Need help with chem and pool color
- Thread starter jabsaw
- Start date
Your TA level is fairly high. Once the pool is full and you have the pump running you want to start lowering the TA level.
Of course, you will also want to add chlorine and CYA at that point as well.
Of course, you will also want to add chlorine and CYA at that point as well.
Any ideas on the color??? It didn't seem to be that color before.
I added CYA, chlorine and acid to drop pH.
I will take a reading in the morning.
Thanks for the help.
I added CYA, chlorine and acid to drop pH.
I will take a reading in the morning.
Thanks for the help.
The color looks normal to me? Maybe it will look different when it is full, or has chlorine.
The color is the same with the pool full. I just don't remember it having a green-blue color. It is supposed to be pebble. When we purchased the house, it was clear with the pebble showing. Now it looks green-blue. I really like it, but I am afraid it has copper or something...
IF the water is a clear, emerald green color then get the water tested for copper. Or, you could just add seqiesterant (jack's magic blue stuff and Proteam Metal Magic are both good for copper) and if the water color changes then you have copper in the water and have to continue to add sequesteant on a regular basis.
Are you filling with well water or city water? If it's city water you can request a water analysis report to see if there is copper present. do you have copper plumbing? Since this is a new fill the ONLY place the copper could be coming from is the fill water.
Your pebbletec looks grey in the pic but if it's really blue then you might have iron in the water. Iron can color the water yellow and against a blue finish can give a greenish hue. Iron is much more common than copper but the cure is the same, metal sequsterant.
Are you filling with well water or city water? If it's city water you can request a water analysis report to see if there is copper present. do you have copper plumbing? Since this is a new fill the ONLY place the copper could be coming from is the fill water.
Your pebbletec looks grey in the pic but if it's really blue then you might have iron in the water. Iron can color the water yellow and against a blue finish can give a greenish hue. Iron is much more common than copper but the cure is the same, metal sequsterant.
Thank you for the help...
The water is no longer green, it is a lovely blue color. It did not look blue when we purchased the house, but who knows what was going on with the chemistry. (I certainly didn't.)
The stats:
FC 3
pH 7.5
TA 270
CH 320
CYA 25
For the TA, I added some acid to bring down the pH and have been 'aerating' the pool. I just wanted to know how much acid should I be dumping in and how long do I run the pump to mix? (I am using liquid muriatic acid from the pool store.) I will continue doing this until I get to...what number am I looking for in the TA???
Also, do I still need more CYA if I am going to use the floating chlorination puck system?
I thought I would leave it a little low if the pucks add more CYA to the pool. If this is totally wrong, please don't blast me...I am still learning!
The water is no longer green, it is a lovely blue color. It did not look blue when we purchased the house, but who knows what was going on with the chemistry. (I certainly didn't.)
The stats:
FC 3
pH 7.5
TA 270
CH 320
CYA 25
For the TA, I added some acid to bring down the pH and have been 'aerating' the pool. I just wanted to know how much acid should I be dumping in and how long do I run the pump to mix? (I am using liquid muriatic acid from the pool store.) I will continue doing this until I get to...what number am I looking for in the TA???
Also, do I still need more CYA if I am going to use the floating chlorination puck system?
I thought I would leave it a little low if the pucks add more CYA to the pool. If this is totally wrong, please don't blast me...I am still learning!
I suggest lowering the TA down to around 150 to 170. At that point, if the PH tends to rise annoyingly quickly then lower the TA further.
You need to run the pump for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour, after adding acid.
Your CYA level is fine if you are using trichlor pucks in a floater. Just keep in mind that trichlor will be constantly adding more CYA and lowering the PH. Lowering the PH is good at this point, but could be a problem later. Adding more CYA is fine at this point, but eventually the CYA level will get very high and you will either need to replace some water or stop using trichlor.
You need to run the pump for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour, after adding acid.
Your CYA level is fine if you are using trichlor pucks in a floater. Just keep in mind that trichlor will be constantly adding more CYA and lowering the PH. Lowering the PH is good at this point, but could be a problem later. Adding more CYA is fine at this point, but eventually the CYA level will get very high and you will either need to replace some water or stop using trichlor.
Thank you Jason!
I think I will use the pucks for a bit and when everything comes to a balancing point I will switch to liquid chlorine and using the trouble free method!
Thank you again for all the help!
I think I will use the pucks for a bit and when everything comes to a balancing point I will switch to liquid chlorine and using the trouble free method!
Thank you again for all the help!
HELP!!!
I have been lowering the pH level with acid and the TA is not going down, or am I just impatient?
I put in one gallon of acid and the TA dropped to 210 (from 270) in a couple of days.
Just like Jason said, the pH started rising. I brought it down again with another gallon of acid to 7.2 pH and the TA is holding stong at 210.
Am I doing something wrong or is this just a slow process?
I have been lowering the pH level with acid and the TA is not going down, or am I just impatient?
I put in one gallon of acid and the TA dropped to 210 (from 270) in a couple of days.
Just like Jason said, the pH started rising. I brought it down again with another gallon of acid to 7.2 pH and the TA is holding stong at 210.
Am I doing something wrong or is this just a slow process?
It's a slow process. The more aeration you have to make the PH rise to 7.6 quicker, and then repeating the acid additions/aeration...the faster the process. Are you allowing the PH to rise on it's own or are you aerating?
Are you saying after the second acid addition the TA didn't budge?
When you do the TA test, be sure to wipe the tip of the dropper bottles in between drops, with a damp cloth, to minimize static electricity, which could affect your test results.
Are you saying after the second acid addition the TA didn't budge?
When you do the TA test, be sure to wipe the tip of the dropper bottles in between drops, with a damp cloth, to minimize static electricity, which could affect your test results.
If you have fresh plaster, in the last month or so, the TA will go up on it's own, and the acid might be canceling that out. Otherwise, you should see some TA reduction after a large acid addition, but not necessarily after a smaller acid addition.
Are you aerating? Without good aeration you will never get the TA to drop and your Ph to rise. The aeration will give up the dissolved CO2 to the air around your pool. You don't necessarily have to put the acid in during the aeration process until the water chemistry requires you to lower the Ph. I would keep the Ph between 7.2 and 7.8 during the process.
Not quite true. Adding acid lowers TA by converting bicarbonate to carbon dioxide in the water. Aeration has nothing to do with it!poolpop said:
Aerating raises pH by outgassing CO2 with no effect on TA.
They are two separate processes that work together.
Aeration: I have the return line eyeballs positioned up to break the surface of the water. There are no bubbles or anything but I understood this to be enough to aerate.
This is not fresh plaster. As far as I can tell, it has been there a couple of years. (We purchased the house with the pool in Jan. and the previous owner will not tell us anything about the pool.)
Pool Mom: The second addition of acid resulted in no drop of TA. I don't understand it myself. I have been pouring the acid into several places in the deep end only. I let it set for a minute and turn on the pump for an hour. I have doing this in the evening, and the pump turns on at 8 am and runs until 2 pm.
This is not fresh plaster. As far as I can tell, it has been there a couple of years. (We purchased the house with the pool in Jan. and the previous owner will not tell us anything about the pool.)
Pool Mom: The second addition of acid resulted in no drop of TA. I don't understand it myself. I have been pouring the acid into several places in the deep end only. I let it set for a minute and turn on the pump for an hour. I have doing this in the evening, and the pump turns on at 8 am and runs until 2 pm.
First - Waterbear thanks for your clarification. I have done this process, but I guess I didn't really understand what all was going on. I was right, but I was wrong.
Second - Are you adding the Muratic Acid with the pump off? If you add the acid in the evening and the pump only runs from 8 am until 2 pm how well is this being distributed in your water?
Second - Are you adding the Muratic Acid with the pump off? If you add the acid in the evening and the pump only runs from 8 am until 2 pm how well is this being distributed in your water?
Pool Pop: I let the pump run for an hour after the acid dump.
I was just reiterating that the pump runs again in the morning.
Water bear: Do I need to turn the eyeballs so they do not break the surface of the water?
I was just reiterating that the pump runs again in the morning.
Water bear: Do I need to turn the eyeballs so they do not break the surface of the water?
Yes, I think your pump run time is not enough to help speed up the process. That being said, Aeration is not essential, and there isn't necessarily are requirement to lower the TA quicker. Overtime, as you add acid everytime PH raises to 7.8, lowering it to 7.2, the TA will eventually drop and come into range, and the PH will also stabilize when TA is lower. We usually recommend the "Lowering TA" process when the acid addition is frequent (daily) and annoying (SWG users). There is no requirement that it be done quickly - most users find by doing so you eliminate the risk of ph getting to high and causing scaling, which an happen rapidly in certain situations with good sources of aeration. The more bubbles, the faster the ph rise from aeration.
As for adding muratic acid - you want to pour it very slowly into the return flow of water, with the pump running. It's never a good idea to add any chemical with the pump off. It is not required that you add acid in the evening. I would do it at the start of the run time so that you get one full turnover of water to ensure it's adequately circulated.
As for adding muratic acid - you want to pour it very slowly into the return flow of water, with the pump running. It's never a good idea to add any chemical with the pump off. It is not required that you add acid in the evening. I would do it at the start of the run time so that you get one full turnover of water to ensure it's adequately circulated.
Thank you Pool Mom! I will try this in the morning with the pump on...
I have been fighting with this for too long and I really would enjoy having everything
"in ranges" that are manageable. :-D
I did read the TA Lowering in the pool school... I guess I just didn't know that the pump should be on for a full turn over.
Thank you everyone again for the help! You Rock!
I have been fighting with this for too long and I really would enjoy having everything
"in ranges" that are manageable. :-D
I did read the TA Lowering in the pool school... I guess I just didn't know that the pump should be on for a full turn over.
Thank you everyone again for the help! You Rock!
This thread has some good ideas on aeration and might help explain the process better for you. It has a lot more info than the pool school article.
how-to-lower-ta-t5341.html
how-to-lower-ta-t5341.html
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