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We moved and the previous owners did us a favor and super DUPER shocked the pool before they left to buy us a few days to move in. The sentiment was nice, don't get me wrong, but the CYA was halfway through the 300s. :rant:

The two half cases of trichlor shock they left me proved that they were big fans of the stuff.

We await your diluted test results. :)
 
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Texas Splash said:
Welcome to TFP! :wave:


That's because it's high

From the FAS-DPD correct?


Correct & correct. Ha.

Try to get the CYA down to around 50 or so if you can. You'll probably have to exchange in increments as to not allow the liner to shift. In between exchanges, try to keep the FC elevated like you are now to avoid algae. As long as you don't go over the SLAM level based on your CYA you can still swim. I'll post the chart below. IN that chart with a CYA of even just 100 your FC can be quite high and still okay to be in the water.

full
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply! I was.... 75% sure that I was on the right track, but I wanted experienced opinions before I did something that seems so drastic.

Yes, the FC of 13 was via FAS-DPD.

Good to know that its safe to swim in - we definitely did (briefly) this week even though I had a general idea that the CYA and the FC were elevated (I saw that if the CYA is up, the FC needs to be up to maintain effectiveness).

What else do I need in my signature? I checked the link before I posted and I filled in all the information that I know off the top of my head (ie, I dont know specifics of my pump and I don't think we have any special equipment).

Thank you so much!!
 
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LCS,

You have the TF-Pro and us.. That makes you 100% better than your "Test Strip" Husband... :mrgreen:

Really, you have already done the hard part, the rest will be easy.

I'd get the CYA down to 50 or so and then decide if you need to do a SLAM or not.. Just because your CYA was high does not mean that a SLAM is required.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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PoolStored said:
Draining 1/2 will get you to 60
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hoooooo boy lol. that's what I assumed. thank you!

Should i be testing and adjusting things as I go while doing this? I am assuming it will take me a few days of draining a bit, filling a bit, draining a bit, filling a bit to get this corrected. Or just wait until the CYA is where I want and then adjust everything once I see where I land?
 
Another dumb question, and that I should have put in the absolute beginning - there's a.... chlorinator? A little tank that we were told to just keep filled with chlorine tabs. I was just rereading through the pool school content and realized that the tabs probably have chlorine and CYA? So that might be the source of my problem? And also, I should just turn that bad boy off right now, right? Maybe permanently?
 
LCSJersey said:
So that might be the source of my problem?
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Absolutely. Remove the tabs and put them somewhere safe. Let them dry and you can use them in the future, but keep them away from kids, pets, and anything metal. A similar sealed plastic container would be ideal. IMO, leave it empty and just use liquid chlorine from now on unless your CYA is low and you actually want to add more. Or, if your CYA can handle it, when you are away like on vacation or something.
 
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