Hello All:
I came across this great website after being unable to maintain any chlorine in my pool for the last month or so. I'm a new pool owner, and I've been using cheap test strips and trichlor pucks -- on the advice of the previous owner -- since buying the house/pool last year. When the pool was opened this summer, it seemed to have plenty of chlorine per the test strips, but since then I haven't been able to keep it to a visible level no matter how many pucks I add.
So, I bought the Taylor K 2006 Test Kit and did my first test this afternoon. Here are my results:
FC: 0
CC: 0
CYA: ~250 (I had to dilute the sample twice to get a reading below 100; the dot disappeared at around 60 with the 2x diluted sample)
pH: 7.0
TA: 70
CH: 250.
I know from reading the forum that I'm going to have to drain the pool quite a bit to get the CYA to the right level, and I've already purchased 10 gallons of liquid shock from my local Menard's. The pool water appears very clear and I don't see any algae or mold. But, it's a black, gunite surface so maybe I'm not seeing it.
My question is: how much of the pool will I have to drain and refill before I get the CYA level to around 50? Is there anything I need to be concerned about (other than my water bill) if I drain the pool nearly all the way? As best as I can tell, the pool is about 18,000 gallons, oval shaped, with a max depth of about 6.5'. It has a waterfall that I run occasionally, but not full time. It's equipped with a Pentair cartridge filter with 4 brand-new cartridges I installed about a month ago.
Thanks in advance!
I came across this great website after being unable to maintain any chlorine in my pool for the last month or so. I'm a new pool owner, and I've been using cheap test strips and trichlor pucks -- on the advice of the previous owner -- since buying the house/pool last year. When the pool was opened this summer, it seemed to have plenty of chlorine per the test strips, but since then I haven't been able to keep it to a visible level no matter how many pucks I add.
So, I bought the Taylor K 2006 Test Kit and did my first test this afternoon. Here are my results:
FC: 0
CC: 0
CYA: ~250 (I had to dilute the sample twice to get a reading below 100; the dot disappeared at around 60 with the 2x diluted sample)
pH: 7.0
TA: 70
CH: 250.
I know from reading the forum that I'm going to have to drain the pool quite a bit to get the CYA to the right level, and I've already purchased 10 gallons of liquid shock from my local Menard's. The pool water appears very clear and I don't see any algae or mold. But, it's a black, gunite surface so maybe I'm not seeing it.
My question is: how much of the pool will I have to drain and refill before I get the CYA level to around 50? Is there anything I need to be concerned about (other than my water bill) if I drain the pool nearly all the way? As best as I can tell, the pool is about 18,000 gallons, oval shaped, with a max depth of about 6.5'. It has a waterfall that I run occasionally, but not full time. It's equipped with a Pentair cartridge filter with 4 brand-new cartridges I installed about a month ago.
Thanks in advance!