Ok so how long do I need to hold the shock level, should I get my cya up to spec first? Or start adding CYA at the same time as bleach?
That is how much bleach you need to get to shock levels, not how much you need to maintain it there until things are cleared up. When trying to clear a swamp situation expect to be adding lots of bleach every hour for the first several hours to maintain shock level. As to the CYA issue, water replacement or reverse osmosis is the only way to lower CYA in a HEALTHY pool, when you have a swamp you have all sorts of things growing in it and going on that can consume the CYA.
Ike
Ike
Add CYA at the when you start the clearing process (read up on the sock method) be aware it can take a week or more to show up on tests, so it is better to go light than heavy on the CYA then correct slowly.
Ike
Ike
Ok does CYA burn off like FC or once I get the level right it is there for good? For the season? Also you do have any links for the sock method?
CYA stays around until the water is replaced. You are always losing a little water through splash out etc, so it basically drifts down very slowly over the course of a pool season.
Got ya, so can you give me a general ball park idea on how much bleach I need to have on hand for the shocking process (in jugs, not accurate at all just a general idea) and when I know it's over? I think I read somthing that said the shock is over after x loss of FC over night.
Chlorine usage during shocking is very unpredictable. I would get 50 or 60 ppm of chlorine to start with, if you don't use it up right now you can use it later, and if you need more you can make another trip.
There are complete instructions on shocking and doing an overnight FC loss test in Pool School
There are complete instructions on shocking and doing an overnight FC loss test in Pool School
CYA stays in the water, it does not evaporate or burn off. There are ways it can go away but those situations are very rare and are not in the pool owner's control. CYA is removed by draining and replacing water, that's why I suggested only putting in 20-30 ppm for now, so you would not have too much CYA.
The sock method is simple. Put the measured amount of CYA in a sock and hang it in front of a return. Give the sock a quick massage a couple of times a day until the CYA is dissolved and the sock is empty.
The shock process is complete when you pass the overnight test
The sock method is simple. Put the measured amount of CYA in a sock and hang it in front of a return. Give the sock a quick massage a couple of times a day until the CYA is dissolved and the sock is empty.
The shock process is complete when you pass the overnight test
Ok thanks for the info, to confirm my FC and CYA are both 0. Should I attempt to fix both at the same time or cya first to save on bleach?
Also one final question, to reiterate I just bought this house and the pool has been unmaintained for 2 years, if CYA is only lost through loss of water, any idea why my CIA is 0? If it has been winterized and under a cover for 2 years with no water loss, where did it go?
If you need to raise CYA you can also use Dichlor shock for some of your chlorine, it will add both chlorine and CYA (pool calculator should tell you how much). As Jason says it is hard to predict, also individual circumstance gets involved, if you have a Wal-Mart 1/2 a mile away go light and run back and buy more as needed, on the other hand if the nearest store is 35 miles away, get a lot and make fewer resupply trips.
Ike
Ike
Ahh ok so I have a swamp, that explains the loss, I just want to confirm, i need to battle CYA and FC in swamp conditions at the same time them right? Swamp will eat any CYA I add and without CYA I will lose FC fast.
right, but even swamp conditions take a long time to eat the CYA, so if your starting a clean up you will be done before it can eat much (something to do with bacteria and ammonia interaction I think, stuff you would not want to use to lower CYA in a healthy pool). So add enough CYA either through powered or liquid stabilizer or through stabilized chlorine (di-chlor or tri-chlor) to bring the CYA level up to the minimum end of the range you want to maintain the recheck in a couple of weeks in case it really was something above 0 to start with, but below the lowest detectable level for the test (usually around 20).
Thank you so much all, you are likely saving me a TON of money, you rock! Dumb and final question, if sunlight eats FC, why not clean up a swamp by using a winter pool cover to stop light from dropping the FC? IE put it on, drop in the needed bleach etc, pull it back a bit, test, put it back etc? Would that not stop loss of FC at least due to light?
When you are shocking there are lots of volatile chemicals that come out of the water and go into the atmosphere. If the cover kept them in the water you would have a much more difficult time getting rid of the CC. High FC levels also tend to chew up your typical cover. Still, you could save some chlorine if you were willing to risk your cover and took it off every night.
In theory that would work, but you will also need to be scrubbing the pool, netting out the gunk in it, etc. Overall probably more trouble than it is worth to taking it off and putting back on repeatedly. If it is a thermal/solar cover of some type it would also warm the conditions in the pool which will also speed the growth of algae. If it were me I would use Di-Chlor powdered shock to raise to the initial projected shock level, and the first part of the shock process as it will add 9 ppm CYA for every 10 FC raise, then switch to liquid bleach, sort of killing two birds with one stone, if this confuses you then your better off using separate liquid chlorine/bleach and stabilizer.
Ike
Ike
You shouldn't rely on the pool store test strips result of 0 cyanuric acid. You should first confirm the level with the reagent test so that you don't end up with too much.
If it really is zero, then there might not have been any in there previously.
If it really is zero, then there might not have been any in there previously.