Should i worry about my ta?

[jeremycrook]

YESTERDAY'S TEST RESULTS:

FC 4
CC 0
TC 4
PH 7.5
TA 90
CH 350
CYA 70
TEMP 87
SALT 3200
BORATES 50

Should I worry at all about my TA being on the higher end of the recommended levels?

My CSI is -.21 which is "balanced" according to pool math.

However I have my PH down at the lower 7.5, which I could add MA and possibly getting it down to 7.0 to lower TA?

Please advise, thanks.

 

[atttech-2]

TA is fine it will come down on its own no need to force it. FC is a bit low.

Edit: sorry missed you have an SWG FC is fine

 

[jeremycrook]

TA is fine it will come down on its own no need to force it. FC is a bit low.

Edit: sorry missed you have an SWG FC is fine

OK thank you. It's only been 6 months since the pool has been finished and I am still trying to figure out what the chemicals are, and how they work together/against each other.

I didn't realize that the TA will go down on it's own, I thought it would keep going up along with PH.

 

[atttech-2]

SWG pools tend to have a slightly higher acid demand because of the bit of aeration the cell produces, higher PH also lends to extra demand so an SWG pool with high PH will use more MA than need be. That is why recommended level for TA is lower for SWG pools. MA lowers PH and TA but aeration raises only PH so over time your TA will come down from you adding MA. If you had posted a TA of 130 I may have suggested a change but where you are is near enough, you will see this quote a lot "Its a pool not a science experiment"

The only levels I pay religious attention to are FC and PH. I check my TA every 2-3 weeks or if my MA usage gets wacky. I check my CH about 6 times a year and CYA once per year. When I got the pool it seemed I was testing everything except CYA every few days so I understand the impulse and it's actuality not a bad thing for at least the first swim season. It will teach your how your pool reacts to both chemical additions and environment. When you get to the point where you are not surprised at a test result then you can cut back.

 

[Naplespool]

OK thank you. It's only been 6 months since the pool has been finished and I am still trying to figure out what the chemicals are, and how they work together/against each other.

I didn't realize that the TA will go down on it's own, I thought it would keep going up along with PH.

I'm in a similar situation to you but I've forced my TA down to 60 so that I can see what the acid usage with be at a TA of 60. I'm leaving in a month, for 6 months, and I want the pool maint. company to know what to expect from my pool.

The other issue I'm trying to get a handle on is swg percentage.

 

[atttech-2]

60 was at one time considered low and while PoolMath still shows 70 as the lowest recommended level I have seen many threads of folks using 60 and even 50, my self included. I was trying to maintain 70 to 80 but it was a fight the pool just likes 60 better who am I to argue . As long as the PH does not start to swing unpredictably lower is just fine. I find with lower TA, PH is more easily controlled in the 7.7 to 7.8 range you can go lower but it will fight it a bit and again you end up using a little more MA than need be. If your pool has fresh plaster acid demand is going to be high for 6-12 months no matter what. My pool is now 17 months old and is using 1/2 the MA it was from new took about 8 months to get to that level.

 

[jeremycrook]

For some reason I can't even get the TA to budge. It was again 90 last night, and I had lowered my PH with a quart of MA the day before from 7.5 PH. That was supposed to move the PH to 7.0, however it was only 7.2 and TA didn't budge!

I guess at this point I am just going to CHILL and quit the "science experiment" and just lower the PH when it rises. We got 2.2 inches of rain last night and have to pump some water out...

 

[Patrick_B]

TA takes time to move, and keep it there. Mostly because you are re supplying it with fill water having high(er) TA in many parts of the world. Not rain water of course, but moving it takes significant and often numerous pH reductions to make a lating difference. Be patient and don't be surprised when it takes a little more pH move/acid addition to change your TA.

 

[pooldv]

With borates at 50 it is more difficult to lower TA which is why we recommend lowering TA first and then adding borates. The best thing to do now is to let pH rise to 8.0 and lower it to 7.0. With a saltwater pool you will likely settle in at TA 50-60 and pH 7.8.

TA recommendations vary by pool type, Pool School - Recommended Levels