As long as whatever is leaving the sock is in "cloud form" and not undissolved granules sneaking through the weave, you're good. Even if some larger chunks escape, they'll get sucked into the filter media and dissolve there. So you're fine.
You can alleviate any concern by waiting longer than a day to test your CYA level. You know it's in your water now, somewhere, so it's just a matter now of when it gets evenly distributed to the entire body of water. If you test it tomorrow and then the next: if the number is higher later, it's still dissolving and mixing, if you get the same result, you're good.
I like the sock in skimmer method, because there's virtually no chance any undissolved CYA will find it's way to the bottom of my pool's surface. But others like to introduce it into the main body, by hanging the sock in front of a return or walking around in the water while squeezing the sock, because there's less likelihood any will get trapped in the filter, which would mean they could get an accurate test result sooner. Half a dozen of one... I can spare the extra day or two, so I play it safe to make sure my pebble doesn't take another CYA hit.
By sock, they're referring to the kind you wear, which would have a tight weave, which would require the CYA to dissolve into tinier particles before they could escape, which would take a while. If the weave of your skimmer sock is wider apart, then your CYA didn't have to dissolve as much to escape, so the sock would empty faster. It'll stay in your filter until it continues to dissolve in size enough to get through your filter media.
:blah:
Seque...
Well, if CYA can stain plaster, I'd imagine it could stain
concrete coping, too. I'd certainly treat it like it could. Why are you removing the sock? You mean after it's done, or in between squeezes? Leave the sock in the skimmer basket, reach your hand in, squeeze away, rinse your hand off, then hand out of the skimmer. Sock stays in until the CYA is gone.
I can tell you how I handle all pool chemicals, now that I've burned both my pebble and my deck (Why are we listening to this Dirk guy?), because I've already done it wrong, now I know how to do it right! Any chemicals that need to travel across my deck now do so in a bucket. Chlorine jugs, MA jugs, CYA socks, whatever, in the bucket. I place the bucket half on the edge of the pool (or skimmer opening), then move the chemical container into or out of the bucket, directly over the water, so there's no chance a drip or a leak or whatever, can fall back onto the deck. I treat everything now like it could stain my deck, whether it can or not, whether it's diluted or not. This can be considered overkill, others will scoff, that's fine. I no longer differentiate based on my guess about a potential reaction, I assume a reaction, regardless of possibility. It's just a best-practice habit to get into, so that whatever material might actually stain my deck, will never have a chance to, and I don't have to remember which might and which might not, and at what strength, etc. Nothing will ever have a shot. It's such an easy habit to adopt and it doesn't take any extra time or effort.
Same MO for a sock of CYA, whether you thought it was all dissolved or not, treat it like it's molten lava! If it can never drip onto your deck, it can't ever stain it.
Just to beat this horse up a little more, this is left over mantra from my years of scuba diving. I'd watch other divers, and myself too, decide on-the-fly, before each dive, what equipment to wear. "It's daytime, I don't need a flashlight." "There's no kelp, I don't need my knife." "It's a shallow dive in no current, I don't need my safety signaling devices" Etc. I eventually stopped using that practice. You never know what you might get into, so bring it all. What current might come up. What circumstance might happen where you suddenly need that knife or flashlight or safety whistle. Why go through the exercise of trying to decide what to bring each time. Bring it all, every time, know that you'll never be without something, no matter what. I quickly realized this took less effort/time, not more, because putting it all on my body became a strong habit quickly executed, and I didn't have to expend any time deciding anything.
So I apply that to other aspects of my activities: if it doesn't take much of anything extra to go 100%, what is the point of going 50%?
:blah:
Boy oh boy, sorry, more than you could possibly want to know about any of that! I must
really not want to go to work today!!
THANKS! File this one away for one of the WINS!!!!
I DO see that smile all the way over here!