New to the forum...8 year pool store visitor :)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Merged threads. Marty - TFP Mod

Opened the pool. Took cover off and water didn't look to bad. A little cloudy and some sediment/old pine needles on the bottom.

Filled the pool today...about 1/4 of the pool (water level was kept just below return line over the winter).

Here are my numbers.
CYA: >100 (Ran this two separate times. very cloudy)
TA: 30
PH: 6.8? (very yellow)
FC: .5
CC: 0
CH: 375

Thanks in advance for any help!
Rob
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yes, here is another thread I started a few days ago. This was not a complete fill...only about 1/4. Kept 3/4 in over the winter.

New to the forum...8 year pool store visitor :)

Admittedly, my pool has been fairly easy to maintain...at least in my eyes...maybe not yours :). The pool store I purchased it from sold me on EZ Pool and the Nature 2 system. I've used both since I've owned the pool. I traditionally open the pool in Mid-May and close it down in early...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
100 is the limit of the CYA test, so you have to do a diluted test. Mix 50% pool water with 50% tap water. Use this mixed sample as your test water. Multiply the result by 2 for your CYA level.

With that you can decide how much water you wish to drain/exchange to get your CYA to a manageable level.
 
I ran the diluted test....still had a value of 65ish. So doubled, I'm way over 100. My pump has only been running a few hours. Would running it overnight and a recheck in the morning make any difference?

Man, I just filled 1/4 with fresh water. Having to drain and refill? Ugh...water company is going to like me. How do I determine how much to drain?
 
Marty replied to you in your other thread but I definitely agree you need to do the dilution method on the CYA test to see what your actual CYA value is since it's over 100 and then determine how much water to drain and replace. After you get your CYA down via water replacement circulate the pool well by running the pump and retest the water and post those results.
 
cubby_fan71 said:
I ran the diluted test....still had a value of 65ish. So doubled, I'm way over 100. My pump has only been running a few hours. Would running it overnight and a recheck in the morning make any difference?

Man, I just filled 1/4 with fresh water. Having to drain and refill? Ugh...water company is going to like me. How do I determine how much to drain?
Click to expand...
You need to drain and refill 62% of the water to go from a CYA of 130 to 50.
 
Welcome to the TFP method!
I'm sure the moderators will answer soon but a few things to get you started.
Your CYA is very high and it will not come down on its own. That means either a partial drain and refill of water or using large quantities (multiple gallons) of chlorine to keep the algae from growing. Also, you have almost no chlorine in the water shown by your FC level at 0.5. You are actually in a good spot to do a partial drain and refill before you start adding a lot of chlorine. Pool Math will show how much chlorine to add to get the level up to normal range based on the CYA level. PoolMath
Hope this helps to get you started.
 
I would say it would be better to circulate more but in reality you pulled the sample from the top which would have had the least CYA.
So, If you wish, do circulate through this evening and do another diluted CYA test in the morning. As you have a vinyl liner, you can either do multiple small drain and refills (water no lower than 24" above the bottom) or do an exchange. Based on your current amount you need a 70% drain/exchange.
 
Ok. I'm going to let it churn overnight and then take a diluted test in the morning. I'll be in touch.

Question....could years of not paying close attention to the water chemistry have caused this? Nature 2 + EZ Pool + chlorine pucks...gradually building up the stabilizer over the years? I've owned the pool since 2011.
 
cubby_fan71 said:
Ok. I'm going to let it churn overnight and then take a diluted test in the morning. I'll be in touch.

Question....could years of not paying close attention to the water chemistry have caused this? Nature 2 + EZ Pool + chlorine pucks...gradually building up the stabilizer over the years? I've owned the pool since 2011.
Click to expand...
That is EXACTLY what caused this.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Yup, what justinc said. And think all these years, you've done a partial drain for the winter. If you had not, your CYA levels would be way through the roof and probably would have had an algae bloom long ago that would just not go away.
 
mknauss said:
I would say it would be better to circulate more but in reality you pulled the sample from the top which would have had the least CYA.
So, If you wish, do circulate through this evening and do another diluted CYA test in the morning. As you have a vinyl liner, you can either do multiple small drain and refills (water no lower than 24" above the bottom) or do an exchange. Based on your current amount you need a 70% drain/exchange.
Click to expand...
Marty, by exchange, I assume you mean drop the water level to almost empty and refill vs maybe removing half and refilling...and then doing the same again?

Nothing changed overnight, so I've begun the process to drain :confused:
 
There is an exchange method were you pump water out simultaneously while putting the fresh water in. Has not been used on an above ground but no reason it will not work.
You can exchange some water without draining.

If you place a low volume sub pump in the deep end and pull water from there while adding water in the shallow end (through a skimmer or into a bucket on a step so you lessen the water disturbance) you can do a fairly efficient exchange. That is assuming the water you are filling with is the same temperature or warmer than your pool water. If your fill water is much cooler than your pool water, then switch it. Add the water to the deep end (hose on bottom) and pull water from the top step.

The location of the pump and fill hose may change if you have salt water, high calcium, etc.
In my pool, with saltwater and high calcium when I drain, I put the pump in the deep end and hose in shallow end. The water in the pool weighs more per unit volume than the fill water from the hose.

Be sure to balance the water out and water in so the pool level stays the same. Also be sure your pool pump is disabled during this process. Once started do not stop until you have exchanged the amount of water you wish.
 
To get your CYA in the 30-50ppm range, you will need to exchange between 77% -62% of your current pool water. You could drain down till the pool is between 1/2-1/4 full then refill and retest. Since you don't have a deep end I don't think the method Marty describe will be of benefit to you, and it actually uses more water. Marty's method is good for in-ground pools to prevent floating and wall collapse. That should not be an issue for you unless you have some really fierce winds!
 
ok...drained it down to about 16" and refilled. We also had a ton of rain yesterday as it was draining. I haven't turned on the pump yet. Took a CYA reading and I think it's 60ish now. Frustrated...thought it would drop way lower given the volume I took out. It's such a subjective test trying to determine when that black dot disappears. I'll run my pump for a few hours and then try again. I really don't want to have to drain water again and refill. My water bill is going to be massive.

I don't suppose I can blame it on bad R-0013 reagant can I ? :).
 
16" in a 48" depth pool is one third. If you started at 130 ppm CYA, one third is a bit over 40 ppm drop. So when you get it mixed up, your CYA will still be at about 90. One more drain and refill like that (after the water is well mixed) will get you to about 60 ppm CYA.
 
OK -- So 1/3 of 130 ppm originally is ~40+ ppm CYA. Your dilute test has an accuracy at best of +/-20ppm. So if you now test 60 ppm, that is in range.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
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.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply