Tell me if I understand this correctly....

[Osmigo]

Still waiting for our pool installation; it's a couple of months away. Meanwhile, I'm learning all I can about water quality maintenance, chemistry, etc. I've covered pretty much everything, and read this knowledge bases here as well.

Tell me if I'm understanding this about CYA correctly:

CYA acts as a "sunblock" for your chlorine. CYA stays pretty constant in your water; that is, it doesn't "evaporate out" or become inactive, but can actually accumulate over time until it becomes excessive, then you have the headache of partially draining your pool and starting over with balancing.

Stabilized chlorine tablets contain CYA. Using stabilized tablets for a long period of time can cause CYA to accumulate above correct levels. Therefore, once CYA reaches the correct level, you should switch to unstabilized tablets, and just monitor your chlorine/CYA after that point.

Am I right?

 

[mknauss]

Pretty much. There are no 'unstabilized tablets' except for Cal Hypo 'tablets' that do not work well and add calcium, which builds up in your water. You use liquid chlorine (bleach) or better yet install a SaltWater Chlorine Generator.

CYA does degrade, albeit very slowly. At water temperatures below 90F, it is very small. Above that temperature, it can degrade by 10-15 ppm per month.

 

[Osmigo]

Well, the pool will come with an online chlorinator - the kind you put tablets in. My main concern - and this is what I'm not sure about - is using stabilized tablets in it. Will it add too much CYA into the water over time?

 

[Newdude]

Yes it will. You didn't mention the volume, but using 15k as an example, each 8 oz tab will add 3.7 FC (typical mid season daily loss) and 2.2 CYA. Every 10 CYA (4 days) will require a higher FC to sanitize at the same level, quickly getting out of hand. All levels on this chart are equal for sanitizing.





Switching to cal-hypo will similarly jack the calcium. There's no sanitation concerns, but there are scaling/ draining concerns instead.

 

[Osmigo]

Sorry, the pool size is 11 x 23 from 3.5 to 5.5 feet deep. 11x23x4.5x7.5 = 8538 gallons.

I'm trying to keep maintenance time/cost to an ABSOLUTE minimum.

 

[Newdude]

8538 gallons.

The math is about the same with increasing. Each 8 oz tab will get you 6.4 FC (up to 2 days ?) and 3.9 FC. Every 2.56 tabs gets you 10 more CYA and you'll be raising the FC to match.

I'm trying to keep maintenance time/cost to an ABSOLUTE minimum

Look into salt water chlorine generators. They produce FC for you and add as you tell it to. Many of us have them here and wouldn't go without. They make poolcare a joke on the sanitizing side of things.

 

[Osmigo]

Look into salt water chlorine generators. They produce FC for you and add as you tell it to. Many of us have them here and wouldn't go without. They make poolcare a joke on the sanitizing side of things.

I know, but the pool budget just doesn't allow that right now.

 

[Bperry]

I know, but the pool budget just doesn't allow that right now.

Yu oh can save money by not installing the tablet chlorinator at all and just use a $5 floater to put tablet in. Then you can switch to liquid chlorine when the CYA gets to 50ppm.

The SWCG will save money in the long term and only costs $1500. Chlorine costs $8/gallon around here.

 

[Newdude]

but the pool budget just doesn't allow that right now.

I get it. I do. My own budget was blown sky high before the first scoop of the excavator. And THEN we decided to do a 1800 sq ft paver patio after the fact.

But with what you're spending, the SWG is a mere rounding error in the grand scheme of things, and worth It's weight in gold. I would have shaved $1500 off anything else to make room for it. 6 inches less patio all around would have covered it.

 

[superdave5599]

I bought a house with a pool, that also had the saltwater chlorine generator (SWG). I can't imagine not having one and having to Richard with adding bleach or whatever every day. I don't know what the cost of the puck feeder system that is proposed is, but if you delete that from the build, then you can negate that cost from the cost of the chlorine generator, bringing it's cost down. Then, you also won't be buying the pucks, further saving you money.

If your budget is really that tight, then I'd still delete the feeder system and have the builder leave room in the plumbing to install a SWG later. Use pucks and later bleach to sanitize until you add the SWG.

You won't regret the decision!

 

[PoolStored]

is using stabilized tablets in it.

Out of abundance of caution...heed this...you can only used one type of chlorine in your feeder.

DO NOT MIX THEM...TOGETHER (dichlor and trichlor in the feeder at the same time)...OR SEPARATE (use dichlor, then switch to trichlor).

IF YOU MIX THEM, YOU RISK EXPLOSION.

Chlorinator cap exploded

Hi there. Tonight after putting in chlorine, the cap to our Chlorinator (pentair) blew off. Sounded like a bomb went off, and just blew the cap apart. The top flew up and over into the next door neighbor’s backyard. We bled the line as we always do when we turned it back on. Any thoughts on...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[wireform]

If you were to keep the CYA at 40 and use liquid chlorine @12.5% strength you can maintain the FC to "6" with a FC loss per day of 4 you'd only need 40 ounces to get it back to 6.