Cya after slam - challenge with backwash

[jdlw]

Is it possible to add small amounts of CYA to my pool without backwashing first?

background : I recently finished a SLAM - even though a salt pool, I approached it more as a non salt pool since the water was too cold for the SWG to be effective.
MY CYA levels were Very low but I started the slam anyway because the cya ordered online hadn’t arrived.

I Passed overnight test, Water is warm enough now for SWG to work and I need to bring CYA up a lot. Here are my levels currently.

TC - 6ppm (And falling)
CC - 0.5ppm
CYA - between 20-30
pH -between 7.8 and 8.2 ( my test kit doesn’t specify levels in between but it’s closer to the 8.2 color)
CH - 165ppm

my challenge is my water levels are too low to backwash my pool without refilling from a hose but my muni water has a high pH. (Over 8) I ALWAYS struggle with a high pH combined with low alkalinity. I’ve learned that I need to do my best to rely on rain to fill the pool and to operate the SWG at only 20-40 percent to keep the aeration down. Consequently I do have to supplement A bit with chlorine, especially when my cya is low. Currently I have a couple 3 inch tricolor pucks floating in the pool because I welcome the extra cya, that the pH will fall a little, as well as the supplement to swg chlorine. But it is very slow at raising CYA

I want to wait until decent rainfall before backwashing - but am wondering if it’s dangerous to add a very small level of cya in the meantime. Maybe just a couple ounces ? Also, is the cya from the pucks Dangerous if I haven’t backwashed? (I’m thinking it is real eased so slowly that it hopefully wouldn’t Be an issue)
Thanks!

 

[kellyfair]

Why would adding CYA affect your backwashing, whenever you are able to do it? I mean, sure, if you backwash at some point you’ll probably have to tweak your CYA, but since it sounds like it might be a while, I would get some in there so at least you can control your chlorine loss.

 

[jdlw]

I had read i

Why would adding CYA affect your backwashing, whenever you are able to do it? I mean, sure, if you backwash at some point you’ll probably have to tweak your CYA, but since it sounds like it might be a while, I would get some in there so at least you can control your chlorine loss.

i had read that we needed to backwash before adding CYA to keep the pressure from getting too high (I guess it can sit in the filter - even if the sock method is used)

 

[IceShadow]

I had read i

i had read that we needed to backwash before adding CYA to keep the pressure from getting too high (I guess it can sit in the filter - even if the sock method is used)

The way most people are told to add CYA is to dump it in the skimmer. There are many reasons not do do that. One of them is that the granules can sit in your filter for up to a week, and so if you backwash you lose them. So you’re told to backwash first since you can’t do it while adding CYA.

However if you do it a different way then you don't need to worry about it at all. Add it by putting it in an old sock (no holes), tying it off, and suspending it in front of a return jet. Every so often squeeze the sock and let the milky white stuff get out of it. This way is more safe for your pool equipment, pipes, and skimmer.