Does Salt Water = Higher TA?

[Pool Barnacle]

Hello, glad to be here..

We have a rectangular swimming pool of approximately 25 K gallons with a salt water system, waterfall on separate pump. DE filter which I clean (no backflush) every 3 months. I keep the Chlor and PH right where they should be. No CYA problems. Water temperature hovers around 83 degrees F in summer. I keep salt levels at the lowest possible for my system, 2800 ppm.

Everything is great except for the TA. I cannot get it below 200 ppm.

I've tried lowering the PH and aerating by using the built in waterfall, and no matter what I do, TA is stuck on 200.

Pool store guy says it's fine and not to worry

I'm starting to wonder if Salt Water pools are normally alkaline, and would like to hear from others in the forum.

Best regards.

 

[woodyp]

Welcome to the forum. What is the TA of your FILL water?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Welcome to the forum. What is the TA of your FILL water?

I would also add the following questions too -'

1. Where is "Downey" ?
2. What type of pool surface do you have?
3. What is the age of your pool?

If you update your signature lines with details about your pool, it helps enormously.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Pool Barnacle]

I feel really dumb for not even thinking of that! The pool is on an automatic filler connected to a water softener so I always thought of the water as having low TA.

I just measured TA of the fill water, three times for good measure and guess what? 200 ppm each time. Looks like I've been beating a dead horse for a long time.

Thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

Hi,

1. Downey is zip code 90241, South L.A. County, CA.
2. Plaster surface with 3M Crystals
3. Last time it was re-plastered was 6 years ago

Just joined forum, I'll update sig as soon as possible.

Thank you.

 

[chem geek]

Please put "Downey, CA" as your location. That will make it easier for people to figure out.

A water softener is usually a cationic exchange resin so will exchange calcium and magnesium with sodium to reduce total water hardness including Calcium Hardness (CH). That will not affect Total Alkalinity (TA) which would need an anionic exchange resin to exchange bicarbonate with chloride.