I have a 22ft 52 inch pool. We do weekly water test since filling. Numbers have been great except cya is at 68 (after draining 18 inches and filling, and 1 lb shock) and chlorine is almost none existent with 3 tabs in floater. How can I lower the cya and keep it down. I haven’t used any other chemicals.
Be careful of what pucks you use. Pucks labeled as containing Dichlor or Trichlor add CYA to the pool which is fine if you need it but not so good if your CYA levels are where they should be. Pucks labeled as CalHypo only add calcium. I would recommend switching to Cal Hypo (Calcium Hypochlorite) or using plain, liquid pool bleach. Pucks are great for when you are on vacation but I’m not personally a fan of them for everyday use.
Those are the Trichlor tablets, so they add 6ppm of CYA for every 10ppm Chlorine. Only the Calcium Hypochlorite tabs do not add CYA, though they do add calcium. Calcium levels are not terribly important in a vinyl-lined pool, but should be kept in the ideal range (50 to 550 ppm) to avoid potential damage to some metal parts (light, pool pump, filter). Be sure to maintain proper pH and alkalinity levels to prevent the calcium from precipitating out of the water which will make it appear cloudy.
It’s a little concerning that your chlorine level is that low - especially with your stabilizer level at 65.
Something is eating the chlorine up so you may have algae in your pool, even though it is not visible - yet. I would recommend getting plain liquid bleach and adding enough to bring your chlorine level to at least 7-9 ppm which is the modern recommended level for a pool with 65ppm CYA. Add the chlorine at sundown, let it circulate a bit and measure it and check it again in the morning before sunup (you don’t need to let the pump run overnight). It should not drop at all unless there is algae in the pool.
If it does drop, SLAM the pool (Shock Level and Maintain the CL level) until it does not drop at all overnight. Follow our guide on How to Clean a Green Pool? or check out the guides from the friendly (free!) folks at troublefreepool.com. If you need to SLAM or shock the pool, the shock level of chlorine for your CYA level is 25PPM.
Do not add anything else to the pool (algaecide, flocculant, etc). Good old fashioned chlorine is all you will need.
So when you say bleach, you talks like Clorox bleach that you clean with? Or liquid chlorine you buy at the pool store?
The pool place tells me because I’m at 65 is why I have no chlorine… how do I test without going to the pool store? I’m new to the pool owner, last year we fought algea allllll summer and could never swim.
The CYA level has little to do with the measured chlorine in your pool. Think of CYA (stabilizer) as sunscreen for the chlorine so the sun doesn’t burn it all up. But too much CYA prevents the chlorine from properly sanitizing your pool.
Get a good test kit like the Taylor Complete Pool and Spa Water Testing Kit with FAS-DPD - K-2006 and a Speed Stir to accurately test your pool water.
You can use plain (unscented, unthickened) laundry bleach (Clorox or cheapo store-brand stuff) but pool chlorine tends to be double the strength of laundry bleach - and a little cheaper as a result.
Since you were fighting algae all last year I’m guessing you were always on the cusp of disaster. Get the chlorine level up, get a good test kit, and you will be on your way to a trouble-free pool! PS Do not buy or use any other additives unless it is acid or baking soda to adjust the pH or alkalinity.
Hello Hatt2014,
With virtually no fee available chlorine it’s just a matter of when algae shows up, if it’s not already there.
The high levels of CYA is your initial problem. CYA directly affects the amount of free chlorine needed to sanitize the water. If your pool had the recommended 40 ppm of CYA, a chlorine level of 3-5 ppm would sanitize the water and prevent algae from growing. But with a CYA level of 68 you need a minimum of 8 ppm, as InyoRich said, or double the amount of chlorine to do the same sanitizing job.
As InyoRich advised, the first thing you should do is invest in a FAS/DPD test kit like the Taylor K-2006. This kit will not only give you a much more accurate chlorine reading (it can show chlorine levels of.5 ppm or.2 ppm) but it isn’t a subjective color chart match. The FAS/DPD test causes the water sample to change color so you know exactly how much chlorine you have. It will also test for combined chlorine, ph, total alkalinity, calcium hardness and CYA.
The only way to drop the CYA level is to drain water from the pool and replace it.
If you are using chlorine tabs in a floater I doubt that you will ever be able to get to the 8 ppm that you need. You can supplement this with shock or liquid chlorine but keep in mind that if you continue to use stabilized tabs(Trichlor) you will continue to increase the CYA levels.
If you do decide to use liquid chlorine I would recommend Pool Chlorine. Most Household bleach contains other additives like scents or splashless. All Clorox bleach has CloroMax technology which would add additives to the water that you don’t want
If you must use household bleach remember that it will take more because the sodium hypochlorite levels in household bleach are less than the level in pool chlorine.
Pool chlorine comes in strengths of 10% or 12% with 10% being the most common.
If you decide to use pool chlorine I would recommend checking your local Walmart store. They carry a 10% pool chlorine that costs about half what a pool store charges. In my area the big box building supply stores also carry pool chlorine.
j
Thank you, appreciate it. We have drained it 18 inches 2 weeks in a row. And it’s still raising. I did take the tabs out this morning to see where water stands on Friday till I can get a test kit and all that fun stuff. We have not seen any signs of algae as of yet, like you said. Water isn’t dirty or anything. But we did buy our starter chemicals from Leslie’s pools and I think all of them had stabilizer in them, but haven’t used anything besides tabs since Monday of last week when we shocked it. And it still rose with those tabs in there.
The CYA level keeps rising because each 3” Trichlor tab adds 3ppm of CYA to the water in your pool. I don’t know how many 3” tabs you use per week but if it’s only 3 that adds 9 ppm CYA to the water.
You can sanitize the water using cal-hypo or liquid chlorine and you won’t be adding anymore CYA to the water.
You would need 9oz of 65% cal-hypo or 8oz of 73% cal-hypo or 56oz of 10% liquid chlorine per day to maintain a chlorine level of 8 ppm.
If you decide on the granular cal-hypo just make sure you dissolve it in a bucket of water before you add it to the pool
j
No, I’ve never used those. Did your test kit come yet
No it says the 12th ugh
Good deal! Please post a complete set of test numbers along with the water column of your pool
