Danny D. posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP


Tekkie® wrote, on Wed, 28 May 2014 19:27:16 -0400:

I'll be over for my yearly dip.

It's almost ready for your annual dip!

So far, it has taken three weeks (elapsed time) to almost fill
the pool from the well water because the well just couldn't put
out more than about a thousand or two thousand gallons without
running dry.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3721/1...804dcb1c_b.jpg

I've snaked all the bottom drains, popups, and side vents:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2922/1...63173085_b.jpg

One huge technical problem I just solved today was how to
dissolve 12 pounds of professional cyanuric acid powder in
one sitting!
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3717/1...d6f33721_b.jpg

As you may know, CYA has a low solubility in water (2g/l@25ºC).
That means only 1/10th of a pound can dissolve in my 5g bucket:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5517/1...f36835bd_b.jpg

After making a few mistakes, I realized is that this professional
powder cannot be applied wet, as the retail granules are!

It must be applied dry!
Otherwise it cakes instantly!
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5159/1...2b59f88c_b.jpg

I finally figured out how to keep the cyanuric acid powder in
a suspension, so that it can be poured into the pool like milk!
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2901/1...c71a9dd0_b.jpg

The result is a dispersing "cloud" of water-separated particles:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3799/1...6f8fb243_b.jpg

But, it took a few experiments where all I got was caked CYA on
the floor of the pool before I figured out the physical chemistry
of a substance that turns into instant cement with water!
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2898/1...2c16a580_b.jpg

Apparently the cyanuric acid is slow to dissolve because of the
amount of energy it takes for water to dislodge a CYA molecule
from its crystal structure (analogous to an activation energy for
chemical reactions).
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2911/1...b14c9b48_b.jpg

The rate of dissolving has a far greater dependence on the
surface area of the granules and on the circulation of
water around them. Finely crushed CYA dissolves more quickly
than the retail granules, though it is so light that it can't
readily break the surface tension of water and ends up floating
on the surface when I apply it by shaking it out of a dry net:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5113/1...9d55434f_b.jpg

So, I learned a lot about how the pros apply cyanuric acid
powder (which, I might add, isn't easy to buy because it's not
apparently sold to the general public):
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3754/1...f9945a46_b.jpg


Let me know!

--
Tekkie Cow farts cause global warming - Andrea Tantaros on The Five