CYA notes and results

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I think you may be focusing on the wrong thing to try and save costs. Yes lower your pump runtime more. Try dropping it by an hour, wait a few days drop another hour etc etc. You will see when your water doesnt look filtered enough and then bump it up one more hour. Personally I run mine for two hours a day in the evening as thats when I test and add chems. I tried for 3 hours and noticed no difference so felt comfortable with that. This should save some money on your power bill
Also next spring when you go to open look around for good prices on chlorine. This is the best way to save on chlorine. If you find a good sale you can stock up too, just make sure you keep it out of the sun in a cooler area and it will keep fine. You dont want to skimp on the chlorine and run the risk of an algae outbreak, which then would require a slam or not be keeping the water sanitary. There is usually a post that start up at the beginning of the season with people posting good prices, so keep an eye out for that
Yes you will need to keep an eye on your ph and TA next year. For now I would just keep it in swimmable range and think about looking at it in the spring. High TA wont cause any issues apart from helping you ph to rise quickly. Its something to tweak when the rest of your pool is fine
I hope you get plenty of swim days in before you have to close. I will be opening in two months and I cant wait!!
 
Just found the calculations for you. This is how you work out which bleach is the best value for money
Price/ounces/concentration.
$3.50 of 121 oz of 8.25%
3.5/121/0.0825=.325 or 32.5 cents per effective ounce

$3.64 of 128 oz of 10%
3.64/128/0.10= 0.284 or 28.4 cents per effective ounce

I also keep a log, just a cheap notebook I have with my testing kit
I just find it the easiest and fastest way to keep notes, call me old fashioned ;)

Hope this helps :)

 
DeanP66,

I think I will raise my CYA to 50 next summer and see what happens. Especially since the pool is in full sun all day long and we live in a desert climate unlike the western side of the state. Mostly 90's and 100-110 temps. And you're right about knowing what's going on with the pool now. So thankful for that. I try to stay on top of testing the FC every day so I don't end up with a bloom and have to SLAM. But that's the part that makes me a little nervous, I guess, about raising the CYA. But thanks for the encouragement! :grin:

Caco,
Opening in 2 months?!?! That's just crazy! How long is your pool open? Enjoy, while I am here freezing all winter...:splash:

I definitely need to try lowering the run time more. At least I've cut it in half from the 24/7 routine. That should save some money on the electric.
And I would never scrimp on the chlorine. But I figured if there was a way to reduce the amount used daily, it would be great! And it seems I am using less than before by keeping my pH down in the 7.4-7.7 range. I was using about 73-97 oz (10%) or more a day. And when I keep the pH down, I am only using 61 oz (10%) a day on a very regular basis. So in a month it adds up. Saving $20-$30 a month on chlorine plus not lugging as many gallons of bleach is a win-win! So I will see if this trend continues....
I have been keeping track on paper too. Call me old fashioned too...I don't care. Sometimes just quicker and easier to sit down and look at it all together.

3.5/121/0.0825=.325 Can you explain what goes where the slashes are? Multiply, divide? Thank you! It does all help!:thumleft:

Lou,
That's what I'm doing too. Keeping a handwritten log of sorts, although kind of sloppy. It helps a lot! Just hard to remember where I put things the following year....YIKES! :eek:

Thanks to all for reading and replying. It helps a lot!
Sherry
 
jstblush,

I hear ya about being nervous if you have to SLAM at the higher CYA level. If you stay at 50 or even 60, you should be ok. It's a little bit more FC to start and then, just re-dosing it back up to the shock level as you're doing the SLAM. The key is you won't be adding anything else to raise the CYA any further.

I see you installed a new pump motor recently. Is that a 2 speed or variable speed pump? Those are really great at saving electricity. I decided to redo my whole equipment pad back in January and I came to the realization that a brand new variable speed Hayward Tristar pump ($775) would pay for itself in a little over 6 months. Even though I had just replaced my pump a little over two years ago, I couldn't justify not going for the new pump after seeing the electrical savings that the variable speed pump would generate. It has been great. I run it at a very low speed (1000 rpm's) for 18 hours a day and it only costs me a little over $8 a month on my electrical bill. Compare that to my old pump that would run for only 5 hours a day at full speed (3400 rpm's) and would cost me over $125 on my bill.:hammer:
 
oops, my bad on the math, maybe I need to do a few more maths papers :study:

Caco,
Opening in 2 months?!?! That's just crazy! How long is your pool open? Enjoy, while I am here freezing all winter...:splash:
Click to expand...
Yep open in October, close in March. Generally only get to swim Nov-Feb though, unless the weather is really kind like it was in 2015 (swam to early April then). But brought an electric heater this year so hoping to get an extra couple of weeks either side of the season, so mid Oct to mid Mar. Maybe once I get my solar PV installed I will run the heater for longer but we have crazy electric prices here compared to you so I dont want to run it too often
 
Another summer is upon us. And here I am again. My CYA is 40 and I am going to recheck it when the sun rises. Then I am going to raise it to 50 for sure for this summer and see what happens. Did an OCLT last night and passed that so hopefully no worries about slamming with the higher CYA. ;) I really hope I see a difference in bleach usage this year. The experiment continues.... Thanks to all who replied to my post last year as I just read through the thread again and I'm raising my CYA today. Be brave, Sherry! LOL
 
I don't think you'll be disappointed. Just remember to match your FC to your new CYA level. Dose it in the 6-8 range and don't ever let it get below 4. I think you'll find that the FC will last a little longer and won't approach your minimum level very often. That will give you a bit of leeway just in case you're busy and can't quite dose that day.
 

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Thanks Dean. When I added the CYA to raise it to 50 on May 25th it never got to 50. I have no idea why, but t didn't. So today I am trying to do an experiment with my CYA and FC dosage and usage. I was about to add more CYA and stopped and figured this is the best time to try and use some 3" tabs I have wasting away in the garage and see what they do and how they affect FC and CYA. Then if we're gone a few days I will know how they affect my pool.

Anyhow, I added 4 tabs to the inline chlorinator and set it to 4. Not sure how all this will play out but gonna know soon. I will be keeping an eye on my CYA and FC and supplement with bleach if needed. Not taking any chances on low Fc or high CYA!

Let the experiment begin..........:study:

The one thing I have never understood is how we got away with using the tabs for so many years (17 years) without having CYA issues. We do drain our pool at the end of summer below the skimmer and top off the pool when needed. I imagine that along with backwashing helped save us somewhat. But for THAT LONG??? I just don't get it! Anyhow, I think I will learn some more valuable info about my pool and CYA, FC and 3" tabs.

Sherry :lovetfp:
 
Sounds like you really have a handle on things. You know what to expect and how to change things up (tabs) for certain situations. By my calculations, adding those 4 tabs will increase your CYA by 7 once they are fully dissolved. Also, be aware that they will also lower your pH by 0.62, so once you put those in, you can probably stop adding any MA until they are all dissolved as well.
 
Well, that didn't work out so well. I just checked my FC (about the same time I check every night 6-7 p.m.) and FC was at 3. I had to add 97 oz LC to get back to 7 where I target every night. So I had to add more LC than the last 4 or 5 nights which were about 73 oz. So it's as if there were no tabs in the chlorinator.

Or maybe the chlorinator is going to KEEP the FC at 3 all the time instead of the loss during the day when adding the LC? I don't know how long they take to dissolve. Anyhow, good thing I'm figuring this out now instead of when we're not here and things really go haywire! LOL

Maybe I need to turn up the chlorinator. I have it at 4. I think it only goes to 5. Maybe add more pucks too? Just trying to figure it all out.

I did not check the CYA yet as I figure it needs a few days, at least, to make much difference. No sense wasting my solution.

Sherry (still learning)
 
Tabs must be kicking in. Checked FC at 1 p.m. and it was 7.5. Checked it again at 6:45 p.m. and it's still 6.5. So I didn't have to add any chlorine tonight. I will leave tabs in and keep an eye on my CYA and see how this plays out. Very interesting. Will be even more interesting on the CYA reading. Checked it today and it's still reading at CYA of 40.

Why can't they just make pucks without stabilizer??? If someone could come up with a way to do that...they would be RICH!!!!!!!
Sherry
 
They do have pucks without stabilizer, but they contain calcium instead. From all accounts, they leave a gummy residue behind. I would avoid them. If you want to use calcium hypochlorite, I would stick to the powdered form (shock) as that will at least dissolve rather quickly, but not ideal for vacations.
 
Thanks Dean.

I'm really only doing this experimenting for when we are out of town for a few days. I am sticking with LC because this is what has worked since I joined here in 2015 to keep my pool sparkling clean! :D I'm kind of using this thread as a place to look back on as I learn about the pucks and how they are affecting CYA and FC.

I am just interested in how fast the pucks affect the CYA and how many pucks it takes to keep FC at a certain level. When we used pucks before we didn't have a good test kit and really were just listening to the pool store. That has changed, can you tell? It's more just a learning thing for me. So don't worry, I'm not going back to my old ways!

The CYA thing is interesting to me because we went so long before we got into trouble with it being so high. But probably in reality, we had problems long before we knew it because my husband used to add all kinds of things to the pool. $$$$$ But this info will be so helpful (I think) if we are out of town and need to keep the pool in good shape. And then at least I will understand how the CYA and pucks work.

I remember reading about the pucks that didn't contain stabilizer but couldn't remember exactly why people didn't use them. You reminded me about the gummy mess that could happen. That's why I'm sticking to LC! But wouldn't it be nice if we could just fill the chlorinator with pucks that didn't mess things up! Why..........LOL

Thanks for listening and have a great 4th!

Sherry
 
That would be a dream wouldn't it? Sounds like you may be interested in a SWG. Everyone here that has them seems to love them. That would definitely solve your vacation issue. I've thought about getting one myself, but I've had issues with staining so I have to keep my pH on the lower end (7.2 - 7.4) to keep the stains away. That doesn't seem to mix well with SWG's which tend raise the pH up near 7.8 constantly. I'd probably be going through tons of MA monthly.
 
SWCG in themselves do not raise your pH. The fact you are not adding acid via trichlor is the primary reason people equate rising pH with SWCG.

If you are currently using liquid chlorine there will be little effect by switching to a SWCG.
 
Yeah, a SWG would be great. But just another thing to mess with or have problems. :) I kind of like the simple methods. And honestly, we are here most of the time anyway. I can do all the testing and dosing, but when it comes to the mechanical stuff...not so much. ;(

So far since the 1st when I added the pucks, my FC is staying between 6 and 7.5 every time I check it no matter the time of day. So that's a good thing.

And the CYA hasn't hardly budged. I checked it again today after topping off the pool this morning and it was actually reading more like 35. I know it goes by 30, 40, 50 60, etc. But it still has been reduced a small amount probably by splashing and topping off pool and a backwash. Maybe this experiment will allow me to switch back and forth between LC and pucks! Even that would be great! Do I look like I'm searching for a way to not have to use LC everyday? Yes, maybe it's true.... Just having a break from lugging the LC everyday is a nice little thing. I'm just watching and learning. If it works with switching back and forth, yeah! But I am keeping my eye on the water clarity and testing everyday so there will be no mistakes. At least I'm learning how many pucks I need and how high they keep my FC level. That alone is something new for me because my husband used to take care of the pool when we were using pucks. Now, I do all the testing and dosing to the pool since 2015.

Sherry :geek:
 
Still going well with the pucks. Always have a reading of 6-8 ppm FC. CYA at 40, so has moved a small amount but still FC within good range. And CYA isn't any higher than when I started with the pucks so far. I'm starting to think the splash out, pool top off and backwashes are what kept us good with using the pucks for so many years. I can't figure any other way we could have used them for so long and got away with using them until everything went to you know what. At least now my TF-100 is keeping me well informed as to what's happening with my water! So glad I bought that kit! Best money ever spent!

Another plus is my pH is not climbing like before so I haven't had to add any acid. :) pH is at 7.4

So basically I'm learning a lot of useful info for myself!

Sherry
 

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