CYA and Saltwater Pools

[kevinanton7]

Thanks to the help of everyone here I've had a trouble free (calendar) year with my pool so far. My question is about CYA. TFP recommends a higher level of CYA for SWG pools and I am just wondering what are the reasons for this? Why would a higher level not also help a standard pool? As was posted on another thread, I have an autocover, so sunlight isn't a huge concern, therefore I have been slow walking up my CYA levels this spring. I'm somewhere between 50-60 right now, which is obviously below the recommended level.

My question is, if I'm staying within the appropriate FC target levels for the given CYA with a SWG run time of about 25%, is there any benefit to continuing higher with the CYA? My pool is CRYSTAL CLEAR, like you can tell the main drain screws are philips head 8ft down clear (thanks to you all).

 

[Texas Splash]

The standard recommendation for a CYA of 70 for salt pools is designed to help most outdoor residential pools that receive a lot of sun. Could there be exceptions? - certainly. Cooler climates and those that receive a lot of shade or limited sun (i.e. cover) might have flexibility with the CYA. It's your call based on cell output and FC consumption. Our goal with the CYA is to preserve FC, make life easier on the cell, and extend its life. The gas generated by the cell is small and produced throughout the day which also benefits from the additional UV protection. Liquid chlorine users typically add larger dosages of product once a day, so the CYA demand can be different. Although even with liquid chlorine pools, some areas of the country still need a CYA of 60-70. I know I did down here.

 

[wireform]

If your pool is mostly covered except for when it's being used you'll be fine with 50.

 

[Newdude]

My question is, if I'm staying within the appropriate FC target levels for the given CYA with a SWG run time of about 25%, is there any benefit to continuing higher with the CYA?

Covered = no
Uncovered = yes.

You basically have 2 pools depending. All week while it's covered with everyone at work, track meets, etc, there's minimal loss.

Leave the pool open while enjoying it all day Saturday and you've got yourself a regular old open pool with full FC swing.

LC pools would benefit from the higher CYA, but every 10 CYA raises the slam target +4 FC. Many of the newbs we teach will make mistakes so we guard them against a more difficult and more expensive slam if they goof. For a seasoned TFP pro that will maintain an appropriate FC level, they are free to experiment with raising their CYA, understanding the risks.

With SWG pools, the higher CYA allows the cells to be run slightly less, extending their lifespan. The payoff makes the risks worthwhile. They produce sloooooowly over many hours and in the peak loss times of the day, many don't come close to keeping up. I see it anytime my CYA dips to 50 and the accompanying FC loss is my red flag that the CYA dipped.