Low pH and High TA

[Rebf]

I've been successfully using TFPC since opening my 1 year old pool. Now it's time to fix the water in my husband's hot tub. The water is being drained as I type. The source will be well water that has been treated for drinking. I know how to adjust FC, CH, CYA and Borates but how do you recommend I tackle high TA given my very low pH? Per pool-math 11 ounces of muriatic acid would decrease TA 140ppm but isn't my pH too low for that?

FILL WATER PH and TA
pH below scale 6.8? (goal 7.5)
TA 190 (goal 50)

COMPLETE FILL WATER TEST RESULT
FC 0 (goal 4)
pH below scale 6.8? (goal 7.5)
TA 190 (goal 50)
CH 10 (goal 100)
CYA 0 (goal 50)
Borates 0 (goal 50)

 

[Texas Splash]

First you want to increase the pH without effecting TA. A good way to do that is with aeration because it's free and only increases pH. For the health of your plaster and heater, increasing pH is priority #1 though. If aeration from the jets and such don't seem to be elevating pH quick enough, then you can use soda ash or borax as noted on the TFP Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals page. Once the pH climbs-up to 7.8, then you can start tackling the TA little by little by following the instructions listed on the TFP Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity page.

As always, don't forget to balance your CYA and FC for sanitation.

Hope that helps.

 

[Rebf]

Texas Splash, thanks for the advice. I have a bottle of pH up that my hubby had been using. Do you know if pH up would raise my TA more than Borax for the same amount increase in pH?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

pH-UP is likely soda ash. You do not want to do that.

Just run the jets on your tub for a while. The naturally high TA will raise the pH quickly. No need to add chemicals and you don't want to use borates right away as that just makes it harder to reduce TA.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rebf]

Thank you. I will try aeration.