How do I add CYA? Having trouble...

As you can see, I am a total newbie to this... :)

I have a new 13,000 IG gunite pool and am having trouble keeping my chlorine levels up using my Aquarite SWG. I have been adding bleach almost daily to keep the levels up to 3ppm. Without the bleach, the chlorine levels drop to 0-.5 very quickly, even with the SWG turned up very high (80-90). I have been running my pump for 9 hours a day (from 8am-12pm & 5pm-10pm). I've been using acid every couple of days to keep my pH levels to 7.4. My pH really likes to creep up on me.

For some reason, my pool company told me not to add stabilizer right away. (Not sure why.) I live in Florida and my pool gets LOTS of sun. I'm assuming that the lack of CYA is causing me to lose chlorine very quickly. My plan is to pick some up tomorrow and add it in, but I'm not sure what to look for. Is there a certain brand that is better? Is CYA liquid or powder? Do I toss it in the pool, or add it to the skimmer?

Am I even on the right track here?

All I can say is, Thank goodness for this site! :rolleyes:

They might not want you to add it right away because it can have some detrimental effects on new plaster. I would follow their advice so you don't void your warrenty!

Hmmm... Good point.

We've had water in the pool for a month now. The pool builder didn't tell me how long to wait before adding CYA, he just said not to add it right away. I guess I'll have to call them to see if I can get a more specific answer.

If they tell me it's ok to add some, how do I add it to the water? Just dump it in and brush?

pour it into the skimmer, run the pump for the first 24 to 48 hours and DO NOT CLEAN OR BACKWASH YOUR FILTER FOR ONE WEEK! The CYA will collect in the filter and takes about a week to slowly dissolve. With the Aquarite you want 60-80 ppm CYA so for a 13,000 pool that would be 8 lbs to get you to just under 80 ppm. Don't overdose and test the level about a week after you add it. You might want to add 7 lbs, wait a week and test, then add more if needed. & lbs will certainly get you in range. I am assuming that there is NO CYA in your water right now from any pucks that might have been used before your SWG went online. If stabilzied chlorine was used in your pool you need to test the CYA level before adding any so you don't overdose! The amonts I gave you are for 0 ppm CYA initially!

Thanks for your help! I will definitely add a little at a time since it sounds like a pain if your levels get too high.

They did use a chlorine puck or two in the skimmer initially, but I used Ben's test kit and there was no CYA registering. I will test again before adding any, just in case.

So, from the way it sounds the CYA comes only in powder form since it has to dissolve? Wow, 7-8 lbs. sounds like a lot. I had no idea I'd need that much!

I had my hands on a small canister (I think the brand was Aqua Chem) in Walmart the other night. I almost bought it but decided to check here first since I wasn't sure if CYA was the same, regardless of the brand. Do they have better products at the pool store, or is it all the same?

Sorry for all of the questions... I'm slowly learning. :D

cya is cya...walmart is NOT always the cheapest place. Check around at home depot, lowes, kmart, target, Ace Hardware (many of them have pool departments), and the pool stores!

Last time I added it I poured it into a sock and set the sock in the skimmer basket and let the pump run until it was fully disolved.

Thanks for all of the info and suggestions!!! :)