Here are my stats - what next?

[Hgr1969]

Brand new to testing after discontinuing pool service. They had been using 3” chlorine pucks in my chlorinator. 12,800 gal gunite chlorine pool. Tested using Taylor K-2006. Tested 4 times over 2 days to verify numbers.

FC - 6.4
CC - 0
pH - 8.0 (took 2 drops acid challenge to get to 7.6)
TA - 120
CH - 520
CYA - 140 (used 1/2 tap water to verify)

How should I begin? Drain and replace some water to correct CYA first? If anyone can share what steps I should take I would be so thankful! I learn by application one step at a time rather than trying to absorb all the info at once via reading in pool school. ??

 

[mknauss]

As you will be adding liquid chlorine every day to chlorinate, you want your CYA to be 50 ppm or so. So a 2/3rds drain is warranted. Be aware that draining entails risks. If you have shallow water table the pool shell can pop out of the ground. Plaster can crack if left dry and sun beating on it.

Doing the drain should also lower your CH some. That level could be from high CH fill water or the pool service may have been using cal hypo for their weekly 'nuke and run' treatments.

 

[Hgr1969]

As you will be adding liquid chlorine every day to chlorinate, you want your CYA to be 50 ppm or so. So a 2/3rds drain is warranted. Be aware that draining entails risks. If you have shallow water table the pool shell can pop out of the ground. Plaster can crack if left dry and sun beating on it.

Doing the drain should also lower your CH some. That level could be from high CH fill water or the pool service may have been using cal hypo for their weekly 'nuke and run' treatments.

Ugh. That’s what I was thinking based on my reading from this site. Nooooo..... lol. Alrighty, I guess I’ll get to doing that. Thank you for the reply!

 

[Hgr1969]

As you will be adding liquid chlorine every day to chlorinate, you want your CYA to be 50 ppm or so. So a 2/3rds drain is warranted. Be aware that draining entails risks. If you have shallow water table the pool shell can pop out of the ground. Plaster can crack if left dry and sun beating on it.

Doing the drain should also lower your CH some. That level could be from high CH fill water or the pool service may have been using cal hypo for their weekly 'nuke and run' treatments.

Do you think it’ll be ok until this weekend when I’ll have time to monitor the draining and refilling?

 

[Grnctrtl]

Hgr1969,

I was in the same boat as you last year when I bought my house in September (My Cya was 200+). I did a water exchange as suggested by someone here to get my CYA under 100 so we could swim for the last bit of the season and then over the course of the winter did a few more of those exchanges and got my CYA under control. I’m still learning, and making mistakes, but this forum is the best place to start.

 

[Hgr1969]

Hgr1969,

I was in the same boat as you last year when I bought my house in September (My Cya was 200+). I did a water exchange as suggested by mknauss to get my CYA under 100 so we could swim for the last bit of the season and then over the course of the winter did a few more of those exchanges and got my CYA under control. I’m still learning, and making mistakes, but this forum is the best place to start.

Good to know I’m not alone! It’s scary because once when I tried to do it myself years ago, I got bad black spot algae which was horrible and expensive to correct. That stuff is the devil! I’m afraid of messing up and getting that again.

 

[mknauss]

Do you think it’ll be ok until this weekend when I’ll have time to monitor the draining and refilling?

If you believe your conditions are OK for a quick drain and refill, then yes, you can do it in a weekend. You can rent a gas powered pump from Home Depot or Lowes and it should take less than 4 hours to drain what you need to. Be sure to understand where that water will go, do you need permits, and do you have the hoses to get it to where it must go. Then immediately start filling. Keep the plaster wet by hosing it or using a sprinkler.

 

[Hgr1969]

If you believe your conditions are OK for a quick drain and refill, then yes, you can do it in a weekend. You can rent a gas powered pump from Home Depot or Lowes and it should take less than 4 hours to drain what you need to. Be sure to understand where that water will go, do you need permits, and do you have the hoses to get it to where it must go. Then immediately start filling. Keep the plaster wet by hosing it or using a sprinkler.

Thanks again!