Trying to figure out SWG settings

Jump to latest Follow Reply
JoyfulNoise said:
I've used BioGuard brand (found at Leslie's) without issue. This season there were lots of reports of bad CYA from Walmart which is HTH brand. We never verified it but lots of people complained about HTH brand not registering at all.

As for salt levels, set your level based on your SWG - if you need 3400ppm, add enough salt to get to 3400ppm on the cell output. Don't overshoot unless you expect a lot of rain water dilution.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks! I'm sitting right at 3400 (at least according to my pool equipment), so I won't touch my salt. Is there any reason I need to test my salt independently of the equipment (ie test strips)?

I will check the calculator on the site for my CYA and then go down to Leslie's.

The other question I have is filter run time/speed and SWG %. I'm currently running 10-6 (8 hours) at 80% (2760 rpm). Any suggestions or changes there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I prefer to use the Taylor K-1766 test kit as it is more accurate than strips. I test a couple of times per season to see where I'm at. I'm in the desert so I rarely need to add salt. Your SWG is not temperature compensated so the value reported will drift with water temperature. Just make sure the SWG is happy, that's all that matters.

Right now your CYA is low and your FC is getting burned off by the sun. Get your CYA up to target level and then get your FC up. Since your cell is new you shouldn't have to run it as hard as you are now but you could be fighting algae as well. Time will tell.

Add CYA as soon as you can and then get your FC up to target level with bleach. Then we'll see how your SWG is performing with pump time and % output.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
So, I went on to the PoolMath calculator. I plugged in that I want to raise my CYA from 20 to 80 and it came back with 119 oz (by weight). At 16 oz/pound, that would mean I would need to put in 5x 1.5 lb containers of the BioGuard CYA. This seems like a lot, so before doing so, I wanted to make sure that I'm going about this correctly. A quick reality check if you will. Thanks!!
 
BioGuard sells it in 6-lbs containers. Get that. And yes, you basically have no CYA so that weight sounds about right.

Only add 1/2 at a time and retest after the first half addition. It takes up to a week for the granular CYA to fully register on the test.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks Matt! Out of curiosity, does anyone have experience with this product? [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]http://amzn.com/B00IZOE4HI . I only ask because it's Amazon Prime (which I'm addicted to) and it's in a quantity that fits what I'm trying to do. If no one knows anything about it, I'm going to go with the BioGuard once I have a chance to get over to Leslie's.

Thanks![/FONT]
 
I have never used that manufacturer's products before. It says it's 100% CYA, so if that's the case than it should work. It's ~$28 and the BioGuard will probably be closer to $40 for 6lbs. You can certainly try the stuff from Amazon and see if it works but I think you'll get the stabilizer faster from your local store. Time is of the essence and I wouldn't waste it by waiting for an Amazon order to show up. Chemicals typically can only be transported over land. So unless there's an Amazon Warehouse near you, you'll be waiting a couple days for it.
 
I just called over to Leslie's. I'll go over there later today to verify this information though. He said they don't carry BioGuard. The only granulated CYA they have is supposedly just called "Leslie's Water Conditioner." It comes in an 8 lb bag for $43. Unfortunately, I can't really find any information about it online.

Maybe I will try calling another Leslie's. I just don't want to get the wrong stuff--for some reason, I'm always suspicious of the stuff Leslie's is trying to push my way. Seems like they like to load you up with a bunch of stuff you don't need.
 
I'm sorry, my memory was faulty - Patio Pool Store, not Leslie's. Ugh, I'm too young for senility to be setting in.....

Do you have Patio Pools where you are? If not, as long as the Leslie's stuff is 100% CYA, it should work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
JoyfulNoise said:
I'm sorry, my memory was faulty - Patio Pool Store, not Leslie's. Ugh, I'm too young for senility to be setting in.....

Do you have Patio Pools where you are? If not, as long as the Leslie's stuff is 100% CYA, it should work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Nah, it looks like it's just an AZ thing. That's ok. I'll go get the Leslie's product. It should definitely be the granular stuff though, right? He's trying to push the liquid stuff by saying that some people don't like that the granular CYA doesn't dissolve well enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Granular CYA works fine. The liquid stuff costs more than granular and is only 30% CYA, the rest is all inert liquid. So you'll spend more money on a product that is 3/10'ths the strength. Why would he push it....more profit for him.

When you get the granular stuff you'll need either old socks or nylons to put it in and you should position the socks to hang in front of the returns. You can use your hands to moosh the socks around and help speed the dissolution. You can also put a sock full in the skimmer basket but you have to remove it when the pump is not running.

NEVER add granular CYA directly to the pool water or skimmer basket.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
JoyfulNoise said:
Granular CYA works fine. The liquid stuff costs more than granular and is only 30% CYA, the rest is all inert liquid. So you'll spend more money on a product that is 3/10'ths the strength. Why would he push it....more profit for him.

When you get the granular stuff you'll need either old socks or nylons to put it in and you should position the socks to hang in front of the returns. You can use your hands to moosh the socks around and help speed the dissolution. You can also put a sock full in the skimmer basket but you have to remove it when the pump is not running.

NEVER add granular CYA directly to the pool water or skimmer basket.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Thank you!!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Okey doke, so I got some CYA today (the Leslie's stuff I told you about). $43 for 8 lbs. Man, that stuff is just a pain in the tail to dissolve. I tried the sock method (and I still have a sock sitting out there dangling in the return), but adding 7 pounds that way would take A LOT of socks (funny mental image of socks hanging by all my returns and in other random places). It did not seem to be working very well to dissolve it.

So, I tried what the instructions said and mixed it with hot water. I was stirring it up with a wooden stake (casually at first, like a wicked witch at a caldron by the end). A certain percent (I'd say maybe 30% initially) of the CYA mixed with the water. The rest sank to the bottom of the bucket. I repeated this process about 5 times, and I think I eventually got about 70% of the stuff to dissolve. I got frustrated and stopped to post on here. :) I wasn't about to just dump the non-dissolved portion in the pool seeing as though the small amount I accidentally let slip in from the bucket is still just sitting at the bottom of the pool, despite repeated brushing.

I tested shortly after and I was sitting at about 35. So, definitely some progress, but nowhere near where I need to be. Guess I will just continue this process.

By the way, the directions also say to add the diluted solution directly into the skimmer, but I know you said not to, so I poured it around the pool.

Any further suggestions would be very welcomed!
 
ceedubbadubba said:
Okey doke, so I got some CYA today (the Leslie's stuff I told you about). $43 for 8 lbs. Man, that stuff is just a pain in the tail to dissolve. I tried the sock method (and I still have a sock sitting out there dangling in the return), but adding 7 pounds that way would take A LOT of socks (funny mental image of socks hanging by all my returns and in other random places). It did not seem to be working very well to dissolve it.

So, I tried what the instructions said and mixed it with hot water. I was stirring it up with a wooden stake (casually at first, like a wicked witch at a caldron by the end). A certain percent (I'd say maybe 30% initially) of the CYA mixed with the water. The rest sank to the bottom of the bucket. I repeated this process about 5 times, and I think I eventually got about 70% of the stuff to dissolve. I got frustrated and stopped to post on here. :) I wasn't about to just dump the non-dissolved portion in the pool seeing as though the small amount I accidentally let slip in from the bucket is still just sitting at the bottom of the pool, despite repeated brushing.

I tested shortly after and I was sitting at about 35. So, definitely some progress, but nowhere near where I need to be. Guess I will just continue this process.

By the way, the directions also say to add the diluted solution directly into the skimmer, but I know you said not to, so I poured it around the pool.

Any further suggestions would be very welcomed!
Click to expand...

By the way, I do realize it takes quite a while for the CYA to register. I just wanted to do the initial test for curiosity sake. I think I might just hold off for a few days. Obviously the worst thing I could do is overshoot my CYA #.
 
You should use the sock method. Yes, it takes a lot of time and you have to manually squish the sock a lot. But the sock method is best. The hot water method is silly because you use hot water to dissolve it and then dump that hot water saturated with CYA into cold pool water. Once it hits the cold pool water, the CYA precipitates back out of solution. Granular CYA dissolved slowly, this is why you use a sock or nylon to hold it.

CYA is acidic so you do not want large clumps of it sitting in your pool surfaces. You need to make sure you brush it around now.

You should NEVER add it directly to the skimmer. Not only can you plug your skimmer line with it but it will be sucked into your filter where it will take FOREVER to dissolve because the linear flow rate of water is much lower than the flow rate through a pipe. So if it's trapped in the filter, it can raise the pressure and then accidentally get back washed out.

Just use a sock with whatever you have left to add.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It doesn't dissolve easily and takes up to a week to show up in testing. That's just the nature of CYA. Most people just fill an old sweat sock with as much as it will hold, drop it in a skimmer, and squeeze it once in a while until dissolved. After about a week, you test the CYA, to see where you are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
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.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply