Is it really a problem if CYA is too high

I drained (50-60%) and re-filled my pool twice and my CYA level is a little above 100.

Alk 150
PH 7.4
chlorine 4.0 perfect .. all #'s are great. I even took my water to my pool store and they said not to worry about the CYA since everything else is great. I manually tested my water and everything always comes out great. I was high on PH and low on chlorine but both of those are fixed. I am keeping it aroudn 4ppm despite's ben's chart but I have 0 algae and my water is crystal clear. I just want to know if my CYA is going to hurt me in the long run. This is my first year converting to the three B's .

Stephen

Maybe your CYA is actually lower than you think?

I find that it's hard to get a 100% accurate CYA level when I test....sometimes I feel like I can see the dot all the way from the top of the tube, other times it disappears quicker (probably my eyes)....so I go by the assumption that my CYA is in a range of between 30 and 40 and that seems to work for me.

Even so, your chlorine seems a little low...what would be the harm of bumping it up a bit, just in case. Your water will still be crystal clear and you won't be worried about an algae bloom :)

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Originally Posted by slowtan

I drained (50-60%) and re-filled my pool twice and my CYA level is a little above 100.

Alk 150
PH 7.4
chlorine 4.0 perfect .. all #'s are great. I even took my water to my pool store and they said not to worry about the CYA since everything else is great. I manually tested my water and everything always comes out great. I was high on PH and low on chlorine but both of those are fixed. I am keeping it aroudn 4ppm despite's ben's chart but I have 0 algae and my water is crystal clear. I just want to know if my CYA is going to hurt me in the long run. This is my first year converting to the three B's .

Stephen

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If your CYA is over 100, the most conservative charts (not Ben's Best Guess) say your minimum is 3ppm--as long as the water temp stays below 85 deg. If it gets warmer your minimum is 5ppm.

Are you risking an algae bloom? In my opinion, yes.

If you prefer to run this way, I would suggest you regularly dose with Polyquat--first an initial dose, then a weekly dose depending on your size pool. It can help prevent algae if chlorine is too low.

Stephen[/QUOTE]

Stephen,

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chlorine 4.0 perfect .. all #'s are great.

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Hmmmm.

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I am keeping it aroudn 4ppm despite's ben's chart but I have 0 algae and my water is crystal clear. I just want to know if my CYA is going to hurt me in the long run.

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If the chart says 8-15ppm, why do you think 4ppm is better? Stephen, if you did a plus 50% drain and refill twice, your original CYA would have been 400+. Is that possible. Perhaps your CYA is not as high as you think? I'd retest.

I have retested and it looks like right at 100 for the CYA . I will start adding more cl up to at least 5-8 ppm. I think you are right that maybe because the water temp isn't over 85 is why I have no algae but with a Houston summer, I don't want to take the chance.

I still don't have a real answer. Is running with a high CYA going to hurt anything?

Stephen

Only if you don't maintain proper chlorine levels. You can run a high cya pool, but you will have to maintain higher than normal chlorine levels to prevent an algae bloom.

Watermom

well I may try one more 50% drain/re-fill because I am not a fan of running high chlorine levels. I don't like the smell or the fading clothes that come with high chlorine.

Stephen

Actually, with high cya levels, the higher chlorine levels are no more likely to fade things than the lower chlorine/lower cya levels are. And, one other thing. You shouldn't smell chlorine in your pool. If you do, it usually means you need more chlorine! Sounds crazy, I know, but usually when you smell chlorine it means you have a CC reading and need to shock your pool to get rid of it. A properly maintained pool should not have a noticeable chlorine smell.