Hi All, almost at the end of a SLAM - water is crystal clear, 0 CC and passed OCLT last night. I'm holding FC levels at 16-20 ppm for one more night. Before I started my SLAM over 3 weeks ago (I closed pool with green swampy mess last year and finally had time to watch it after summer vacations this year), my CYA was 0. I've added 8 lbs to my ~ 25,000 gal inground pool. CYA was added just before, and somewhat during the SLAM. CYA testing during SLAM was 30-40 ppm, but now I am showing 0. I'm confident my FC levels never dropped below 16 ppm, and I know 8 lbs of CYA was added to the water (sock dangling over return method, I'd give it a good squeeze over once/twice a day). I just changed my DE filter grids, but it was a good 2 weeks after the CYA was dosed into the water. The one thing I have changed is I ordered new taylor reagent. Could this possibly be it? Should I take water sample into pool store to check? Or just get more CYA going?
CYA gone during SLAM
- Thread starter Our1Acre
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
If your pool receives a decent amount of sunlight, and you are holding FC relatively well throughout the day, I would suspect you must have some CYA (stabilizer) in there. Otherwise, your FC would probably disappear by mid-day. Maybe you did get a bad reagent. They should have some R-0013 there locally somewhere. Maybe grab a new bottle to compare?
I would assume the same as well. I've got the solar cover on and the haze from the fires in pac NW are screwing with the skies down here, but we aren't loosing too much FC during the day, maybe 4-5 ppm...I'll pick up some R-0013 on the way home tonight and see if that improves. While a "bad" reagent is possible, I can only imagine it is extremely rare....
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
We don't hear of bad reagents all that often, although bad lots/batches of things do happen from time to time. Maybe it was left in the heat or something during transport. Best to rule it out with another bottle is possible. CYA is so important in everything we do, it's that one test you really rely on.
These issues are so hard to track down and, as TS says, this is an important test.
Our experience with the Taylor R-0013 is that it simply does not go bad. I think we've had only one questionable incident with it. The product is chemically inert so there is no reaction going on....even if it's exposed to sunlight.
That said, there are just a lot of variables. If the R-0013 is good, then what happened to the CYA. The short answer is "I don't know"
Our experience with the Taylor R-0013 is that it simply does not go bad. I think we've had only one questionable incident with it. The product is chemically inert so there is no reaction going on....even if it's exposed to sunlight.
That said, there are just a lot of variables. If the R-0013 is good, then what happened to the CYA. The short answer is "I don't know"
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
If you determine later from testing that you do in-fact need to increase CYA, you can get granular stabilizer from places like Wal-Mart, or the pool sections at your home improvement stores. The active ingredient is ... Cyanuric Acid (CYA). 
About $15 bucks or so for a 4lb container.
About $15 bucks or so for a 4lb container.Yeah, I think 8 lb bucket is $32 something with tax at pool store....seems to be just about market and I have a partial pool drain in my future to repair some things, so I'll use it anyway.
Looks like I was a bit light on the CYA, somehow. The reagent I purchased yesterday clouded the water up, but the other stuff leaves it crystal clear. Since this is a qualitative observation, I'm bumping up the CYA closer to 40 and will reverify if the reagent is indeed bad. Added another 3 lbs or so, will test in a week....I'll report back what I find out about the reagent.
Bringing this back around now that things have settled down in my pool. Seems the reagent I purchased to test the "bad" reagent is working somewhat, I'm getting a CYA = 30. The "bad" reagent is still showing it crystal clear. I'll contact Taylor next week to see what they say and hopefully get a replacement.