alt to 3" tabs when CYA is high

[Guest]

I have a hayward chlorinator that I load with 3" tabs. When my CYA gets too high what are my alternative chlorine options to put in my chlorinator?

Most stuff I have seen, granules, any size tab, all contain CYA.

Thanks

[chem geek]

Unfortunately, there are no slow-dissolving sources of chlorine that do not contain something else that gets added to the water. For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) added by Trichlor, it also adds 6 ppm to Cyanuric Acid (CYA). The other stabilized source of chlorine is Dichlor which is a fast-dissolving powder/granules, but for every 10 ppm FC that it adds, it also adds 9 ppm to CYA.

There are Cal-Hypo tablets, but they tend to fall apart as they get smaller and leave a mess from the binders that are used (usually Cal-Hypo is sold as powder/granules). Also, you CANNOT use them in a feeder that has been used for Trichlor (those two can never be mixed -- it is explosive or a fire hazard) and the inline chlorinator for Cal-Hypo is designed specifically for Cal-Hypo anyway. Also, for every 10 ppm FC added by Cal-Hypo, it also adds 7 ppm to Calcium Hardness (CH).

The unstabilized sources of chlorine that do not increase CYA nor CH include sodium hypochlorite (chlorinating liquid or unscented bleach) and lithium hypochlorite. The latter is a very expensive fast-dissolving powder. So the best choice is sodium hypochlorite, but this needs to be added every day or two unless you have a pool cover that prevents the UV of sunlight from breaking down the chlorine. You can automate the addition of chlorinating liquid or bleach with The Liquidator which you can read about in this thread.

Another alternative is to not worry about the increasing CYA and instead use a weekly maintenance dose of algaecide to prevent algae -- either PolyQuat 60 or a phosphate remover. You can also regularly dilute the water by more frequent backwashing or partial drain/refill to help keep the CYA lower.

Richard

[Guest]

Hi Richard, That was very helpfull thanks.

Will the available CYA of 120ppm in my pool stablize any sodium hypochlorite I add to the pool? ie: help protect it from sun light.

Or does CYA only stablize and protect from sunlight tri-chlor type chlorines?

I am thinking I will use sodium hypochlorite until my CYA drops below 50ppm, then start using tabs until the CYA goes above 80ppm, and so on.

Thanks!

Unfortunately, there are no slow-dissolving sources of chlorine that do not contain something else that gets added to the water. For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) added by Trichlor, it also adds 6 ppm to Cyanuric Acid (CYA). The other stabilized source of chlorine is Dichlor which is a fast-dissolving powder/granules, but for every 10 ppm FC that it adds, it also adds 9 ppm to CYA.

There are Cal-Hypo tablets, but they tend to fall apart as they get smaller and leave a mess from the binders that are used (usually Cal-Hypo is sold as powder/granules). Also, you CANNOT use them in a feeder that has been used for Trichlor (those two can never be mixed -- it is explosive or a fire hazard) and the inline chlorinator for Cal-Hypo is designed specifically for Cal-Hypo anyway. Also, for every 10 ppm FC added by Cal-Hypo, it also adds 7 ppm to Calcium Hardness (CH).

The unstabilized sources of chlorine that do not increase CYA nor CH include sodium hypochlorite (chlorinating liquid or unscented bleach) and lithium hypochlorite. The latter is a very expensive fast-dissolving powder. So the best choice is sodium hypochlorite, but this needs to be added every day or two unless you have a pool cover that prevents the UV of sunlight from breaking down the chlorine. You can automate the addition of chlorinating liquid or bleach with The Liquidator which you can read about in this thread.

Another alternative is to not worry about the increasing CYA and instead use a weekly maintenance dose of algaecide to prevent algae -- either PolyQuat 60 or a phosphate remover. You can also regularly dilute the water by more frequent backwashing or partial drain/refill to help keep the CYA lower.

Richard

[Guest]

If your CYA is @ 120, it is WAY too HIGH!

You want to be at 30-50 some say 70 but never higher.

It won't go down on it's own. The pool will need to be partially drained and refilled to lower CYA.

CYA protects Chlorine. It's all the same but with different additives.

HTH.

[Guest]

OK, I have a 36'x16' 18000 gal pool. Aprox 3' shallow end aprox 7' non-diving deep end. How much water do I have to drain out to get CYA from 120ppm down to say 60ppm?

Also my TDS has been creaping up and is now at 1250 so it maybe time for a partial drain after all.

Thanks!

If your CYA is @ 120, it is WAY too HIGH!

You want to be at 30-50 some say 70 but never higher.

It won't go down on it's own. The pool will need to be partially drained and refilled to lower CYA.

CYA protects Chlorine. It's all the same but with different additives.

HTH.

[Strannik-au]

To decrease CYA level in half, you would need to drain half of your pool