CYA almost completely gone in 1 month???

[8lbcalico]

Is this for real? I have completely lost almost all CYA twice in one summer. A month ago I did a full test and noticed there was no CYA. I assumed splash out, we have had a lot of activity. I added the necessary amount of HTH stabilizer and got it dialed in. Now 30 days later it has about 5ppm. What gives, why is it dropping so fast? If evaporation is the main reason for water loss which has no effect on CYA how can I lose this much CYA this fast? Is HTH a bad product? Is there another reason for CYA loss? I started the season with 0, and have been back to 0 again 2 times. Confused why I have to spend all this money on CYA. $96 and counting for CYA this year!

 

[spidey07]

CYA stays with the water, it doesn't leave it though evaporation which you know. Do you have a leak?

 

[jblizzle]

How are you measuring 5ppm? The minimum of the test is at 20 or 30ppm.

Are you seeing a lot of CC in the water?

Do you have an auto-fill that could be masking a leak?

 

[Butterfly]

When you added the CYA did you confirm that the CYA had indeed increased to the level you expected?

 

[8lbcalico]

Do you have a leak?
Not completely sure!

Are you seeing a lot of CC in the water?
No!

Do you have an auto-fill that could be masking a leak?
No auto fill, I have to turn it on every few days!

When you added the CYA did you confirm that the CYA had indeed increased to the level you expected?
Yes and after about a week it was all there.

I just looked at my test log, and the last CYA test shows 40ppm which was 6 weeks ago.

 

[8lbcalico]

My instinct says its a leak, but how much evaporation in 90 plus degree weather should I expect in direct sunlight. I have compared my fill rate with my friends who lives in the same area and gets full sun all day as I do and we are close. Thats not to say he doesn't have a leak as well.

 

[spidey07]

Do the "bucket test". Even a small leak over time could deplete your CYA. This is the only reason I can use pucks without CYA getting out of hand, I have an under 1/4" per day leak.

 

[8lbcalico]

What do you use to plug the inlets and outlets?

 

[spidey07]

You don't. The bucket test only confirms if you are losing more water in the pool/plumbing than evaporation alone.

 

[8lbcalico]

I guess I was looking at the Pool School directions which confirm a plumbing or basin leak. How long should I run the experiment?

 

[spidey07]

Normally 24 hours depending on weather conditions.

 

[8lbcalico]

Well if the pool was an inch low the bucket was about a quarter inch.

 

[spidey07]

So you did a bucket test, the bucket lost 1/4 inch and pool lost 1 inch? That means your pool lost 3/4" of water, pretty significant loss and would explain your CYA loss.