CYA Rising, PH Falling

[Pamlicoknk]

The pool is a vinyl pool and I use a Taylor K-2006C test kit for checking everything. Is there any alternatives to bleach that does not drive the TA and CYA up. My Calcium hardness should drop at some point. Any added water from my well has almost a 0 in calcium hardness (it dropped last year and the "pool store" got me to increase it (wish I had read this site beforehand), they also got me to increase my TA (wish I had read this site beforehand).....got to love Pool Stores!

[Watermom]

You can use cal-hypo for awhile but when it starts getting high, you may have cloudy water. Calcium hardness does not go away or drop on its own. The only way to remove it is to do a partial drain and refill.

You may be able to find some liquid pool store chlorine that is the same thing as bleach (sodium hypochlorite) but just a higher concentration than household bleach which is 6%.

Do you not want to use bleach?

[Pamlicoknk]

It just seems that bleach could gt expensive if it has to be added at 1 to 2 qts. a day, maybe not. What do you do to drop the CYA, just use bleach and over time it drops or is there so other additive that should be used to lower the CYA?

[Watermom]

Actually, bleach is one of the cheaper sources of chlorine.

The only way to lower CYA is to do a partial drain and refill. You NEVER want to totally drain a pool, however. Since you fill from a well which can cause a whole host of other problems, I think if it were me, I'd just live with the CYA of 75 and run higher chlorine numbers to compensate for it. Like I said above, with a higher CYA like you have, you may find that you only have to add bleach every 2 or 3 days so it may not be as expensive as you suspect.

[Pamlicoknk]

Thanks so much, you have been a great help Watermom!!!

[Watermom]

You are very welcome. That is why we are here!

[Pamlicoknk]

Just a little follow-up. As you told me, I switched to bleach. My PH is still at 7.4, my has dropped to TA=100, my CYA is now 70, my CH has dropped and is now at 150 and it is taking me around one to 1.5 qts of bleach per evening to maintain my free clorine at 5 to 6. I AM GETTING THERE!!