Where to start?

[Varkyl]

This is the beginning of my pool maintenance adventure. We are signing the paperwork today on a house that has what I believe to be a 10 to 12k gallon pebble finish chlorinated pool.

I already have the K-2006c and the automatic stirrer is on it's way. So once I can get my hands on the pool what should be the first test or series of tests performed?

The pool currently looks to be in good shape and the water is pretty clear (the last time I saw it).

My signature will be created once I have all of the info on the hardware and the size of the pool. I will also add pictures in a couple of days. (Edit: Initial Pictures added below)

Thank you for your input and recommendations! I have read Pool School a couple of times and am excited to be a part of this community!


Thank you,
Nathan

 

[Patrick_B]

Hi Nathan, and welcome!

Run all tests in the 2006 except Cya on your tap water when it arrives. It will give you practice, and tell you something about what to prepare for, but most importantly, get you comfortable using it. Challenge yourself in Pool School, read lots of posts where people need help, and ask questions yourself here in the forum when you have them.

Finally, start a build thread any time, and you'll soon have some followers cheering you on. Most importantly, enjoy your stay on TFP.

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP!

 

[Richard320]

You run all the tests on the pool water. Be aware that the pH and chlorine tests will be waaay off if you just grab a sample and take it away to test later. You want to test it within a few minutes.

Also be aware that your CH and CYA tests will likely be really high. The CH because Arizona water tends to be hard and you get a lot of evaporation and CYA because the huge majority of pool owners chlorinate with pucks. If any of your tests seem weird, check out Pool School - Extended Test Kit Directions to see if it's addressed.

There's going to be a short but steep learning curve, but within a couple weeks, testing and treating the water will be a no-brainer.

 

[Varkyl]

Thank you all for the welcome and the advice.

I got a chance to grab some quick pictures of the pool in it's current state. The water looks to be in good shape but the equipment on the other hand leaves me with questions.

Let's start with the good.
Water looks nice and clear

In person it doesn't have the green tinge this picture gives it. I think it might be the shrubs to the right of me in this picture.

What vacuum is this?

Then there is the Hayward pump of some type.

And the Hayward DE filter. I will get the measurements to figure out which one it is.

 

[Varkyl]

So my initial test results are:
CYA >100
PH 7.7
FC 11
CC 0
TA 160
CH 260

After measuring the pool it is about 14,300 gallons. And looks to have been on a steady diet of chlorine tabs.

 

[Texas Splash]

So if you're sure about that CYA over 100, you know what that means right? Months/years of tabs use caught-up to you and the only way to lower CYA is water exchange. The only thing helping you avoid algae is that your FC is so high, barely hanging in there. Since the CYA loses accuracy over 100, you might want to try this first:

CYA Dilution Testing:
Add pool water to bottom of sticker.
Add tap water to top of sticker.
Shake.
Pour out half so mixture is to bottom of sticker.
Add reagent to top of sticker.
Shake.
Test outside with back to sun and tube at waist level.
Pour back and forth a few times to see if you get the same result.
Double the result.

That could tell you how high it really is.

 

[Varkyl]

Thank you for the advise. I will give it a try when I get back over to the house.

 

[Varkyl]

So, I just used the 50% dilution method as stated above. And the reading is above 100 again.
What now?

 

[Texas Splash]

Nathan, that tells us that your CYA is actually well over 200. A CYA of over 90 is incredibly difficult to manage, so you can imagine over 200. You've been very lucky to not have the pool go green on you. Simple numbers - if you drain & exchange 50% of your water, that would put your CYA closer to 100. So I suspect you need to exchange at least 75% to lower that CYA to something more manageable. That goes to show the previous owners relied heavily upon tablets/pucks and/or chlorinated powders/shock products.

Once you lower the CYA, it will not go up again unless YOU want it to. If you have anymore questions, just let us know.

 

[Varkyl]

I will start the drain on Monday after we finish the move.
Is there anything I need to be concerned with during the drain? It's a pebble-tec pool that was built between 1997 and 2015.

 

[Richard320]

I will start the drain on Monday after we finish the move.
Is there anything I need to be concerned with during the drain? It's a pebble-tec pool that was built between 1997 and 2015.

You can rent a good pump at home depot or a local rental place. That will empty it fast. If you start in the evening, it will be drained before bed and you can drop the hoses in and fill it while you sleep. This will also remove any worries about leaving the plaster dry and exposed to the harsh Arizona sun.

 

[Varkyl]

I drained about 70% of the water and the refill finished yesterday afternoon. The CYA is still at 60 to 70 as it stands right now.

Full test results.
CYA: 60 - 70
FC: 22 (made the mistake of putting too much chlorine in last night)
CC: 0
pH: >8.0
TA: 170
CH: 170

Should I stay at that CYA level or should I do another 33% water exchange?

 

[Richard320]

I drained about 70% of the water and the refill finished yesterday afternoon. The CYA is still at 60 to 70 as it stands right now.

Full test results.
CYA: 60 - 70
FC: 22 (made the mistake of putting too much chlorine in last night)
CC: 0
pH: >8.0
TA: 170
CH: 170

Should I stay at that CYA level or should I do another 33% water exchange?

70 CYA is fine for Arizona, unless you suspect algae. Ignore that pH test -- it reads falsely high if FC is above 10. You'll lose some of that CYA as the season progresses with backwashes and splashout.

 

[Varkyl]

Thank you again Richard!

I just realized that I used the wrong multiple on the FC test. I should have used the 0.2 instead of the 0.5. That's what I get for lack of sleep over the last week of moving. After the retest just now I am at 7.4 for FC. With that I know I will need to add some muriatic acid to bring the pH down