CYA Questions

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Pool Novice2

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Oct 19, 2016
51
Long Island, NY
I have a new pool with a fresh fill. Help from this website had been invaluable and I've been adding a little CYA each day. I'm still below 30ppm, but it's been pretty cold and rainy here in NY...so I'm not worried.

Regardless, I have some CYA questions and comments and feel like a need a little "clarity" regarding CYA....pool pun intended! My simple understanding of CYA is that it helps prolong the life and effectiveness of free chlorine in sunlight. The prolonging of the chlorine helps keep algae at bay. After that, I'll leave it to the experts.

Understanding the concepts above, I have a few comments and questions:
1. I think it's also generally agreed that too much CYA is a bad thing because it renders the FC ineffective and/or creates the need for too much FC and slamming the pool becomes impossible.
2. The only way to remove CYA is to drain the pool, so too much CYA can be a real hassle.
3. My pool is located in a northern climate (NY) and mostly in the shade. I have almost no sunlight on the pool until 1030 and then full sun until about 2pm. After that, it's a shady/sun mix, but mostly shade. Please...I'm not asking for comments on why I put a pool in the shade...I had no choice.
4. This site and my SWG recommend 60-80 CYA.
5. My PB claims I don't need CYA and generally seems annoyed that I added it to my pool without his knowledge.
6. So...If my pool is mainly in the shade in a northern climate, do I really need the recommended 60-80 CYA with SWG pool?

Lastly...if he's right, that's fine....but otherwise, why would the PB really care to scold me about CYA. What's in it for him to keep the level down (they have no idea what my CYA level is...they were genuinely ticked that I added any!)

Thanks for any insight!
 
You can probably go with less CYA with those conditions. The best way to know is to test your FC in the late afternoon. That will be when the greatest amount has been lost to the sun shining on the pool. Just be sure your SWCG is set so that you are at target with FC at that time. If it cannot keep up, raise your CYA by 10 ppm and try again.

A higher CYA can let your SWCG work less. But again, in your climate it will probably only be working 4 or 5 months each year.

Hope that helps.

Take care.
 
1. I think it's also generally agreed that too much CYA is a bad thing because it renders the FC ineffective and/or creates the need for too much FC and slamming the pool becomes impossible.
2. The only way to remove CYA is to drain the pool, so too much CYA can be a real hassle.
3. My pool is located in a northern climate (NY) and mostly in the shade. I have almost no sunlight on the pool until 1030 and then full sun until about 2pm. After that, it's a shady/sun mix, but mostly shade. Please...I'm not asking for comments on why I put a pool in the shade...I had no choice.
4. This site and my SWG recommend 60-80 CYA.
5. My PB claims I don't need CYA and generally seems annoyed that I added it to my pool without his knowledge.
6. So...If my pool is mainly in the shade in a northern climate, do I really need the recommended 60-80 CYA with SWG pool?
Click to expand...

1. Agreed

2. Agreed

3. OK

4. I would suggest 60 but that's not a HUGE difference

5. He is a dummy!

6. Yep! About 60

He is simply ignorant of what it is and it's correct use. He needs to join TFP and get his head out of his derriere.

PS - I guess you could say you don't "need" any but we teach people to understand how to manage their pools correctly and that includes CYA.
 
PN,

Your "facts" seem correct to me...

Most pool builders are really good at building pools but have no clue about how to maintain the chemicals in a pool. A lot of them have various myths that they believe in facts or not.

CYA also helps buffer you from the chlorine, so it really needs to be there. I can't understand his position at all. You might want to ask him why he does not think CYA should be in a pool? It would be interesting to see what he says...

You can keep your CYA lower than our SWCG recommendation if you want, it is up to you. I know for me, the lower my CYA, the harder I need to run my SWCG. So if I have a CYA of 50 I might have to run my SWCG at 40% while with a CYA of 80 I can run it at 20%..

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.
 
Hey Novice2

Having the same PB as you I would agree that they build great pools but when it comes to chemistry TFP has them hands down. I added CYA too approximately 70-80 because I didn't want to go over. IMO Advice you get on this site is from true pool experts who love their pools. I purchased the tf100 kit and following the TFP method. So far so good. On a side note, Not sure how your SWG is wired but I have to change ours because it's wired with the pump. So it runs whenever the pump is on. I'm changing it so it's on the pool timer by it self. That way I can run the pump independently from the SWG.
 
agree with the less harsh chlorine with cya and that it will make your swg probably last longer as a result.

Indoor pools usually don't need any...I guess people with those don't care if their hair or swim wear is affected,
but as long as sun is not on it, no loss from that in an indoor pool.

It's been mentioned on the forum several times, if you have sun on your pool with no cya it can
burn ALL the chlorine off sometimes in as little as 30 minutes.
 
Magvallo,
Agreed on the build...we're very happy with quality of the pool....and the employees are all very nice and helpful and seem to care. At the same time, the communication (re scheduling all the way along the way) was lacking. Also, they dumped in double the salt I needed (by accident...poor communication between their ppl) and now they're telling me no CYA...which I don't understand. I really can't find anyone...on this site or any other site...that recommends no cya for outdoor pool. Without the help from the great people on this site, I would have felt even more lost than I already did...

My SWG also goes on when pump is turned on....there is another way to do it? I had no idea.

Thanks,
PN2
 
I agree on great company but they need to work on communication. Sorry to hear about the salt issue. As far as the SWG. I don't like the idea of the flow sensor turning off the SWG. Also there are times of the year when I want to run the skimmers longer then the SWG. If you search you will find posts about issues using the flow sensor as a turn off for the SWG. When you have both pump and SWG wired together then the flow sensor in the SWG shuts down the unit when the pump stops and there is no water flowing.
 
Thanks everyone. Last question (for now?) and it's tied to CYA again...

If my FC is reading 5.5, is that too high if my CYA is still low (maybe 20ish and climbing)? As Jim R wrote...the CYA acts as a buffer for the chlorine. So...if my buffer is very low...is FC too high at 5.5...and when I say too high...what I really mean is undesirable for swimming? Will the chlorine feel harsh on eyes/skin and damage bathing suits? Wish I understood this stuff a little more...
 

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