We opened our pool for the first time late last summer, and I've been having trouble increasing the CYA level ever since. It started out just below 30 ppm, which is the lowest mark on the tube in the test kit, so I added 1 gallon of liquid stabilizer, which brought it up slightly to 30. A little later, I added another gallon, which is what was recommended by Pool Math as the correct amount for my pool to increase it from 30 to 50 ppm. The test results still showed it was at 30. That was the end of last season, so I didn't do anything after that. At the start of this season (a week ago) I tested CYA again, and it was still at 30 as expected. I bought 2 new gallon jugs of liquid stabilizer and added one of them, which again is what Pool Math said was needed to raise CYA from 30 to 50. Testing the next day showed it was still at 30, so I added the 2nd gallon and retested the following day. Still reading 30. So in total, I've added 4 gallons of liquid CYA with no change in my CYA readings from the TF-Pro test kit.
I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'm afraid to add any more because I'm not sure if it's a bad reading, or the stabilizer is bad, or there is some other problem. All my other chemistry results are good, except alkalinity, which has been very high (~380) since we originally opened the pool due to the well water used to fill the pool. I've been adding acid to lower the pH and alkalinity a little bit at a time, and aerating the pool to bring the pH back up. The total alkalinity is now around 270, and continuing to reduce. I don't know if the high alkalinity has anything to do with the CYA not increasing. I also have high calcium hardness (~300), which I wasn't doing much about because it's a vinyl pool. Not sure if that plays a role in CYA or not.
Just looking for someone who is more knowledgeable about pool chemistry than me to give some advice on raising the CYA. Just keep adding CYA until the reading goes up, try the dry stabilizer instead of liquid, or fix something else in the water chemistry before adding more CYA? Thanks for the support!
I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'm afraid to add any more because I'm not sure if it's a bad reading, or the stabilizer is bad, or there is some other problem. All my other chemistry results are good, except alkalinity, which has been very high (~380) since we originally opened the pool due to the well water used to fill the pool. I've been adding acid to lower the pH and alkalinity a little bit at a time, and aerating the pool to bring the pH back up. The total alkalinity is now around 270, and continuing to reduce. I don't know if the high alkalinity has anything to do with the CYA not increasing. I also have high calcium hardness (~300), which I wasn't doing much about because it's a vinyl pool. Not sure if that plays a role in CYA or not.
Just looking for someone who is more knowledgeable about pool chemistry than me to give some advice on raising the CYA. Just keep adding CYA until the reading goes up, try the dry stabilizer instead of liquid, or fix something else in the water chemistry before adding more CYA? Thanks for the support!