Need to lower CYA

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Daniel1973

0
Mar 4, 2017
17
Mesa/Az
Hello,
We have had our pool for a little over a year and our CYA is up around 150. I recent found this site and we had been using dichlor tabs from a large pool store. I have a Pentair variable speed motor and our pool builder installed a hose bib which allows us to drain water. Is the best approach to have the pool motor on low or high and connect a hose to the hose bib on the pool equipment and let it run for several hours? I plan on having a second hose filling the pool as well at the same time so the water level does not get too lower for the skimmer basket.
Thank you
 
Hello Daniel and welcome. :wave: Draining to exchange water can be done in different ways depending on your equipment set-up. Do you have a main drain? If so, then lowering the water below the skimmer is not an issue. If you don't have a MD, then the skimmer is your only source of suction, so you can't go any lower than that skimmer unless you rent/buy a submersible pump. Another member did just that (actually rented two of them) and did his pool in about 15 hours total I believe. Very efficient. Also important is what type of filter you have. Sand or DE with a multiport valve? Or do you have a cartridge filter with no multiport valve? MPVs allow you to backwash to waste which is also a quick way to lower water - especially if you have a main drain (MD). So those are some options. Let us know what you have to work with and please include that info in your signature as well so we can see it on every post. Let us know if you still have questions. Also make sure to add in your sig which test kit you used to obtain that CYA of 150 reading. Was it a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C? We'll need to know that as well. Hope that helps you.
 
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I have created a signature as you recommended. We do have a main drain but last time I was draining water via the hose bib on my equipment (see attached pic) the skimmer made a different sound when the water got low.
I have a Pentair filter with four cartridges in it. Unfortunately, I am deciding between the TF-100 and K-2006C test kit, so currently I only have a basic test kit and some 7 way strips that have consistently showed my CYA as very high.
Looking at the attached picture, would you recommend using the hose bib to drain water?
Thank you again
 

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It was interesting when I was at the pool store. I asked them if very many people buy liquid chlorine and they said no, most people use the chlorine tabs. I asked her what that she thought the downside of using liquid chlorine was and she said it would put the total dissolvable solids way too high. Doing some quick research on this site it appears that is not a true statement.
 
Depending on who you speak to at any store on any given day, you almost be assured to receive conflicting advice, and even then it's not guaranteed to be accurate. Same for testing. They sell $100+ buckets of tabs because to the unexperienced pool owner who doesn't know better, they are easy and the test printout says to use them. The printout (or store clerk) won't tell them that by the end of the season they will have to drain the pool due to excessive CYA, they just sell them another bucket and repeat the cycle. The only thing chlorine (liquid pool shock, regular bleach, etc) adds to the pool is water and some sodium. TDSs are a term (like phosphates) store like to use to emphasize the need for their "cures in a bottle" at $60-$80 a pop. None of that matters when a pool is TFP clean & clear. Stick around here long enough and you'll quickly learn why proper home testing and some simple knowledge is not only best for your pool, but can also save you a LOT of $$$$.
 
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Play along!
 
Since I am still deciding which pool test kit to buy (opinions welcomed), I am still using my aqua check test strips and they showed my CYA is down to about 100. Looks like I still have some more water to drain. Just for fun I decided to stop by The pool store and their reading for CYA was about 100 as well. I decided to ask a different clerk what they thought about using liquid chlorine and once again they said it was a bad idea because it added total dissolvable solids to the pool, as well as the fact that it would burn off way too quickly. I smiled and said thank you. By the way, I bought liquid chlorine from them the other day and I believe it came in clear gallons, much like the muriaric they sell. I think the refillable jugs are usually not clear, correct?
 
Daniel1973 said:
Since I am still deciding which pool test kit to buy (opinions welcomed), I am still using my aqua check test strips and they showed my CYA is down to about 100. Looks like I still have some more water to drain. Just for fun I decided to stop by The pool store and their reading for CYA was about 100 as well. I decided to ask a different clerk what they thought about using liquid chlorine and once again they said it was a bad idea because it added total dissolvable solids to the pool, as well as the fact that it would burn off way too quickly. I smiled and said thank you. By the way, I bought liquid chlorine from them the other day and I believe it came in clear gallons, much like the muriaric they sell. I think the refillable jugs are usually not clear, correct?
Click to expand...
My refillable chlorine jugs are white and come 4 to a yellow crate. If you had two clear jugs in a cardboard box, they're throwaways.
 

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When I came to TFP a few years back, I didn't know much about test kits but went with the TF-100 because it seemed to have a good reputation here (as does the K-2006C). I think it was the Pool School - Test Kits Compared page that helped push me towards the TF-100. I'm glad I did. It is a great value and still packed with some Taylor reagents and other tools that make testing accurate and easy. It can last all season. I also highly recommend the magnetic speedstir as it makes missing the FC, TA, and CH sooooooooo much easier. As for chlorine, as you continue to shop around for your pool, you'll quickly learn who has the best value in your area. For me, it's my local grocery store with 8.25% strength at $2.94 a gallon.
 
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