How to get CH down.. without draining

Feb 24, 2014
79
wisconsin
Hi. new pool owner. need to update my sig cause pool is in and filled!

anyways. getting started here. I have filled the pool with two tankers (6500 gallons each of water) and filled rest will well water.22000 gallon pool

The well water is rusty but i hooked up an inline water filter to the hose and it still made the water murky (cant see the bottom)

my TFT 100 test results.

FC-0
PH 7.5
CH 500
TA-300
CYA- 0


Pool Math is telling me to add 91 oz of 12% bleach

196 oz of MA to bring down the PH and therefore TA ( AM I READING THIS CORRECT?!?)
and to replace 60% of water... with CH of 0... that is going to be an issue. budget is broke and replacing that amount of water would put me on the couch for a couple weeks ;)

and to add like 13 lbs of stabilizer CYA to get to 70... wow really that much?!?!

also to add 644 lbs of salt to get to intellichlor 3500 ppm level ( im waiting till FC is at 3-4 to do this) or can i add it right now and get intellchlor running?


HELP ME GET GOING OH WISE ONES!
 
don't sweat the CH ... especially since you have a vinyl pool. (use rainwater catchment to bring it down over time - no CH in rain)

Add the bleach - make note of your CL 30 min after you add the bleach, this will help you to get a closer estimate of the actual size of your pool (can vary based on actual bleach strength).

PH of 7.5 is good - no need to add acid for PH purposes ... we will get to TA and acid in a minute.

Stabilizer ... yes that much. In steps ... 1/3 rd step increments with a week between additions. You do not want to overshoot.

Salt - I cant speak to this one ... I'm on an injector, I seem to recall get the salt in and mixed, use bleach to get up to level then turn on the intellichlor after 24 or 48 hours. not 100% positive...

OK ... TA - aeration reduces TA, as a side effect it raises PH. Enjoy the pool and manage this one over time. Do some searches for aeration and TA and you will find some good info. Just be aware in the mean time that your PH may swing a bit more than normal. From what I understand it's not as critical with a vinyl pool as the masonry isn't playing with the PH. You may find that the TA is fine.

You may find that you have some metal or mineral issues to deal with from the well water ...
 
Your priorities right at the moment are to get the PH down to around 7.0-7.2 and start adding CYA.

Because your TA is so high, it will take a great deal of acid to lower the PH. Still, the calculation isn't always perfect, so it is best to add about half the amount it says, wait 30 minutes with the pump running for it to mix in, test the PH again, and continue adjusting from there. That will help you get a much better sense of how much acid you really need. Also, as the TA comes down it will take less acid to change the PH.

Without any CYA in the water you will lose all of your chlorine to sunlight very quickly. Start adding CYA, but again do it in a couple of steps. It is easy to raise CYA, but difficult to lower it.

Lower priority, but work working on the salt at around the same time. Remember that your salt level almost never starts at zero. With a fresh fill it will be fairly low, but a pool that has been in use for a while will tend to have a significant salt level.

CH at 500 can be managed, allowing you to postpone the water replacement, but it is a lot of work. The crucial thing is to maintain control over your PH and never let PH go above 7.8. With high TA the PH will want to go up, so you need to keep on top of it at least until you get the TA down a bit.

Add chlorine manually after sunset, about 2 ppm per day until it has been 24 hours since you started adding CYA. After that you can switch to aiming for the FC level that corresponds with your target CYA level.
 
CYA is acidic so it will also tend to drive pH down a bit, use the sock method to add CYA since it dissolves VERY slowly on its own. (put is in an old sock and hang it in front of a return fitting so it does not touch the side of the pool) you can kneed it from time to time to speed things along) Note also it can take a week to show up on the test, so don't get in a hurry to add more.

Ike
 
ok did as above. is there anything else i can do to help get this water looking better? its so discerning after spending so much water to have a glorified pond!


pondwater2_zps8569f5df.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Have you had the water tested for iron or copper? Since you used well water for part of the fill you will want to know if there are any metals in the water. Keep the pump running 24/7 and clean the filter when pressure rise is 20% above clean pressure. Otherwise, keep doing what you are doing and have some POP (pool owner patience). It will take a little time for the water to clear.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
POP... lol im trying.

- - - Updated - - -

ive got 400lbs of salt diluted. gonna add the rest tomorrow after i test.. 2 lbs of cya diluted through a sock. and gonna add more later. PB said I should add all 6 bottles of 12% LC right now... not sure, what you guys think.. pump is running 2400 rpm cartridge filter is at 15% and holding. ZEA i know for sure there is iron in the water, lots! i have a whole house water filter retro fitted to garden hose and it was brand new... now the filter looks llike it was rolled around in the mud. only one inch of well water left to put in.
 
Last edited:
That is insanely too much liquid chlorine at once, WE NEVER teach massive doses like that as it can damage pools and equipment. You do need to get some chlorine in there though if there is not any, and may need to add more often if there is something consuming it. Given your low initial CYA level I would bring it up to an FC of 10 and hold it there this should take about 2 gallons of 12% bleach / liquid chlorine initially, then add more after testing every few hours. (more frequently to begin with)

Ike

p.s. see the SLAM process in pool school

Also how long has this pool been filled with no chlorine in it?

Also if it gets more green after adding chlorine chances are it is iron
 
ok ive been looking into that. Do i use the Magic Jack purple or the blue? the purple says its for swg.. but the blue stuff says for plaster BUT acutally says on the bottle it removes iron?! also there is the magenta!?!?!:confused::brickwall:

- - - Updated - - -

by the way the help has been invaluable. thank you much. Id probably try to drown myself in my own pool if it wernt for this forum! thanks much!
 
well this morning know you guys may not get as excited as i am but i can see bottom and can see the main drains!.. I had paper towel in the skimmer basket and it caught alot of the brown stuff/rust. at this rate should be pretty clear by tomorrow! woot woot! water test in a couple hours!
 
pH up - 20 mule team borax

pH down - Muriatic acid

TA up - Baking soda

TA down - aeration and acid...it's process found in Pool School that you must read to make TA change quickly and permanently
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.