High TA Fill water, constant Aeration, and Borates

[cjs]

I am planning to add Borates in the very near future. My fill water has TA=300, so I am constantly working to keep that down, only to be set back as I top off my pool. Will adding Borates help keep TA down, or just keep pH in check?

If I have Borates...
1) and high TA fill, will it be more difficult (more acid) to maintain proper TA levels?
2) and I add acid to lower TA, will I have a problem with very slow rise of pH?
3) and I currently have my TA lowered to 70, should I lower it further prior to adding Borates?

Generally speaking, I've read all the stuff about effects of Borates on pH, but haven't seen much about effects, if any, on TA.

Current readings:
CYA: 40
TA: 70
pH: 7.2 (currently aerating, should be 7.4-7.5 today)
TC: 4.5
FC: 4.5
CH: 250
Borates: 0

 

[thunderkyss]

I don't know about the borates & your TA.

But if I were in your situation my first thought would be to dose the pool with muriatic acid until I got the TA down to the low end of the acceptable range.... 70. Unless you are losing copious amounts of water I think you should be able to manage with weekly TA testing & adjustments.

Just a thought.

& good luck.

 

[JasonLion]

Borates help slow the increase of PH, you still have to add just as much acid as before, you just add it less often.

With high TA fill water it isn't always practical to get your TA down to something reasonable as top off water will just raise it again. What some people in that situation do is to setup a constant PH feed, to keep the PH in check so it never gets too high, despite the TA.