What brand was the CYA? Some people have reported that HTH is sometimes not at strength this year.
well you gotta figure that when the sun is shining on the pool, the algae are trying to divide and multiply, so the chlorine use would be a bit more. how much? I have no idea
you are getting closer.
you removed your light already, right?
CYA will help some, but 10-20ppm isn't going to make a night and day difference. you can figure out your CYA better after you are done with the SLAM and figure out the amount that's best for you
yes, you got the process down. The light bulb itself is in a water tight capsule. usually you just remove a top screw, and there is a clip at the bottom and just pull it out. it will float up to the surface. there is usually enough coil line in the hole (niche) to put the capsule on the pool deck. might as well replace the bulb while you have it out. I just got a standard white bulb on Amazon, check your size and see how much it is. mine was like $15 shipped so I put a new one in. make sure you buy the right voltage light, the pool light is DC and 10v I believe.
no harm in leaving the bulb out for now, depends on how much you use it. I have used mine maybe 30 minutes this season, lol.
the $100 are the LED bulbs I believe. I just got a cheapo incandescent, which for me was the right call being that I don't ever use it.
We never really used it, so I'd go cheapo as well...Wonder if a pool place has the cheap bulbs or if they rip you off on those too...If i pulled it out I'd rather replace it easily/cheaply, but Amazon with Prime still can take a day....
Would I need to replace the gasket or seal or something too? I've read that somewhere as well. Might just leave the assembly closed and deal with it in the spring or something.
my light fixture appeared to be original and was around 10 years old. I was able to open it up and get it to reseal and be watertight. the gasket was pretty old, but it worked fine.
if you are unsure and never use the light then don't open it up right now, but definitely remove it from the niche so you can clean it out.
and im guessing the pool store is gonna cost more than $15
yeah, just scrub it loose into the water, the chlorine will get it.
is your drain plumbed through your skimmer? your skimmer usually has two holes, one hole goes back to the pump, the other one is either plugged or is plumbed to the main drain. its not an ideal way to plumb the main drain, but quite a few pools have it. if you look in your skimmer and the second hole is plugged, then your main drain is plumbed some either way.