Thanks! Will get some bleach today to get it up, as well as some distilled water and then a hose to drain the spa half way and refill. For the pool since closing is so close, would it make sense to deal with the CYA next year and just make sure we keep the FC level at 10.5 for this year?
First test in, seems balance is way off
- Thread starter daum
- Start date
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,073
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
If you forsee the water restrictions continuing you may want to start chipping away at it now so it’s not such a large undertaking upon opening. Especially if you have any rain coming, drain some in advance to take advantage of free water. For closing you will want to elevate the fc level to near slam so any reduction in cya now will make that less arduous. Some people report losing a bit of cya over the winter but it won’t be 70ppm.
For some people it’s worth taking the hit on increased water rates or whatever is the penance to get the problem dealt with than to pay the cost of chlorine to slam when things get out of hand.
Closing after the water temp is around 60 degrees & falling & opening before it rises above 60 or so degrees goes a long way in preventing a swamp upon opening.
@Mdragger88 I feel like I'm on crazy pills or something, I drained the hot tub well over half way and filled it and my CYA is still well over 100. It is a very different color (was blueish, and now is greenish). Just so I'm absolutely sure I'm not totally screwing something up, I'm filling the bottle to the 7.5 mark with pool water, then to the 15 with the reagent, then putting it in the CYA tube until I can't see the black dot anymore, right? Did the diluted test and shows 200ppm about still.
The weird part is after all this water exchange, I would think the water would not have a strong chlorine smell, but it you can definitely still smell it. Any thoughts?
The weird part is after all this water exchange, I would think the water would not have a strong chlorine smell, but it you can definitely still smell it. Any thoughts?
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- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,073
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
It must have been quite high before- did u try the diluted test before the drain?
To be clear - for the diluted test you mix equal parts of pool water & tap water then put that into the squirty bottle as your sample filling it 1/2 way then fill the rest of the way with reagent & double the result. You can also dilute the test further but to be honest, with it being a spa I would just purge, drain completely & Start fresh.
I bet it got nasty & they were just throwing a ton of dichlor in there to make it look better which adds as much cya as it adds fc, the nasties consume the fc but the cya stays.
I hadn't but wish I had....probably just wasted like 400 gallons of water! Draining completely now and then will refill...will be a long night!
Once filled what should my steps be? Do a cya and then get fc right? I saw some articles saying if cya is below 30 start with pucks?
Woo under 30 CYA. Oh 7.6, fc 1.5ppm, no cc. I put in about 5 oz or so of 12.5 to get to tomorrow but I assume we'll want to raise the CYA a little but will wait for feedback.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,073
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
You can use dichlor, trichlor or granular cya in a sock. Aim for adding 10ppm worth as to not overshoot. Around 30-40ppm cya is sufficient. Be sure to use PoolMath effects of adding to see how each addition will effect not only fc & cya but also ph.
You want ph in the 7’s & ta 50 or above.
I would also raise to slam level & then do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test since you aren’t purging yet.
You want ph in the 7’s & ta 50 or above.
I would also raise to slam level & then do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test since you aren’t purging yet.
In terms of doing it in a sock is there a reason doing that versus putting it in the filter basket? That is where the previous people had put it (not that it worked out well for me).
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,073
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
It goes directly into the water (doesn’t get trapped in the filter), also you don’t risk a plumbing clog or sending low ph water through your equipment.
Ok thanks! Will do that, so just throw it in a sock and drop it in the middle, then let the pump run continously based on the SLAM procedure? Also, as being new, my father in law just gave me some chlorine tabs in a bucket when we got the house (bucket isn't for the tablets) with "these could help you at some point", are those likely trichlor right? We do have some purple tabs/particle that is in another bucket left from previous owners, but not sure what they are as most are broken apart.
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Based on Pool math trying to go from 1.5 -> 11.5 FC with trichlor it's saying do 1.2 oz, so do we try to weight that out on a scale?
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,073
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Don’t just drop the sock/pantyhose in- hang it infront of a running return not touching the pool surfaces- cya can stain the surface. Squeeze the sock so the cya dissolves.
to raise cya by 10ppm in 750 gallons you should only need an ounce or so which should dissolve fairly quickly.
I wouldn’t use unmarked tabs unless you find out for sure what they are.
There are trichlor tabs (add fc & cya) & cal hypo tabs (add fc & calcium) - they cannot be used in the same floater/dispenser - an explosion can occur.
Trying to raise fc to SLAM level with tabs is not recommended as they dissolve too slowly. Use liquid chlorine