Reasons to drain pool

[iamtexmax]

Hello - can people chime in when should a pool be drained:
- High CH - how high should the CH be for the pool to be drained
- High CYA - how high should the CYA be for the pool to be drained

Also what is the right procedure to drain and refill a pool? (is it by using a sump pump drain completely and then refill OR do it simultaneously)

 

[Texas Splash]

Ideally, we hope to never have to drain a pool completely. The risk varies by pool type, location, age of the liner/plaster, water table, just to name a few. But for your two specific questions:
- CH: A pool can be as high as 800 or more and still be manageable. The PoolMath APP is key to ensuring the pH and TA help to compensate for the elevated CH.
- CYA: A pool can be as high as 80-90 and still be manageable, but when the CYA exceeds 100 it begins to effect proper FC balance for algae and the elevated FC required impacts pH as well. This is why we rely on the FC/CYA Levels.

There is more than one way to drain a pool. The link below speaks to some of those methods. In addition, the time of year is important. For example, pools in the southwest who typically see high CH levels every 18 mos or so ideally like to exchange water in the winter when the sun isn't so intense on their plaster. In other parts of the country, they may avoid large water exchanges when they experience heavy rainfall and an elevated water table.

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com