CYA Level...

Jump to latest Follow Reply
P

perilous

0
May 29, 2014
87
MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP, NJ
Am a little confused...in pool school, it says if pool is exposed to lots of direct sunlight, CYA should be 60-80, whereas everywhere else its at 30-50...can someone help clarify?

Also, opening pool today...hooray!! Have mesh cover...after vacuuming out stuff on bottom...do I focus on ph, TA, Chlorine levels or CYA first? Thx!!
 
We often recommend 60 or so in areas of extremely strong sunlight - Florida, the south, AZ, NV, etc.

You can start at 30-40, and if you decide based on your testing that you're losing too much chlorine to the sun each day, you can always raise it a little more.
 
BTW...for anyone "new", this is the best pool forum ever! AVOID pool stores and pool maintenance "professionals"....get your test kit and follow TFP site and support!!!

Ok...will post new test results later...last night big storm so vacuumed first using excess water, then vacuumed and backwashed about 4 times (adding new DE each time). Then SLAMMED, then trying to adjust ph as per your instructions.

Will post test results later...water is green, just brushed all sides and shallow to deep end...attached spa already pretty clear and shallow end not bad...so slow progress already! Thx for continued help...
 
perilous said:
BTW...for anyone "new", this is the best pool forum ever! AVOID pool stores and pool maintenance "professionals"....get your test kit and follow TFP site and support!!!

Ok...will post new test results later...last night big storm so vacuumed first using excess water, then vacuumed and backwashed about 4 times (adding new DE each time). Then SLAMMED, then trying to adjust ph as per your instructions.

Will post test results later...water is green, just brushed all sides and shallow to deep end...attached spa already pretty clear and shallow end not bad...so slow progress already! Thx for continued help...
Click to expand...

You mentioned you SLAMMED and now you are trying to adjust pH. Couple issues there. 1 - SLAM means Shock Level And Maintain. It is not a one time addition of chlorine like a "shock". 2 - if your FC is above 10 ppm, pH testing is unreliable. That's why it is best to adjust pH down before starting the slam process.
 
I'm in the South as well and my pool gets direct sun all day. I tried CYA of 30 and found just like you that I was adding bleach every couple of days or more. I raised CYA up to 60 and have had to add much less even though I'm maintaining a higher FC of 9. Having the chart to go by is fantastic. You just have to find where you are most comfortable. My pool is 10 minutes from my house (in-laws) and it sometimes isn't convenient for me to get by there every day or two to test. I feel much better running a higher CYA which allows me the extra buffer to better fit my schedule.

I agree with you 100% about this forum though. Everyone is super friendly and always quick to help. I couldn't resist giving back to support this site!
 
OK...filled pool back up with treated well water over night, then vacuumed to waste to try to get most of remaining debris from deep end. Pretty successful...then backwashed. Tested pool water:pretty clear, slightly cloudy...FC 1.0; TC 1.5; TA 75; PH 7.2 (as previously suggested), CYA 40; CH 225....Doing another SLAM...what else suggested? Thx!!
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You have made great progress! According to the chart (CYA/Chlorine) with a CYA of 40, you need to maintain FC of 16 through the SLAM process. Like another stated earlier, SLAM is not a one time application. It is a process that is not complete until the following occurs:

You are done when:

  • CC is 0.5 or lower;
  • You pass an OCLT (ie overnight FC loss test shows a loss of 1.0 ppm or less);
  • And the water is clear.

It sounds like since you were still getting debris from deep end and you said water was still cloudy that you are not done with SLAM yet.
 
perilous said:
Prior advice was to get ph to 7.2 which I did...plus describe my current test readings which I did earlier today....right now, water is "milky" but appears debris and green algae is gone...to clarify, I "shocked" the pool this AM....what should I focus on next?

Thx! :)
Click to expand...
If it's been a couple hours, test and raise the FC back up to shock level. It's not a one-time knockout punch. It's a long steady process. It can take several days to several weeks. The more consistently you maintain 12 FC and brush and vacuum, the faster it will go.
 
Confused in NJ!?!

Ok...yesterday TA at 6 and ph at 7.2...all while shocking, brushing, etc. So put in baking soda to raise TA a little...quick check of chlorine last night...zero...shocked again before going to sleep, Plus, FINALLY received R--oo13 reagant from Test Kit folks so I could check CYA....

Here's my review this morning...water clear, FC holding at at least 12 (stopped putting drops in to save test chemicals) TA 80 but ph back to 8.2! Also, tested CYA....0! (yup zero!!)...is it possible I got bad reagant? alternative way to "test" CYA??? Do NOT want to start adding cya stabilizer to find out later that the test was wrong and then I need to drain pool....HELP on CYA!

Any thoughts on TA/ph or should I wait until shock/slam process complete?

Thx all....
 
perilous said:
Confused in NJ!?!

Ok...yesterday TA at 6 and ph at 7.2...all while shocking, brushing, etc. So put in baking soda to raise TA a little...quick check of chlorine last night...zero...shocked again before going to sleep, Plus, FINALLY received R--oo13 reagant from Test Kit folks so I could check CYA....

Here's my review this morning...water clear, FC holding at at least 12 (stopped putting drops in to save test chemicals) TA 80 but ph back to 8.2! Also, tested CYA....0! (yup zero!!)...is it possible I got bad reagant? alternative way to "test" CYA??? Do NOT want to start adding cya stabilizer to find out later that the test was wrong and then I need to drain pool....HELP on CYA!

Any thoughts on TA/ph or should I wait until shock/slam process complete?

Thx all....
Click to expand...
pH test is inaccurate at FC levels of 10ppm and above.

Are you checking CYA outdoors on a bright sunny day, back to the sun and viewing the tube at about waist level in your shadow?
 
TFTestkits.com sells a 50ppm standard solution you mix with the CYA reagent. I also bought a second tube and mixing bottle so I can mix up the 50 standard solution and my pool solution, pour the 50 standard to the 50 line and compare to my pool solution so when they look the same, that is my reading. Now wife and I get same readings on a consistent basis. Also I have not read the thread closely, but it takes about 7 days from time of addition for CYA to read properly. Also if you are replacing a lot of water by vacuuming to waste can decrease CYA.
Hope it helps
 
Pool Amateur said:
TFTestkits.com sells a 50ppm standard solution you mix with the CYA reagent. I also bought a second tube and mixing bottle so I can mix up the 50 standard solution and my pool solution, pour the 50 standard to the 50 line and compare to my pool solution so when they look the same, that is my reading. Now wife and I get same readings on a consistent basis. Also I have not read the thread closely, but it takes about 7 days from time of addition for CYA to read properly. Also if you are replacing a lot of water by vacuuming to waste can decrease CYA.
Hope it helps
Click to expand...

Can u clarify your alternative CYA test? Cannot quite follow...

Also to clarify earlier CYA readings...I put 40 in but really had no idea as I ran out of the CYA reagant from TFTestkits...still confused how the CYA can go to 0 in one winter...any ideas?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply