Cya test takes half a bottle?

[secundus]

Hi,

Just starting to test my newly filled pool (city water) with the walmart 6 test kit and found the following:
FC: 0
Cya: 0
Ph:7.6

Also, the cya test took half the bottle of test chemical as part of the test. At this rate, I'll go broke
Performing cya tests.

Would you recommend that i add muriatic acid to raise cya?
So far ive only put in one 128oz bleach 8%. The FC still shows 0.

Please let me know what it usually takes to show minimum levels, thanks!

 

[JasonLion]

Some of the test kits come with very small amounts of the CYA reagent. The HTH Six Way, Taylor K-2005, and K-2006 all come with 0.75 oz of the reagent, which is enough for two or maybe three CYA tests. You can purchase more CYA reagent for reasonable prices, though there is often a shipping charge.

With CYA at or around zero you will lose all of your chlorine to sunlight very quickly. Muriatic acid does not raise the CYA level, it lowers PH. You want cyanuric acid to raise the CYA level. Cyanuric acid is often sold as stabilizer or conditioner, check the label and make sure it contains 95+% cyanuric acid.

 

[jblizzle]

Back to Pool School

Muriatic acid lowers the pH ... it does not add CYA. CYA is Cyanuric acid aka stabilizer aka conditioner

With 0 CYA, you will lose most of the FC to the sun in a matter of hours ... get some stabilizer dissolving in a sock in front of the return and keep adding bleach.

Now you know one of the reasons we recommend the TF-100 over the K-2006 or the HTH kit ... you get more of the reagents you need. And of course you get the important FAS-DPD chlorine test.

 

[Richard320]

Well....you wasted that reagent, because tap water has no CYA in it. To add CYA, you add CYA, also known as stabilizer or cyanuric acid. Without it, any bleach you add to the pool will be lost to the sun in a couple hours.

Since you built the pool yourself, you sound like a do-it-yourselfer, in which case, I recommend reading Pool School. Just the first few articles will give you a wealth of knowledge, and the ability to use and understand the pool calculator.

 

[secundus]

Thank you very much for the quick responses! Will update with new numbers when available.

 

[Isaac-1]

You should also note that granular stabilizer is very slow to dissolve (use the sock method in front of a return), also note it can take up to a week for the CYA to show on the test.

 

[x2rider]

Back to Pool School

Now you know one of the reasons we recommend the TF-100 over the K-2006 or the HTH kit ... you get more of the reagents you need. And of course you get the important FAS-DPD chlorine test.

K-2006 is FAS-DPD, but yes, the reagents go fast. I replace them with 2 oz bottles.