Lowering TA - expectations?

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kjcole

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Jul 3, 2008
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Solon, Iowa
Just checking to see how protracted the process might be in my case.

TA 175
CYA 50 and rising
CH 180
Borates 30 (left over from last year - pool builder ignored TA levels before adding borates)
SWG maintaining about 3 ppm FC
Water temp - 67 deg F

Aeration - air compressor feeding a coil of 'sprinkler hose' weighted to the bottom-- lot's of tiny bubbles

So, I'm adding muratic acid and achieving a pH of 7.2, and here I wait for the pH to rise, but it isn't increasing since yesterday (added acid at noon, aerated from noon-5pm, then closed up everything, started aerating again around noon today and the pH hasn't budged from 7.2). Could it be because I added stabilizer yesterday (to reach my target of 80 ppm)? Are those borates already in the water buffering the pH pretty well, and thus slowing things down? Am I looking at weeks of acid/aeration?

Thanks

Kelly
 
The Borates will cut down the rate of pH rise by about half. So yes, that's part of the issue. On the other hand, if the pH becomes that stable, then you may not need to worry about the higher TA in the first place. Your CH is reasonably low so the saturation index isn't high. You could just leave things as they are, let the pH slowly rise to 7.5 then add acid when it gets to 7.7. Don't sweat the TA unless it becomes a problem -- right now, it doesn't seem like a problem.
 
To be trouble free it is nice to have a lower TA level. But given a higher TA level to start with, it isn't always worth the trouble of lowering the TA level as quickly as you can. If the rate of PH drift is manageable, it is often simpler to wait till the PH goes up and then lower it. In the long run that will lower the TA, and if your fill water doesn't have too high of a TA level eventually your PH will stop drifting. If, on the other hand, your PH is going up quickly enough to be annoying, then you might as well lower the TA level right now.
 
My pH drift last year was negligable. I think I added muriatic acid maybe twice all summer? I started with the costly 'Mineral Springs' bagged materials, but ended the season testing for salt, borates, and CYA and maintaining water chemistry directly. My fill water has very high TA (lot's of limestone around this part of Iowa, left over from the last inland seas and the Devonian period. 8 miles north of Coralville, named for its coral formations, of course.).

Just tested the water after restarting the aeration two hours ago - pH still 7.2, TA 140. I think I'll just see what happens (pH and TA) if I aerate for the rest of the week. I'll keep posting my progress here, just for fun.

thanks for the rapid answers

Kelly
 
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