cost/benefit shocking pool

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What is the recommended method for adding CYA?
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iam, just so you know, I myself am not an exceptionally patient person. I did the sock-cya-return thing for TWO weeks and it still didn't all dissolve so I went out and bought two $36 jugs of liquid stabilizer from the pool stealer, put 'em in, got instant results and finally CYA readings and chlorine that holds reasonably well (lose about 2 ppm when sunny and upper 70s-low 80s).

I am waiting to test until I'm sure all the sock stuff is dissolved/working (my two jugs only would have netted me 30 ppm -= I was targeting 50 ppm) but if I had a do-over, I'd have just spent the money and gone all liquid/instant right out of the gate. Sure, it's WAY more expensive, but I live and die by billable hours, so my time is money too ;)
 
LOL, but I DID nonetheless...for the first few days...one hand on a jug of bleach, the other on my test kit. (I had taken two long weekends during the shock and awe phases of my extreme pool water makeover.) My clients were wild with missing me, and I had to work a few 14 hr days to catch up ;)

PS You read the part about not being patient, right?
 
I just put in my 2nd sock of CYA. Total of 4 lbs should net me just under 30 ppm. I was starting from 20-30, so I should still be under 60 ppm when all is said and done. I'm less concerned with the actual test reading than I am with FC loss. After 1 dose of CYA (about 2 lbs) my average FC loss over the last 2 days equates to about 1 gal. of bleach/day, and both of those days were partly to mostly cloudy. I won't bother testing for at least a week.

Speaking of FC loss, from what I've read elsewhere on this site, solar covers can help with that, too, right (on days when the pool is not being used, anyway)? My understanding is their potential benefits are two-fold: 1) retaining heat overnight, and 2) protecting FC from the UV rays during the day. Water temp. was 75 at dusk today, and I'd like the water temp. to be around 80 by Sunday, when we're having a party. Highs next 2 days 81 and 85 with lows in low to mid 50s. Will pulling out the dirty solar cover (bubble type) I inherited with the pool to cover at night likely help with this goal? I've seen varying opinions on how much it really helps limit overnight heat loss. Opinions?
 
Where do you live? Unless you live in a really hot climate with sun all day on your pool (read: AR, TX, etc.), most pools do best between 30-50 ppm, so I wouldn't go above 50 unless you find you need/want too. Remember easy in, drain/refill a lot to get it out.
 
Iam, I believe the heat generally has to be there in the first place for the cover to retain it, which is what it does via reducing evaporation when temps drop at night below water temp -- and in this regard, it is supposed to reduce night time evaporation/heat loss by about 75%. (So in your case it would reduce your heatloss from the 50 degree night temps.)

However, not sure your temps will actually get your water UP to where you want it. I believe the clear solar covers are the ones that ostensibly assist in this regard, but that the opague/blue etc. covers are not believed to. Not sure b/c I don't presently own either type, have a gas heater, and am to begin experimenting with Cover Free, which is a biweekly additive that is supposed to reduce evaporation and ergo heat loss.
 
Swampwoman said:
What is the recommended method for adding CYA?
Click to expand...

iam, just so you know, I myself am not an exceptionally patient person. I did the sock-cya-return thing for TWO weeks and it still didn't all dissolve so I went out and bought two $36 jugs of liquid stabilizer from the pool stealer, put 'em in, got instant results and finally CYA readings and chlorine that holds reasonably well (lose about 2 ppm when sunny and upper 70s-low 80s).

I am waiting to test until I'm sure all the sock stuff is dissolved/working (my two jugs only would have netted me 30 ppm -= I was targeting 50 ppm) but if I had a do-over, I'd have just spent the money and gone all liquid/instant right out of the gate. Sure, it's WAY more expensive, but I live and die by billable hours, so my time is money too ;)
Click to expand...

Sock was taking too long for me too so I just poured it straight into the skimmer (the ppl on the site said CYA is ok to pour into the skimmer). It will get stuck on the filter and dissolve very quickly. I think my CYA was all registered after 12 hours or less. The only downside is that you cant backwash your skimmer for at least 24 hours otherwise you might lose a lot of the CYA.
 
As for CYA addition, when all is said and done, I should be between 50 and 60 ppm. I lost 4 ppm today and mostly sunny. I hope that when it dissolves it'll cut my losses down to 2 ppm/day. I think I could actually afford that.

As for the pool cover, the water temp only went down 3 degrees last night (75 to 72) without a cover and the low temp was in the mid-50s last night. 76.5 degrees at dusk this evening. My wife put the cover on (with help) before I got home tonight. I'm think I'm more concerned with the water staying clean and clear than I am with the water temperature. I know the cover was pretty dirty before took it out of storage below the house. They say they hosed it down and brushed it section by section before they put it on. I might be overreacting, but CC was up to 1 ppm for the first time in 4 days. I just bumped up FC from 5.5 to 13 (if pool calculator is correct) just in case.
 

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My CC went from 0.5 to 1.5 in 24hrs, even though overnight FC loss is still minimal.* (OFCL was not actually measured, but morning FC equals evening FC + calculated increase based on added bleach. In other words, I didn't remeasure after adding bleach, but I've confirmed the accuracy of pool calculator from previous additions, so I'm confident that OFCL < 1.)

FYI, FC is currently at or near shock level (19 ppm) depending on how much of the CYA I added 36 hours ago has rendered its effect. I did this last night as a result of my first CC reading over 0.5 in days. (FC=5.5; CC=1) CC had been 0.5 or less for 4 days. I was hoping it would reach 0, but it never did. Now that FC is up near shock level anyway, I want to maintain it, but we have a party tomorrow (reason for using cover to try to maximize day/night "net" temp. increase), and I'm concerned about the chlorine level. I could just wait until after the party and reassess.

BTW, the cover did a good job of reducing overnight heat loss. Water temp only went down from 76 to 75 with air temperature below 60 overnight (as compared with 75 down to 72 the night before).

1) Could the bubble cover that was put on last night have anything to do with the increase in CC? It was fairly well cleaned before putting it on, but it had been stored.

2) Should I have expected CC to actually reach 0? (Am I being too OCD to want to see no pink after adding the R-0003?)

3) Was my instinct to shock correct when my CC went from 0.5 to 1.5 in 24hrs, even though overnight FC loss is still minimal, or was it premature panic?

4) In regard to my decision about maintaining shock level, how much FC is safe to swim in? Should I continue shocking or should I just reassess after the party?
 
Yes, you should be at least mildly concerned. You don't want to swim when CC is above 0.5.

The cover could well be involved, in two different ways. First, the cover might have had organic debris on it, which caused the CC level in the first place. Second, CC is much more likely to accumulate when the pool is covered. Some kinds of CC will gas off, but not if there is a cover, and some of the processes that break down CC won't happen while the cover is on.

Regardless, what you need to do is the same. You should remove the cover during the day, and raise the FC level up to the high end of normal. If the CC level hasn't gotten back down to 0.5 or lower by evening you should shock the pool.
 
Thanks Jason. You answered before I edited my previous post to re-organize my questions. (See below.) Knowing that people will be coming over to swim tomorrow, it seems I should maintain shock level until CC<0.5, since my gauge of how much CC breaks down wouldn't be typical anyway because FC is already at or near shock level, which would cause CC to break down faster than normal (right?). My only remaining questions are the following:

1) How much FC is safe to swim in?
2) Should I ever expect CC to hit 0 with normal FC levels, or do I need to shock until I "see no pink" if I want to "see no pink"? (Should I really want to "see no pink," or am I just being OCD?)
 
It is rare for CC to hit true 0, most of the time expect it to be somewhere under .5 if all is good, as to your other question, it is generally accepted around here that it is safe to swim at up to shock levels. If you are concerned about it many pool stores sell chlorine neutralizer, which will quickly lower FC level after being applied, note a little goes a LONG way, it is generally not needed, but can be handy in situaitons like this .

Ike

p.s. by a little I mean a pound or less will likely bring you down from shock level to normal FC level.
 
Thanks Ike. I thought I remembered reading that here on TFP. What little organic matter there may be at this point shouldn't be significant enough for me to have to add any bleach at this point, since I should be slightly above shock level now after adding a jug this morning, so I'll just let nature run its course, now. I'm confident that the current FC load will kill what needs to be killed and the sun will bring me back down under shock level. I'll do a confirmation OFCL check tonight.
 
Pool School says:

pH - Acidity/Alkalinity - Needs to be kept in balance to prevent irritation and protect the pool equipment. (7.2 to 7.8)

Is one end one problem and the other end the other problem? (Don't exceed 7.8 to protect pool equipment and don't go below 7.2 to prevent irritation?) The reason I ask is because I have people coming over today and pH is around 8. (Culprit is TA = 140, which I have read how to fix, but that will take time!) Don't have acid on hand to lower pH immediately.
 

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