I stirred the CYA powder a bit, was that a mistake??

[joseywales]

I put just over 4 cups of CYA powder into my skimmer (without the sock), over the course of about an hour. AMount was based on the calculator (asking for over 5 cups, but I shorted it a bit with the +/- margin). I would pour a cup in and let it desolve a bit. At one point, because it was clogging the skimmer I figured it was restricting the flow, so I would just twirl my finger a and let some of the smaller pieces disolve. I could see some particles through the window of the pump cover. All of the powder dissolved (or atleast went through the skimmer basket) after an hour or so. I have left the pump on for several hours.

I saw where sometimes it takes a day or so to disolve. Did I harm anything by allowing larger particles to get into the pump basket? I'm not so much worried if the CYA treatment was "weakened" by the stirring. I can add more at the end of the week, if necessary.

 

[dmanb2b]

although we advise disolving CYA in a sock (just recently changed our view on this at TFP)...you should not have a problem as long as the skimmer wasn't plugged as to starving the pump of water....otherwise the pump strainer basket would not let anything go through that would harm the pump...so you should be OK.

 

[Guest]

no problem with pouring it into the skimmer to get caught in the filter, the sock is optional. It can take up to a week to dissolve so don't clean the filter for a week and don't waste the reagent in your test kit by testing the level before a week is passed.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

The reason we don't advise adding it directly to the skimmer is now you cannot backwash your filter for several days or your CYA addition will be lost.

Nothing will happen to your finger.

In the future, put it in a sock and tie it in front of the return, or set it to the side in the skimmer. That way you can backwash if necessary.

 

[joseywales]

My finger is glowing in the dark!!!

Thanks. I figured as much. I actually had a hard time finding socks and didn't think the knee high would cut it.

In fact, my pool was new the second week in June. The pressure gauge on the filter hasn't budged from 11 (pretty much the start pressure). And I haven't backwashed yet either. Other than pollen, I don't think we're getting much debris. I've been using knee-highs in the skimmer, since I just found skimmer socks today. I had already done the CYA when I found them at another local pool store.

Oh well. I took up RC plan flying to teach me patience. Next time I'll wait out the CYA in a sock...if there need be a next time

Should I backwash after another week or so, regardless of the pressure gauge? Water is clear and nice.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Only backwash if a pressure rise indicates it or you are trying to clear up a green pool.

 

[Guest]

If you are not fighting an algae bloom and do not have an immediate need to backwash the pouring the CYA slowly into the skimmer is fine!

 

[Tonedeaf]

Our pool builder suggests pouring right into the skimmers. I have done so a few times in the short time I have had the pool and it works just fine. I also see the granules in the pool basket but within a few minutes it is gone.

 

[sbluhm]

My wife saw me pulling the old wet "CYA" sock out of the skimmer yesterday, and started yelling at the kids... "Who left their sock in the pool!" :-D

 

[joseywales]

LMAO

too funny!

 

[chris4150]

LOL....

I tried the sock method via powder CYA, my sock expanded as the powder became water logged so I decided to aid in the process by squeezing on the sock to difuse the now liquidized CYA.