CYA Sock Method in Skimmer - Nothing Seems to Come Out

[DB-Cooper]

Ok, so I've now three times tried the CYA Sock method in my skimmers. After 3-4 days very little CYA is removed from the skimmer sock. If I move it around I see the white cloud and that's sucked by the pump right away, but if I just leave it, very little if any is moved through the sock.

So now I find myself squeezing the bag which creates a lot of CYA coming out. I also will drag the sock around the pool and put it in front of a return for a few seconds and that makes quite a big CYA event.

When I read about the sock method, I'm wondering if people are using special skimmer socks or something. My CYA is very wet, but it just doesn't leak out.

That said, even with my squeezing it in the skimmer, I am getting good CYA readings that match what Pool Math says. I've been waiting about a week to backwash after in fear that a lot of undiluted CYA is hitting the grids.

Am I missing something? Are people leaving the socks in for like a month?

 

[Texas Splash]

So now I find myself squeezing the bag which creates a lot of CYA coming out.

That's exactly what you need to do. Just continue squeezing until all the mush comes out. Even if you are getting this torrential rain right now we are seeing.

 

[DB-Cooper]

That's exactly what you need to do. Just continue squeezing until all the mush comes out. Even if you are getting this torrential rain right now we are seeing.

Ugh, don't get me started my friend. I've had to drain like a foot out of my pool in the last week or two. Sucks as I just added CYA and salt. Giving a little back to the community. Hopefully my CH will go down a bit with all this drain and fill. I think it's down about 25-50 ppm which isn't a lot when you're at 550

On the CYA, do you just squeeze it all at once or do you do it a little at a time? I've been doing it a few times a day, but I put it in 4 days ago and still have a little left. Do I still risk it just getting bound up in the filter? I mean it'll dilute over time, but I was hoping to do an extreme backwash with all this free water we have

Cheers and stay dry!

 

[Bvacchiano]

I just put it in some cheap pantyhose my wife got from the Dollar Store. I wait 1.5 hour after putting in my skimmer and then go out and squeeze it all out into the pool I do use some latex gloves.
“get in,get out, get on with your life”. This Crud about hanging in front of a water feature or waiting for days in the skimmer is for the birds.

 

[Texas Splash]

On the CYA, do you just squeeze it all at once or do you do it a little at a time?

Once I let the sock soak for about 30 minutes, I just stay right there and keep squeezing. I usually get most of it our in about 5-7 minutes. If my hands get tired, I step away for a couple minutes then finish it off.

 

[DB-Cooper]

Thanks team!

I've been doing it all wrong then. I'm not using gloves but am washing my hands right after. I do use gloves, masks and glasses when handling DE. Should I be taking more precaution handling this (in wet form)?

 

[DB-Cooper]

Second question, if I'm letting this marinade for a while then squeezing, is the guidance still to wait several days before backwashing? I've read on here that if you use "the sock method" you don't need to worry about that. I can imagine the large granuals getting stuck but it's pretty milky when I squeeze it after letting it marinade.

 

[MITBeta]

put it in front of a return for a few seconds and that makes quite a big CYA event.

You have just experimentally discovered why this is the recommended method for adding CYA.

 

[clambert1273]

Once I let the sock soak for about 30 minutes, I just stay right there and keep squeezing. I usually get most of it our in about 5-7 minutes. If my hands get tired, I step away for a couple minutes then finish it off.

Same or then I make the kids do it

 

[Texas Splash]

Cyanuric acid is quite harmless when you are squeezing it out as long as you don't accidently splash some of it up in your eyes. As for the wait time it should register in about 24 hours once all dissolved. Might not take that long. The "several days" thing is for those who listen to the pool store and dump it in the skimmer (bad) then the granules never dissolve for a long time.

 

[clambert1273]

Thanks team!

I've been doing it all wrong then. I'm not using gloves but am washing my hands right after. I do use gloves, masks and glasses when handling DE. Should I be taking more precaution handling this (in wet form)?

I dont use gloves neither do my kids, we just squeeze then rinse in pool and dry off lol

 

[IceShadow]

My kids love squeezing the cya bag for some reason. (I use an old bag my wife used to wash her bras that now has the zipper broken - add CYA, tie it off below the zipper, dangle in front of the return.)

 

[DB-Cooper]

Thanks, well I got it all out, will measure this weekend. Keeping an eye on the continued rain which appears to be tapering off. Will do a backwash as well as I'm overdue.

 

[DB-Cooper]

You have just experimentally discovered why this is the recommended method for adding CYA.

I worried a bit if I did it that the CYA would clump at the bottom of the pool in that area, but I did put the skimmer cover over it and let it dangle in front a return for 5 minutes. I can see little floating things among the white creamy stuff, but it seems to dissipate real quick (within like a minute).

 

[mguzzy]

I prefer to squeeze it out into the pool water and not the skimmer.. that is where it needs to be anyway. It probably takes 20 min to get it all into the water by squeezing it every now and then.

 

[zea3]

For future reference: If you have a main drain and draw from both switch to skimmer only when the CYA sock is in there. Also if you have a variable speed pump run it on high while the sock is in the skimmer. Sock method works best when there is a lot of water rushing through it. Let the sock soak about 30 minutes, give it a good squeeze to get started if the volume of water in the skimmer is not doing it alone.

 

[DB-Cooper]

For future reference: If you have a main drain and draw from both switch to skimmer only when the CYA sock is in there. Also if you have a variable speed pump run it on high while the sock is in the skimmer. Sock method works best when there is a lot of water rushing through it. Let the sock soak about 30 minutes, give it a good squeeze to get started if the volume of water in the skimmer is not doing it alone.

I can try that next time (I can isolate the drains and have a VSF pump), but the squeeze it method works for me, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing it wrong.

 

[zea3]

I always just dumped it in a sock, let it sit in the skimmer 30 minutes and squeezed the heck out of it. Something oddly satisfying about that!