I'm currently balancing a new 22' Intex pool.
This is my first pool, but I have done much reading on this site to try to get a good understanding of what I need to do.
My biggest issue at the moment is my high TA / Low pH.
When using my Taylor test kit, as well as a cheaper test kit off Amazon, my results pretty consistently read:
TA 190
pH 7.2
CYA 10 (Going to get some CYA today to help get it up to ~ 30)
CH 150
FC 0.2 (I've only had the pool up for a couple days, added a bag of Calcium Hypo shock yesterday, going to work with liquid chlorine the next few days to get it right)
Just for fun, I had 2 pool stores test my water:
Pool Store 1: TA 110 / pH 7.0 / CH 110
Pool Store 2: TA 160 / pH 7.2 / CH 200
I'm not sure why their TA readings were so different from each other, as well as from what I get.
I feel the people doing the testing flew through it, and their results must not be accurate... or am I doing something wrong?
I followed the Taylor Test kit videos precisely when learning how to run the tests.
Either way, I read the article about needing to aerate the pool to raise the pH, add Muriatic Acid to bring the TA down, then repeat.
Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity
The article states "There are two reasons to lower your total alkalinity (TA) right away, because you want to slow down the rate that the PH rises, or if high TA is contributing to a high calcium saturation index (CSI) which puts you at risk of calcium scaling. You shouldn't lower TA just to reach a target number. Make sure you actually have one of the above issues before lowering your TA.". I don't feel I a problem with pH rising, or a high CSI, but everything I read suggests TA should be 80-120 to make the pH more stable.
Do I need to get the TA down, even though the article suggests that I shouldn't just to hit a target range?
How much Muriatic Acid should I add to the pool at a time?
From what I have gathered, I should raise my pH to 7.6 through aeration, then add Muriatic Acid to bring pH down to 7.0 and TA will come down as well, then repeat.
The Pool Math Calculator suggests that I add 26oz of Muriatic Acid which would drop pH back down to 7.0, and lower the TA by 10 to 180.
A drop of 10 in TA per cycle, or 9 cycles to get TA to 100.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html
This Pool Acid Dose Calculator suggests that I add 63.4oz of Muriatic Acid to drop the pH to 7.0 and TA to 166.
A drop of 24 in TA per cycle, or 4 cycles to get TA to 100.
Pool Acid Dose Calculator - Lowry Consulting Group LLC
Which calculator is correct?? How much acid is safe to add to the pool at once, and what is the lowest pH that is temporarily safe?
Also, is it safe to actually ignore CH since it's a vinyl liner pool? Will the low CH cause the metal frame to corrode faster?
I'd be great to have one less thing to worry about balancing, and less chemicals to buy.
Thanks in advance!
This is my first pool, but I have done much reading on this site to try to get a good understanding of what I need to do.
My biggest issue at the moment is my high TA / Low pH.
When using my Taylor test kit, as well as a cheaper test kit off Amazon, my results pretty consistently read:
TA 190
pH 7.2
CYA 10 (Going to get some CYA today to help get it up to ~ 30)
CH 150
FC 0.2 (I've only had the pool up for a couple days, added a bag of Calcium Hypo shock yesterday, going to work with liquid chlorine the next few days to get it right)
Just for fun, I had 2 pool stores test my water:
Pool Store 1: TA 110 / pH 7.0 / CH 110
Pool Store 2: TA 160 / pH 7.2 / CH 200
I'm not sure why their TA readings were so different from each other, as well as from what I get.
I feel the people doing the testing flew through it, and their results must not be accurate... or am I doing something wrong?
I followed the Taylor Test kit videos precisely when learning how to run the tests.
Either way, I read the article about needing to aerate the pool to raise the pH, add Muriatic Acid to bring the TA down, then repeat.
Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity
The article states "There are two reasons to lower your total alkalinity (TA) right away, because you want to slow down the rate that the PH rises, or if high TA is contributing to a high calcium saturation index (CSI) which puts you at risk of calcium scaling. You shouldn't lower TA just to reach a target number. Make sure you actually have one of the above issues before lowering your TA.". I don't feel I a problem with pH rising, or a high CSI, but everything I read suggests TA should be 80-120 to make the pH more stable.
Do I need to get the TA down, even though the article suggests that I shouldn't just to hit a target range?
How much Muriatic Acid should I add to the pool at a time?
From what I have gathered, I should raise my pH to 7.6 through aeration, then add Muriatic Acid to bring pH down to 7.0 and TA will come down as well, then repeat.
The Pool Math Calculator suggests that I add 26oz of Muriatic Acid which would drop pH back down to 7.0, and lower the TA by 10 to 180.
A drop of 10 in TA per cycle, or 9 cycles to get TA to 100.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html
This Pool Acid Dose Calculator suggests that I add 63.4oz of Muriatic Acid to drop the pH to 7.0 and TA to 166.
A drop of 24 in TA per cycle, or 4 cycles to get TA to 100.
Pool Acid Dose Calculator - Lowry Consulting Group LLC
Which calculator is correct?? How much acid is safe to add to the pool at once, and what is the lowest pH that is temporarily safe?
Also, is it safe to actually ignore CH since it's a vinyl liner pool? Will the low CH cause the metal frame to corrode faster?
I'd be great to have one less thing to worry about balancing, and less chemicals to buy.
Thanks in advance!