CYA is 0 in Intex 10'x30" pool

[wteal164]

All my other levels are perfect but my CYA is 0. I've put a sock with stabilizer in the pool in front of the flow of water coming in. I just checked the level again after 8 hrs and it's still 0. Should it have gone up yet? I read to recheck in 1 week but since it was 0 I wanted to see if it's gone up. Another thought I had, is it possible my HTP reagent isn't working? The other tests in the kit seem to be working ok.

[Watermom]

CYA takes a while to dissolve and also it won't register on the test kit until it reaches a level of at least around 30. So, give it some time. Wait a week or so to retest so you won't waste your reagents.

In the meantime, keep a close eye on your chlorine levels. You'll probably need to test and add chlorine a couple of times per day. A pool without a measurable CYA level struggles to maintain chlorine especially on hot, sunny days.

By the way, what kind of chlorine are you using? What are the ingredients? The reason I ask is that some forms of chlorine are stabilized meaning they already have CYA in them.

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

[wteal164]

Thanks for the reply! I am using plain grocery store bleach. Also, do I need to worry about my hardness level? I read that it's not as important in a vinyl pool. My level is 110.

[PoolDoc]

Hardness is a NON-issue in vinyl pools, unless it's high enough to cause cloudiness.

You may want to read this:
Super-simple-pool-chemistry-recipe-for-Intex-type-pools-start-up-amp-routine-care.

[Watermom]

How much CYA did you already put in? If it is quite a bit, you won't want to use the dichlor suggested in the 'recipe' Ben linked above or your CYA level will get too high.

[wteal164]

I put a little less than 6.1 oz in a sock yesterday A.M. I've checked my water again and now my CI/BR is less than .5, my PH is more than 8.2 and my TA is 140. The pool calculator said to add muriatic acid but I bought the Safer "green" kind which I just read should not be used in pools! I tried purvchasing regular muriatic acid but they didn't have any at the hardware store I went to. Is there a substitute? btw I'm using the BBB method. The water looks like it has a very very lite tint of greeen to me, but my husband said that's just the awning we put over the pool. ???

[Watermom]

That is about the right amount of CYA to get you to a level of around 40ppm which would be good. So, don't use the dichlor. Just stick with bleach.

If you can't find muriatic acid, you can always buy pH down and use that.

For the next 4 or 5 days until that CYA gets dissolved into the water, you are going to need to add bleach morning and evening. If you let it drop down so low, you are going to get algae. After that, you should be able to go to testing and adding bleach in the evening only.

If you haven't already done so, do yourself a favor and buy the good kit we recommend -- Taylor K-2006 or 2006C. (Link in my signature below.)

[wteal164]

I don't know how to post a new question w a new heading. My CYA is now 35. My question is when I get up in the morning my pool is clear but the PH is usually a bit high. When I add bleach/ph decreaser/borax...whatever the pool calculator says to add, my water turns cloudy and slightly green for the rest of the day. My numbers are TA 160 (what can I do about this, I havent been able to get it down), CYA 35, ph 8, CIBR .5-1.

[Watermom]

One of the problems we have with the 'pool calculator' (not to be confused with the bleach calculator which you can find in the forum Q & A section) is that it encourages people to fix issues with large additions of chemicals. This can sometimes turn a pool cloudy. We prefer a 'test, dose, test, add another dose' approach.

If your chlorine is 0.5-1, you may be on the verge of an algae bloom. For a pool with a CYA of 35, you need to be keeping your chlorine between 3-6 all the time. (See the Best Guess Chlorine Chart in my signature above.) You should probably shock your pool with bleach just in case you do have an impending algae outbreak. Then, let the chlorine drift down and keep it from 3-6.

You can read about adjust alk in the link below. I would wait until after you shock and get the chlorine back down because your pH readings will not be accurate when the chlorine is high.

Lowering Alkalinity Step-by-Step

Hope this helps.

EDIT -- forgot to address your posting question. You go to the section of the forum where you want to make a new thread and near the upper left side, click on 'new thread.'