Need help with best guess - math, cya and bleach and ph????

[aylad]

I can't do that math for you either, but if you'll go to WalMart and see if they have the hth 6-way drop kit, it has all the basic tests, including CYA, that you'll need until you can order the bigger kit. Your best bet would be to just run a set of numbers and go from there.

If the pH of your fill water is less than 8.0, then draining/refilling with lower pH fill water will probably have dropped your pH. IF your fill water is high in pH, then it's probably going to take some acid to lower it.

Kudos to you on using methods that you know are working for you--and having more $$ to spend where you need it, rather than at the pool store.

Keep in mind that the higher CYA is not necessarily a bad thing--it can drastically slow your chlorine loss, and allow you to dose the pool less times per week.....you just have to maintain a higher baseline chlorine to compensate. At first that might seem like it uses more chlorine, but it requires no more chlorine to shock a pool from 5 ppm to 15 ppm, than it does to shock it from 10 ppm to 20 ppm..... I run my pool at 80-90 ppm CYA on purpose, and I'm comfortable with running it even higher than that...it's just that my chlorine loss is less at 90 ppm than at any other value I've tried. (See the 'best guess chlorine chart" link in my sig for more information on that)

[tamaran2]

Tried the walmart kit at the first of this month but they were all out and would not be rendering. I am over the limit on credit cards until the first on July. that is why I can't order the kit online until then. I have been just using what I have strips and pool store test.

[Watermom]

Did Walmart have a cheap OTO kit? They don't cost much.

[tamaran2]

Yeah they have those but can't even do that right now. It looks like from the guess sticks...I have lowered my cya alot reading 30-50. If that is truly the case, I am gonna turn on the inline clorinator and let the tablets that are in there get used up, as never to have anyone turn it on again It should lower my ph with the use of triclor and it seems like a can afford the raise in cya a little. Am I thinking right here or not? I will be taken a sample to the pool store tomorrow

[Watermom]

Look at your manual for your SWCG. Each model has its own CYA requirements with most saying around 80pm or so.

[tamaran2]

I don't have salt. It is a tablet clorinator.

[Watermom]

I don't have salt. It is a tablet clorinator.

OOPS! I think I was confusing you with someone else I was advising who has an SWCG. Sorry 'bout that!

Trichlor will lower pH. That is true. But, having a test strip tell you your CYA is between 30-50 isn't really too useful as they are known to be inaccurate. If your CYA is 30, then you can use some pucks for awhile. If your CYA is 50, you're at the high end of the level we typically suggest.

Why don't you wait and see what the pool store tells you tomorrow about your CYA level before you decide to turn the chlorinator back on. I hope they use the 'disappearing black dot' test as that is the only one we trust. Ask them.