Low TA causing low Salt and CYA?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
hopkiba

hopkiba

0
Apr 7, 2011
39
Cleveland, TN
Pool was open all winter and lots of rain. Getting ready to start up SWG and wanted to balance water. Readings were

FC 6 (had added some bleach)
PH 7.4
TA could not read - out of reagent
CYA 30 (was 70 in the fall)
Salt 1600 (was 3,000 in the fall)

Went to pool store to buy stabilizer and had them test the water. He said that TA was too low (30) and caused salt and CYA reading to be low. When I got home my new kit arrived and I got a reading of 30 for my TA. I added 25lbs baking soda and will check again tomorrow.

Does a low TA level affect CYA readings that much? Will be able to confirm tomorrow when I retest with TA that should be in range.
 
hopkiba said:
Does a low TA level affect CYA readings that much?
Click to expand...
No. In fact, based on the fact you also lost salt, I would be more concerned with a water leak somwehere. I can understand some CYA degradation over the winter (40 ppm is too much), but the salt should not have changed.
 
hopkiba said:
... I got a reading of 30 for my TA. I added 25lbs baking soda and will check again tomorrow
Click to expand...
twenty-five pounds?
What TA level are you aiming for? PoolMath

Also what is your CH (calcium) level?
Curiosity: Did you do an acid demand test? (it should be low to zero, with PH~7.4/TA~30) (this test is not necessary, just curious)
 
Actually other way around, very high CYA can cause high TA. TA does not affect CYA test.

With pH in the 7s I would not have touched TA until pump had circulated water for a few days. Low TA does not affect anything if pH remains in normal range.

Bad things happen with low pH or low FC. Other tests are secondary and take a long time to have any bad effects.
 
Dilution was my first thought but this is way more than what I have had in the past. Pump has been running 8 hrs at night all winter to prevent freezing and recently was on for a while while vacuuming.

I am shooting for TA of 100 or so. Will check calcium tomorrow along with everything else and post results.

Targets are based on Circupool's recommendations:

FC 4 - 6 (School Pool vs Circupool 1 to 3)
Salt 3200
PH 7.2 to 7.8 (PH would rise from 7.5 to 8 weekly - added acid weekly)
TA 80 to 120
Calcium 200 to 400
CYA 60 to 80
Biggest difference from School Pool is TA. It recommends 60 to 80. What is the thinking behind the lower calcium levels?
 
The lower TA levels TFP recommends is that is the most likely range most pools will stabilize in pH. That depends on fill water characteristics, evaporation rate, etc. A TA of 100 you state above, will, most likely, cause your pH to rise quicker and as you add acid to combat that, your TA will fall. If you let it be, your pH will stabilize or at least rise less quickly. If you add baking soda and raise your TA, you are on the hamster wheel of high TA, rising pH.
 
TA of 100 is too high. It will only lead to more rapid pH rise. I suggest you ignore equipment guidelines which are all over the place and have no basis in chemistry and use TFP guidelines.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
hopkiba said:
Dilution was my first thought but this is way more than what I have had in the past. Pump has been running 8 hrs at night all winter to prevent freezing and recently was on for a while while vacuuming.

I am shooting for TA of 100 or so. Will check calcium tomorrow along with everything else and post results.

Targets are based on Circupool's recommendations:

FC 4 - 6 (School Pool vs Circupool 1 to 3)
Salt 3200
PH 7.2 to 7.8 (PH would rise from 7.5 to 8 weekly - added acid weekly)
TA 80 to 120
Calcium 200 to 400
CYA 60 to 80
Biggest difference from School Pool is TA. It recommends 60 to 80. What is the thinking behind the lower calcium levels?
Click to expand...
Meant to say TA
 
  • Like
Reactions: splashpad
Today's results. All from a brand new K200 kit. Let sample get to room temperature. Filter has been running for at least 16 hours.
FC 4.5
PH 7.8
Alk 120 - Will let it drop to 70
CA 100
CYA less than 30. Filled up all the way to the top and could still see dot. Where did it all go?
Salt 1,800
 
Give stablizer 2-3 days to circulate before you test. Give salt 24 hours before you test.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply