I have a Taylor kit I used to test CYA (visible black dot). FWIW, I used pool store chlorine pucks for 20 years. That should tell you right there that my CYA is over 100! :-(I assume you are not in an area of Sacramento that has a high water table. Draining would be detrimental if you are. Sub pumps are the best to use to drain. For a quick drain, rent a gas powered one at Home Depot. To have one on hand, for the same cost, buy a 1/2 hp one at Harbor Freight or through Amazon.
Do you have your own test kit? How did you determine the level of CYA in your water?
I did do the 50% version of the test, twice.The max reading on the standard CYA test is 100. You can get a better idea of your true CYA by doing a diluted test. Use 50% pool water and 50% tap water. Double the results shown on your CYA tube.
We're only touching the high 60's here. I am counting my blessings that my timing seems to be good.A slow drain is fine and you're most likely safe draining 1/2 the pool. One risk is allowing the plaster to dry and leaving it exposed to sunlight/heat. Try to mist the exposed plaster during the drain. The risk is probably minimal this time of year but, here in So Cal, we're expecting temps in the mid-80s this week.
I was going to go out and get a submersible pump, but my neighbor just lent me a hose, so now I have 3. The problem I anticpated having with a submersible pump was that I need to run 100 ft., and if the hose they come with isn't long enough, now, what? The other thing I was reading about was how you can put too much GPH into your sewer cleanout and cause issues. Don't know for sure about either of these issues, but now that the 3rd hose is in there, it's draining quite well.If it were my pool, I would spring for a submersible pump. It's gonna take some time to drain 13,000 gallons siphoning with two garden hoses. You can get an idea of the flow rate for each hose by timing how long it takes to fill a 5 gallon bucket and converting to gallons/per/hour. If I recall correctly, when I used hoses to siphon (in addition to a sub-pump), the flow rate was about 100 GPH per hose.
I asked another neighbor and he said they won't do another read for 3 mos., so I think I'm good on that end.Call the water company to confirm whether the February meter-read is done.
I will read up on this to see if I should do this.You can also do a "No Drain Water Exchange" as described below.
Draining - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
I think I remember you helping me out on another thread last year when I battled black algae with high CYA levels and the subsequent talk that ensued about draining my pool.We just had our plaster done over last summer and had to drain our 13k gal pool (exactly what you need to drain!) They used a submersible pump with a garden hose attached to it and ran it from the backyard to the front yard sewer cleanout. It took about 8 or 9 hours I think. I kept an eye on it at first to make sure nothing was backing up, but it was fine.
Ahh yess, I remember now. I'm glad you were able to get your black algae under control. LOL we had to basically blow up our pool to do that!I think I remember you helping me out on another thread last year when I battled black algae with high CYA levels and the subsequent talk that ensued about draining my pool.
My CYA levels are unreadable even in the 50% dilution method, however, I followed the instructions on this forum to raise my chlorine level to match a 100 CYA level pool (no SLAM) and the black algae went away. I played with the minimum chlorine level for a bit and found that as long as I maintained AT LEAST the minimum chlorine level for a 80 level pool, I would remain algae free. This meant dosing the pool at a minimum every other day, sometimes even twice in one day, which initially wasn't all that bad, but over time proved to be a real PITA. You can't take vacations or even weekend getaways cause chlorine would drop too fast. So, I figured it was time to change water, especially since I moved into this 1992 build in 1999, when I continued using chlorine tabs and shock, just like the previous owner, and have never changed water because I didn't know you were supposed to.
Currently, the pool level after 22 hours is down to nearly half, which is what I was aiming for. The big increase in draining came when I added a 3rd hose 8 hours after I started with 2. That increased my drain rate by 50% right there. Based on my unreadable CYA levels, I am now tossing the idea of changing 2/3. But, my experience with chlorine levels and the CYA/chlorine chart tell me I should be fine at half.
Does anyone know if CYA mixes evenly in the water column? I ask, because if it does, then I can just stop at half, and if necessary to another small partial drain later. I think it must mix evenly, otherwise we wouldn't be able to measure it with a simple little vial sample, but perhaps some of you more experienced forum members could help shed some light on this, and perhaps add some additional thoughts to my situation.
Thank you, as always!
P. S. BTW, does anyone know why I am no longer receiving emails when someone replies to a thread on which I posted? I haven't changed anything in my preferences. I see notification for conversation messages is set. Do I need to turn on notification for content, too? And, yes, I checked my spam folder. I could have sworn I used to get notications for topics in which I became involved.
Since CYA does not precipitate out, how will you run a lower CYA level? By a partial drain, I assume?I've never used pucks, but was thinking maybe I'd run my CYA lower this year so that I can throw some in a floater this summer when we go on vacation.
30 minutes??? Forgive my ignorance, but doesn't it take much longer than 30 minutes to ensure a thorough mixing? Was that a typo?Test First! Post result and adjust with poolmath app. 30 min is more than enough to mix the water.
Off-topic: Are those a Belgian Malinois and a GSD in your profile pic? Love those dogs. I have a GSD and am a dog trainer, having started my career training K9 Patrol dogs. Oops, did I just hijack my own thread?Test First! Post result and adjust with poolmath app. 30 min is more than enough to mix the water.