Hi,
First post. Relatively new here - found the site a few weeks ago as this is the first summer I'm managing my pool. Been reading through Pool School and many of the older threads... what a great resource. I'm finding myself in a bit of a quandary and curious how others would proceed.
Some background - I purchased a house with a pool last year. Hired a company to maintain it last summer. This summer, I've decided to do it myself. Ordered a TF-Pro after seeing it recommended here, arrived a few days ago. Love the kit.
The pool is ~28,000 gallons, inground, vinyl, 20x40ish grecian shape. 1 skimmer and main drain. Hayward sand filter. Off-line Hayward chlorine feeder. No heater or SWG. Location is NJ.
My pool company used 3in Trichlor tablets in the chlorine feeder last year, and filled it up again this year when they opened the pool ~3 weeks ago. After doing research the past few weeks, I've learned about the CYA/Free Chlorine relationship and the fact that I should have a minimum of 7.5% FC to CYA. I've also learned about how the tabs have stabilizer which raises CYA. Sure enough, when I tested my CYA levels, they were off the charts.
Here's the current results from my test today:
FC around 6ppm
pH 7.5
TA 125
CH 325
CYA ~180-200 (rough estimate... had to dilute the sample to test given the high levels). Pool store had it at 166 last week.
I assume the best course of action is to switch to liquid chlorine and replace water to reduce CYA. I'd love to drain and replace, but the problem is that I'm on a well, and my outdoor spigot is unfiltered well water. I don't know the levels but I assume the quality of the raw well water is poor given that we have a pretty intense filtration system inside the house (sediment filter, softener, arsenic removal, R/O for drinking, etc.).
The pool has been clear since opened ~3 weeks ago. It's holding chlorine (I've only had my test kit for a few days but seems to be losing 1ppm chlorine / day... although I still have the chlorine feeder with tabs running at a low setting, which I will be turning off).
Any recommendations on best course of action? Seems like my options are:
1. Raise FC levels significantly (~20ppm?) and ride out the high CYA until I start having issues with water clarity and/or algae. I assume it would be expensive to keep FC levels this high, and nearly impossible to shock/SLAM/superchlorinate if an issue does arise? Are there other concerns (health, pool liner or other equipment, etc.) with high FC levels?
2. Drain significant water (75%?) and replace with well water from my outdoor spigot. Seems dicey as I assume the well water will bring other issues - metals, hardness, etc. I understand that it's risky to drain a vinyl-lined pool too much, and I'd also have to be careful not to burn out my well pump or run it dry. I've read that there are filters you can attach to a garden hose, but reviews seem iffy on whether they are effective - anyone have experience with these? Or with filling a pool with well water? I drained and replaced about 6 inches last week, and my copper went from 0 to 0.3ppm (both from pool store testing)… didn't do a dent in my CYA. Hardness went up from 145 to 325 (although 145 was from pool store and 325 from my TFPro, so who knows).
3. Truck in new water. I assume this will be expensive, so trying to avoid. If I go this route, would they have to partially drain and refill a few times so the water level doesn't get too low and potentially shift or cause issues to the liner?
I guess another option would be to do what my pool company did last year (and probably what my local pool store would tell me) - ignore the high CYA, shock the pool weekly, keep FC around 4, and hope I don't have algae or other issues. I know this isn't the correct way to maintain it, and it won't be sanitized correctly, but I can't help but think this is how most (less research-inclined) people would go about it. Ignorance is bliss?
Curious how other members here would handle this situation. Thanks in advance for your input. This forum has been a great resource for me already, and I'm looking forward to learning more throughout the summer.
First post. Relatively new here - found the site a few weeks ago as this is the first summer I'm managing my pool. Been reading through Pool School and many of the older threads... what a great resource. I'm finding myself in a bit of a quandary and curious how others would proceed.
Some background - I purchased a house with a pool last year. Hired a company to maintain it last summer. This summer, I've decided to do it myself. Ordered a TF-Pro after seeing it recommended here, arrived a few days ago. Love the kit.
The pool is ~28,000 gallons, inground, vinyl, 20x40ish grecian shape. 1 skimmer and main drain. Hayward sand filter. Off-line Hayward chlorine feeder. No heater or SWG. Location is NJ.
My pool company used 3in Trichlor tablets in the chlorine feeder last year, and filled it up again this year when they opened the pool ~3 weeks ago. After doing research the past few weeks, I've learned about the CYA/Free Chlorine relationship and the fact that I should have a minimum of 7.5% FC to CYA. I've also learned about how the tabs have stabilizer which raises CYA. Sure enough, when I tested my CYA levels, they were off the charts.
Here's the current results from my test today:
FC around 6ppm
pH 7.5
TA 125
CH 325
CYA ~180-200 (rough estimate... had to dilute the sample to test given the high levels). Pool store had it at 166 last week.
I assume the best course of action is to switch to liquid chlorine and replace water to reduce CYA. I'd love to drain and replace, but the problem is that I'm on a well, and my outdoor spigot is unfiltered well water. I don't know the levels but I assume the quality of the raw well water is poor given that we have a pretty intense filtration system inside the house (sediment filter, softener, arsenic removal, R/O for drinking, etc.).
The pool has been clear since opened ~3 weeks ago. It's holding chlorine (I've only had my test kit for a few days but seems to be losing 1ppm chlorine / day... although I still have the chlorine feeder with tabs running at a low setting, which I will be turning off).
Any recommendations on best course of action? Seems like my options are:
1. Raise FC levels significantly (~20ppm?) and ride out the high CYA until I start having issues with water clarity and/or algae. I assume it would be expensive to keep FC levels this high, and nearly impossible to shock/SLAM/superchlorinate if an issue does arise? Are there other concerns (health, pool liner or other equipment, etc.) with high FC levels?
2. Drain significant water (75%?) and replace with well water from my outdoor spigot. Seems dicey as I assume the well water will bring other issues - metals, hardness, etc. I understand that it's risky to drain a vinyl-lined pool too much, and I'd also have to be careful not to burn out my well pump or run it dry. I've read that there are filters you can attach to a garden hose, but reviews seem iffy on whether they are effective - anyone have experience with these? Or with filling a pool with well water? I drained and replaced about 6 inches last week, and my copper went from 0 to 0.3ppm (both from pool store testing)… didn't do a dent in my CYA. Hardness went up from 145 to 325 (although 145 was from pool store and 325 from my TFPro, so who knows).
3. Truck in new water. I assume this will be expensive, so trying to avoid. If I go this route, would they have to partially drain and refill a few times so the water level doesn't get too low and potentially shift or cause issues to the liner?
I guess another option would be to do what my pool company did last year (and probably what my local pool store would tell me) - ignore the high CYA, shock the pool weekly, keep FC around 4, and hope I don't have algae or other issues. I know this isn't the correct way to maintain it, and it won't be sanitized correctly, but I can't help but think this is how most (less research-inclined) people would go about it. Ignorance is bliss?
Curious how other members here would handle this situation. Thanks in advance for your input. This forum has been a great resource for me already, and I'm looking forward to learning more throughout the summer.
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