Thoughts on bio-active cya reducer

[heugeneo]

4/11 - with 9:1 dilution cya of 400, with 4:1 cya of 500
4/12 - with 9:1 dilution cya of 500, with 4:1 cya of 450
4/13 - with 9:1 dilution cya of 400, with 4:1 cya of 400
4/14 - >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> with 4:1 cya of 350, with 3:1 cya of 400

CC 1.6

I started to see the beginning of metal staining so I did add a double maintenance dose of metal free last night.

 

[JasonLion]

heugeneo, wonderful to see CYA continuing to go down. This result is low enough that we can start to believe that CYA actually went down and it wasn't just testing error.

You have a ways to go yet before the CYA level is where you really want it to be, hopefully the CYA level will continue marching down.

 

[borjis]

I've done 3 partial drains to get down from 300 to now at 120ppm

I think I might try this stuff to get it down to 50. Those partial drains/refills cost $ 97 each (water/sewer bill)

 

[Patrick_B]

Please start a new thread if you do borjis. This is of great to many of us this summer.

 

[heugeneo]

heugeneo, wonderful to see CYA continuing to go down. This result is low enough that we can start to believe that CYA actually went down and it wasn't just testing error.

You have a ways to go yet before the CYA level is where you really want it to be, hopefully the CYA level will continue marching down.

Yea I believe the product is working, for that reason I will have one more reading to post tomorrow, but am going to address some other water issues. I also have iron in the water, TA of 240, CH of 650 and of course the still high CYA. I'm planning on doing either an 8,000 or 12,000 gallon water replacement tomorrow, depending on how much time the water guy has. I will be using the tarp method so I should see a decent improvement in levels. I was informed the bioactive cannot be shipped next or second day so it won't be here until the end of the week or weekend. I will probably bring my chlorine up once the new water is in until the next bag of bioactive gets here. Unfortunately, they will not carry the product in any of my local stores despite what the retailers and manufacturer initially told me

 

[Patrick_B]

Well, I hope that goes smoothly for you. If you have further news on using it let us know. Thanks for sharing the data thus far.

 

[duraleigh]

I will be using the tarp method so I should see a decent improvement in levels.

That will be a rare occurrence. (using the tarp method) Please let us know if you have success.

 

[borjis]

Please start a new thread if you do borjis. This is of great to many of us this summer.

Will do.

I tried ordering from their website but only found it through leslie's

8oz pack on the way!

I'll be ready to proceed immediately...I'm completely balanced to recommended TFP chemistry levels aside from the 120 cya.
My chlorine should be nearly drifted to 4ppm by the time it arrives.

 

[heugeneo]

Final report for the first round of bioactive:

4/11 - with 9:1 dilution cya of 400, with 4:1 cya of 500
4/12 - with 9:1 dilution cya of 500, with 4:1 cya of 450
4/13 - with 9:1 dilution cya of 400, with 4:1 cya of 400
4/14 - >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> with 4:1 cya of 350, with 3:1 cya of 400
4/15 - >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> with 4:1 cya of 350

Currently swapping out 8000 gallons of water. I forego the tarp idea on the advice of some veterans. Will start the second bag of bioactive whenever it gets here and advise further.

 

[Patrick_B]

Excellent.

After replacement of the water, make sure to get a good mix on it for a day or two before re-test of Cya. Maybe overkill, but just to be sure. Looking forward to more results, and thanks again for sharing the Data.

 

[rodog123]

If this works, would you officially call this product a game changer?

More testing needed of course.

 

[JasonLion]

It is way to early to say. But imagining that it works and has no negative side effects, it is still $50 extra twice a year that you don't really need to be spending. So, while nice, I wouldn't call it a game changer.

 

[n240sxguy]

I would call it a game continuer. The pool store game that is. This is the new key to their "chlorine lock". For people coming over to TFP, this could save some money vs a water change depending on where you live. For everybody dropping pucks in once a week, this is just extra money to shell out every year.


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[Donldson]

I can't speak for everyone, but even if it works I wouldn't call it more than another tool in the shed. In most parts of the country a drain and refill will still be cheaper option. It also can create a culture where the pool store will sell a product that will cause overstabilization, and then sell a product that will fix it. They get to sell the cure and the disease!

For TFP, it will cause a lot of new people to more strongly question the TFP method. It is already difficult to make the switch after being pool-stored for a long time. We ask them to buy a test kit more advanced than the pool store, to pour bleach(!) in to their pool, and to watch it for days on end instead of just dumping a bunch of stuff in that the "expert" told them would fix it. We don't really see it since this is such a busy forum, but a lot of people leave after their first post asking for help because they feel they think it is too complicated or different. It usually takes someone at their wits end to really give it a try.

Now that same person at their wits end is told there is a new product to fix "chlorine lock" and will solve all their problems for only $50. "Well heck, that's less than that test kit they were trying to sell me, and I just have to dump it in and it fixes the problem? What have I got to lose?" So the pool store keeps the money coming in and didn't even have to resort to the typical lies. The customer gets a temporary fix and continues dropping hundreds of dollars a month.

So while I think this is a good product to exist, I think it is going to hurt many more pool owners than it helps.

 

[heugeneo]

The water is swapped. Was planning on letting it run for a day or two before checking, but probably going to just take a sample tonight as a baseline because.... the other bag of Bioactive just came in the mail. I have to give LPS credit, they refunded my two day shipping fee, but the product still got here in two days via ground!

Assuming it is working as we think, I believe the manufacturer is going to have have some problems. The main thing is, most of the people using this will "think" their cya is 150 when reality it could be 500+ like mine was. So they'll buy this, won't see any results on their cya test, and assume it didn't work. If it hadn't been for this site I wouldn't have even known how to check for higher cya. So I think the product will be very helpful for the few people that can figure out what they are actually doing. But the average guy will walk into pool store, buy this assuming it will immediately lower their cya, and when it doesn't just go back to what they were doing. Bioactive needs to do a better job educating people on their website and product label about having and testing very high cya, or they will get a lot of negative reviews when it appears as though it nothing is happening.

 

[Patrick_B]

I agree, and some will unfortunately keep returning to buy perhaps other things uneccessarily, needing better testing instead. The upside is some will get curious and perhaps wind up here. With you and others blazing the trail with this they will find help, and that's a great thing.

Looking forward to more.

 

[borjis]

Assuming it is working as we think, I believe the manufacturer is going to have have some problems. The main thing is, most of the people using this will "think" their cya is 150 when reality it could be 500+ like mine was. So they'll buy this, won't see any results on their cya test, and assume it didn't work.

Quite possible. If I were them I would partner with someone who sells the black dot test and instructs on dilution testing.

I'm going to be the guinea pig for TFP on this. 8 oz pack on the way. I'll start a new thread when I get it going.

my water chemistry is balanced to TFP standards except for CYA 120 (used dilution testing just as you) it was 300+

Each partial drain and refill cost me $ 97 each and already done it 3 times, so for me the savings in refills is worth trying.

 

[heugeneo]

Never thought I'd be happy for a cya over 200 but I am!

Readings about 10 hours after water swap-

FC 0.2
CC 0.8
PH 7.6
TA 175
CH 500
CYA 250 (4:1 dilution)

Would waiting longer cause the CYA reading to increase, decrease, or is there no steadfast rule after adding new water?

Second bag of Bioactive is in while the chlorine is still down.

 

[Divin Dave]

If you have had the pump running for a at least 30 minutes or so since refilling, then your test result should be good. Just need to get the old water mixed well with the new water.

 

[borjis]

I'm curious, heugeneo has there been any direct sun on your pool when running the chlorine so low?

I'm a little scared of having an algae bloom when I get the chlorine down to apply the cya reducer in the upcoming week.

But I think they claim that won't be a problem.