Does local Govt participate in spreading the stabilized chlorine deceit?

[CarlD]

I don't say either Di-chlor or Tri-chlor shouldn't be used. I say they shouldn't be used when CYA reaches a certain level or when pH drops to a certain level.

Tri-chlor is great stuff for a new concrete pool that's curing. It can be good for leaving your pool while on vacation.

But, (and here's the "but") you need to test weekly for CYA, TA, FC, CC etc and daily for Chlorine and pH. So you watch them and when they hit the limits change what you are doing.

But you should be doing that anyway, regardless. That's just good pool maintenance (see my sig line)

[Poolsean]

I for one, disagree with water man's post, and maybe I'm misunderstanding your post. Your quote seem to imply that the only conclusion is to not use cya.

"What about the only reasonable conclusion and recommendation that they should have come up with, namely:

“Because stabilized chlorine products continuously increase the level of CYA in the water, it is recommended NOT to use them!”
Nada! It doesn’t exist. Drain the pool and waste water!"

Most health departments deal with guidelines that have been industry standards for years. This is not to say that they are correct or incorrect, but that, as Chemgeek said, there are some misunderstandings of the chemicals they are testing for. I've been dealing with health officials for YEARS on the salt chlorine generator side.

CYA has always been an issue of conflict.
Outdoor pools need Cya. The two links you attached, are in Lincoln Nebraska and Pennsylvania, both of which winterize pools, and naturally drain down water every year. So, there's a natural dilution of any accumulated cya.

I DO agree with everyone that TOO much cya is not good. I do know that with Salt Chlorine Generators, 80 ppm of cya has proven to be more effective than 50 ppm. CAT controllers, manufacturer of ORP/pH controllers, recommend no more than 50 ppm.

[Water_man]

I for one, disagree with water man's post, and maybe I'm misunderstanding your post. Your quote seem to imply that the only conclusion is to not use cya.

"What about the only reasonable conclusion and recommendation that they should have come up with, namely:

“Because stabilized chlorine products continuously increase the level of CYA in the water, it is recommended NOT to use them!”
.

Sorry, you misunderstood. "NOT to use them" referred to "stabilized chlorine products", namely dichlor and trichlor, because of the obvious reason : a continuous use of these products increases the level of CYA continuously.

[CarlD]

Sorry, you misunderstood. "NOT to use them" referred to "stabilized chlorine products", namely dichlor and trichlor, because of the obvious reason : a continuous use of these products increases the level of CYA continuously.

But that is negated by proper, regular testing and by adjusting your chlorination method appropriately.

Seriously, the only WRONG way to chlorinate is without testing or compensating when the test results tell you to.

(....OK, ok, and mixing chlorine types in the same container, like the skimmer or automatic chlorinator--but that's just plain dangerous and stupid... )

[chem geek]

Also, though not recommended on this forum (due to extra cost, more than anything else), there are other ways of dealing with higher CYA levels. One can use a weekly maintenance dose of PolyQuat 60 to be able to have somewhat lower FC levels at higher CYA levels. One could spend even more for a phosphate remover and have even lower FC levels with even higher CYA levels and not get algae. One could use a copper-based algaecide and prevent algae while simultaneously staining your plaster pool if the pH rises (or you use excess copper).

I generally don't like all or nothing rules when there are alternatives. As Carl says, if you measure your pool's water chemistry regularly, then you can stay on top of the CYA level. Also, in smaller pools with weekly backwashed sand filters and short swim seasons, the CYA level can be kept more in check such that even Trichlor could be used as a primary source of chlorine. It's all about knowledge and adjusting one's routine based on that knowledge.

Richard

[Water_man]

As Carl says, if you measure your pool's water chemistry regularly, then you can stay on top of the CYA level.
Richard

You can measure your CYA to your heart's (and Taylor's) delight day in and day out, but if you keep using trichlor and there's no significant fresh water exchange in your pool, your CYA will keep rising up to a critical point. Ain't I singing to a choir here?

[waterbear]

In fact, a vast majority of state Health departments do not allow trichloror dichlor use in commercial pools (and their jurisdiction is over commercial and not residential pools.)

[CarlD]

You can measure your CYA to your heart's (and Taylor's) delight day in and day out, but if you keep using trichlor and there's no significant fresh water exchange in your pool, your CYA will keep rising up to a critical point. Ain't I singing to a choir here?

Who doesn't take appropriate actions when testing reveals a problem?

We've had folks here who would only take half our advice (the easy half) then run to the pool store for re-assurance and dump 16 different useless or dangerous chemicals in their pool, then come back and complain we weren't helping them!

At some point, my patience ends and I tell them I cannot help them...

[Water_man]

But that is negated by proper, regular testing and by adjusting your chlorination method appropriately.

Seriously, the only WRONG way to chlorinate is without testing or compensating when the test results tell you to.

But this is NOT what this clowns of the Health Depts are saying! They are saying : "use trichlor , as the most common chlorination product, which supplies both active chlorine and CYA, but be careful! When your CYA reaches 80 or more you're in trouble! Drain the pool!"

They should say: "Use trichlor only when you have a new pool, and once your CYA reaches 50 STOP USING IT!"
This should be the only logical recommendation regarding the use of trichlor products.

In both cases, the ongoing testing of CYA is a given.