CYA is high - Didn't want to highjack another's thread

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surferbum

surferbum

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May 18, 2013
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North Scottsdale
Just added water to pool 2 weeks ago and the PB did the initial startup.

  • I am planning on using the TRFC system and here's where I stand:
  • CYA is high but am getting still used to testing.
  • I now have both the TF-100 kit and the ColorQ Pro-7 kit (I'm a gadget guy plus I wanted something straight-forward for my wife).
  • The first three columns were from Leslie testing, the 4th from TF-100 and 5th from the ColorQ. Between the 2nd and 3rd tests, my FC went to zero due to my ignorance.
  • I went to Leslie's for emergency help and they sold me their Chlor Brite product (granules) and liquid muriatic acid. I added two cups of acid and two packets of Chlor Brite as directed. I then received my test kits and am planning on using the TFPC system.

Screenshot 2014-09-19 10.41.24.jpg

First newbie question: Should I worry about CYA is high now of wait a couple more test cycles?
 
First off, Welcome.

Second, you need to pick one test methodology and use that as your guide for pool care. As you've probably figured out from reading some threads, pool stores are not much better than worthless, the ColorQ is not trusted by most TFP'ers and long term often becomes unreliable and your Taylor reagents are considered the Cadillac of testing methods. I think you can guess what I'm about to say - ignore everything else and only use your TF-100 kit.

With that said, your data shows exactly why you need to pick one test method and stick to it - you have four different CYA values spanning 5 different tests over 3 weeks. Here's a news flash - If there is no significant changes to your water volume, your CYA will not change more than a few ppm/month. That level is so low, that you should not see much change in your Taylor test value month to month. So, you need to decide what value you are going to believe and stick to it. Once you get your CYA value set, then everything else falls into place by using the suggested CYA/FC levels.

Laminate this chart as it is your suggested levels guide -

http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/134-recommended-levels
 
CYA is not going to get lower unless you do a water exchange. How did it get so high in 2 weeks? Pool builder add too much?

You need to get it down to 50 if manually chlorinating, 70 if you have a SWCG. Where it is now you need to keep FC above 10 with a target of 15 or so until you do the water exchange. You need to test and adjust accordingly every day. With the numbers all over the board, and too low you are inviting algae to move in.
 
SunnyOptimism said:
First off, Welcome.

Second, you need to pick one test methodology and use that as your guide for pool care. As you've probably figured out from reading some threads, pool stores are not much better than worthless, the ColorQ is not trusted by most TFP'ers and long term often becomes unreliable and your Taylor reagents are considered the Cadillac of testing methods. I think you can guess what I'm about to say - ignore everything else and only use your TF-100 kit.

With that said, your data shows exactly why you need to pick one test method and stick to it - you have four different CYA values spanning 5 different tests over 3 weeks. Here's a news flash - If there is no significant changes to your water volume, your CYA will not change more than a few ppm/month. That level is so low, that you should not see much change in your Taylor test value month to month. So, you need to decide what value you are going to believe and stick to it. Once you get your CYA value set, then everything else falls into place by using the suggested CYA/FC levels.

Laminate this chart as it is your suggested levels guide -

http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/134-recommended-levels
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. The laminate chart gave me this error message
Page Not Found
Invalid Route Requested

The page that you have requested was not found. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator.

Home
Click to expand...
Is there a better link?
 
Water exchange makes no sense to me. The pool was filled < 2 weeks ago.

- - - Updated - - -

tim5055 said:
CYA is not going to get lower unless you do a water exchange. How did it get so high in 2 weeks? Pool builder add too much?

You need to get it down to 50 if manually chlorinating, 70 if you have a SWCG. Where it is now you need to keep FC above 10 with a target of 15 or so until you do the water exchange. You need to test and adjust accordingly every day. With the numbers all over the board, and too low you are inviting algae to move in.
Click to expand...

Water exchange makes no sense to me. The pool was filled < 2 weeks ago.
 
surferbum said:
Water exchange makes no sense to me. The pool was filled < 2 weeks ago.

- - - Updated - - -



Water exchange makes no sense to me. The pool was filled < 2 weeks ago.
Click to expand...

The only way to lower CYA concentration is to drain some fraction of your pool water and refill with fresh water. Otherwise it takes forever for the CYA to naturally oxidize.

This is why solid stabilized chlorine products like dichlor powder/granules and trichlor pucks are so bad to use on a regular basis - they add a huge amount of CYA to your pool water.

Once your CYA goes above 80ppm, the amount of FC it takes to have a proper sanitizing fraction in your pool water rises too high to be practical (most of the FC is buffered by the CYA). It is this relationship between CYA and FC that the pool industry does not or refuses to understand and it is the major cause of algae outbreaks in most residential pools.

Since you are now already on the high end of CYA concentration after only 2 weeks of pool ownership, you now have a choice to make - do a partial drain and refill your pool to get down to a more reasonable CYA level (~50ppm) or add a lot of bleach to your pool to maintain a higher FC level. Keep in mind that FC dissipates faster at higher concentrations and so you will be using a lot of liquid chlorine everyday.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'd like to start off by welcoming you to the site. I truly do hope you find an enjoyable place to sit back and learn about YOUR pools water. :D

Quickly reading your posts I've got a few really quick questions. My first question for you is if you plan on using a Salt Water Chlorine Generator in the future? My second question is what is your current CYA test result using the TF-100? If I am reading your post correctly (it's 3am and my minds not working fully yet) then your CYA level appears to be around 60ppm. If so, I would STOP using any form of granular chlorine and switch to Liquid Chlorine for now. Your CYA level will only continue to increase using the product you have mentioned. Put these away somewhere dry, and use them at a later date when you are needing to increase your CYA level......but not now.

With your current CYA level you can continue to run the pool, however be VERY careful not to let the FC levels drop below 5 at ANY time. My personal suggestion would be to keep your FC levels at 8-9ppm until you are able to lower the CYA levels down somewhat. Really keep a close eye on the products you add to the pool, and if you have any questions on the products you are going to add......ask here first and we'll help you determine if it's in your best interest or not. :D

These two articles will help you learn more about your pool's chemistry and what you need to do to keep it clean.
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Recommended Levels

Lastly, this video here will help you understand WHY your CYA level got to where it is now. The products you've used has added CYA into the pool with each use. You've caught this issue just in time to avoid a major future headache.......switch now to liquid chlorine, or you will end up facing a drain/refill in your near future.
Di-Chlor vs Cal-Hypo : What is best to shock your pool?


Welcome once again to TFP!
 
Reading Lebo's reply I discovered I was reading the wrong line on the spreadsheet for CYA. I was reading it as 100...

No need to drain yest, but as has been stated much more solid chlorine will punch it over the top.
 
A couple things for you to consider. First, Leslie's is generally pretty accurate in regards to FC testing. And second, your tf100 FC result is almost certainly not correct unless you added all that granular chlorine just before your test kit arrived.
 

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Leebo said:
I'd like to start off by welcoming you to the site. I truly do hope you find an enjoyable place to sit back and learn about YOUR pools water. :D

Quickly reading your posts I've got a few really quick questions. My first question for you is if you plan on using a Salt Water Chlorine Generator in the future? My second question is what is your current CYA test result using the TF-100? If I am reading your post correctly (it's 3am and my minds not working fully yet) then your CYA level appears to be around 60ppm. If so, I would STOP using any form of granular chlorine and switch to Liquid Chlorine for now. Your CYA level will only continue to increase using the product you have mentioned. Put these away somewhere dry, and use them at a later date when you are needing to increase your CYA level......but not now.

With your current CYA level you can continue to run the pool, however be VERY careful not to let the FC levels drop below 5 at ANY time. My personal suggestion would be to keep your FC levels at 8-9ppm until you are able to lower the CYA levels down somewhat. Really keep a close eye on the products you add to the pool, and if you have any questions on the products you are going to add......ask here first and we'll help you determine if it's in your best interest or not. :D

These two articles will help you learn more about your pool's chemistry and what you need to do to keep it clean.
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Recommended Levels

Lastly, this video here will help you understand WHY your CYA level got to where it is now. The products you've used has added CYA into the pool with each use. You've caught this issue just in time to avoid a major future headache.......switch now to liquid chlorine, or you will end up facing a drain/refill in your near future.
Di-Chlor vs Cal-Hypo : What is best to shock your pool?


Welcome once again to TFP!
Click to expand...

I've drained my pool partially (to lower CYA) and the current numbers are looking better to my eye.

FC 7.24
pH 7.6
TA 120
CH 140
CYA 46

I will likely do one more partial drain to get the CYA down lower but will wait a week. I live in a hard water area and am confused why my CH is low. Should I add calcium chloride now or be patient?

poolmath pic.jpg
 
surferbum said:
Repeat from above: I live in a hard water area and am confused why my CH is low. Should I add calcium chloride now or be patient?
Click to expand...
If both your ColorQ and TF-100 are showing CH about the same I would probably bring it about 100 for now. That would put you at the low end of recommended. See how water additions bring it up for a while after that.

Have you tested the water coming out of your hose to verify the high CH?
 
tim5055 said:
If both your ColorQ and TF-100 are showing CH about the same I would probably bring it about 100 for now. That would put you at the low end of recommended. See how water additions bring it up for a while after that.

Have you tested the water coming out of your hose to verify the high CH?
Click to expand...

Do you mean "bring it up to 200"? As I read it, the suggested range is 250-350.

Will test the tap water but know that it is "hard" tap water.
 
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