TA, PH, problems.

[jeremy1979]

My TA is off the charts of the test strip which tops out at 240ppm. So that needs to come down obviously. My PH is also high, 8.4. Not sure whats driving it up so high; rain? leaves? dead bugs? What's the best way to bring them down? A bunch of Muriatic Acid? Can I dump about 3 gallons in at once? My pool is 12K gal. Are these high numbers creating the scaling on the tile? Thx

 

[RobbieH]

Yes you can pour in in the correct amount to lower to 7.2 all at once, but do it slowly. You may find that it won't be enough also, as 8.4 is really at the limit of the test. As you keep adding MA to lower to 7.2, the TA will come down on its own. Yes, this is part of the cause of scaling. pH and TA need to be in check or the CH in the water will scale. High CH may be a problem for you too, but if you keep pH and TA in control, the CH can be managed.

 

[jblizzle]

Well, your first problem is that you are trusting test strips ... not good. I highly recommend investing in one of the Recommended Test Kits so that you actually KNOW the chemical levels in your pool and not guess at some color with a HUGE range of values.