Not understanding this better myself has been frustrating me. The Chlorine/CYA chart tells me how much FC I need based on my CYA but I've found nothing that says whether it's better for me to have 30 CYA versus 50 CYA. Based on responses here it doesn't seem like anyone really knows. If I say I'm burning a lot of FC the advise will be to raise the CYA as long as I don't go over 50. It just seems crazy to bump up CYA by 10 just to render another 1ppm FC useless and need to keep the pool 1ppm higher with no real reason of why the extra 10 CYA is better.
So on one hand I'm proud that I know how to test my pool and keep it sparkling clear and I feel like I could now come over to anyone's pool and fix it but part of me misses when I didn't even know what my FC and CYA numbers were and just wrote a $60 check every month and swam in clear water. I think I probably have more sparkling water now but it's costing me more money and time.
The main tradeoff is that higher CYA levels use less total chlorine, while lower CYA levels (to a point) make it easier to fight algae, should you get algae. The exact balance point that is "ideal" varies a little depending on how much sunlight your pool gets, and there really isn't much point in pining it down exactly because no one can measure their sunlight level or their CYA level precisely enough for specific numbers to really mean anything. There are also quite a number of secondary issues, such as questions of what levels are easiest to measure with the available test kits, etc. It is all well understood, but not so useful to explain beyond the quick summary.I've found nothing that says whether it's better for me to have 30 CYA versus 50 CYA. Based on responses here it doesn't seem like anyone really knows.
The method we teach isn't for everyone. If checking the pool daily bothers you, perhaps you will be better off with a pool service. On the other hand, both the amount of effort and the total cost go way down once you get used to the routine. The great majority here following our suggestions spend way less than $60/week. This year I am spending about $20/week and that is only because I stocked up on several years worth of boric acid and CYA at the start of the season.The problem is everyone assumes you showed up here and had a green pool because your CYA was high and you were spending $400 a pop at the pool store. That wasn't me. I was paying $60 a month to a pool guy using powders and pucks and my water always looked clear. I thought I could do it cheaper and that's why I decided to do it myself...not because my pool was in bad shape. Well my pool turned green when summer hit but it wasn't because the CYA was over 100. It was because I flat out just didn't have enough chlorine in the pool. I used the methods here to fix it but it's costing me over $100 a month now and I'm staring at my next door neighbor's pool who is still using the same pool guy for $60 a month and they have sparkling clear water. Those folks don't even touch the darn pool during the week. I bet their CYA is over 100 cause I've never seen them drain water in 3 years. When I started here everyone said my CYA was too high so I drained and refilled half my pool. You know what it only raised my water bill about $50. I think it would be cheaper for me to drain water periodically than the extra cost I'm spending in bleach and acid. My pool is also rising about 0.2 a day in pH so buying acid is burning a hole in my pocket.
So on one hand I'm proud that I know how to test my pool and keep it sparkling clear and I feel like I could now come over to anyone's pool and fix it but part of me misses when I didn't even know what my FC and CYA numbers were and just wrote a $60 check every month and swam in clear water. I think I probably have more sparkling water now but it's costing me more money and time.
It looks like I did misread your post and mix up weeks and months. I did mean weeks, and thought you also said weeks. So our costs aren't all that different from each other. A pool service for $60/month is an amazing deal. They charge $80/week around here.Edit: Jason: Looking back at your post did you really mean $20/week or per month?
Checking the pool everyday doesn't bother me as much as the higher cost. I'm wondering if maybe I would have costs like you quote if I was in MD. Is anyone here from Arizona with a 20,000 gallon+ pool really spending way less than $60/month?
Edit: Jason: Looking back at your post did you really mean $20/week or per month?
I'm also a scientist. The number of significant digits on the ColorQ is simply laughable and raises red flags for me.
Someone ran me off the road.