Overwhelmed

CYA is cyanuric acid, also called isocyanuric acid or sometimes stabilizer or conditioner. It is kind of like sunscreen for your chlorine. If you don't have enough, then your chlorine is quickly lost to the sun. Your needed chlorine level for your pool is dependent on what your CYA level is so it is an important reading for us to know to give you good advice. The CYA test is not one that you need to run very often unless you are either adding CYA directly or are using a stabilized form of chlorine such as trichlor pucks or dichlor shock powder. If you haven't already done so, take a look at the Best Guess Chlorine Chart in my signature below. Hope this helps.

I will test my stabilizer, CYA, when I get home, if it isn't storming. Is the CYA test part of the K-2006 kit? I don't know why I would have done it if it was listed. Maybe bc I didn't know what CYA stood for.

Why do I want to get rid of CC, combined chlorine?

I have been using a combo of Dichlor and Bleach. Some one day, some another.

What is the function of Borax?

Thanks a bajillion for all the help from all of you!

The CYA test is part of the K2006.

You want to get rid of CC because in simple terms, it is chlorine that has already been "used up" and is no longer available to sanitize your pool.

It is ok to use dichlor for awhile if your CYA level isn't too high since it adds CYA as well as chlorine. This is one reason we need to know your CYA level. It is also acidic so if your pH drops below 7.2, you'll want to raise it by adding some Borax.

Don't worry about asking so many questions. That's why we are here!

OK. CYA or Stabilizer is like sunscreen for Chlorine, BUT it slows Chlorine's action down. So the levels are a balance.

Yes, you have a CYA test in your K-2006 It consists of a small squeeze bottle with a line in the middle and a line near the top, a tall thin tube with a black dot on the bottom, and a bottle of R-0013.
You fill the squeeze bottle to the lower line with pool water,
fill to the upper line with R-0013.
Then shake for 30 seconds.
Now hold the tube with the black dot at your waist or belt and face the sun.
Look down into the tube and slowly squeeze the fluid from the squeeze bottle into it.
Concentrate on the black dot at the bottom as you add fluid.
When the dot disappears (the fluid is cloudy if there's CYA), stop.
Now read the level on the side of the tube.

If you aren't sure, carefully pour the fluid from the tube back into the squeeze bottle and do the test again.
You can do it as many times as you like without using more pool water or R-0013, until you are pretty confident.

CC is irritating to the skin and eyes, and gives your pool that "chlorine smell". It also doesn't sanitize any more.

Dichlor adds chlorine and CYA. Bleach adds only chlorine. That's the difference.

Borax raises pH, making the pool less acid. It doesn't have as much effect on "total alkalinity" as do other pH raisers. You can use pool store "pH Up!" or other brand names to raise pH but you'll be paying $3 - $4 a pound for what is basically Arm&Hammer Washing Soda (NOT, NOT, NOT Baking soda!) and costs about $1/pound.

But most of us prefer to use Borax to raise pH.

For now, don't worry about total alkalinity. Just worry about FC (and CC), pH and CYA.

Cyanuric acid = "stabilizer" = CYA = "conditioner" (mostly in Calif.)

Solar UV, or high powered UV 'sanitizer' systems rapidly degrade free chlorine into salt via photolysis. Cyanuric acid greatly reduces the rate at which this happens.

My CYA is 40

Looks good!

So here are my readings, all in one location:
Free Chlorine 6.4 ppm (two readings to confirm)
Combined Chlorine 0.4 ppm (two readings to confirm)
pH 7.4
Calcium Hardness 40ppm
CYA 40 ppm

Looking at the chlorine best guess chart, it appears my free chlorine level is too high.
How do I get rid of combined chlorine?

It's not too high... Just a little higher than your normal operating range, but there is no harm in that. It will come down on its own as the fc is used to keep the water sanitized. It looks like you are still testing chlorine with the 25ml sample instead of the 10ml sample. This is your choice, but you will use up your reagents much more quickly, and the accuracy of the 10ml sample is plenty good for our purposes here.

As for cc, uncovering the pool will help eliminate it... This allows the uv from the sun to break it down and the gasses to escape the water. However, 0.4 is acceptable. If it goes above 0.5 you should shock the pool (assuming it has been uncovered).

Yup! That's right. Readings look good!

You have a vinyl pool and your Calcium Hardness is SUPER low--which means if you want to use Cal-Hypo to chlorinate, you won't have to worry about it going too high for a long, long time.
In fact, unless you use Cal-Hypo a lot, I wouldn't bother testing Calcium Hardness again until you close the pool.

Do NOT add calcium just to add calcium or because the pool store guy tells you that you "need it". You don't. Low calcium is harmless in a vinyl pool.

Otherwise, other than using the 25ml instead of the 10ml line to test chlorine levels, you look like you are doing fine.