CYA Help AND Bleach as a chlorinator question

[Tyrone Shuz]

I tried adding CYA to the skimmer, and it bogged down my system. My CYA level was very low, and my pool is roughly 17k-18k gal.

It's 6 days now, and it's still not all dissolved, it keeps returning to my pool, but less and less each time I push it down the main drain.

I took a reading yesterday (after 5 days) and it's approx CYA = 30, maybe less. The sample got VERY cloudy, but I still thought I could see the dot just a little bit.

FC and TC = 5.5 (I added 1.4 gal of bleach today, and tested 3-4hrs later, which is enough time for my pool to turn over, or very close).

pH = 7.4
TA = 70 (gotta get some baking soda)

The water is otherwise fantastic. Have been swimming and enjoying it. Occasionally I'll see tiny hint of green in one or two spots on the wall just below the surface, but it brushes right off.

So assuming those numbers are right:

How much more CYA do I need to put in (if any) and:

How much bleach or cal hypo should I use as a chlorinator and HOW OFTEN?

[Watermom]

Try and keep your chlorine between 3-6. In a pool with 17,500 gallons, each 3 quart jug of 6% bleach will raise your cl by about 2.5 ppm. Test your water each evening and add enough bleach to get back to 5 or 6.

I would go ahead and wait a few more days before deciding whether or not to add a bit more cya. You can run it at 30 ppm. Many people do and do just fine with it at that level. I would suggest trying that first and then if you find that you are not able to keep a chlorine reading through a hot sunny day, you can always bump it up a bit to around 40.