HELP----TA WAY TOO HIGH!!

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G

Grenztr

Member
Jun 7, 2022
7
Ontario, Oregon
Pool Size
25000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hey everyone. I am new to proper pool ownership (second season pool owner...last year just threw shock and chlorine tabs at it)...I am using cheap HTH test strips and have found that my alkalinity and of course PH levels are off the charts. I dumped 1 gallon of muriatic acid in it and tested after a few hours with the pump running. It did not decrease. I dumped a second gallon in and still no change. I have ordered the TF-100 test kit and it is on its way, but says it won't be here for 1 week. I am calling on the experts. What do I do until l can get this tested properly? Kids are begging to get in the pool. My nearest pool center to test water is 30+ minutes away.

I am attaching a picture of the test strip, but I don't currently have access to the color chart on the test strip package, but they are HTH brand if that helps anyone. ** I know my chlorine levels are low, but wanted to get the alkalinity an PH in order before i dumped all the chlorine down the drain...
PXL_20220614_230242119.jpg
 
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Hopefully you didn’t just dump it in the pool. MA is a bit denser than water and can just settle at the bottom. I usually fill a small bucket with about 3 quarts water, add 1 or 2 cups MA. Stir thoroughly with a piece of stainless that I have, then slowly pour the solution in front of the return so it disperses it.

If you think it may be lying on the bottom use a brush to stir things up down there.
 
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There is no need to dilute the muriatic acid when adding to the pool. This double handling simply increases the chance of spilling it on the deck or on your self.
Lower the MA jug to the pool water level and pour in a pencil size stream in the pool return stream with the pump running. Then brush the area if you feel it is necessary.

Do not make any decisions based on test strips. Higher pH and TA are not a threat to people swimming. Add 3 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine each day to the pool while waiting on your test kit.
 
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You will find here at TFP we relay on properly testing your own water. Good on purchasing the Test kit, but please do not add anything else until you receive and can test yourself. Only liquid bleach for 3ppm daily.
 
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arvil said:
I have 3 or 4 small burn marks at the bottom that I believe likely from MA that didn’t mix. That’s why I dilute first, and pour in front of the return.
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Great if you wish to do it, just not TFP standard advice.
 
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The title of the post suggest your TA is way to high, but in reality, we don't know that, and nothing in your post suggests any TA numbers, so let's focus on what we "probably" know first and attack that before the proper test kit gets there.

You will need chlorine in your pool every day, and even though we don't know the exact numbers just yet, we know you should be adding at least 3ppm to keep up with the demand as @mknauss said. The sun will keep burning off the chlorine so you have to keep that up. That's the key to keeping anything that may want to grow at bay. And without a CYA number, we don't know yet what the proper number should settle in at, so for now, 3ppm per day worth of liquid chlorine.

If you haven't downloaded the Pool Math app, do that, and use the same credentials for your TFP login, will let you share the results with all of us. There is a section for "effects of adding" where you can specify the pool volume, and the percent concentration you are adding to get to the 3ppm number.

Guessing at the strips for your TA and PH numbers wont help anyone. I wouldn't know what those colors mean, and even if I did, wouldn't trust the results. That's why they are referred to as "guess strips" around here.

Grenztr said:
My nearest pool center to test water is 30+ minutes away.
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That is probably a good thing. Besides the guess strips, the pool store tests are another set of data you can't trust. Your proper test kit is the most important tool you can have, and the only numbers you can rely on.

mknauss said:
Higher pH and TA are not a threat to people swimming.
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Good sanitation is the key to swimming here, so the 3ppm of chlorine additions is what you want to focus on right now.
 
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arvil said:
I have 3 or 4 small burn marks at the bottom that I believe likely from MA that didn’t mix.
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What is a "burn mark"?

The marks are probably not from acid.

If you are pouring slowly into a return stream, the acid is not going to pool on the bottom.

You can brush after adding acid if it make you feel better.
 
Thank you all for your help on this. FYI- i hadn't just dumped the gallon into one area of the pool. I had walked around the pool gently pouring in a stream from the jug. I will start pouring in front of a return from now on. I have been adding chlorine to the pool since your responses and think that I have it in the right levels (of course I can't know for sure with my guess strips). I can't wait to do some backyard chemistry with my test kit :cool: . Hopefully it arrives soon. I will let you all know what I find out when I get the test kit.
 
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mknauss said:
There is no need to dilute the muriatic acid when adding to the pool. This double handling simply increases the chance of spilling it on the deck or on your self.
Lower the MA jug to the pool water level and pour in a pencil size stream in the pool return stream with the pump running.
Click to expand...
How do you accurately dose when adding in this manner? My MA came in opaque gallon jugs, and per PoolMath I've only needed to add 3-4 cups at a time.
 
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RickRude said:
How do you accurately dose when adding in this manner? My MA came in opaque gallon jugs, and per PoolMath I've only needed to add 3-4 cups at a time.
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Take an empty jug. Fill with water. Practice a time or two with pouring slowly into a 4-cup measuring cup from the jug to get a feel for how much 4 cups is. Repeat with MA into the pool.

If you're off by a cup or so, in a 10k+ gallon pool, it's not going to be enough to worry about.
 
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Soo....I got my special test kit today and tested the alkalinity. I performed the test as directed. I put 24 drops of the r-0009 solution in and it still didn't change to red. It started to make little changes (like in the video), but never actually changed. I didn't want to waste the reagant so i quit. Then i took a pH test and i am attaching the picture...way too high!! More muriatic acid?!?PXL_20220622_234155236.jpg
 
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