Pool is crystal clear, but sky high FC (22) and CYA (off the charts), and zero CC

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M

Monkmullen

0
Apr 27, 2016
67
Phoenix
I have no idea what to do here. Pool looks great - better than it has in years. But the water feels terrible and is doing a real number on swimmers skin, eyes, etc.

In a perfect world I'd drain right now and start over, but I'm in Phoenix and draining doesn't seem like a great idea (sunlight and heat), and I'm going to be on vacation towards the end of next week for 5 days, and again the week of the 4th for 9 days. I don't have the time to commit to start from scratch. I am very seriously at a loss as to what to do at this point. We just drained and refilled in Jan 2017, and the water has looked great ever since, so I haven't really worried about it too much until this season.

I've got the TF-100, and every test comes up way out of ideal range.

FC: 22
PH: 6.8
CC: 0
TA: test barely turned green, couldn't get the water to turn red
CYA: unk - add maybe a 3/4 in of water to the tube and the black dot is already gone

I don't see any scenario where I'm not at least partially draining the pool tonight after it "cools off," but I wanted to get some other advice before I start going down this rabbit hole.

Thanks!!!
 
As I give you a :bump: for some additional advice, I will say your pH is outside of the recommended range of 7.2-7.8. Your low pH is likely what's causing red eyes. TA is likely high. You need to bump up your pH a bit and aerate to begin lowering TA. You need to nail down your CYA. Try doing a diluted CYA test by following Step #8 here; Pool School - CYA. Your CYA level will help you decide if you really need to drain.
 
You didn’t say what type of surface your pool is or how you are chlorinating but, even at a guess of a cya of 100, your fc level should be about 11. Between that and the low ph could cause eye burning. You need to get the fc level down before you can get reliable readings on the other levels.
 
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 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 you pool pump is disabled during this process.
 
It's extremely hot here in the Valley of the Sun. If you do decide to drain, start late afternoon and keep the pebble damp - use a hose to wet it down frequently. Once the sun is totally off the surface, you can hose it less frequently.

I don't see a SWG listed in your signature - so shoot for a CYA reduction to about a CYA of 50. Once you do the diluted CYA test, plug your numbers into PoolMath and it will tell you how much to drain.

What is your CH? With our hard water here, it could be high enough that you may want to drain more water than PoolMath suggests to lower the CYA.

If you don't have a pump to drain with, Home Depot rents them. It come with a 50' length of hose - but you can ask for an additional length. You can also buy one at Harbor Freight - but it may take longer to drain then the HD rental pump.

Figure out where to legally drain to. Here in Chandler, we drain directly to a sanitary sewer cleanout in the front yard - per city statute. Others cities may be different.
 
Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
As I give you a :bump: for some additional advice, I will say your pH is outside of the recommended range of 7.2-7.8. Your low pH is likely what's causing red eyes. TA is likely high. You need to bump up your pH a bit and aerate to begin lowering TA. You need to nail down your CYA. Try doing a diluted CYA test by following Step #8 here; Pool School - CYA. Your CYA level will help you decide if you really need to drain.
Click to expand...

Did the CYA twice and it's somewhere between 160-180.

My TA is right around 90 and I've added ~2lb soda ash to raise PH. FC remains...excessive.
 
Soda ash raises TA and pH. You do not want to raise your TA any higher - however - you will be draining/exchanging this water. So not sure I would add any more chemicals at this time.
 
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