Rookie Pool Owner - First Post - Any Advise would be appreciated

[ZA189RE]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post to the forum. It's my first time owning a pool and I've been using this website for a couple summers to help solve issues and learn more about my pool. Although I have a lot to learn, I've been doing my best to keep the water clear and usually perform the minimum tests for chlorine and PH which always seems pretty stable and I've been happy.

I've been using the tablets which I realize is not popular here, but when the chlorine readings are low I add a tablet which seems to spike the reading after a day or two. PH always stays at 7.2; haven't really seen it budge since we moved into the house. For a while I added borax to raise it a little with good results, but always seems to hang at 7.2.

So my dilemma is with some of the other tests and the numbers that I'm getting are wildly off the scale. These are what I found for my last test:

Chlorine: 1
PH: 7.2
TA: 170 (!)
CH: 400
CYA: 150 (??) it was off the scale

Am I doing something wrong? Isn't there something contradictive about those readings? At the moment the water is clear and blue and probably deceiving me.

I think I can explain the high TA; it's most likely from my bone-headed handy work of using baking soda. I know about the aerating thing and I'm thinking I can get that back down to a normal range.

The CYA thing scares me because it seems the only method to lower that is to replace 80% of my water. I'm not sure that's feasible and that's just about like starting all over when I thought things were going good.

Any advise and help is greatly appreciated.

 

[astrong]

I was right there with you. I was a new pool owner and 1st time ever opening a pool.
All the awesome people will give you great tips and advice.
First read a lot.
Read all the links and info they suggest.
Pool school is your friend.
Pool math is uhhhhhmazing!
If you don't have one get a good test kit. I went with the Taylor k-2006 from tftestkits website.
First I'd say lower your TA but get your ph up first. I'm lowering my TA now and it's a process. Lowering TA lowers ph with muriatic acid then you gotta aerate ph back up because aeration doesn't raise TA. Never drop ph below 7.0
Get your CYA down this requires removing part of the waster and refilling this also might help your TA level drop.
Get some chlorine in asap and if your CC is up you need to SLAM your pool.

I'm so very glad I listened to all the awesome people here because my pool has been easy trouble free and pool store free since day 1.
-Amber.


24 ft round 52 in deep Evolution CLX 13,000 gal, hayward S180T sand filter & 1 hp Power-flo Matrix single spd, TFP method BBB, taylor K-2006 kit

 

[astrong]

I forgot to ask can you update your signature as well by adding your pool info to it? That helps everyone know if you have I ground above ground vinyl or plaster and so on. Because your ch is 400 and may need adjusted too.

I also want to mention I do not believe aeration lowers TA at all. Forum members with more experience correct me if I'm wrong.
-Amber


24 ft round 52 in deep Evolution CLX 13,000 gal, hayward S180T sand filter & 1 hp Power-flo Matrix single spd, TFP method BBB, taylor K-2006 kit

 

[wrems]

Aeration doesn't lower TA. Aeration raises pH. You lower TA by kind of a yo-yo effect you play with pH. Muriatic Acid lowers pH. So you aerate to raise pH around 7.7 and spike it to about 7 or 7.2 with MA to drop both pH and TA. Then you start raising the pH again with aeration to rinse and repeat this process until you've accomplished lowering your TA where you want it. It's a process that takes days/weeks. It doesn't happen fast. If you can improve your aeration you can speed the process up. There are no shortcuts. Don't try adding chemicals to bump pH after MA dose. They'll cancel each other.

 

[bigglesworth]

Welcome ZA189RE

Chlorine: 1
CYA: 150 (??) it was off the scale

You need to find out what your CYA actually is. It could be 150 or it could be 450!!! The taylor test will measure up to 100ppm, but you can do a 2:1 or 4:1 dilution with tap water (which will be CYA free). Your MoE will be greater, but you'll be in the ballpark. Refer to the Extended Tesk Kit directions. It's likely you'll need to replace some water.

PH: 7.2

This is in range.

TA: 170 (!)

This will come down with the aeration method or usually over time as you add MA.

CH: 400

This is fine. My CH is 650, but due to water restrictions in southern California it's going to have to stay like that.

In my opinion the biggest concern is your CYA. If it's 150, you'll need to maintain a minimum of 11ppm FC just to keep the nasties away. There's a chance that it's higher and thus will require a much greater FC level. The problem that FC level presents, besides the cost all that bleach, is you can't effectively measure pH if the FC is above 10.

First thing you should do is get a semi accurate measurement of CYA using dilution. Once you have that you can figure out how much water will have to be replaced.

I don't mean to be harsh. I (and everyone else here) want to help and will do our best to guide you through all of this.

**EDITED**

There are a few here that have tried product called Bio-Active CYA Reducer (I think). Search the forum for bio active. My understanding is it's been a mixed bag. One or two people actually did see their CYA drop significantly over 1-2 weeks. Others saw no change at all. I think it's about $50 for 1 treatment. Again, it's a tossup as to whether it would work for you or not.