OK, I guess we're doing this....what's next

[mack81]

Pool guys left about an hour ago after opening, I told them I plan on using liquid chlorine to manage the pool, when leaving they dropped 8 gals of it in and said they also dropped a bottle of algaecide in too.

I just did my first TF-100 test, results as follows:
FC: 36
CC: 1
CYA: was off the charts, as in when the dot was invisible it was not even close to the 100 line.

Not sure if these results are valid 1 hour after dumping a bunch of chlorine in but what's next for me?

Is the super high CYA an issue?
Should I keep the FC up until CC is 0.5?

 

[Texas Splash]

So was this a post-winter opening? Or was this a new install and fill? the dot is disappearing well before the 100 line (too high of CYA)? Did you see them dump liquid conditioner in as well? Was there any chance this is residual from last season? I would let the water mix for the night. Test again tomorrow under some good sunshine if you have it. The FC will fall very soon on its own as well. Hang in there. Tomorrow's water should provide better answers.

 

[mack81]

Sorry, yes, this was post-winter opening.
They didnt dump anything else other than chlorine & algaecide
I bought the house over the winter, so I don't have any readings from the past, no idea what levels it was at last year.

Thanks for the advice, I'll let the pump run for the night and re-test tomorrow!

 

[Texas Splash]

I bought the house over the winter, so I don't have any readings from the past, no idea what levels it was at last year.

That certainly explains it. Previous owners probably ran it on tabs or bags of shock all the time. Well, confirm with some fresh tests tomorrow and we'll be glad to walk you through the next steps. Have a good evening.

 

[mack81]

It's going to be a rainy day here today, so no sunshine! But retested this morning to see if i needed to add more Chlorine but FC is still at 36.
Is this expected? Maybe the algaecide the pool guys added spared the chlorine (is that possible?). The pool is green (slightly less green than yesterday) so I would have expected FC to go down.

CC is now 0.5.

I have not swept of vacuumed the pool yet.

Keep going w/ FC 36+ until water is clear?

 

[zea3]

Did you re-test the CYA? If it is still showing off the charts take a cup of pool water and a cup of tap water and mix them together, then test the CYA from that mixture. Double the test results for a ballpark estimate of the current CYA level.
I would not add anything else until you confirm the CYA is high. If it still is off the charts you will need drain water to lower the CYA level. You can look at the TFP-TV video on cyanuric acid for more information about CYA. TFP-TV - Trouble Free Pool

 

[mack81]

Re-tested CYA, it's still at 120.

Should I wait until the water is clear and the pool clean before draining?

Also - is there a way to estimate how much water I will need to drain?

 

[gonfishin]

Poolmath will give you an estimate based on a target you input.

 

[Flying Tivo]

You can only drain as low as 1 foot on the shallow end, if you drain lower your liner might shift and thats a no-no! If you try to slam with that high of a CYA its just a waste of money. There is also a method to exchange water without draining, search in poolschool.

 

[mack81]

You think I need to go down that low?
Didnt realize SLAMming with that high CYA was a waste, so I should first get the CYA down and then SLAM.

I cant find in the pool math app where it estimates how much to drain - can anyone point me to that?

 

[zea3]

It will be easier to clear the water once you drain and refill. You probably need to drain about 75% of your pool water. If you live where there is a high water table you will need to do a series of drain/refill cycles so that ground water doesn't float your liner.
The link for Poolmath is in left hand side of the web page. If you are on your phone tap the 3 bars on the upper left corner of the screen and select Poolmath from the menu. You can either download the app or scroll to the bottom of the page for the old web based poolmath.

 

[gonfishin]

find in the pool math app where it estimates how much to drain

I was thinking it showed up in the app when you look at CYA, but it doesn't so you need to use the web based Poolmath (link at the bottom of the page).

For 27K gallons, I see

(Ignore the goal, as I had SWG for chlorination method)

 

[mack81]

Keeping you guys posted on progress...

Removed water for 4 hrs yesterday, took it down to 1ft depth in shallow end. Been refilling for 24 hours now, about 4 inches still to go but re-tested CYA before it gets dark, we're down to 100 now.

So looks like I may have to do another dump and refill at least, maybe 2 to get it down to normal levels.
Water bill is going to be fun this month! But I guess I have no other options

 

[zea3]

Have you been running the pump since you are almost refilled? If not run it a good hour and let everything get well mixed and test it again.

 

[mack81]

Yeah been running the pump constantly

 

[kimkats]

I wanted to check in on you to make sure you were on the right path. You are and with some wonderful help!

Your water people may cut you a break if you tell them you are filling a pool.

Kim

 

[mack81]

OK, Update #2
(gonna keep posting update as I go through this as it may help somebody, it has been helpful to me to read through others progress when they've done this in the past).

- Dump & refill #2 complete, CYA now at 70.
- Going to do 1 more and hopefully that gets me down to ~35 and then it's SLAM time,

Not sure if it's valid to test pH with CYA of 70 but I did that test too just to see, pH stayed as yellow as the chlorine side so guessing that's lower than 6.8? Should I just ignore that pH test until I get CYA down to desirable range and then test it & adjust per step 1 of the SLAM?

 

[kimkats]

Are you going to dump right away? If so then just ignore everything else. The only thing that messes with the pH test is FC over 10. The high CYA will not change it.

 

[mack81]

Yes was planning to, just to keep on going.
I’ve been running the pump constantly during refill so figure it’s well mixed and not much advantage to waiting.

 

[mack81]

OK, Update:

Dump & refill #3:
- CYA now 40! (yay!)
- pH is 6.8
- TA is 50
- Chlorine is 0

Question on next steps, house didnt come with a cleaner robot so I have ordered one from Marina last week but won't have it for a few days. Should I start the SLAM without the robot (a lot of green Crud on the floor of the pool) or should I wait until I can get some of that debris out?