Alkalinity as remedy for high Cyanuric acid?

[howarddierking]

Hi everyone -

As I'm coming up to speed on testing and balancing my pool water, I took a sample into the local pool store to have them test. I was thinking that my core problem was a high chlorine PPM, but while it was higher than I would like, the thing that jumped out the most was my CyA @ 126 PPM. The person in the store said that past guidance would have me drain and refill the pool that that they now recommend boosting alkalinity (my TA was at 42, so it was low anyway) - naturally, they have a product for that

Does this guidance make sense and/or line up with your experience?

thanks,

_howard

 

[Texas Splash]

Does this guidance make sense and/or line up with your experience?

Not at all. Typical pool store info that will send you down the wrong path. Two things you really must do right away are:
1 - Obtain your own TF-100 (or Taylor K-2006C) test kit. You need to validate the CYA for yourself. Store testing is notoriously wrong.
2 - If the CYA is indeed over 100, do a partial water exchange to lower it. I would recommend reducing the CYA to 50 which will get you in perfect shape for summer.

We can go over any/all other levels later, but the proper home testing must be a priority. Please visit those Vital Links in my signature, and don't forget to update your sig as well Howard. Welcome to TFP!

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
In your signature you show a K2006 test kit. Is that right? If so, run a full set of tests using your kit and post them up!

 

[Texas Splash]

In your signature you show a K2006 test kit.

Thanks Marty, I missed that.

 

[tim5055]

First, pool store employees primary goal is to sell stuff, not necessarily get your pool in perfect condition. As to whether that is because of improper training, lack of knowledge or just to sell stuff I will leave up to you. While you would think that a "professional" would be the best, unfortunately in most cases it is quite the opposite. Between employees who blindly trust the word of chemical sales representatives and high school kids working in the pool store for the summer you end up with poor results from their advice and testing.

The pool store want's you to have "a shed filled with white bottles of pool chemicals that had mysterious names and purposes". Unfortunately the pool industry has evolved into sales by scare tactics, misdirection, misinformation and marketing hype.

You are an example of this. They say your Total Alkalinity (TA) is low and they are going to sell you baking soda in a fancy package at four times the cost of WalMart. Do they have a right to make a profit, yes - but lets be reasonable. Heck, even their definition of "low" can many times put you on a pH roller coaster that's hard to get off of. Is that lack of knowledge or a sales technique to sell you more chemicals to control your pH???? My pool loves TA right at 50, so if you are low - it's not much probably. Look at teh sheet, they probably wanted it at 120 so you need more of their fancy stuff.

Now, what did you mean by this??

I was thinking that my core problem was a high chlorine PPM

If your CYA is rally north of 100, then yo need to keep your FC high to compensate.

 

[JamesW]

Is 42 the actual alkalinity or the "adjusted" alkalinity?

 

[howarddierking]

As an update, I'm working on getting all those readings to post up here, but at the moment, I'm firefighting all of the live oak pollen that is keeping me in a constant state of cleaning and still turning my water brown. It's looking like I'm going to need to do a partial water replacement anyway, so tentatively planning to do that once all of this pollen is done falling, along with cleaning my filter and rebalancing the water chemistry.