CYA - did I mess up?

[joesc230]

Hi,

I we just started our pool a few weeks ago, so I'm still learning how to manage the chemicals. I did a CYA test yesterday and found that the level was at 20. So, I wanted to increase it to 40.

I know that I could of gone to Walmart but the closest place to my work that was open last night was one of the big name pool stores. I went there and saw that they had the liquid CYA and the pellet CYA. I bought the pellets, as they were 1/2 the price of the liquid. The directions on the CYA container explained how much to add to the pool (based on the volume of the pool). It said that I should mix 1/2 of the needed the pellets with warm water in a bucket and stir the mixture around with a wooden or plastic spoon, and then pour the mixture into the pool's skimmer. It then says to wait 2-4 hours and do the same with the other 1/2 of the needed pellets.

So, I created the mixture and stirred it around a while. I did notice that the pellets weren't totally dissolved (although I did put plenty of water in the mixture). The directions didn't say that the pellets have to dissolve, so I figured they didn't necessarily have to. I started pouring the mixture into the skimmer and by the time I got all the water out, I still had a bunch of the pellets in the bottom of the bucket. It was late at night and I was tired, so I just decided to dump the bucket into the pool (in front of the skimmer) and let the rest of the pellets out. Well, the pellets sunk right to the bottom of the pool and were sitting on the plaster. I didn't know if this was okay or not, so I immediately got my nylon pool brush and started spreading the pellets around the pool's bottom. I tried to get them towards the deep end's drains, figuring that would get them into the system better.

I noticed that the pellets still weren't dissolving, so I just said to myself it is what it is and I'll see how it looks in the morning. So now it's the morning and I can still see a bunch of the pellets at the bottom of the pool, even though they've been in there overnight.

Is all of this normal? (aside from me deciding to just dump the undissolved pellets in the pool). Should the pellets have dissolved by now? Is there anything to worry about the pellets sitting on the plaster? Should I vacuum the remaining pellets up form the floor?

Thanks so much for any advice!

 

[Texas Splash]

Joe, for now, just keep the pellets moving so they don't sit in one spot and possibly put a mark in that area. If you must, go ahead and vacuum, but don't backwash for a few days so they can dissolve. In the future, to increase CYA via granular stabilizer, simply place the required amount as calculated by the Poolmath calculator into a white sock and suspend it near a return jet. You can squeeze the sock occasionally to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, it may take about a week for the CYA readings to fully adjust.

 

[joesc230]

Joe, for now, just keep the pellets moving so they don't sit in one spot and possibly put a mark in that area. If you must, go ahead and vacuum, but don't backwash for a few days so they can dissolve. In the future, to increase CYA via granular stabilizer, simply place the required amount as calculated by the Poolmath calculator into a white sock and suspend it near a return jet. You can squeeze the sock occasionally to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, it may take about a week for the CYA readings to fully adjust.

Okay, will do. Thanks so much for the advice. I'll be sure to use the sock for the rest that I have to add.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

One reason you don't want to put it in the skimmer is you risk those gluey pellets clogging. Ugh. Another potential problem is if you do get them through the pipes into the filter where they need to dissolve, you won't be able to backwash the filter if for some reason you need to because it will just discharge and waste all that CYA you put in.

I hang my CYA sock from a pool noodle and just let it float around the pool. You don't want it to sit against the side or the coping touching in case the acidic nature of the CYA mars the finish.

Perhaps your pellets are large enough to just scoop them up and put them into cheeseclothes or something like that in the skimmer basket to finish dissolving? I've only seen granular CYA not pellet form so am unsure how large we're discussing here?