Just got my kit and completed tests

[Patrick_B]

It's quite likely in my opinion. With high pH and high Calcium (CH) you are creating scaling potential. You really need to keep pH in check and be sure to keep it in the 7.2-7.4 range and no higher. This is my plan, as I will have CH in the same range to deal with.

 

[Enzman]

Does the PH level normally come down or am I going to be putting $20-$30 worth of acid in my pool every month?

 

[JasonLion]

The answer is that it varies. It mostly has to do with the TA level in your pool, the TA level in your fill water, and how often you refill the pool. High TA means lots of acid use. But so long as your fill water TA level is low, or you don't refill much, then you will be lowering TA one time and then stop. On the other hand, high TA fill water and lots of topping off could mean a great deal of acid usage.

By the by, muriatic acid is inexpensive enough that I doubt you could possibly be using muriatic acid, as even a great deal of acid would only be $10 or $12.

 

[linen]

There are a number of possible factors why your ph is creaping up, here are some I can think of:

1. Aeration caused by your spa spillover.
2. A potential leak in you pool that is causing your auto-fill to replace a lot of water.
3. Your slightly high TA. See: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/129-how-to-lower-lowering-total-alkalinity

 

[Enzman]

Paying $10 for 2 gallons of muriatic acid at the pool store. It takes a half gallon every 2 days to keep my ph under 8. I will mess around with a TA test tomorrow.

 

[Butterfly]

You might want to check the % strength muriatic acid. Some are sold that are less than 50% strength, which of course would require twice as much to see the same effect.

 

[Patrick_B]

Just to be clear though, the strongest you can find will be 31.4 to 34.6% strength. Some places sell the 15.7% (10 degree baume) strength stuff, so see what is says on the bottle.

 

[Enzman]

Just did TA test, and I'm now at 60. Haven't added acid since yesterday, but PH is just above 6.8. My TA seems very low compared to the 100-120 recommendations for a chlorine pool. I will keep searching. Also going to do a CH test again.

 

[JasonLion]

Those high TA recommendations only apply if you are using trichlor (or dichlor) as your source of chlorine. For any other form of chlorine you want your TA quite a bit lower. See our recommended levels article in Pool School.

 

[Enzman]

Should I test the TA of my fill water? Is it better to have a lower TA with fill water being so high in PH?

 

[jblizzle]

The TA is great for trying to slow the pH rise ... but you should never have lowered your pH that low. Keep it above 7.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, test your fill water for pH and TA and CH while you are at it for reference.

 

[JasonLion]

It is good to know your fill water TA, though not essential. If your fill water TA is low then the fill water PH really doesn't matter at all. But if fill water TA is high you will need to take steps to lower TA any time you top off the pool (or perhaps continuously if fill water TA is really high).

 

[Enzman]

Ta in my tap water is 170

and ph was 8 last i checked

 

[JasonLion]

Alright, you are definitely in a high TA fill water situation. That is going to require regular acid additions and makes you a good candidate for an automatic acid feed system.

 

[Patrick_B]

Not disagreeing with the above, but try to stay focused on the pH and keep it in the 7.4 range. Ultimately, that is about where you want to be.

Don't get lost with a pinpoint focus on TA without knowing where the pH is.

 

[Mark R]

Not to hijack, but Enzman where are you located cause this thread is similar to the one I started and your chemistry numbers are right on point with my refill and water conditions. I'm adding almost a gallon of acid every week. No more pucks for me

EDIT: I see your from Las Vegas, that would explain a few things..

 

[Mark R]

This is how I am lowing my TA, booster pump on high, over flow into the pool. This might take looong time.


Sent -3 or -8

 

[Patrick_B]

Hey Mark, just a reminder....Aeration raises pH over time, not lowers it.

 

[Mark R]

Yes Patrick, mine tends to raise quite a bit for some reason. I am trying to lower my TA with aeration. I'll keep checking my PH. It was 7.2 last week and today it was almost 8.0. New fill water so I'm trying to get everything under control before the summer shows up. I put in about 1/2 gallon of 34% acid today so it's at 6.9/7.0 right now.

I'm still learning things everyday and my next door neighbor is coming to question me all the time about their pool. Lol As a matter of fact we are draining their pool right now. Hope I don't mess up too bad.

Thanks for your comments, I appreciate it !

EDIT: just started aeration today with turbo pump through spa spill over into pool
Mark

 

[Patrick_B]

Just making sure, sounds like a plan.

Now let's quit hijacking the thread before we both get into trouble.