Hi,

I just helped open my brother's pool and have a question on these numbers. He's a new convert to bbb

He has a 30k inground vinyl and a TF-100 tesk kit. Here are the first test results:

FC - 0.0
ph - 7.6
TA- 540
CH - 410
CYA - 40

This TA seems way high given the ph is in the right place. I read the sticky on lowering TA and that you really shouldnt bother lowering it unless you have another problem but is that still the case if the number is outrageously high?

As always, thanks in advance for any advice.

You should do the TA test again, and this time wipe the dropper tip with a damp cloth/tissue before you start and after every five drops or so, and see if you get a different result. Sometimes a static charge can build up on the dropper tip, which makes the drops come out smaller, which gives false high readings. Wiping with a damp cloth/tissue removes any charge.

Assuming your numbers are right, you want to start lowering TA right away, since you are at significant risk of calcium scaling as things stand right now.

Jason is referring the the R009 reagent bottle. The droplets should be fairly large sized when coming out.

You got that right. i retested twice with wiping the reagent bottle and took the whole show indoors cause i thing the wind was accelerating (and shrinking) the drops. The TA is high however (230) but the ph is fine. Should we focus on lowering it? We are working on the shocking to remove the green color the water turned when we first added chlorine.

Thanks
Bill

Lowering TA is simple - every time the PH hits 7.8, you lower it down to 7.2 with muratic acid. You can speed this process up by adding a source of aeration. Detailed instructions for speeding up the lowering TA process is here:
Lowering Total Alkalinity

But lowering it quickly is not required. Just monitor the PH - if it got too high you would be at risk for scale because of the high TA and CH.

Now, this whole TA issue can wait until you are done shocking, if you are in the middle of a shock process. Further, don't attempt to adjust PH when the FC is over 10, as high FC levels can make the PH read false-high - always wait till the FC is 10 or below before trying to adjust.