Yikes!

[RyanandAngie]

Good morning! Having some trouble here in Iowa! Been struggling with high CYA(75 was it’s highest) tested myself and then took sample in to our pool guy and he confirmed. He told us to drain 12 inches of water out of our pool. So we did! Tested cya again and it was about 50. Ran test myself. This was all in a coup days time. We took water sample in again yesterday and they ran a test for me and my cya was 6. How is this possible? My husband took a picture of the test so I could keep numbers. I couldn’t believe it so I made her run the test again. I don’t have enough stuff here to test cya again here but I have some coming this week. I’m so confused and have no idea what to do now.

 

[Texas Splash]

Your issue is you are going to a pool store for testing validation. That will never work. I guarantee you if you take a water sample to 3 different pool stores you'll get 3 different results. Go back the next day and get more different results. You MUST test your own water and do adjustments based off of your testing.

You have a K-2005 which is a fairly good product, but it's missing the FAS-DPD for FC testing. But you should be able to perform your own CYA test. If so, trust it and adjust accordingly. The pool store will only confuse. you.

 

[Texas Splash]

FYI in case you need it.

CYA Testing:
Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Taylor recommends standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body. Use the mixing bottle to combine/gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Then, while holding the skinny tube with the black dot at waist level, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. If it helps, pour a little, look away, then look back and pour some more. Some people like to squirt enough solution to go line-by-line for a better feel. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. After the first test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate the CYA reading. If you are still questioning your own results, have a friend or two do the same test 2-3 times. Share your results only after everyone is done to see if you came up with the same average results.

 

[Texas Splash]

Here is the link for the FAS-DPD portion. When your K-2005 runs out, get a TF-100 kit. You'll be glad you did.

FAS/DPD Chlorine Test Kit

tftestkits.net

 

[RyanandAngie]

Your issue is you are going to a pool store for testing validation. That will never work. I guarantee you if you take a water sample to 3 different pool stores you'll get 3 different results. Go back the next day and get more different results. You MUST test your own water and do adjustments based off of your testing.

You have a K-2005 which is a fairly good product, but it's missing the FAS-DPD for FC testing. But you should be able to perform your own CYA test. If so, trust it and adjust accordingly. The pool store will only confuse. you.

I am out of cya reagent right now. It’s coming in a couple days. It’s the only reason I went to them. And I ordered a FAS-DPD test and it will be here tomorrow. I’m working on getting all the right things. I live in a small town in Iowa so things take time to get here. We had huge storms yesterday so we are working on pumping water off our cover. Once that is done, I will throw more liquid bleach in there. I just wondered how this could be possible to to lower cya that much by removing 12 inches of water. I refuse to add more CYA till I can test it myself again.

 

[Texas Splash]

I just wondered how this could be possible to to lower cya that much by removing 12 inches of water. I refuse to add more CYA till I can test it myself again.

Right. So we know that CYA doesn't just disappear, so I suspect the store testing was a bit wacky. Since your last test showed a CYA of 50, I would go with that and maintain the proper FC level as listed in the FC/CYA Levels. The last thing you need now is algae.

Good to hear you have reagents on the way.

 

[RyanandAngie]

Right. So we know that CYA doesn't just disappear, so I suspect the store testing was a bit wacky. Since your last test showed a CYA of 50, I would go with that and maintain the proper FC level as listed in the FC/CYA Levels. The last thing you need now is algae.

Good to hear you have reagents on the way.

Oh yes! I can’t go without them!! I rely on them and it was dumb of me to let them get so low before I ordered nore. Lesson learned though.

 

[RyanandAngie]

FYI in case you need it.

CYA Testing:
Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Taylor recommends standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body. Use the mixing bottle to combine/gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Then, while holding the skinny tube with the black dot at waist level, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. If it helps, pour a little, look away, then look back and pour some more. Some people like to squirt enough solution to go line-by-line for a better feel. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. After the first test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate the CYA reading. If you are still questioning your own results, have a friend or two do the same test 2-3 times. Share your results only after everyone is done to see if you came up with the same average results.

Thank you for this!

 

[FlappyLipps]

Cya doesn't just disappear. You just proved how good pool store testing is.

 

[RyanandAngie]

Cya doesn't just disappear. You just proved how good pool store testing is.

Like I said, we drained a bunch of our water out so it had to be lower but I agree that there is no way it could be that low. Doesn’t make any sense. I did a test strip yesterday( I think they are not reliable at all) and my CYA read low on the test strip which it was reading high before. as soon as my cya reagent gets here, I will for sure retest.

 

[RyanandAngie]

Here is the link for the FAS-DPD portion. When your K-2005 runs out, get a TF-100 kit. You'll be glad you did.

FAS/DPD Chlorine Test Kit

tftestkits.net

I got it. Just came yesterday! It’s a very precise test for sure!

 

[RyanandAngie]

I got it. Just came yesterday! It’s a very precise test for sure

Cya doesn't just disappear. You just proved how good pool store testing is.

well I can’t explain it but my cya testing reagent came yesterday and my cya is so low that I could still see the black dot even after I filled tube all the way to the top. We go from our pool having 75 ppm of cya to draining about 12 inches and having 6 according to test at pool place. I believe they’re test now after performing a test myself twice with very low result. I don’t know how this is possible but it seems to be .

 

[FlappyLipps]

well I can’t explain it but my cya testing reagent came yesterday and my cya is so low that I could still see the black dot even after I filled tube all the way to the top. We go from our pool having 75 ppm of cya to draining about 12 inches and having 6 according to test at pool place. I believe they’re test now after performing a test myself twice with very low result. I don’t know how this is possible but it seems to be .

Its the reason I wont give suggestions based on pool store testing.
Your testing is correct and pool store was wrong.
No guessing between lines, the testing is not linear.

 

[koffey]

Its the reason I wont give suggestions based on pool store testing.
Your testing is correct and pool store was wrong.
No guessing between lines, the testing is not linear.

She indicated that her original test showed cya at 75 prior to running out of reagents and going to the pool store.

Maybe the reagent was expired or bad...?

Good morning! Having some trouble here in Iowa! Been struggling with high CYA(75 was it’s highest) tested myself and then took sample in to our pool guy and he confirmed. He told us to drain 12 inches of water out of our pool. So we did! Tested cya again and it was about 50. Ran test myself. This was all in a coup days time. We took water sample in again yesterday and they ran a test for me and my cya was 6. How is this possible? My husband took a picture of the test so I could keep numbers. I couldn’t believe it so I made her run the test again. I don’t have enough stuff here to test cya again here but I have some coming this week. I’m so confused and have no idea what to do now.