I'm fairly sure aeration has no effect on TA. The addition of MA to reduce PH does though.
New Pool Build - TX
- Thread starter Twolabs
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I'm fairly sure aeration has no effect on TA. The addition of MA to reduce PH does though.
as far as i know, baking soda will actually raise your ph. so naturally you would need enough MA to cancel that out plus what it would have normally taken to reduce your levels.
probably best to just stick to ph and chlorine levels for a couple weeks before worrying about other stuff. that's what ive been reading on here.
probably best to just stick to ph and chlorine levels for a couple weeks before worrying about other stuff. that's what ive been reading on here.
Congratulations! Looks awesome.
Talking about your chemicals reminds me that I need to get my test kit ASAP!
Talking about your chemicals reminds me that I need to get my test kit ASAP!
LOL I got my test kit BEFORE I even ordered my pool! (Shhhhhhh but I wanted to make sure I could really do it)
Kim
Great stuff. Its so nice having someone who's been through the exact same situations with the same PB. I went back out that night and looked and you are right. Its crazy. The debris in there is moving around so fast and quickly, without ANY air bubbles...it looked like it was just blowing in air, which made zero sense. However looking at it closely around the very edges I saw one or two tiny bubbles.
I'm definitely sore from all the brushing. It has worked out well being over a holiday so I can brush 3 times a day, really focusing on the seats.
I finally got the pH down over two days. I added 51 oz of MA on Thursday night and tested again Friday morning and it was unchanged. So I added another 60 or so oz (need to get a measuring cup) and tested an hour later and it was down to 7.5. This morning it was back up to 8.2 so I added more.
Thanks so much. It is just regular colored plaster in midnight blue. The pool tiles are from Noble Tile called Vanuatu Blue.
Speaking of the plaster, that stain on the bench and the streak in the pool is there and its noticeable. It doesn't stand out a bunch right now because the pump is running all the time, therefore the water surface is broken quite a bit so it hides it a little. However, I can tell that eventually when the pump is cut off and the water is still, it will be extremely noticeable. Which is extremely disappointing, but I don't know what can be done about it. I scrub it pretty hard when brushing but it doesn't seem to make any effect. I guess we'll just have to live with it until it's time to replaster.
The lights are so cool. I'll try to get some pictures tonight and get them posted.
They will probably want to do an acid bath if you want to get rid of the streaks. I have some streaking from bad troweling in my plaster as well as some brown spots from who knows what that haven't disappeared. PB offered an acid bath but I was very skeptical because I do not have a bypass for my heater, but he said they do it all the time so I will let him.. we probably won't be doing it until the spring.
From pool school:
The acid/aeration process to lower TA:
Add acid to lower your PH to between 7.0 and 7.2 (this also lowers TA)
Aerate until PH rises to around 7.6 (the only way to raise PH without also raising TA)
Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you reach the desired TA.
So, what pools like this do is basically continually follow the procedure for lowering TA. Not as aggressively since we don't drop pH to 7.0, but it happens. The aeration drives up the pH faster than a non-aerated pool, you add acid, TA goes down, repeat ad infinitum. You are right - it's the acid that lowers the TA. But the aeration results in more frequent acid additions.
Jay will you please make Glock share his cave? Something that pretty needs to be shared!
I love those shots! What fun colors!
kim
I love those shots! What fun colors!
kim
Glock
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Keep posting your chem levels. I know our tap water ph is way above 8.2 to start with so this has been helpful to see what you are doing to get it down. I think I would be outside every night, just watching the waterfall and lights. -Karen
:bowdown:
Haha thanks all! I'm becoming VERY familiar with the pool with all the dang brushing and getting leaves out. Combine a red oak shedding its leaves, and extremely windy days exactly the direction from the tree...that equals overflowing skimmers and unending "leaf fishing". By the way, since I can't use the polaris yet...I guess I just use my net to get the leaves off of the floor and away from the drains? They keep getting sucked onto the drains and I'll brush them off and then try to get them with the net.
It has been really cool having my family here for Thanksgiving and getting to go outside after dinner on the back porch. I've discovered I like keeping the waterfall off while outside because its so loud, its tough to have a conversation with someone across the patio. However the spa overflow and the bubbler create a nice peaceful sound.
As far as the chemical levels, my TA is holding steady around 80 and my FC is coming up (I guess the pucks they put in are continuing to dissolve). Two nights ago, the pH rose from 7.5 to 8.2 the next morning, but last night it held steady at 7.5. So I went ahead and put about 15-20 oz of MA in and got it down to 7.2. Here were my full results this morning before adding the MA:
FC: 6
CC: 0
pH: 7.5
TA: 80
CH: 75
CYA: Didn't test...has been around 10 for a few days now.
So now I think I'm going to get the CH up to around 150 (per the National Plasterers Council recommendations).
This plaster dust never ends!
It has been really cool having my family here for Thanksgiving and getting to go outside after dinner on the back porch. I've discovered I like keeping the waterfall off while outside because its so loud, its tough to have a conversation with someone across the patio. However the spa overflow and the bubbler create a nice peaceful sound.
As far as the chemical levels, my TA is holding steady around 80 and my FC is coming up (I guess the pucks they put in are continuing to dissolve). Two nights ago, the pH rose from 7.5 to 8.2 the next morning, but last night it held steady at 7.5. So I went ahead and put about 15-20 oz of MA in and got it down to 7.2. Here were my full results this morning before adding the MA:
FC: 6
CC: 0
pH: 7.5
TA: 80
CH: 75
CYA: Didn't test...has been around 10 for a few days now.
So now I think I'm going to get the CH up to around 150 (per the National Plasterers Council recommendations).
This plaster dust never ends!
Brush, brush, brush your pool, brush it all day long! Up and down and all the way around and every where in between! (sung to the tune of row, row, row your boat) LOL
You can always use a manual vacuum to get the leaves out. It might be easier than the the net.
Kim
You can always use a manual vacuum to get the leaves out. It might be easier than the the net.
Kim
Actually I've been thinking more along the lines of a little Salt N' Pepa....Brush it! Brush it REAL good!
It is safe to fish the leaves off the bottom of the pool with the leaf rake. I had to do the same thing until I was allowed to use my vacuum 30 days post-plaster.
You know I noticed this morning some streaks on the bottom, and I'm afraid it was from my leaf rake. My net has a white plastic piece on the front lip, and I discovered that if I gently glided it across the bottom it would life up the leaves and right into the net. However I'm afraid I've permanently scarred my plaster. I swear, we love the plaster color but it is really splotchy and sensitive. We already have that giant streak down the shallow end and now a few more streaks in the bottom of the deep end. Grr.
Thanks! We have 2 lights in the pool plus 1 spa light in the grotto floor. We have 12 led accent lights in the waterfall and 4 in the retaining walls.