What to deal with first? TA or pH

[Hannah M]

just opened pool.
Chlorine at 0
TA 20
cya 0
pH, already added 60 oz of muriatic acid with a reading of 8.3 or up

should I continue with muriatic acid to lower pH or add baking soda to raise TA. before beginning chlorinating


should I ignore TA altogether until after shocking

Thanks, I

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! Absolute first ... chlorine! Get some liquid bleach in there ASAP. FC of 0 means algae is not too far behind. Start with a small amount - about 1/2 - 1 gallon per day (about 2 ppm) until you start to see the CYA climb a bit.

Speaking of CYA, also add some stabilizer using the sock method near your skimmer. Shoot for an initial level of 30, possibly going up to 40 or 50 later depending on the amount of sun your pool gets. Remember it takes almost a week for CYA to show on the tests.

The other levels can be modified next, adding chemicals 30 min apart to circulate. Use the Poomath Calculator (link below) to assist in the exact amounts. If you have any questions, just ask. Welcome to TFP.

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You can use the "Recommended Levels" link below to give you your ideal levels for PH, TA, etc. The Chlorine/CYA chart is your "go-to" chart for chlorine and stabilizer. Make sure you look at the non-SWG chart.

 

[Hannah M]

I just opened the pool for the season, I have algae in there already. Based on last years process and the responses I got I am asking the following questions.

I'm trying to stabilize the pH before I begin shocking. What to do first? pH or TA
both, or only pH and take care of TA after shocking

thanks so much for your help

 

[Richard320]

I just opened the pool for the season, I have algae in there already. Based on last years process and the responses I got I am asking the following questions.

I'm trying to stabilize the pH before I begin shocking. What to do first? pH or TA
both, or only pH and take care of TA after shocking

thanks so much for your help

Slow down a bit.... 8.3 pH and 20 TA doesn't make much sense. If the pH was low I'd believe low TA. Did the water have a chance to mix well? If there's a layer of snowmelt on the surface it can give bizarre readings until things mix. I have no clue where you are, so I have no idea if it snows there, so I have to ask.

 

[Hannah M]

I live in central NJ. We had a problem with our filter for the last few days. My husband finally got the filter working today, (no pool service available).

We realize that we need proper servicing of our system, but we'll wait towards the end of the season.

Thank you,

 

[Hannah M]

Tested a few minutes ago, I added muriatic acid a few hours ago

TA 30
pH 8.3

 

[Richard320]

Tested a few minutes ago, I added muriatic acid a few hours ago

TA 30
pH 8.3

Baking Soda to get TA up to 60 or so. Allow it to mix at least half an hour and then recheck pH and TA and start adjusting pH down.

 

[Hannah M]

Thanks so much. will start with that.

 

[Hannah M]

Thanks, I love you guys. I began shocking at 1 am after adjusting pH and TA. by 6 am my water went from swamp to blue green milky color water.

Thanks so much

 

[Hannah M]

Pics of progress

I didn't take a pic yesterday. There doesn't seem to be any progress since yesterday. The pool looks the same. is this normal for a de filter.
We haven't been using de powder this year. we think it may have clogged our filter. would de powder help with clearing our pool? we're very apprehensive. is there a special technique in applying the powder.


I'm also working blind now, I used up my fas/dpd powder so am adding approx 200 oz of 12.5% bleach every few hours.

I began shocking 1am thursday night

Thursday before shocking


Friday 8 am


Sunday 10 am

 

[Hannah M]

Update: we've added de powder

 

[Richard320]

A DE filter requires DE to work. The grids are just there to support the powder. under a microscope, DE looks like a chunk of sponge. It piles up on the grid and the water has to go through the tiny holes and that's how it filters out microscopic particles. If you've been running it without DE, you haven't been filtering. It's like filtering muddy water through a T-shirt. Huge chunks will get stopped, but you'll still have brown water on the other side.

Now that you have DE in there, expect the filter pressure to climb fast. It could even be as fast as an hour given the cloudiness of that pool. You may need to backwash and recharge the DE several times today, but you will see improvements in water clarity. Best way to do it is to stick a yardstick or something the water and see how far you can read and keep comparing that so you will see the progress.