Cyanuric Acid Levels

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PoolHawk402

Member
May 20, 2023
11
Tucson, Arizona
Pool Size
21000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I live in Tucson Arizona, in the summer the avg water temp is 84°F and the UV rays are intense.
I had to drain my pool recently because I had a cyanuric acid level of 130ppm, as I was only using tabs to chlorinate.
I have all fresh water now and my cyanuric acid level is 5ppm. I have Tabs and Liquid Chlorine, but am thinking about returning the tabs and just going with liquid + stabilizer based off this website.
I've been reading a bunch on cya acid, and there are many conflicting facts. Pool services say 30-50ppm, while others say 30-100ppm for fresh water. A recent CA study showed cya levels of 2-3ppm are shown to be just as effective.
What would you do in my situation in Tucson? What cya level would you go for?
Thanks!
 
PoolHawk402 said:
What would you do in my situation in Tucson? What cya level would you go for?
Click to expand...
If your pool is in full sun and you are still chlorinating with liquid, increase the CYA to at least 50 and don't be surprised if you go slightly higher in the next few weeks to 60-70. Here in my area I would keep mine between 60-70 to protect the FC. If you plan on going salt at some point, it will definitely need to be 70 minimum.

Welcome to TFP! :wave:
 
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Texas Splash said:
If your pool is in full sun and you are still chlorinating with liquid, increase the CYA to at least 50 and don't be surprised if you go slightly higher in the next few weeks to 60-70. Here in my area I would keep mine between 60-70 to protect the FC. If you plan on going salt at some point, it will definitely need to be 70 minimum.

Welcome to TFP! :wave:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice, happy to have found this forum!
 
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Hello fellow Tucsonan.

I have an SWG (you should get one because manual chlorination sucks) and I run my CYA between 70-90ppm always. You can try 50ppm with manual chlorination but your going to burn through liquid chlorine at a fast clip. LC isn’t cheap anywhere. Also, when you stop using tabs, you’re going to need to start using more muriatic acid to keep the pH down. Tabs are very acidic and so you are going to lose that feature with liquid chlorine which is mostly pH neutral.
 
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Hey All - 2nd post here. After going over this awesome website's facts about cyanuric acid, would like to tap your brains on it!
I just filled up my pool, and the CyA acid is currently 5 ppm.
The pool math calc suggested by TFP says to add 93 ounces To my ~20k gallon pool to get it to 40 ppm.
My questions are.
1. Should I use the sock/mesh method in the skimmer with pump running or directly into the skimmer with no mesh?
2. How much can I use at one time? Am I looking at adding cya acid over the next week or two 1 sock at a time or is there a better way?

I've read if you use the sock method, it will clump up and take much longer to dissolve?
FC: 4 , PH: 7.6 , TA: 125 ATM
Thanks!
 

CYA - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Use the sock method. Described in the article. Put the sock in the skimmer with pump running. Remove if pump turns off. Or hang over side of pool. Do not let it sit on the side of the pool. With warm water, it will dissolve quickly.

You did not test a CYA of 5. Be careful believing pool stores.
 
mknauss said:

CYA - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Use the sock method. Described in the article. Put the sock in the skimmer with pump running. Remove if pump turns off. Or hang over side of pool. Do not let it sit on the side of the pool. With warm water, it will dissolve quickly.

You did not test a CYA of 5. Be careful believing pool stores.
Click to expand...
I hear you. I'm currently looking for the most affordable CyA acid test kit. I might just have to bite the bullet and go with the TFP's suggestions.

For now, I can only go off the strips and the pool stores.

I don't see in the article how much I can use at one time. Can I theoretically put 4 lbs in 1 big sock?
 
So you do not know your current CYA level. Be careful.

PoolHawk402 said:
Can I theoretically put 4 lbs in 1 big sock?
Click to expand...
Not likely. Maybe 2 lbs. I would do in 1 lb increments. If placed in skimmer for a half hour and then squished a bit it will come right out.
 
PoolHawk402 said:
I hear you. I'm currently looking for the most affordable CyA acid test kit. I might just have to bite the bullet and go with the TFP's suggestions.

For now, I can only go off the strips and the pool stores.

I don't see in the article how much I can use at one time. Can I theoretically put 4 lbs in 1 big sock?
Click to expand...
I just topped off my CYA and did 2lbs at a time in an old athletic sock. I'm not sure you can get 4lbs in a single sock since mine was about 3/4 the way full.

+1 on getting a good test kit. Without it you are blind to your real numbers and will end up costing you more $ in the long run, especially if you are using a pool store since their goal is to sell you stuff. With your own test kit you know exactly what it needs and can get the products at cheaper places (Walmart, Lowes, Amazon, etc.).
 
JJ_Tex said:
I just topped off my CYA and did 2lbs at a time in an old athletic sock. I'm not sure you can get 4lbs in a single sock since mine was about 3/4 the way full.

+1 on getting a good test kit. Without it you are blind to your real numbers and will end up costing you more $ in the long run, especially if you are using a pool store since their goal is to sell you stuff. With your own test kit you know exactly what it needs and can get the products at cheaper places (Walmart, Lowes, Amazon, etc.).
Click to expand...
Thanks, that makes sense. Do you mind if I ask which test kit you own and where you buy the reagents from?
 
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mknauss said:
So you do not know your current CYA level. Be careful.


Not likely. Maybe 2 lbs. I would do in 1 lb increments. If placed in skimmer for a half hour and then squished a bit it will come right out.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the warning. I will order a test kit and in the meantime I'll only add maybe half or 1/4 of what I was planning. Which test kit do you recommend out of the ones suggested here?
 

Test Kits

tftestkits.net tftestkits.net

Be sure to get the SmartStir - it makes testing easier and much more consistent.
The TF-Pro will work well for your non-SWG pool.
If you plan on adding a SWG, get the TF-Pro Salt

Reagents come with the kit and are guarenteed good for one year.
If you store the kit inside in air conditioning, the reagents could be good for 2 years.
Every Spring - in March - they have a sale on reagent replacement kits.
 
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PoolHawk402 said:
Thanks, that makes sense. Do you mind if I ask which test kit you own and where you buy the reagents from?
Click to expand...
The TF100 with the smart stir. The pro was not available 3 years ago when I bought mine.
To date the test kit was the single most expensive thing I’ve bought for the pool (well besides furniture) and kept me out of the pool stores.
 
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mknauss said:
So you do not know your current CYA level. Be careful.


Not likely. Maybe 2 lbs. I would do in 1 lb increments. If placed in skimmer for a half hour and then squished a bit it will come right out.
Click to expand...
Odd question, and not to jump in another person's thread, but does the sock color matter?
 

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