Pool is making me mad

[Selinda]

My FC is 0
PH is 8.4+
TA 240
CA is 40

Added muriatic acid 1c. Last night. No chanhe. Added 2c borax this morning and numbers are all still the same. HELP

 

[Azgirl71]

Your PH was probably much higher than the 8.2.
I would add the recommend amount of MA to target 7.0-7.2 and the test PH again after 30 mins. Make sure filter is on and water is circulating.

You also need to add bleach to bring FC up.

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi Salinda,
dont add any more borax! Borax increases pH.

The pH test only goes to 8.2, so it may actually be quite a bit higher than that.
Use pool math to help you.
Consider the pH 8.2 and target for example 7.5. Use pool math to tell you how much muriatic to add, then add it.
Wait 30 minutes and test again. Then use pool math again to tell you how much acid to add to get to the target.

Also, with TA of 240, your pH is probably going to be unstable. TA buffers the stability of the pH.

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP. With PH that high it will take several to many additions of MA to lower PH. Use Pool School - PoolMath to calculate how much MA to bring it to 7.2, add with pump running, test again in 15 minutes and repeat until PH is in range.

It is important to maintain PH between 7.2 and 7.8.

It is also important to keep FC at target level and never let it drop below minimum to keep your pool sanitized and algae free, Chlorine CYA Chart

 

[Selinda]

The pool math is so confusing. Could someone help

 

[jblizzle]

There are instructions at the top of PoolMath.

Have you discovered Pool School yet? Maybe you should check these out before we continue:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool

 

[Azgirl71]

The pool math is so confusing. Could someone help

To help you we will need a full set of numbers.
As well as you pool measurements, so we can determine your actual gallons

 

[Richard320]

You were off the scale. So your pH could have been 8.4 or 9.4. You just don't know which. All you can do is plug your pool volume, the pH and the TA in, and target 7.2 pH and add what it says to add. Poolmath would not have told you to add Borax if you entered now as 8.4 and target as 7.2. Borax increases pH, so you made things worse. You aren't the first person to make the mistake. It's fixable.

So, what you do is add the appropriate amount of acid - I come up with 34 ounces - more than 4 times what you added. Dribble it into the return stream and then make a lap around the pool brushing to get it well mixed. Somewhere between thirty minutes and an hour later, recheck pH and TA again, and if pH isn't good, plug those numbers into poolmath and try again.

The pH scale is logarithmic, like the Richter Scale for earthquakes, so 8.4 is ten times more alkaline than 7.4, and it will take a lot of acid to budge things. Once it comes down into range, it should take much smaller quantities to keep it between 7.2 and 7.8. The TA will also come down with acid additions, so be sure to check that each time so you get the right dose calculated.

 

[pooldv]

The pool math is so confusing. Could someone help

Here are the more detailed instructions, Pool School - PoolMath

 

[Selinda]

What is it that you add in pool to rise CHA or lower it?

 

[Azgirl71]

What is it that you add in pool to rise CHA or lower it?

Your pool is vinyl, so there is not a big concern with CH.

 

[zea3]

What is it that you add in pool to rise CHA or lower it?

Are you asking about CH (calcium hardness) or CYA (cyuranic acid, also known as stabilizer or conditioner)?

 

[Selinda]

Are you asking about CH (calcium hardness) or CYA (cyuranic acid, also known as stabilizer or conditioner)?

CYA sorry

 

[kimkats]

For right now do not worry about the CYA. You need to work on the PH. Dose and test in 30 mins. Dose again and test in 30 mins until you get it down to 7.5.

Measuring your pool-measure how high your water is in your pool, measure your pool around. Put that in pool math at the bottom and it will tell you how many gals it is.

Kim

 

[Divin Dave]

Its really easy to use pool math. Here's how.
At the top left, you enter how many gallons of water you pool has. In the sig of your original post, it says 5000 gallons. So if thats how much water you have, einter it into the Size box

In the white boxes on the left enter your test result
In the boxes to the right of that, enter your target level that you want to get to.
Then click the calculate button located at the top.

Pool math then tells you how much of something to add, in order to achieve the target level you entered.

The pool math is so confusing. Could someone help

 

[Selinda]

Its really easy to use pool math. Here's how.
At the top left, you enter how many gallons of water you pool has. In the sig of your original post, it says 5000 gallons. So if thats how much water you have, einter it into the Size box

In the white boxes on the left enter your test result
In the boxes to the right of that, enter your target level that you want to get to.
Then click the calculate button located at the top.

Pool math then tells you how much of something to add, in order to achieve the target level you entered.

My Ph is leveled now.
Ta is 240
FC 0
CYA is 0.
What are they calling stabilizer
What can I do to drop my Ta?
What is my first step

 

[Azgirl71]

Your first step is to add stablizer and bleach

 

[April]

CYA is Stablizer or Conditioner. You can find it at Walmart or lowes in the pool chemicals.

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi Selinda,

I believe your FIRST step is to understand what these things are. Please read this short article in Pool School (big blue button at top). No one expects you to learn it all instantly, but it will help you a lot and is the basis of pool care and you can refer to it if you need to.
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry