Lower PH, increase CYA

[brasilmom]

Hello all!

I just tested my pool and got the following readings:

FC: 29
CC: 00
CYA: >20
PH: < 8.2
TA: 190
CH: 330

So, I get puzzled why I always get a 0 for cc, but not sure if that makes much of a difference. I will do further reading on the pool school. The issue here is that I need to lower PH and raise CYA. In which order shall I do that? I shocked the pool yesterday using common bleach. I added 13 gallons of it as the water was rather fishy smelling. I am sure most of it may be burned by the end of the day...All suggestions and advices are welcome.
Thank you and enjoy this beautiful day!

 

[pwrstrk]

I would lower the PH first to the mid 7's then add CYA to the desired level. 30-50 for a non SWG pool and 70-80 for a SWG pool.
The CYA is acidic and will lower the PH a little. Pool Math at the bottom, Effects Of Adding Chem's, will tell you how much. ?

 

[Charlie_R]

Lower your pH, then add 1/2 the amount of CYA that PoolMath suggests to a sock and either place in your skimmer or tie in front of a running return, leaving the pump running until it dissolves. Remember, CYA will generally not show up on your test for a week after adding. It need time to be fully mixed into the water.

0 CC is a good thing! Means that the chlorine is doing it's job well.

 

[brasilmom]

Thank you for the replies. I will add the Muriatic acid and then get some CYA to put in the skimmer. I have some Muriatic acid from last season. Is it possible for it to get old and loose its effects?

Oh, another thing. How soon can the kids swim after adding muriatic acid?

 

[pwrstrk]

20-30 mins and you can let the kiddo's in the pool.
Your CYA from last year will be fine. It was kept sealed up right ? ?

 

[laprjns]

20-30 mins and you can let the kiddo's in the pool.

But with FC at 29 and cya less than 20 the FC is way over SLAM level so isn't still not safe to swim?

 

[pwrstrk]

Whoops forgot about the FC level. Let that drift down to 10 or below.?

 

[brasilmom]

Thank you. The water is cool anyway, so the children will stay away. With my CYA so low, I am sure that most FC will be lost by the end of the day as we are expecting a very beautiful, bright sunny day! Muriatic acid is already added to the pool!

 

[karmabiker]

You may want to take a close look at the slam ( shock level and maintain ) process in pool school. Arbitrarily adding 13 gal of bleach isn't good for the pool or the pocketbook.

 

[brasilmom]

I id not think it as a good idea, however the stink of dead fish was way more than I could handle. I have never added that much chlorine to the pool, this time was an exception and once i get the numbers in balance I am sure I will need not need to slam it anymore. Thank you for the input and advice, nonetheless

 

[brasilmom]

So, this morning I performed another reading of the FC and ph. Here are my new numbers:
FC: 3
PH: 7.5

So, I got the Ph balanced and, as expected, most chlorine got burnt with the sun yesterday. I added 7 sticks to my skimmers and will wait until next Sunday to take a reading of the CYA. I am considering adding a gallon of chlorine tonight, just to make sure I do not get the "fish" back on my water. Is that a good idea? Will the sticks be able to dispense enough chlorine to keep the water sanitized?

 

[timerguy]

You haven't mentioned what kit you're using to test your water or how much cya you have used so far or your target for cya. That info could be helpful.

 

[brasilmom]

I did not add any Cyanuric acid, other than the sticks I added to my skimmers. As for my kit, I use TF-100

 

[pwrstrk]

Is your plan to use the sticks until you reach your desired CYA level then stop with them ?
At the bottom of pool math, Affects Of Adding Chem's you can figure out how much each stick is raising your CYA level. ?

 

[brasilmom]

That's my plan indeed. I do not wish to keep the sticks going season around. However, I will check the pool math and wait until the end of the week to take another reading. I will add more chlorine, as I do not believe the sticks will be able to keep a minimum considering the non existent CYA. Does that sound reasonable or am I on the wrong course?

 

[Charlie_R]

As long as you are aware of what is going on in your pool, what you are doing should work.

 

[brasilmom]

Thank you Charlie. I am monitoring it closely and will post an update at the end of the week. Hopefully the CYA will be at a decent level.

 

[brasilmom]

During the week, the FC remained at 3 and the PH set at 7.5, The water is crystal clear and delicious. I take the cover off during teh day so the temperature can raise up. I added a jug of chlorine last night and this morning the readings were as follow:
FC: 8
CC: 0
PH 7.5
CYA >20

The skimmer has the sticks, which are doing something, but the CYA remains low. I will give it few more days and may add a bit of acid. The children are swimming already, so I will be monitoring the FC to make sure the water stays sanitized.
Any other thoughts that I need to take in consideration?

Thanks again.

 

[brasilmom]

So, it has been 10 days since I added the sticks and the CYA has not increased at all. Days are beautiful and very sunny, so the chlorine is burning fast. Took a reading this morning and the FC is sitting at 2.5. We did have a bunch of rains in the past few days, so the level of water increased. I did add 2 jugs of clorox on Wednesday, but clearly that got burned off too. So, now I want to ask a brand for CYA that I can purchase locally. I will do the math to figure how much I nee to add. I appreciate the help. Have a beautiful sunshine day!

 

[Smykowski]

Look for anything with the label "conditioner" or "stabilizer," then check the ingredient list and look for 100% (or close to it) cyanuric acid. Wal-Mart and Menard's both carry something. It's just a matter of finding a good price per pound.