Help

[kspan]

I have read a lot of your posts & I could really use some help!!! I just don’t understand the pool math! I have never had so many issues!!
pH 7.3
TA 70
FC 31.5
CH 20
CYA Over 100
All of my numbers were in range except for pH & now I've raised pH & I’m all out of wack & my pool is tinged green!!! Super frustrating that I don’t understand the chemistry!! Please Help!

 

[kspan]

The response below is what I got & I did that with 1:1 of my pool water & tap water and when I did the cya test is was right at 100.
The CYA of over 100 is the issue. You need to exchange a large volume of your water to fresh.
Figure out where you are able to put the water, you will need a sump pump, and what your water source is. Do a dilute CYA test (1:1 pool water and tap water, mix, use that for pool water in CYA test. Do test, double the result).
Please start a thread in the Algae forum.

 

[Texas Splash]

"K", a CYA over 100 is definitely a priority right now. I wouldn't try to adjust anything else until you exchange some water. If you are convinced the CYA is at 100, exchanging half the water should lower the CYA by 50%. So do that before anything else so that you don't waste chemicals. Post back after the exchange with new test results and we can help you get back on track.

 

[kspan]

Oh wow!! Ok, that’s a lot of water Thank you!!

 

[Major_in_MS]

xchanging half the water should lower the CYA by 50%

Oh wow!! Ok, that’s a lot of water

I had to do a 60% water exchange when I first moved into my home in 2016. One thing I learned through error, don't drain water below 4 inches deep in the shallow end. You need that much water to keep your vinyl liner from pulling away from the walls and shifting in the pool.

When I did mine, I closed the valve pulling water from the skimmers so that only my main drain was open and set my filter to the drain position and used my pool pump to drain my pool. Don't go in the house, you might get distracted and then "Oh, Snap" the pool is empty. Once the water level is below a certain point, if you turn your pump off or if it looses it's prime for any reason, you may not be able to restart draining with the pool pump, then you would need a portable sump or trash pump.

 

[mknauss]

I did that with 1:1 of my pool water & tap water and when I did the cya test is was right at 100.

Was that the result of the test or is that the doubled value? If 100 is what you got after doing the dilution, your CYA is 200, or higher.

That would require you to exchange the entire pool volume.

 

[kspan]

Thank you so much!!! I’m just so overwhelmed!! I wish I understood where I went wrong!!

 

[mknauss]

I wish I understood where I went wrong!!

Hayward Chlorine Feed CL200, -- that thing is a trichlor tablet chlorinator. Trichlor is 1/3 CYA.

 

[kspan]

Was that the result of the test or is that the doubled value? If 100 is what you got after doing the dilution, your CYA is 200, or higher.

That would require you to exchange the entire pool volume.

Ok, so after freaking out I did the test again & cya doubled is 160

 

[Oly]

 

[kspan]

Hayward Chlorine Feed CL200, -- that thing is a trichlor tablet chlorinator. Trichlor is 1/3 CYA.

So what would you suggest I use?

 

[mknauss]

So, essentially, to get your CYA to 40, you need to drain and replace 75% of your water. With a vinyl liner, you can do that in smaller drain and refills, which will take much more water than just the 75%. Or you can do an exchange, if your water chemistry and water temperatures provide a good difference to keep the two different waters separate. Read Draining - Further Reading

So what would you suggest I use?

Liquid chlorine --- aka Bleach

 

[Major_in_MS]

I would exchange as much water as possible without draining enough to cause the vinyl liner to pull from the walls. Then, fill her back up and let it circulate for a bit to mix and run the tests again and see if and how much more water needs to be exchanged. And also, I would remove any pucks from your CL200, and not use pucks until such a time that you actually need to add more CYA.

 

[Major_in_MS]

If your first drain and fill get's your CYA down below 80 or so, then you may be able to go ahead and start you SLAM. It will take more bleach at that CYA level, but as you backwash your filter everyday, or even twice a day depending on how high your algae load is, your CYA will continue to drop slowly, because each backwash cycle is actually a small water exchange.

 

[kspan]

So what would you suggest I use?

I will say that that chlorinator lid is Extremely difficult to remove!!!!

 

[IceShadow]

Take a photo. Maybe we can assist

 

[Major_in_MS]

You did turn off the pump first didn’t you? Probably wouldn’t be good to open it under pressure, but that pressure may be why it won’t open.

 

[kspan]

So, essentially, to get your CYA to 40, you need to drain and replace 75% of your water. With a vinyl liner, you can do that in smaller drain and refills, which will take much more water than just the 75%. Or you can do an exchange, if your water chemistry and water temperatures provide a good difference to keep the two different waters separate. Read Draining - Further Reading


Liquid chlorine --- aka Bleach

So get rid of the chlorinator all together? We just bought a Hayward 336btu heater and we were going to upgrade all the pipes around the pump, so do I not incorporate the chlorinator?

 

[kspan]

You did turn off the pump first didn’t you? Probably wouldn’t be good to open it under pressure, but that pressure may be why it won’t open.

I always shut off the pump and close all of the drains.

 

[Dan Morrill]

So get rid of the chlorinator all together? We just bought a Hayward 336btu heater and we were going to upgrade all the pipes around the pump, so do I not incorporate the chlorinator?

Yep. My inline chlorinator just sits there doing nothing.....