confused on cya

[johnlanciloti]

my little aqua chem test kit wont read stabilizer level at all....i can fill the tube all the way up i still see the black dot. my ph is fine tho....should i add stabilizer or what?

[PoolDoc]

Yep. You need stabilizer; 2 - 3 # per 10,000 gallons.

The most reliable way is to put it in a sock or socks, and hang it (them) in front of a pool return. It takes several days to dissolve.

[johnlanciloti]

ok but what im wondering is why add stabilizer if all that does is increase your need for chlorine? i guess im confused someone help lol

and i did hang the sock in front of the return it was dissolved when i got home, i suppose(around 11 hours)

[Watermom]

If you don't have stabilizer in your pool, your chlorine is lost to the sun almost as soon as you put it in. CYA (stabilizer) is kind of like sunscreen for your chlorine. It allows it to stick around long enough to do its job of sanitizing the water.

[CarlD]

Stabilizer is a two-edged sword. Don't have any and your chlorine can be absorbed in as little as 15 minutes in direct sun. Put too much in and unless you keep chlorine high enough algae can still take hold.

For most of us stabilizer levels can be anywhere between 30ppm (really the miniumum you should have) to 80 or 90ppm (usually for people with salt water chlorine generators).

Carl

[Watermom]

For most pools, we recommend 40-50ppm.