Plaster Etching, staining or BOTH?

Great. When you can get some detail (models, etc) that would be great. I assume you meant K-2006 for the test kit.
 
FYI -- at 18000 gallon, the 7 lb bag of stabilizer will add right at 50 ppm CYA. So you should get two. You will be adding 'some' CYA during the summer.
 
Just a little update....it started sprinkling here in Henderson about 6:45am this morning (Light Sprinkle). It appears that we are going to have these conditions until about 2:00pm (off and on rain during that time) Weather app predicts light sprinkles could turn to "moderate" sprinkles.

I have no idea what it does to this whole No Drain/Refill process.....I mean, the rain is more like sprinkles right now, but at this point I can't stop the process, correct? Just thought this is a helpful piece of information when it comes to providing recommendations during this process:)


Earlier in the week the Weather app did not predict this....and rain is soo rare here that even it it was predicted it usually comes and goes pretty quickly (it doesn't last for hours)....seriously what are the chances....
 
The rain will not hurt the process. It is just adding pure water to the pool surface. A good thing.
 
Awesome! I had read on these board that rain water is good for the pool...I just didn't know if the rain would cause unwanted "disturbance" to the water during this particular process. I am also pretty certain that the rain water has less calcium than my tap water (280)...so I think that helps too:)
 
I am also pretty certain that the rain water has less calcium than my tap water (280)...so I think that helps too:)
It does. I have a means to harvest rain water off my roof and put it in the pool when we get significant rain. My wife hates it! Added quite a bit of water this winter reducing our water use quite a bit.
 
YAY!! Finally completed the No Drain/Refill process. I decided since I drained all 17,000 galloons in the pool, I might as well drain/replace most of the 900 galloons in the spa too! So, all in all I drain approx 17,600 gallons of an 18,000 gallon pool. I have turned the pump on to 75% and have brushed the entire pool 3 times. In a few hours I will switch it to 25% and let it run overnight. In the morning, I will test all the levels. FINGERS CROSSED my test results are better than my first set:)...I mean, they have to be, right???

EDITED TO ADD :
- Ok, so I know I need to test AFTER I have run the pump overnight @25%, but I just couldn't wait that long...lol! I wanted to see if the draining did anything at all. I know it's not 100% accurate, but it's at least a gauge, right?
- I ran the pump for 1 hr @ 75%. CH is testing between 620-650 (can't quite tell because changing purple to blue it hard to tell sometimes and doing it at sunset makes it more challenging...lol)
- This means I dropped from 1600+ to somewhere around 650 range....not bad!
- But, my fill water is 300…so 650 means there was some mixing, correct?
- I would guess a small amount of mixing does happen/is expected?
- But, I guess I had more than most because I would have expected it to be more like 450-550???
- I realize that 650 is at the top end of the range...but please tell me this is manageable without having to do another drain process:)
- We are going to start an annual cycle of replacing 33% of our pool water...so I know a refill is in the future...I am just hoping it is not tomorrow...lol!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: RookiePick

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Ok...here are the test results:

FC = N/A - I cannot get the sample to turn pink by adding the powder. I have practically used ALL of the powder just doing the test from the other day and today. (did the FAS-DPD test as I did not have the testers needed to do the DPD test method)
Combined Chlorine = 0 (did the FAS-DPD test as I did not have the testers needed to do the DPD test method)
Calcium Hardness = 700 (did the recommended test if high calcium as anticipated)**
TA = 180
Ph = 7.0
CYA = Between 30-40 (it is right at the 9ml Line on the test tube)

CH &TA is still too high....What would be my next steps? I am thinking since my PH is already low, I can address the TA by aerating the water (using the high setting for my blower jets in the hot tub and the spa to pool spill over). And I think I need to add Chlorine?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated:)
 
Last edited:
You got some mixing.
You can manage a CH of 700 for this year. Just keep pH and TA low.
A one third drain each year will likely not be enough. Your CH will triple about every 16 months.
Do you not have a whole house water softener?
 
I would think my first steps are :
- aerating the water to get the TA down
- AND adding chlorine? Is the reason I can't get my chlorine test to turn pink is because by chlorine is basically zero?
 
I would think my first steps are :
- aerating the water to get the TA down
- AND adding chlorine? Is the reason I can't get my chlorine test to turn pink is because by chlorine is basically zero?
correct. First is chlorine. Get 5 ppm minimum in it now. Then you can work on TA.
Check your CYA again tomorrow. May need to adjust to 50 ppm. .
 
Ok...just used the calculator to determine how much chlorine to add:). I have also turned on the Spa Blowers:) (and of course the filter is on)
How long should I wait to retest Chlorine levels?

When you say TA will take some time...are you taking more than 24 hrs? Just wanting to know what to expect:)
With this process...I just keep checking PH every 4-6 hrs and when it registers 7.6 I need to add muriactic to get it back to 7.0, correct?

All in all, I feel like I Am on the right track.....and you have helped tremendously!
 
The process to lower the TA will take time. If you are really diligent, lower the pH when it gets to 7.4. You can be pretty aggressive as your CH is high.

Test your FC each day at the same time, if you can. You will soon want to install a SWCG.
 
I don't mind lowering the Ph went it gets to 7.4, but how quickly do you think it will rise to 7.4? Meaning, should I be checking it hourly, every 6 hrs or just once a day?
For the Chlorine...I can definitely get on cycle of testing daily....but for today, should I be testing more frequently?
 

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.