Idea for Dissolving CYA Granules– And Nothing in the Skimmer

[hexabc]

There are two separate issues here: how quickly CYA granules disappear from the sock and when the increase in CYA concentration is registered in testing. What I noticed is the granules from Leslie’s are relatively large and take a long time (hours) to pass through the nylon socks to the water. In contrast, the CYA branded by Chlorox (picture below) is powdery, so squeezing the socks is very effective and it takes 20 minutes or so. Now the socks are empty but CYA dust settles on the bottom and the walls. I leave the pump running and my Polaris 280 rambling in the pool for at least 3 hours to raise the dust and catch it in the filter. Even in the dust form, CYA takes a long time to dissolve and fully show up in testing, I think a couple of days.

 

[pb4uswim]

I put mine in a hair net in the skimmer and it’s gone in 24 hours. I use hair nets in my skimmer instead of a skimmer sock. I like the convenience of being able to just toss them. So there’s a net in my skimmer. I put the CYA in a separate hair net. It holds about a pound. Either way, I find a pound at a time works well. I tie that up so the CYA is confined in the net and then I drop it in the skimmer. No granules enter my main filter. The next day, the hair net is empty and I’m good to go. Repeat as needed.

I didn’t like the sock/squeeze method because as has been mentioned, I noticed some ”dust” settling on the bottom when I did that. I brushed, but I didn’t like that undissolved CYA was potentially sitting on the pool‘s surface.

 

[TadPool]

I use a kitchen blender, put a couple handfulls of CYA in and fill with water. It'll take about a minute or two to fully chop and dissolve the CYA into a thick slurry. I'll poor it in front of a jet at the deep end and it will mix in easily.

 

[jark87]

I use a kitchen blender, put a couple handfulls of CYA in and fill with water.

Now that’s an idea! I could make margaritas afterwards!

 

[Britali]

Now that’s an idea! I could make margaritas afterwards!

Lol make sure you clean it very well!

 

[mnhim001]

My experience with granular CYA is that takes days upon days to dissolve using the sock method, if it ever would dissolve, as I’ve never been able to get it to dissolve. I’ve squeezed and massaged and spoken encouraging words to it, and of course cursed at it. Like the OP’s CYA, mine just hangs there in a lump. While I’m not a fan of the platter suggestion, as I feel like the potential for a spill is high and/or I’d still have a platter full of CYA when closing my pool in the fall, I do recognize the need for an alternative to the sock method. I fill a 5 gallon bucket full of hot water and slowly add the CYA over several hours, stirring with a wooden paint stir stick. Most of it will eventually dissolve, but only after lots of stirring and many hours. I then pour the slurry into the deep end of the pool, directly over the drains. There will still be some granules that I brush into the drains. It’s a total PITA. Maybe I just have a bad batch, as the bucket I bought was my first experience with granular CYA. I’ve always used liquid in the past and unless there’s a better way to get the granules to dissolve, I’ll gladly pay more for the convenience. I don’t use so much CYA that cost is a significant consideration when weighed against the aggravation.

And don’t get me started on the dot test….

Thats what I do. I fill a 5 gallon bucket with hot water and dump a bag of CYA and let it soak while I go to work. I come home after 8-10 hours and I put on chemical gloves and smother the Crud out of it until its a paste texture then let it back into the bucket and keep smothering it until most are dissolved.

I pour what's dissolved into the skimmer, then what is left I add more hot water and smother again.

 

[nuttyp]

Several good ideas presented in here, but the sock seems to be the real winner. Since starting the thread over 8 months ago I've been using the sock. I tend to fill a sock about half full and place it in the duck floater feeder near a pool jet and let it soak for a day, or a few days, but probably only needs to soak for a few hours. Then massaging the sock releases a cloud of dissolved CYA. I might massage and repeat for the rest a few days later. My original issue of having a full sock turn into a solid block was because I stuffed a full sock in the duck feeder and left it in there too long so it solidified. Massaging a sock in a bucket would probably work just as well. I note that after several fill/massage cycles over six months, the sock disintegrated. Watch for that because skimming out the totally dissolved sock lint is a bit of fun. So, now adding the cost of one pair of cotton socks per year to the cost calc Speaking of costs, CYA/stabilizer prices seem to fluctuate wildly, the best I've seen is Puritech on amazon for $3 to $3.50 per pound in 20 to 25 pound bags. That's about half the price I found elsewhere, I'm sticking to the case made be me and experts to avoid adding CYA or any other chemicals through the skimmer. Happy dissolving.

 

[reggiehammond]

Sock method over dumping in skimmer, for sure. Even "dissolved" CYA into the skimmer risks bunking up the filter, even temporarily.

I've had zero issue using a skimmer sock, filled with CYA, tied onto the end of my leaf net pole. Let it soak for an hour or two, then a few squeezes and it's gone. If left overnight, I've never come back to a sock with any CYA in it.

 

[steve_h]

How come I never heard of this method.
I just dug around in the sock drawer and grabbed a grubby old regular sock. Tossed In one lb of stabilizer. Tied it to a pole.
OH, NO! You guys are talking about a skimmer sock. Not your old nasty gym socks or your SOs panty hose!
NOW I get it!
$13 from the evil jungle river empire for 30 of 'em. Be here tomorrow!
Dummy me.

 

[Newdude]

OH, NO! You guys are talking about a skimmer sock

That works too, but many use actual socks. I use t-shirts, or parts of them.

*need any fabric to be free of rips / tears / holes, which is easier said then done when rifling through the pile of clothing you wouldn't miss to donate to the cause.

 

[kul]

I use an actual sock. Usually one that is missing its counterpart and can be upcycled for CYA. This happens often at my house so I just go on the search.

 

[Newdude]

This happens often at my house so I just go on the search

Right ? Somewhere in the multiverse, a dryer produces socks everytime I lose one.

 

[IceShadow]

I use a laundry bag with a fine mesh.

 

[C&HSewell]

I'm an old t-shirt kinda guy myself.

 

[jark87]

You guys are giving me granule envy. After spending days/hours stirring and mashing granules in a bucket last year, I went back to liquid CYA. It would have been nice to save a little money, but I didn’t want to deal with that again. I’m sure I could have found a better granular CYA that actually dissolves rather than the Leslie’s brand (which I’m convinced is made of rock), but at least I have my CYA at the proper level and no resulting headaches. And I even made it through the #*$%@! dot test without a single curse word!

 

[The Sarge]

I used the sock method. Grabbed a pair of crew socks filled them with 2 lbs each. Tied them off, tied a rope to the sock and a kettle bell. I put them in front of the return jets and pulled them up over a few hours as it dissolved. I would take it out and give the sock a few smashes with kettle bell to give it extra motivation to dissolve . Took about 4 hours to complete. I used the clorox brand, no problems.

 

[magiteck]

How come I never heard of this method.
I just dug around in the sock drawer and grabbed a grubby old regular sock. Tossed In one lb of stabilizer. Tied it to a pole.
OH, NO! You guys are talking about a skimmer sock. Not your old nasty gym socks or your SOs panty hose!
NOW I get it!
$13 from the evil jungle river empire for 30 of 'em. Be here tomorrow!
Dummy me.

I use a plain athletic sock. I’ve been using the same one for 3 years. It holds 2 lbs of cya. After dangling in front of the return for ~ 30 minutes, I can squeeze it all out in about 10. Or just do a couple squeezes, leave and come back a couple more times. In any case, hands on effort is never more than 10 minutes.

After it’s dissolved, I dry the sock in the sun and then throw it back in the shed until next time.

 

[swimmingjax]

I have a skimmer sock and pour the CYA directly into the skimmer basket. This method dissolves a pound or so of the Clorox CYA in a couple of hours.

Doing it this way, should I be overly concerned about the CYA gumming up the filter cart?

 

[mknauss]

I have a skimmer sock and pour the CYA directly into the skimmer basket. This method dissolves a pound or so of the Clorox CYA in a couple of hours.

Doing it this way, should I be overly concerned about the CYA gumming up the filter cart?

No. That is fine. How I do it but be sure the CYA is fully dissolved before the pump turns off for the day.