polyvue said:
Your correct I am not going to use Trichlor. Thanks and I will be around a lot.
Newbie with too high CYA
- Thread starter mustang68
- Start date
Your correct I am not going to use Trichlor. Thanks and I will be around a lot.
Got some rain so chlorine is down to 6 but pH went back up to 8.5. Hitting it with 34 oz of Muriatic. I have to get that TA down so I quit bouncing around on pH.
mustang68 said:
I simply cannot get my pH to remain at 7.2=7.5. It will go down for a day or two but right back up to 8.5. Alkalinity remains high at about 155. No new rains. Should I try and to get it down to 7.0 instead of adjusting to 7.5?
What are you using to test pH at 8.5? Most pool pH tests only go to 8.0 and some to 8.2
Also - Read about How to Lower TA in Pool School. Bringing your TA into range should stabilize your PH.
frustratedpoolmom said:
Ok I have read the pool school and have went from uninformed and dangerous to just dangerous now. Great info there. I am lowering my pH to 7.2 and have added 55 oz of chlorine to get my FC-2 level to 6. If it drops to 7.2 then I will turn on the waterfall to get the pH up a little. Goal is to get that TA down.
On another note. With a 11000 gallon pool and doing it the BBB way how long do I need to run the pump. Its a Hayward Pro Flow 2, 1.0 HP.
What are you using to test pH at 8.5? Most pool pH tests only go to 8.0 and some to 8.2.
duraleigh said:
I'm just going off the color being a little off hue from the test kit. Everytime it has been that color it reads as 8.5 at the pool store. So I guess an educated guess. I generally err on the side of caution and adjust it as if it was 8.2. I had a reading of 7.2 after adjustment last night but now in the morning its 7.6
From what I can tell in Pool School I need to knock it down to 7.0 or 7.2 and then aerate to 7.6 to get the TA right. Right now I cant hold it at any level. It goes up and up until it reaches 8.2. Usually that is within 2-3 days.
As far as the chlorine it reads on the test kit at between 4-6 my best guess. Those colors are hard to go by. Lat time I thought I had a 4 or so and the store read it as an 8. So I know what that looks like and know I'm no higher than that. My CYA is 50 so my ideal level is a 6 any way. A work in progress.
mustang68 said:
You need an FAS-DPD test so you can count drops instead of comparing colors to determine your chlorine level.
frustratedpoolmom said:
Sounds good. I will get one off this site. I find the pH color testing somewhat reliable but those shades of yellow are hard for chlorine.
I now have a TA of 80. My pH is holding for the first time at 7.6. Chlorine was at 4 so I'm raising it to 6 due to my CYA being 50. Where should I keep my TA at? Also I have what I believe is metal staining in a spot. It looks almost like a swirl the size of a volleyball. It's brownish and looks like iron staining to me. Could this have been from my CYA and CH being so high for so much time?
I'm guessing the Absorbic Acid test is in order. Then I will have to get my chemistry squared away again. I understand the procedure for removing the stain but I do not know what a sequestering agent is :?
I'm guessing the Absorbic Acid test is in order. Then I will have to get my chemistry squared away again. I understand the procedure for removing the stain but I do not know what a sequestering agent is :?
Hi mustang68 and welcome to the forum 
You have come a long way in a short time 
About your TA, see Recommended Levels in Pool School.
A sequesterant holds metals in suspension and keeps them from depositing on your pool surface. You can google sequesterant (bottom left) and get more info. Also read more about metal stains/treatments in Pool School.
It would be helpful if you listed your pool and equipment specs in your signature and your location (city/state) in your profile.
You are doing a great job taking control of your pool! :-D
You have come a long way in a short time About your TA, see Recommended Levels in Pool School.
A sequesterant holds metals in suspension and keeps them from depositing on your pool surface. You can google sequesterant (bottom left) and get more info. Also read more about metal stains/treatments in Pool School.
It would be helpful if you listed your pool and equipment specs in your signature and your location (city/state) in your profile.
You are doing a great job taking control of your pool! :-D
Butterfly said:Hi mustang68 and welcome to the forum
About your TA, see Recommended Levels in Pool School.
A sequesterant holds metals in suspension and keeps them from depositing on your pool surface. You can google sequesterant (bottom left) and get more info. Also read more about metal stains/treatments in Pool School.
It would be helpful if you listed your pool and equipment specs in your signature and your location (city/state) in your profile.
You are doing a great job taking control of your pool! :-D
What if my TA drops below 70?? It was very high to begin with.
Am I missing something? If it gets lower than you want, you raise it. Baking soda works best for bringing up TA with not so much effect on pH.mustang68 said:
--paulr
PaulR said:
I'm just curious if there is an opposite negative effect from TA lowering to much. When mine was to high I could not keep pH balanced. Now its down to 70 I wanted to be informed if it dropped lower than that.
Ah, I see. When the TA is too high it puts upward pressure on the pH. I'm told when the TA is much too low, the pH will be unstable--very sensitive to anything that would tend to change it. Best to keep the TA in the Goldilocks zone. Exactly where that is, however, will vary some from one pool to the next; you need to find out what's right for yours.
--paulr
--paulr
PaulR said:
This seems to be the case. Right now the pH is at 7.2 usually this rises quickly but now my TA is 50 so I dont know what to expect. I'm going to let it rise so I can do the absorbic acid test/treatment. I also have to let the chlorine go down as I keep it at 6 due to the CYA being 50.
mustang68 said:
Alkalinity is now about 40 and seems to be getting lower. We have had some cold weather of late. Of course this is TX so I', talking the 40's in the night and the high 60's in the day. Anyway I recently had a pH rise over several days to 8.2. I calculated it and only put in half. I figured I would lower it over several days as opposed to one day treatment. Well that half treatment dropped it to 6.8 which seemed impossible. I only put in less than 25 ounces of acid. Could this be caused due to my low TA? I ran the fountain for a while and its up to 7.2 AND appears to be climbing back to 7.6. Chlorine is stable at about 6 which is ok for my CYA level. Any thoughts?
Calculated how? The amount of acid you need varies with the starting TA.
Using the Pool Calculator for 11,000 gallons, with TA 80 and no borates, to lower pH 8.2 to 7.6 I get 12 ounces of 31.45% muriatic. Adding 25 ounces should get you to about 7.2.
Or if you started with TA 40, to lower pH 8.2 to 7.6 is about 7 ounces, to get to 7.2 is 15 ounces. 25 ounces would get you to about pH 6.9.
--paulr
incidentally is your handle regarding a vehicle? My second car was a '66 Mustang 289 3-speed. But I was too poor to give it the treatment it deserved.
Using the Pool Calculator for 11,000 gallons, with TA 80 and no borates, to lower pH 8.2 to 7.6 I get 12 ounces of 31.45% muriatic. Adding 25 ounces should get you to about 7.2.
Or if you started with TA 40, to lower pH 8.2 to 7.6 is about 7 ounces, to get to 7.2 is 15 ounces. 25 ounces would get you to about pH 6.9.
--paulr
incidentally is your handle regarding a vehicle? My second car was a '66 Mustang 289 3-speed. But I was too poor to give it the treatment it deserved.
PaulR said:
I..um..eer..well....I did not recalculate the Pool Calculator to take in the fact that my TA was much lower than it had been. Now doing it right, the way you did, it requires a lot less. Well I'm still new so that was a lesson.
BTW that is a car. I still own a 1968 coupe that came with a 302 but I put a 351 Windsor in it. It had the 3 speed which as you know died in the 3rd gear, no power. I put a C4 Ford auto trans in it. Almost completely restored but still needs a few things. Had it since I was 16, which was 26 years ago. All my work and money went into that car for many years. Now it stays covered up most of the time in a garage.