Amount of CYA

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LisaDLu

Well-known member
Nov 14, 2014
149
Palm Desert, CA
My plaster is a little over a month old. I did a full set of tests today:

PH - over 8 (added 29oz of acid per pool math, having to add acid almost daily).
TA - 80 ppm
CH - 230 ppm
FC - 3.6 ppm
CYA - 30 ppm
Salt - 2900 ppm

** My question is on the CYA. I did the test using a Taylor K-2006 kit. I could still see the black dot at the bottom of the tube at the highest mark (30) but it was a little cloudy. According to pool math I should add 294 oz of liquid stabilizer for a goal of 80 ppm CYA. This seems a lot but I am new to all this. Is there a particular stabilizer/conditioner I should use and should I start it off with maybe 150 oz or so and retest? What problems are there if I add too much stabilizer/conditioner? THANKS
 
Your CYA level is under 30 if you can still see the dot at 30. Let's say it's 20.
Take your CYA level up in steps. Don't add the full amount to start with. Add enough granular stabilizer to get you to a level of 40. Just assume it's there and adjust your FC with bleach to a target of 6-7 and don't let it fall below 3. Wait for 4-5 days and retest CYA level. It will take a couple of days to fully register on a test. Then add enough stabilizer to take your CYA level to 70.
I'd leave it at 70 for now and in the summer if your losing more than 3 ppm FC to the sun then take it up to 80.
The reason I say to take it up in steps is so you don't over shoot your CYA level. Make sure you put the stabilizer in sock and put the sock in your skimmer basket. Run your pump the whole time until it's all dissolved. Give the sock a squeeze every now and again to help it dissolve faster.
Keep your PH under 8 like your doing. Lower it to 7.5 when you need to lower it. That will also overtime lower your TA. Ideally you want your TA around 60 for your SWG. That level helps with slowing PH rise due to the SWG. Don't sweat your TA. Just giving you a little info on it.
 
Hi LisaDLu,

If you are at 30, then 294 oz of liquid stabilizer would be correct for a target of 80.
If you can still see the dot, then you are actually lower than 30.

However, we do recommend shooting for a lower target and work up your final so you dont overshoot.
40 or 50 would be a good target to start with.

If you add too much CYA, then that means your FC will need to be higher too, and if you have an algae problem, it will be much more difficult to get rid of it at higher CYA.

High CYA is by far the single most reason why people have to drain their pools or have algae that just cannot be gotten rid of.

There is no particular brand that is any better than the other. Most of us use granule CYA/ Stabilizer because it costs considerably less than liquid stabilizer does.

It usually takes a few days for CYA to register correctly on the test. SO, add, wait several days and test again.
 
Thank you both! I redid the pool math assuming my CYA is 20 and my goal is 40. That calculates as 45oz by weight or 47oz by volume of stabilizer, I'm assuming this is referring to the granular kind. I've never added bleach since I have the SWG but I'm assuming it is ok to add bleach while using the SWG? As another suggestion I do have a bunch of 1" trichlor tablets we were using before the SWG got turned back on, can I just use these in a floater to raise my CYA and FC levels? If so, how many tablets should I use at a time? THANKS
 
I wouldn't use the tabs. It'll take too long to raise your CYA level.
Yes the granular stabilizer.
As for using the bleach I only suggested this if you want to shut down the SWG till you get your CYA level up to the recommended range. If you leave your SWG on then you don't need the bleach. I was just thinking saving on running it till your CYA level is up to 70.
Let us know how you make out.
 
LisaDLu,
as a FYI, at the bootom of pool math, is a little section called "The effects of adding chemicals"
It will tell you what will happen by adding x volume of y chemical to your water.

Its handy little tool. I use it all the time.
 
I do have another question on putting the conditioner in the sock. I need 45oz and a sock won't hold all this. Instead of a sock can I just spread the amount into the water all around the pool or is the sock the way to go? I guess if I use a sock I will need to keep replenishing it until I use up all 45oz. Thank you, so much to learn.
 
Don't spread it around, broadcast it into the pool. It can cause staining. Repeat don't spread it around !!
Use a large sock or a nylon knee high. You can get more in a sock than you think. It'll stretch. I've used both sock and nylon knee high. Don't forget to tie a knot in the end.
 
pwrstrk said:
I wouldn't use the tabs. It'll take too long to raise your CYA level...Don't spread it around, broadcast it into the pool. It can cause staining. Repeat don't spread it around !!
Click to expand...
+1 on both counts!

LisaDLu: Here's another reason to use the granular CYA instead of the tabs: Although I don't see a spa listed in your equipment, I'll pass this on just in case and for the benefit of anyone who does have a spa attached to their pool. In many pool/spa setups, the check valve (which keeps water in the spa from flowing back into the pool when the pump is off) is located just downstream from the automatic chlorinator. When tabs are used, the check valve is getting a high dose of chlorine due to the proximity to the in-line chlorinator. Frequent use of tabs will lead to premature check valve failure. I learned this the hard way. Now, I use only the granular-CYA-in-a-sock method to increase the CYA level. The granular CYA should completely dissolve in a few days whereas the tabs will take much longer.
 

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I've got the conditioner going but I have another question. The directions on my conditioner says to dilute half of what's needed in a warm bucket of water, stir, and pour directly into the skimmer. Then do the same with the remaining amount and pour in the skimmer four hours later. This seems the quickest and simplest method but there must be a reason no one is suggesting this. Why is the sock method better than the conditioner directions? THANKS
 
My thinking is it doesn't fully dissolve when you do it that way and the CYA can get trapped in the filter. Then some one who doesn't realize, back washes the filter and the CYA out. I would also think it may take longer to fully dissolve that way. The sock method the CYA mixes with the pool water volume first.
I use the sock method and it works.
 
Ok - I retested this past Tuesday (5 days after adding 45 oz of stabilizer granules) and here are my results:

FC - 6.0ppm
CYA - between 75 and 85ppm (but I will retest because I could still barely see the black dot. Now I've seen the test photos on Taylors site and you can't see any outline of a dot at test end)

But it still seems like I've raised my CYA level too much (it was FC - 3.6 ppm and CYA - 30ppm). How many days should I wait to retest, if any? Should I be freaking out at this point? THANKS
 
45 oz of stabilizer would only add 20ppm of CYA to a 17k pool. So one or the other or both of your CYA tests are not correct.

Are you doing the test outside with your back to the sun and the tube as waist level? Are you pouring the solution back and forth a few times to see if you are consistent?
 
I retested everything today.

PH - between 7.8 and 8.0
TA - 70ppm
CH - 250ppm
FC - 7.0ppm
CYA - between 75 and 60ppm (I did this test 3 times with differing results. This one's tricky!)
Salt - 2900 (with a 50% output)

Going by the recommended ranges for SWG pools on this website it looks like I am ok on everything except FC, maybe CYA, and PH. Here are my questions:

** Plaster is six weeks old and I've been bringing the PH down to 7.5 as needed even with TA in the acceptable range of 60-80ppm. I'm assuming it is still ok to be guided more by the PH than the TA at this early stage? I am going to add my recommended 16oz of acid per pool math, this amount has never taken the TA down below the recommended range yet.
** My FC is 7.0ppm and recommended is 4.0 - 6.0ppm. Should I be concerned being 1.0ppm over?
** Should I lower my SWG output from 50% to something lower to help drop the FC?
** My CYA is between 75 and 60ppm (recommended is 70-80ppm). I'm assuming I should retest in a few days and make sure I'm really in the recommended range before doing anything. I'll also take a water sample into the pool store to see what they test at.

THANKS POOL GURUS!
 
Yes just keep your PH in check. Don't sweat the TA. It's fine where it's at. If it does drop below 60 from the acid, just bump it back up a little.
Your fine with your FC 1 ppm higher. Not a problem. You can lower your SWG output a little and see what happens. You'll have to adjust it back up later.
The CYA test is a bit tricky. You'll get better with practice. Don't bother with the pool store testing CYA. They are really bad at it and you'll just get confused.
 
Hi Lisa,
I agree with pwrstrk.

TA is good
FC is good. 1 ppm over is fine.
You're doing great keeping the PH in check. It rising because thats what new plaster makes it do.
CH is fine. It will increase as time goes by and you have to replace water due to evaporation
CYA is good for now. Its tricky test but you'll get the hang of it.
Salt - if your SWG is happy and making chloine, then it dont matter what anyone else thinks.

You're doing great, keep up the good work!
 
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