CYA question

Jump to latest Follow Reply
A

andysutt

0
Jun 8, 2007
86
Arkansas
Im proboally setting myself up for a big "Im stupid" sign but Im gonna ask anyways.


People told me to add some CYA to my water so the chlorine wouldnt go away so fast. I didn't do it because I was stupid and shocked it with a powder form, and added a gallon of bleach upon startup... so I was letting it die down.

Its down to almost gone now, so I added a cupful this morning and went to Walmart to find some stabilizer.
I was looking for it in liquid form, but forgot what CYA stood for, and the letters... so I was looking for somethign that said "stablizer" but didn't find anything.

Secondly, I was told that the pucks all have CYA in it and chlorine.... so before I bought those I wanted to know if I put one pick in my pool and used it up, and added another one, in a cycle... would this eliminate me having to add a cupful of bleach everyday, like I was told in another post?

Just dont want to overdo it again, like I originally did.

My test kit only does Br, CL and PH... im looking for one that does alk and other things for a good price.

I want to buy the TF-100 kit but it's out of my pricerange and the current moment. I spent alot of money in the last 3 months paying for my weddnig, honeymoon, one of my son's birthdays and this pool. Walmart had one that was $15 and did 5 different things...anyone used one of these before?
 
I think I am addressing these backwards, bear with me!

I don't know if the HTH 5-way (at wal-mart) tests CYA, but it is better than the cheapy you have now. Keep that one for daily testing tho.

You can add pucks for now. The problem is that eventually the CYA level will get too high and the chlorine amount in the puck is not effective. For now, they are fine. For vacation, they are great! You will also need to get more CYA in your pool faster than a puck-at-a-time

CYA is Cyanuric Acid. It does not come in a liquid form, or at least not readily available. Stabilizer is the same thing. Get the granules, pour them into a sock or pantyhose, and hang it on your ladder, or in front of a return. It takes about a week for it to dissolve, so be patient! Even with CYA, you will need to add bleach every day, or maybe every other. The CYA just keeps it from breaking down by the sun before it can do its job!

Hope this is clear!

ETA I think Dave's kit (TF-100) is the best price available for what you get! You can get cheaper ones, but the amount of reagents are not well-balanced like in Dave's, so in the long run you will spend more money.
 
First, there is no stupid question. Period. The people here didn't learn about caring for pools magically; they all started with the same kinds of questions that you have. So relax and ask anything you want. The members here are unmatched in their willingness to help.

Let me also say that one of the veterans is undoubtedly on the way to give you more specific guidance but here is what I can tell you to get you started.

- CYA (cyanuric acid) helps keep your chlorine from breaking down too quickly but there is such a thing as having too much. I think most people consider 20-40ppm to be a good range if you don't have a SWCG. For the most part, pucks all have CYA and can rapidly increase your CYA levels to undesirable levels if you're not careful.
- How much liquid chlorine you have to add depends on several factors such as sunlight, bather load, amount of debris in the pool, etc. CYA is intended to stabilize the chlorine but how much you add and how often is dependent on other variables. I think the key is knowing how to maintain the chemical balance in your pool with proper maintenance (cleaning, brushing, etc.) and regular testing. Which brings me to my last point.
- I know the advanced kits can seem expensive but if you have been buying powder "shock" then chances are you have already spent the cost of a good kit on stuff you probably didn't need. I can definitely relate to second-guessing the value of a good kit because I was a little reluctant at first myself to part with the money just for a kit. I can only say that I learned very quickly that the investment in the kit plus the time spent here learning the basics was the best thing I did in learning to maintain my pool. I have no vested interest in any of the kits sold but couldn't be more confident in this advice. You will not regret spending the money. I won't beat this horse any more other than to say the kit will probably save you money in the long run.

I hope this helps. One of the real pros will be along soon.

Kevin
 
I have the Walmart kit which is fine for now. The major complaints that I have is that you will only be able to perform 2 CYA tests with it and that I can only measure FC up to 5 unless you dilute the sample.

CYA stands for cyanuric acid. It is found in stabilized chlorine and is also sold as a separate chemical. Be careful when you add this, because if it gets too high, you will be forced to keep your FC at a higher range to maintain and shock. CYA is easy to raise and difficult to lower. Get advice from people here before you add it. (I took advice from the pool store when we were underestimating our pool by 5K gallons and we ended up with CYA of 70.) You will need to post your numbers first, and the capacity of your pool.
 
Where would I buy CYA in granule form as mentioned? I didn't see it at walmart, only the pucks that had other stuff in them also.

The chemical pouches I bought to shock it were around $20 so I dont consider it a waste, just won't be buying anymore.

I want the big kit, but at the moment I'm not "allowed" to as I spent to much money lately and the new wife wants to save back money for a little bit. Until I can get the TF-100 kit I will have to go w/ the 5 way from walmart. :(


I'm aware I'll have to add bleach everyday, and that is not a problem. I was just wondering if the pucks added chlorine and CYA at the same time, and if it was going to do it to fast/slow... I

So Ive learned I still have to add bleach everyday as the pucks dont disperse enough of it, and the CYA will get to high. So I don't want to use those unless i have to.

I'll check on the CYA later tonight at walmart. I did see some stabilizer but it had a + and a minus on it for PH up or down I think... which confused the heck out of me. Because I wanted to stablized the chlorine as my Ph was fine.

Im proboally looking to far into things... but I dont have a ton of money to waste on chemicals that aren't worth the money, and aren't the right product.

Thanks for the replies... and could someone check into why Im not getting email notifications anymore? I used to get them instantly but no longer get them ?
 
Sounds like a plan... You should be able to get the CYA or stabilizer at Wally world... that was where I got mine, way back when I actually HAD a pool! However, when I peruse the HTH website, I see no mention of stabilizer. You may have to try your local pool store.

I did find some liquid stabilizer here, but don't know how much it will raise your CYA... Here is stabilizer from PoolGeek. If you support TFP, you get a discount there
 
Thanks for that link... reasonable priced also... and cheaper than anything i seen locally at walmart.

Im gonna buy the 6lbs as I have a 4500 gallon pool. I'll add 1 1/2 lbs Im assuming and go from there.
It says it only needs added upon start and shut down... so this isn't a usually added chemical?
 
Andy,

If you have a Lowe's close by, go there and check their pool section for CYA. I'm wanting to say it was around $4 for a 3lb jar, but don't quote me on that. It'll be labelled as stabilizer, but if you check the ingredient list, it'll tell you that it's cyanuric acid.

FWIW, I think they also carry the polyquat algaecide, if ever needed.

Edit: Make that $14 for 3.75 lbs.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
CYA Question

andysutt said:
Where would I buy CYA in granule form as mentioned? I didn't see it at walmart, only the pucks that had other stuff in them also.

The chemical pouches I bought to shock it were around $20 so I dont consider it a waste, just won't be buying anymore.

I want the big kit, but at the moment I'm not "allowed" to as I spent to much money lately and the new wife wants to save back money for a little bit. Until I can get the TF-100 kit I will have to go w/ the 5 way from walmart. :(


I'm aware I'll have to add bleach everyday, and that is not a problem. I was just wondering if the pucks added chlorine and CYA at the same time, and if it was going to do it to fast/slow... I

So Ive learned I still have to add bleach everyday as the pucks dont disperse enough of it, and the CYA will get to high. So I don't want to use those unless i have to.

I'll check on the CYA later tonight at walmart. I did see some stabilizer but it had a + and a minus on it for PH up or down I think... which confused the heck out of me. Because I wanted to stablized the chlorine as my Ph was fine.

Im proboally looking to far into things... but I dont have a ton of money to waste on chemicals that aren't worth the money, and aren't the right product.

Thanks for the replies... and could someone check into why Im not getting email notifications anymore? I used to get them instantly but no longer get them ?
Click to expand...

That's a good warning for newbies, I purchased a product called Stablizer but it's purpose was to raise Alk and stablize PH. Knowing the proper terms like CYA is important! My 6-way from Wal-Mart has been fine, because I have not been adding CYA since mine is already too high! I do plan to get the TF kit soon tho...
 
Hey andysutt,

I have the same size pool.

The 5 way test kit from Wal-Mart works pretty good. It's what I use.

You can by cya from your local pool store (the only thing I buy there!) Then get your bleach from Wal-mart.

The sock method works like a charm, test the cya 7 days after you hang the sock over. Keep testing the rest and treating appropriately. If haven't already, dowload bleachcalc from this site. It is a life saver.

I tend to add 1/2 gallon of 6% bleach roughly every 2 days depending on the weather and use by my kids. My pool has been crystal clear since I put it back up in early may.

My experience/advice, is to just pass on those pucks to someone else that might want them....you don't.

Don't worry, there are no dumb questions out here....I have asked many of the same over...but nobody jumped on me either.

Take care,
 
Thanks again for all the replies. Im going to pass on the pucks as mentioned and I will let you know after I add the CYA and let it dissolve.

Lowe's here I come :)

Also about the adding 1/2 gallon of bleach every 2 days... from the calculations I got on other threads here... that would be a bith much, but that also depends on the amount of sunlight, users, etc... so I'll keep that in mind before I go dumping random amounts in there
 
As I understand it from all I have read (and there is probably much more I still need to read!) IF you need BOTH chlorine AND CYA, the trichlor pucks are the cheapest way to add both. But once you no longer need additional CYA, it's time to switch to another chlorine source.
 
You have understood correctly. :) Also, Di-chlor which is sold in bags marked "Shock" adds even more CYA so you could use it as well. Be sure to watch your pH closely when using these as they are quite acidic.

Dave
 
I got a 4 lb jug at Lowes a bit ago for $15
It said to use 2 lbs per 10,000 gallons..

So I figure that will give me 4 doses of CYA for my pool as my pool is a little less than 5,000 gallons

I filled up a tube sock w/ 1/4 of a bottle and hung it by the return.
 
DavidD said:
...Di-chlor which is sold in bags marked "Shock" adds even more CYA so you could use it as well. Be sure to watch your pH closely when using these as they are quite acidic...
Click to expand...

For some reason, di-chlor seems to be a lot more expensive than tri-chlor, but it does have the advantage of dissolving much more quickly.
 
I only offered the 1/2 bottle/2 day as a guide for what works for me.

Yes, we have LOTS-O-SUN here in Central Texas....once all the rain finally left 2 weeks ago!!!!

I actually have a sock of cya in mine right now as I was attempting to add H20 the other night, fell asleep and flushed most of my pool over ~9 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Live and learn.
 
At the start of each swim season here in Texas, if the winter doesn't do the CYA in, then the spring rains will! When our CYA is low, and I keep ours at around 20, I take advantage of it by using pucks (making sure they are stabilized pucks and not the ones with copper in them) to maintain the FC and raise the CYA. I may possibly need to start it out by adding a little extra bleach before the pucks go in. But within 2-5 weeks, I'm right where I need to be, remove the pucks and return to BBB. We have found that keeping our CYA at around 20 holds our FC sufficiently and we don't have to use as much bleach. But each pool / pool condition is different. That's just what works for ours.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply