Cya and CH keep increasing

[OWSwimmer]

I’ve been doing my own testing/treating for a few months now and feel pretty comfortable and competent doing so. I’ve mostly been adding Muratic acid to keep the ph down but recently my cya and CH have been steadily creeping up. I have a SWG so I don’t use tablets.
What would be causing my cya and TA to keep increasing?

 

[HermanTX]

CYA can only increase if you add stabilizer. That is found in tablets but you state you do not use them. The other is to directly add stabilizer, either liquid or granular. Now CYA does take some time to register on your test, so if you added stabilizer recently, it may take 48 or more hours to fully disperse and register on your test.

TA increases if you add water. What is the TA of your tap water. Are you adding water because you of evaporation in this TX heat? Then expect your TA to rise.
Please read

Managing pH and Total Alkalinity - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[OWSwimmer]

Thanks Herman,
Im not concerned about my TA increasing. Unfortunately I typed TA instead of CH at the bottom of my post. I’ve edited the original post. So sorry for the confusion.
I have added dry stabilizer several times but it’s been a while. I’ll include my treatment and test results. And yes,
I’ve been adding water daily to keep up with the evaporation here in TX.
Ph tap water here is 7.9.
So I’m trying to figure out why my CYA and CH has increased so much. Looks like the only way to fix this is to drain some water but I’ve no idea how much. Help from anyone would be greatly appreciated.
thanks.

CYA/CH TF Pro Test Kit
6/1 60/400
6/8 Added 1# Dry stabilizer
6/8 (Leslie’s 88/315)
6/17 65/350
6/17 Added 1# dry stabilizer
6/20 70/
7/1 55/425
7/3 65/
7/3 Added 1# dry stabilizer
7/7 90/
7/12 85/
7/17 70/425
7/17 (Leslie’s 102/358)
7/30 95/500

 

[HermanTX]

7/3 65/
7/3 Added 1# dry stabilizer
7/7 90/
7/12 85/
7/17 70/425
7/17 (Leslie’s 102/358)
7/30 95/500

I am only looking at what has occurred in July.
Need to confirm - do you have an autofill? You indicated you added water but want to confirm about the autofill.

Your CYA is bouncing around. 65 before addition of 1 lb dry stabilizer, then up to 90ppm 4 days later, then back down to 70ppm 10 days after that. Then Leslies test is 100 and your retest on same day is 95.
Tap water does not have CYA so it comes from the 1lb dry stabilizer that was added or via any trichlor pucks.
Need to consider testing error with CYA going up then back down unless you backwashed the filter and drained significant amount of water. That would lower CYA some, if you added tap water after the backwash.

Same for CH. Most areas in TX have hard water. Have you tested your tap water? That is probably adding CH each time to fill the pool due to evaporation or back washing.

Try this for CYA testing
1. Make your 50/50 solution using your pool water and the R-0013 reagent per test instructions.
2. Mix it and let it sit for 30 seconds per the instructions
3. Rather than looking down the tube at the black dot and pouring your mixed solution. I suggest you squirt enough in your tube to a specific mark - such a 100. Then look in the tube for the black dot. If you see it, then squirt in more mixture to the 90 mark, then look in the tube for the black dot. Continue this for each decade graduation (i.e. 80, 70, etc.)
4. On the one you cannot see the dot then the previous mark is your CYA level. So if you saw the black dot at 50 but not at the 40 mark then your CYA is 50.
5. This way you are not staring at the black dot constantly and seeing it regardless.
6. Also, by filling to each decade mark, you ensure that you report CYA in decade numbers.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Also throw out the Leslie’s tests. You have one of the best test kits in the market, trust it.
Leslie’s tests are not accurate and will only confuse you.

 

[OWSwimmer]

I am only looking at what has occurred in July.
Need to confirm - do you have an autofill? You indicated you added water but want to confirm about the autofill.

Your CYA is bouncing around. 65 before addition of 1 lb dry stabilizer, then up to 90ppm 4 days later, then back down to 70ppm 10 days after that. Then Leslies test is 100 and your retest on same day is 95.
Tap water does not have CYA so it comes from the 1lb dry stabilizer that was added or via any trichlor pucks.
Need to consider testing error with CYA going up then back down unless you backwashed the filter and drained significant amount of water. That would lower CYA some, if you added tap water after the backwash.

Same for CH. Most areas in TX have hard water. Have you tested your tap water? That is probably adding CH each time to fill the pool due to evaporation or back washing.

Try this for CYA testing
1. Make your 50/50 solution using your pool water and the R-0013 reagent per test instructions.
2. Mix it and let it sit for 30 seconds per the instructions
3. Rather than looking down the tube at the black dot and pouring your mixed solution. I suggest you squirt enough in your tube to a specific mark - such a 100. Then look in the tube for the black dot. If you see it, then squirt in more mixture to the 90 mark, then look in the tube for the black dot. Continue this for each decade graduation (i.e. 80, 70, etc.)
4. On the one you cannot see the dot then the previous mark is your CYA level. So if you saw the black dot at 50 but not at the 40 mark then your CYA is 50.
5. This way you are not staring at the black dot constantly and seeing it regardless.
6. Also, by filling to each decade mark, you ensure that you report CYA in decade numbers.

Yep. Have and auto fill set to 3 times a week for 10 minutes each time. Supplement that too occasionally. Have backwashed recently but don’t think we’re discharging too much water. I haven’t had our city water tested but will look for the report generated by the city.
I have recently started testing CYA as you suggested and plan to be extra vigilant
thanks for the input. .

 

[kellyfair]

Are you testing CYA same way, every time? For example, always around the same time of day, always on a sunny day, always sun behind you?

 

[OWSwimmer]

Are you testing CYA same way, every time? For example, always around the same time of day, always on a sunny day, always sun behind you?

I’ve tried to be consistent and will work harder at this.

 

[kellyfair]

I’ve tried to be consistent and will work harder at this.

Yep, be as consistent as you can, use the glance method (holler if you need more info on that), and just pour your test liquid up to the line before looking at it, which automatically rounds you up to the tens. And don’t test at pool store!

 

[HermanTX]

Yep. Have and auto fill set to 3 times a week for 10 minutes each time.

So your autofill is more of a timer on a hose connection that you can schedule to open or close - correct? Some autofill use a float system like in a toilet bowel that opens a valve when the pool level drops.

 

[reggiehammond]

Yep. Have and auto fill set to 3 times a week for 10 minutes each time. Supplement that too occasionally. Have backwashed recently but don’t think we’re discharging too much water. I haven’t had our city water tested but will look for the report generated by the city.
I have recently started testing CYA as you suggested and plan to be extra vigilant
thanks for the input. .

Test the actual water going into your pool. It'll inform you of what you're adding every time the auto fill turns on.

 

[OWSwimmer]

So your autofill is more of a timer on a hose connection that you can schedule to open or close - correct? Some autofill use a float system like in a toilet bowel that opens a valve when the pool level drops.

I’m hooked up to my sprinkler system and use the wireless controller to add water automatically. No float.