TA Won't Budge

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snichols1219

snichols1219

0
Jan 9, 2016
40
Missouri City, TX
Pool Size
24000
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I have been trying to get my TA down to no avail. I adjust my pH to 7.2, which brings the TA down from 130 to 120 and can aerate all day long. Checked it today, pH up to somewhere between 7.5-7.8 (closer to the higher) and TA is back to 130. So I have adjusted it again, and have the bubblers and waterfall/slide running. I have tried this many times over the spring and it doesn't ever seem to get me anywhere. What else can I do to bring the TA down so my pH will quit rising so rapidly?

Thanks!
 
Donldson said:
TA does not increase unless you add something to increase it. Are you adding anything at all to your pool besides acid?
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Only acid, salt, stabilizer as needed. The pH in the pool has always climbed rapidly ~ ever since we built it. Checked it yesterday and pH was 7.2, TA 120, today pH 75.-7.8 range, TA 130. I did add 2 gallons of stabilizer yesterday.

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snichols1219 said:
Only acid, salt, stabilizer as needed. The pH in the pool has always climbed rapidly ~ ever since we built it. Checked it yesterday and pH was 7.2, TA 120, today pH 75.-7.8 range, TA 130. I did add 2 gallons of stabilizer yesterday.
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And before I lowered to pH to 7.2, the TA was 130.

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Texas Splash said:
Curious Shannon, have you tested your fill water recently? Some people have a crazy-high TA in their fill water and have to do the acid/aeration drill for weeks.
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I haven't. I have checked it for calcium before, but not TA. I will walk out and do that now.
 
Texas Splash said:
Curious Shannon, have you tested your fill water recently? Some people have a crazy-high TA in their fill water and have to do the acid/aeration drill for weeks.
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TA straight out of the fill line is 140

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Texas Splash said:
Oh, and you mentioned above "ever since we built it". How old is your plaster?
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Built this time in 2011
 
Well, the plaster is certainly cured. :) 140 is not astronomical, but depending upon how much you have to replenish it could have an effect. As you go through that acid/aerate drill, perhaps take the pH slightly lower to 7.0 to see if it gives any advantage to lowering the TA a little more?
 
Texas Splash said:
Well, the plaster is certainly cured. :) 140 is not astronomical, but depending upon how much you have to replenish it could have an effect. As you go through that acid/aerate drill, perhaps take the pH slightly lower to 7.0 to see if it gives any advantage to lowering the TA a little more?
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Yeah, definitely cured. My kids like to remove a lot of water from the pool with all of their cannon balling from the top of the waterfall, so I do replenish quite often. Should I be doing this daily, as in all day? I literally ran the bubblers and slide/waterfall from 9-6:30 yesterday and had them back on my 9 this morning.
 
The amount of aeration will really depend on the pool and how much aeration is available. Sounds like you're doing all you can to simultaneously maximize safety during strategic cannonball drops and lowering TA. :) The more the kids splash and bomb the water the more pH increases as well. Should be easier once school's out. :goodjob:
 
Texas Splash said:
Well, the plaster is certainly cured. :) 140 is not astronomical, but depending upon how much you have to replenish it could have an effect. As you go through that acid/aerate drill, perhaps take the pH slightly lower to 7.0 to see if it gives any advantage to lowering the TA a little more?
Click to expand...
So I adjusted the pH down to 7.0 yesterday and let the bubblers, etc. run for the day. Just went out to check it and the pH was up to 7.5, but my TA down to 110! Yipee! So, I have adjusted pH back to 7.0 today, turned on the water features, and we will see what tomorrow holds!
 

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No pH adjustments today because the kids were in the pool first thing this morning, but I did go ahead and leave the water features running all day. Just ran out to test it and the pH is somewhere between 7.5-7.8 (closer to 7.5 this time) and my TA is down to somewhere between 90-100! When I put in drop 9 it was very faint pinky purple red, with drop 10 it was bright red.I don't recall that my TA has ever been this low! It's about to start pouring rain (again), so I will adjust pH again in the morning. So once I get it a little lower, will it stay this way? OR do you have to do this periodically to keep it in check?
 
Nice to hear you're seeing improvements. Each pool is different, but yes .... eventually you'll find that "sweet spot" where the TA and pH remain very constant with only minor adjustments over time. My pool likes a TA for 50-60, and pH changes very slowly. :)
 
If you look a my signature, you'll see I have the same problem (with additional high CH in my fill water). When lowering TA I find it works best to drop the pH to 7.0, then aerate for about two or three hours. Check the pH and drop back to 7.0, repeat. The lowering happens mostly when you are aerating water that's 7.2 pH or lower. Once the pH rises higher than that the process seems to slow down considerably.
 
chiefwej said:
If you look a my signature, you'll see I have the same problem (with additional high CH in my fill water). When lowering TA I find it works best to drop the pH to 7.0, then aerate for about two or three hours. Check the pH and drop back to 7.0, repeat. The lowering happens mostly when you are aerating water that's 7.2 pH or lower. Once the pH rises higher than that the process seems to slow down considerably.
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Yep! That's exactly what has happened. It hardly changed when I was only adjusting pH to 7.2 ~ but since I have adjusted and aerated with the pH at 7.0 I have had a significant change! Just went out and checked it and my TA is down to 90! pH is up to 8.2, but I haven't been able to make any adjustments there since Friday. Fixing that now.
 
chiefwej said:
8.2 Yikes! Get it back down into the 7's and see what the TA is.
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I know! This is what happens and always has ~ my pH climbs rapidly. I adjusted it to 7 on Friday, didn't get it adjusted on Saturday because the kids were in the pool first thing, but it was between 7.5-7.8 (closer to 7.5). Life happened and nothing got done yesterday other than monsoons, and today it's 8.2, but TA was 90. I have adjusted it down to 7 today.
 
Hi Shannon. I'm "right next door" to you in Katy. It sounds like our fill water comes from the same source. After my pool was built in 2014, I struggled to drop my TA for several months, but I finally got there. Nowadays, depending on amount of rain (or lack thereof), my TA bounces around in the range of 70 to 90 regardless of what I do. Keep it up; you'll get there eventually.
 

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