Was it too soon to add chemicals?

[CusePool]

Split from Did I jump the gun . Zea3

IFunny, I'm worried I jumped the gun too. Starting up a pool and for the first 4-5 days there was basically zero chlorine in the pool. I was planning to use trichlor pucks until CYA got up, but chlorine and CYA remained zero for 4 days. Then I added a gallon of CYA and started using bleach. I calculated the gallon of CYA should raise it to 20 (which it appears to have). But then I read the fine print saying that adding CYA could change the pigment in the pebble finish. I think it is ok as long as you keep the pump running, which it has been and is on 24/7. Anyway - I have been adding bleach and the water cleared up really nice, but it is still hard to keep the chlorine level up. I'm not sure my chlorinator is actually working.

 

[BoDarville]

Chlorine is consumed by two things: Sunlight and Organic Matter. CYA acts as sort of a sunscreen by limiting the amount of chlorine loss to sunlight. The most likely reason that you are experiencing difficulty in maintaining the chlorine level is because the CYA of 20 is too low for your pool/climate. In SE Texas, I would aim for a CYA level of 40.

I know several people with pebble finishes that have a SWG pool with a CYA of around 70 and none of them have experienced a change of pigment in the pebble finish.