High CYA? Better CYA Test?
- Thread starter joshscott84
- Start date
Those are pretty much the numbers I came up with as well. What I'm wondering though is, do pool volumes usually follow a set range or do volumes vary wildly. Do I need to also account for water volume in the plumbing? Would I round up to 5800 or 6k?
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
The volume of the water in the plumbing is negligible. The old pool Math app at the bottom of the page is generating about 5700. So you could use either volume and I think you would be close. You'll get a pretty good Idea when you start to refill and you will have an opportunity to fine tune the volume Calcs when you start adding chems. Then you can back calculate your volume by noting how much of each chemical it took to get to your target concentration. I'm always amazed at how accurate that is.
- Jun 8, 2019
- 4,576
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
If you really want an accurate reading there’s a method using TA measuring to do it. See here:
www.troublefreepool.com
I did this last year. Came up to almost exactly 20,000 gallons....same as my simple math way, but my pool is mostly rectangular.
A Chemical Way of Calculating Pool Volume
There is a way to use pool water chemistry to calculate pool water volume without using the traditional geometric calculations. The geometric formulas are fine for pools that are traditionally shaped. However, when pools do not fall into these convenient shapes, a chemical method can be used...
www.troublefreepool.com
I did this last year. Came up to almost exactly 20,000 gallons....same as my simple math way, but my pool is mostly rectangular.
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
Long before I found TFP I noticed my Salt additions were way off.. This was my first lesson in trusting the pool store too much as they estimated a volume that was 5K too much. So I used my salinity to back calculate the volume.. I have since confirmed it with other chems as well.
I will do both the TA calc and the back calc after correcting pool chems post refill. Then compare to the online generic calc results. Between the three I should have a pretty solid number once all done. I really appreciate the wisdom fellas. My wife just keeps telling me to take a sample to "the pool store"; I'm resisting 
My wife laughs at her friends when they dump 300 bucks a month at the feed store (we live in the country) for pool chemicals. She says my husband dumps some bleach in and sometimes hydrochloric acid, he barely does anything. They look at her like she nuts...Truth be told...I do plenty...
of floating with a martini and tunes on.
of floating with a martini and tunes on.
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
Hey Josh, sorry to derail but man, I really would like to move to the Tampa area one day. I have friends in Clearwater and they love it. I need to be closer to the beach/ocean. Galveston, TX just ain't gonna cut it. lol I mean it's "our" beach here in Texas and I've been going since I was a kid but I'd like to get near a real beach with white sand, beautiful blue water, for fishing and just being in a coastal community and lifestyle.
Good luck with your pool...looks like you have a really nice one in your lanai.
Ok so I just called the county utilities to ask a few questions about draining/refilling. In some ways I'm glad I called and in other ways I feel like the person helping me wasn't giving me correct information. I plan to call again and see if I can get a different person and if the answers are the same.
I was told that I cannot drain my pool into the street storm drains. I asked why I have always seen home owners with those blue hoses run to the end of their driveways and was told those are illegal drains and you will be fined if caught. I was then told that I have to drain the pool onto my yard is the only legal way. Then when we talked rates I was told I would be charged for sewer on the same volume even though I'm draining onto my yard? The latter part is really what made me think she didn't know what she was talking about. She could very well be right about the storm drain though. If that is the case what kind of options do I have. Emptying 5k gallons onto my sodded yard is not an option really.
I was told that I cannot drain my pool into the street storm drains. I asked why I have always seen home owners with those blue hoses run to the end of their driveways and was told those are illegal drains and you will be fined if caught. I was then told that I have to drain the pool onto my yard is the only legal way. Then when we talked rates I was told I would be charged for sewer on the same volume even though I'm draining onto my yard? The latter part is really what made me think she didn't know what she was talking about. She could very well be right about the storm drain though. If that is the case what kind of options do I have. Emptying 5k gallons onto my sodded yard is not an option really.
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mguzzy
Gold Supporter
Yes.. that makes no sense at all. Because when your yard becomes saturated after the first 500 gal, the water is just going to run into the storm drain. I bet they didn't want you to drain into the sewer system... Ironically it would probably be more discrete if you stuck your blue hose into the clean-out on the side of your house. They can't tell, there is no meter on the sewage line. don't you just love bureaucracies?
My father is a master plumber and I literally just had that same conversation with him. I understand why not to use the storm drain as they link to retention ponds and other mitigation devices but them saying using my clean out would be illegal also made me shake my head. I know very well sewage isn't piped to storm water holding areas; it's piped to the various treatment facilities. So whether it's urine, grey water, or chlorinated water would make no difference and be undetectable to the county.
Am I missing something here?
Am I missing something here?
Second call confirmed all the info given the first time. They couldn't give me a solid answer as to why sewer clean out couldn't be used. Best answer they could give was that, "they just don't want you doing it." Real science and policy driven answer there.
I think that is going to be the key though and to do this in smaller increments as opposed to a 50%+ drain. Probably several 15-20% drains to the clean out in my future here.
I think that is going to be the key though and to do this in smaller increments as opposed to a 50%+ drain. Probably several 15-20% drains to the clean out in my future here.
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
So I'll let you make the conscience decision. The pool water is going to have residual chemicals, CYA, Cl etc. Who is it going to screw up more: the water treatment plants than process potable water or the storm drain holding ponds that will eventually release the water into the environment. hmmm, do you want paper or plastic....
We have a saying in the country when our livestock is being destroyed, SSS, shoot, shovel, shutup...not that I would ever do that
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
On further reflection.. I would do the other. I think I have seen more people on the site being told to send it to thier storm drains rather than the sewer. The sewage system is a semi closed system, and they rely on biological activity of the flora and fauna they introduce to break down the waste products in several steps to purify the water for reuse. By pumping water into the system with sanitizers and other chems probably would disrupt that more than help it.. By the same token dumping into the storm drain is going to send to a wider network of water for dilution where most of those chemicals will degrade over time. As long as everybody's storm drain and pool run off doesn't go into the same part of Lake Okeechobee I think that would be a better choice. So I'll take paper, it easier to recycle.
We have a saying in the country when our livestock is being destroyed, SSS, shoot, shovel, shutup...not that I would ever do that
Ohhh I know that quote, allegedly