Do I really need to keep adding balance pack 100 to increase adj. TA?

[MKB]

Hello,
We are new pool owners this past year and it seems like every time we go to the pool store to have our water tested, they are telling us to add some chemical to the pool. Lately, it has been balance pak 100. The bags cost $25 each and it is starting to add up. This site says to keep your TA around 60-80. I just had the water checked and the TA is 93, and adjusted TA is 73 (the print out says ideal is 80-125). So, they instructed me to add 2 bags or 24 lbs of balance pak to increase it. Does this seem right? Also, I had a friend say she uses baking soda as a substitute which is cheaper. We have a SWG pool, 30,000 gallons. Any advice is apprecited!
Thank you.

 

[tim5055]

Welcome to TFP.

Very few of us think TA should be kept as high as most pool stores recomend. Take a little time and read through Pool School to understand our system a little better. Skip the balance pak as it is really nothing more than baking soda in a fancy package.

 

[pooldv]

+1 to not adjusting your TA.

Start here in Pool School
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
And here
Pool School - Getting Started

 

[lightingguy]

Raising the TA of an SWG pool is usually either a bad idea or a waste of time.

It you can post a full set of test results and include if you have a plaster pool we could give you more specific advice.

Welcome to TFP!

 

[pooldv]

More here about test results and putting your pool info in your sig, Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post

 

[PAGirl]

That's exactly what the pool store has my SIL do. Then they sell her a bag of Low and Slow. Oy.

 

[Donldson]

Welcome to TFP!

Generally pool stores recommend keeping TA high because their customers use trichlor pucks to chlorinate. Trichlor is very acidic so keeping the TA high helps avoid pH problems. For a pool with an SWG you want the opposite, lower TA because the aeration caused by the electrolysis in the SWG will raise pH. So yes, their advice is very off (nobody here is shocked at that).

Yes, Balance Pak 100 is nothing but 100% baking soda and you can get it far less by buying normal baking soda. Of course, you don't even need it anyway, so there is a 100% savings just from visiting this site! I urge you to check out the links pooldv posted above, you will find that avoiding the pool stores in the future can help you save a lot more than that with better results...

 

[MKB]

Thank you! We are new pool owners, so we appreciate the advice. I will read those links now

 

[MarianParoo]

I don't see where anyone linked directly to this important link: Pool School - Test Kits Compared