CYA still not testing after 8 days

[idohair2]

I added the proper amount of CYA to my pool (per the pool store) 8 days ago and the results are still zero. I ordered a good test kit but it hasn't come yet so I've been using Aquacheck test strips to test. Yesterday I started using the automatic chlorinator a friend gave us. I bought 94% trichloro-s triazinetrione tabs to put in it. Will these add stabilizer. Also, whenever I test the alkalinity its low. Thanks for the help.

[madwil]

the trichlor does add CYA, and over time will add an overwhelming amount so be careful with them.
The alk shouldn't be a problem, as long as your pH doesn't swing drastically- mine is at 40.

[kelemvor]

If you already added the amount your pool store told you, I would wait until you get the test kit before adding more (e.g. tricolor). If you end up with too much, it can be one of the few problems that requires a (partial) refill.

[AnnaK]

What kind of CYA did you use, granular or liquid? If granular, how did you add it? Do you have a sand filter and, if so, did you backwash it after adding the CYA? I ask because if undissolved CYA granules or flakes were in your filter they got backwashed out.

Your testing method may be the culprit. Strips tend to be unreliable. Can you take a sample to a pool store and have them run the CYA test?

Yes, the trichlor tabs will add CYA and they can do it very quickly. Does your chlorinator have a settings button that lets you control how much water flows through it? Mine is a Hayward and goes from 0 to 1. I run it on the 1/8 setting. Another factor which determines how much or how little your feeder dispenses is how long each day you run the pump and, if it's a 2-speed, on which speed you run it. IOW, how much water is pushed through the loaded chlorinator each day?

Because that's a very hard question to answer, go with observation once you have it on line. Test the FC each and every day from the same spot in the pool at the same time. After a while (a week) you'll notice that it's either too much chlorine (FC higher than you like) or not enough (FC too low, algae) and you can adjust the setting, if it has one. If it's not an inline chlorinator and is, instead, a floating dispenser, empty it and put it on a shelf. You have no control at all with floaters. Just go with bleach and adding enough CYA manually until you get to 30-50 ppm.

[idohair2]

Added granualar as per directions through skimmer. De filter no backwash.

[AnnaK]

Huh. Then it's just sitting in there, not doing anything? I don't know a thing about DE filters, so someone else will have to give it a shot.

[AnnaK]

Re: how much bleach to add.

I add 1 c liquid chlorine (about 10%) every other day. If I were using Clorox I'd probably be adding 1 c each day. My pool is 12,500 gal.

[madwil]

how much bleach to add is highly variable, depending on, well, everything!
more swimmer load=more chlorine
more aeration=more chlorine
more debris in pool= more chlorine
more wind/sun= more chlorine
more CYA = less chlorine (fooled you, didn't I!!!)

I use about 1.5 gallons in 3 days- full sun, temp 90, breezy, low swimmer load during week (wife a little during the day, me in the evenings with cold beer after work)... CYA 30-40 range... 26k gal pool, sand filter (filter shouldn't affect chlorine use, other than how much it is on stirring up water and causing more aeration...)

[idohair2]

Withh the BBB method, once you get things stabolized, how often and how much bleach are you adding. I know it depends on weather etc. But on a typical day (18000 gal pool)

[aylad]

Withh the BBB method, once you get things stabolized, how often and how much bleach are you adding. I know it depends on weather etc. But on a typical day (18000 gal pool)

The real answer is--however much it takes to hold your chlorine in the recommended ranges based on your CYA level--you can see the "best guess" chart in my sig to get an idea of what you're up against. In a pool your size, each 2.5 quart of 6% bleach you add will raise your chlorine by 2 ppm, so you can use that as a guide when figuring bleach.

Janet