How test the CYA Cyanuric Acid in a pool

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Learn how to test CYA (cyanuric acid) in a pool using the Taylor K-2006 test kit. Disclaimer:

[wayne]

Great video. CYA is in almost all the chlorinators sold by Walmart and pool stores, so it is real easy to get your CYA too high. Your pool stores love this, because it takes insane levels of chlorine to be effective. CYA is never used up, so the only way to get rid of it is by draining, back-washing, etc. You are exactly right that 30 to 50 is a good level for CYA. I just wanted to stress that CYA probably causes more problems when it is too high.

[derekjp]

The difference between a bad pool tech and company, and a good one, is a company that can actually explain 1. Where CYA comes from, 2. How significantly it affects Chlorine's ability to sanitize the pool, 3. The benefits and the cons of having high CYA.

I've been training on pool chemistry with a guy who has a PHD in chemistry so ... you could say my understanding of pH levels is way deeper than I ever expected it to ever be. Lol

Keep it up!

As a poolguy myself, well done. Many pool guys out there only test their waters once every 3 months. I test the waters of my clients everytime I go, and tests like tds, calcium hardness, and cyanuric acid I only test once a month. Most of the time if you are keeping up with your clients pools every two weeks, you really have no need to add chemicals if youre doing it all right and maintaining properly.

[sarahmangone]

Awesome video. I've owned a pool since 1993 and never tested for cya. I only used the tester for chlorine and ph. Seemed to work out great or I just got lucky with a beautiful pool. This is very informative and since I'm setting up my last pool and have downsized greatly in size, it should be easier to maintain. I'll look into this test kit most definitely since CYA seems to be a thing in the state of SC.

[johncp]

Thanks for this video. Just added 2 lbs of CYA this morning. My level was pretty much non-existent. Never lost sight of the black dot.. I know going too high isn't good either. So I'm taking it slowly. You're dead on with the chlorine remark. Keep adding it and the level won't stay up. Hoping I can get my CYA level corrected soon.

[UNIGUY]

That is my question. I have great eyesight and if I wait for a second after adding more water to the small tube, I can faintly still see the dot. Do I keep adding? This test doesn’t seem very clear to me. Is it when it starts to disappear? Is it when you can see the circle faintly? Or is it when you absolutely can’t make out any circle at all?

[TheSkipinatorVids]

Nice vid. I took control of my salt water pool about a year ago. I also have a K-2006 as well as a K-1106 for phosphate testing. I let my pool guy go because he was constantly adding things to the pool with no explanation of the need, and no documentation to go back to next time he came. When I used the CYA test the first time I thought I did it wrong because I didn't get any fogginess. Did the test two more times. Same thing. Turns out there was NO CYA in the pool. You would think the "pro" would have tested for that, but I'm not even sure he had a kit that WOULD!

[geomaj]

Grate video my friend, im new to having a pool so can I ask what if your pool is a salt water pool do we still neet to add the CYA if low?

[jkdsteve]

Your pool looks awesome man! I've been doing my own pool for years, very occasionally had algae problems but this video has helped me today! :-)

[thomaspease]

beautiful pool perfect what's the size of the pool crystal clear

[christianmenard]

Thanks man! Didn't have to ask my boss. Always a win

[MrBlister]

Great vid! I've been flying blind with no CYA test in my Pentair kit. Hopefully I can get it separate...Thanks again and kudos on mention the BBB method, as I just saw it mentioned elsewhere.

[windowwiz]

I tried the enzyme and it worked for me to reduce the CYA

[kathytruesdale]

When testing for Cyanuric acid, does your black spot need to disappear completely or just turn gray?

[timpage]

Tell me why when filling my above ground pool 1st time and testing it says high cya yet I haven’t added a single chemical yet.

[MarkTaylor]

Let's put the ppm CYA into perspective with simple math. CYA @ 100-130 range must have been a misprint. PERIOD! At those levels, you’d be way worse off than having 0ppm CYA. You already know, the purpose of CYA is to create a buffer between the chlorine and the suns UV rays to prevent breakdown. This next part is what you MUST understand — CYA does two things: 1) prevents breakdown of FAC, and 2) diminishes the strength of FAC. So, you want enough CYA to prevent breakdown, but not enough to render the chlorine ineffective. Take a look at this simple equation…

FAC = 7.5% x CYA (FAC is Free Available Chlorine) (7.5% is the factor used to determine how many ppm chlorine is diminished)

Do the math three times with different CYA ppm. The answer to each senecio is the amount of chlorine that is ineffective, or just call it the zero point.
7.5% x 130ppm CYA = 9.75ppm to get to zero point
7.5% x 80ppm CYA = 6ppm to get to zero point
7.5% x 30ppm CYA = 2.25ppm to get to zero point

So, @ 130ppm CYA, YOU MUST BRING THE WATER TO 9.75ppm PLUS additional chlorine to arrive at the desired ppm chlorine you’re after. There is no reason to exceed 40 CYA, I recommend 30 CYA

[marcusdekock]

Thank you for you quick and usefull answer. I was looking for more than a week for answers, coul'd not find a good one.
So thanks a lot.
Marcus

[dcon]

Thanks a great deal man, you left nothing out. That's rare!!! I'm going to do just as you said. Thanks Dave

[jtorts]

Nice crystal clear pool. I have a pool blue almost clear but a bit cloudy came
Back from 3 wk vacation pool was green shocked it and now its
Blue is my cya too high?

[kylealexander]

The bbb system uses all high pH chemical how do you lower the ph with all the high pH chemicals going in?