Reducing CYA

[Tjaltz]

I’m a new pool owner and have been researching in this forum for a while, trying to get my pool chemistry right. This is my first post and test results. I’m wondering what the best way to reduce my CYA is. My pool and test results are as follows:
16 x 36 in ground (about 30K gallons)
Pentair DE filter (60 sq ft) running from 7am to 7pm
Using a Taylor K-2006 test kit.
Test results from today are:
FC = 3.6
CC = 0
PH = 7.4
TA = 60
CH = 80
CYA = 90
Temp = 86
CSI = -1.07
Also, what is CSI?
Treating with Clorox Xtra Blue tablets (and Borax as needed) and Super Blue clarifier weekly.
Thank you for all of the help this forum has provided.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
First suggestion is to stop the tablets and the clarifier. The tablets are increasing your CYA and both contain copper which will eventually stain blonde hair green and your pool surfaces. Use liquid chlorine. Clarifier is not needed.
To lower CYA, you have to drain/exchange the pool water with fresh water. What type of pool do you have? Plaster, vinyl, fiberglass?

CSI - https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/261-Calcium-Saturation-Index-(CSI). There is a good chance you do not care. Depends on your pool surface.

I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Pool School eBook.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Ouch. I hope you only bought a small bucket of those Xtrablue pucks..... they're no bueno! I see them sold at the big box stores and note that no where on the package do they warn you about the copper they contain.

Good to see you have a decent test kit! When you need refills try here--> tftestkits.net

Please fill out a signature line (see, like mine below) giving details about your pool, its surface, gallons, size, equipment and such. This helps us enormously in answering you without asking a ton of questions first. Thanks

Welcome to TFP.... we can certainly help you learn how to take care of this investment well. And have more time to enjoy it too!

Maddie

 

[Tjaltz]

My pool is an in ground vinyl liner. I was reviewing the pool school ebook, and have a question regarding treating with bleach. What is the the equivalent amount of liquid household bleach to a trichlor tablet? If I was using 2 to 3 trichlor tablets a week, how much liquid bleach would be equivalent?

 

[mknauss]

Most pools consume 2-4 ppm FC per day. So in a 30K pool (please add that to your signature) you would need just under one gallon of 10% liquid chlorine per day for 3 ppm FC.

3 trichlor tablets per week were adding 5.5 ppm FC for the week. That is woefully not enough. And most likely why you had to 'shock' once per week, probably with dichlor, and also use that clarifier. As you constantly had algae in the pool. May not have seen it, but if water was cloudy, that was algae.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

The amount of liquid chlorine you'd use is based on what your CYA level is....
FC/CYA Levels

Have you discovered our PoolMath page or App?

PoolMath

Discover the calculator behind the perfect pool, PoolMath. Dealing with pools has allowed TFP to become the original authors of the best calculator on the net.

www.troublefreepool.com

What I can tell you is that for each puck you used it gave you aprox 9ppm of FC and 8ppm of CYA. Or something thereabouts. They're great for vacations as long as your CYA level isn't already too high, but murder on a pool that lets the CYA build up and up......

Maddie