Cyanuric Acid - Brands/Quality/Questions

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mikemass

mikemass

0
Jul 10, 2013
490
Northern Howell, NJ
CYA - Being a SWG user, I know I need to keep CYA on the high side. I am shocked year after year, how low it gets from dropping a few inches of the water level for the winter. But it does. I need to bring it up from 30 to about 75.

I will need about 15 lbs. This can get expensive. Any brands you guys recommend? I love getting stuff on Amazon Prime and I can get 2 bags of this stuff.
Amazon.com : Pool Mate 1-2607B Stabilizer and Conditioner for Swimming Pools, 7-Pound : Patio, Lawn Garden

But I know nothing about the brand. Am I compromising quality here? If so, what do you guys recommend? Leslies is very convenient for me to go to as well if you like their stuff.

Also when I do the test on the Taylor Kit (Where you keep adding the drops till the black dot disappears). I just did this test yesterday which is 3 days after opening pool and topping off water. The dot Never disappeared. And I think the highest mark on the vial (the lowest reading) is 30. Can it really have dropped this much over the winter when I was running at 70 last year? (I dropped water about 3 inches below tile line). FYI - It's like this every spring.

One other thing to chime in on. If you test for CYA during a time of elevated pH, will you get an inaccurate CYA reading? I just find it hard to believe I am getting no CYA reading on my black dot test.
 
CYA can drop during the winter, and certainly drops when you replace water. I just added 5 lbs to mine, so I know what you mean.

I'm picking on myself here, there's nothing cheap about maintaining a pool, especially when they are 38-44k gallons as ours are.
 
15 pounds of CYA just makes me shiver......

Pool Math came up with a hair over 13 pounds when I ran your numbers (I went to 70).

That product is fine

I also like Amazon but would compare to the stuff at Lowes. Pool $tores are usually the last place to buy.
 
Cool guys. Just the fact that I am seeing Lowes and WalMart suggestions here answers my question about paying premium prices in pool stores. re reading what I wrote earlier, I sound cheap. I really don't mean to come across that way. Just why pay more if it's all the same stuff. Now I am ashamed I brought that up.
 
It's OK. The stuff from WalMart is fine. I use Leslie's, but when I buy, I buy so much bulk, they give me a break. But, this is at the Commercial store, not the retail store, so that may help. And, that way I don't have to walk into a WalMart. :)
 
mikemass said:
Cool guys. Just the fact that I am seeing Lowes and WalMart suggestions here answers my question about paying premium prices in pool stores. re reading what I wrote earlier, I sound cheap. I really don't mean to come across that way. Just why pay more if it's all the same stuff. Now I am ashamed I brought that up.
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Why?

We're all cheapskates.

If the pool store is competitively priced, I don't mind shopping there. But when you can get the identical chemical for much less by sacrificing the fancy packaging, why not? Baking Soda is the one that always springs to mind. Leslies, in the large economy size, 50 lbs for $62.99. Walmart 4 lbs $2.35. So.... $1.26 versus 59¢ per pound? That's more than double! If you opted for the smaller 5 lb canister at Leslies, it's $2.80 per pound! That's almost 5 times as expensive!

No apologies needed.
 

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mikemass said:
I knew there was another question I had about CYA:

Sometimes referred to as a "sunscreen for pools". Does blocking the UV light from the pool effect the sun's ability to heat the pool? All things being equal will a pool with a high CYA not get as hot as one without high CYA?
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No. The CYA binds to the chlorine to slow down the breakdown. It doesn't reflect the UV or shade the pool.
 
Walmart and Lowe's is not a solution if you open early and close late, at least not around here - everything must be pre-ordered at Lowe's and Walmart only has a pool section during the "normal" swimming season. Amazon is a better option, and they deliver to your door too.
 
Sparkle said:
Walmart and Lowe's is not a solution if you open early and close late, at least not around here - everything must be pre-ordered at Lowe's and Walmart only has a pool section during the "normal" swimming season. Amazon is a better option, and they deliver to your door too.
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Where in "Western NC"? It may be store specific. The Lowe's in Franklin had CYA on the shelf all winter, sitting all lonely out in outside garden.
 
Richard320 said:
We're all cheapskates.
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Not true. Some of us are willing to pay more to get stuff you consider unnecessary.

For instance, I buy 20% MA and that costs me more money than the stronger acid would.
I wouldn't drive across town just to get 50% off on the same product, either. It just doesn't matter to me whether I spend $4 or $8 on it.

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tim5055 said:
Where in "Western NC"? It may be store specific. The Lowe's in Franklin had CYA on the shelf all winter, sitting all lonely out in outside garden.
Click to expand...

They told me - at that exact store - that they didn't carry any pool products unless you pre-ordered them. That was less than a year ago, and CYA was what I was looking for at the time.
 
P
Sparkle said:
Not true. Some of us are willing to pay more to get stuff you consider unnecessary.

For instance, I buy 20% MA and that costs me more money than the stronger acid would.
I wouldn't drive across town just to get 50% off on the same product, either. It just doesn't matter to me whether I spend $4 or $8 on it.

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They told me - at that exact store - that they didn't carry any pool products unless you pre-ordered them. That was less than a year ago, and CYA was what I was looking for at the time.
They had salt, though.
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I have found the staff, including management at that store to be less than stellar.
 
Right now you can get 25lbs for $44.99 shipped off ebay. That works out to only $1.80 a lb!!! WOOT!

I am (well, was) paying $4.06 a lb for the stuff at Home Depot (HDX brand). Yup, definitely gonna dig out my receipt and do a return to home depot!
 

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