High Acid Demand...Low TA??!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

stakeman

0
Jun 30, 2007
55
Spring,Tx
Here's the Numbers:

FC 2.0
TC 2.0
CC 0.0
PH 6.8 (I just added acid this AM)
Hardness 190ppm
TA 40ppm (I know this is the culprit for the acid demand)
CYA 65ppm (alittle low)
no metals....


I guess my big question is, should I go with the 20 mule borax to raise my TA or go with 15 pounds of alkalinity control? I read the thread on using borax to raise the TA and like what people say about the water.. That being said my water is amazingly clear at the moment.

Warehouse pools and raise my TA and soften the water for about 40 bucks worth of chems.. I figure the borax and close to 4 gallons of acid will cost me more than that just to raise the TA.. It's not all about the $$, I'd love some opinions..

TIA.

Dave
 
Ok so after further reading I now realize that adding borax will not raise my TA. So I have to solve that problem first. I have a feeling the amount of aeriation from my sprayers is the cause of a low TA? The water temp has been high so I've been running my sprayers mounted under the coping in the evening to lower the temp..
 
If I understand your post, you can raise your TA with baking soda.....it will have marginal effect on your pH.


Sorry to answer a question that wasn't asked but your FC is too low. Algae loves low FC.
 
edit: Sorry stakeman, misread your post about aeration. It sounds like yes the end result of your aeration is low TA........

Aeration will raise your PH not your TA, adding acid lowers your PH AND TA, aeration continues and PH rises again (TA does not go up), you add acid again, PH AND TA go down, aeration continues and PH goes up again (TA does not go up) rinse and repeat. Hope I didn't confuse you.
 
I've added ALOT of acid this summer because of the sprayers raising the PH. Which dropped my TA...so is there a pro vs con using the baking soda vs Alk control sold at the pool store? The calculater has me adding around 10 pounds of baking soda...
 
stakeman said:
so is there a pro vs con using the baking soda vs Alk control sold at the pool store?
Click to expand...

it depends on how much you want to pay for baking soda. I bet the pool store charges more for theirs since it comes with a cool name. and maybe a pail. does it come in a pail? I always find it hard to say no to anything that comes in a cool pail with a handle.
 
reebok said:
stakeman said:
so is there a pro vs con using the baking soda vs Alk control sold at the pool store?
Click to expand...

it depends on how much you want to pay for baking soda. I bet the pool store charges more for theirs since it comes with a cool name. and maybe a pail. does it come in a pail? I always find it hard to say no to anything that comes in a cool pail with a handle.
Click to expand...

My wife shops for groceries so I honestly can't say how much 10 pounds of baking soda costs, and I don't watch the price is right enough to know. I didnt think 15 pounds of the pool store Alk control was that expensive. I'll bet the difference in price isn't more than a couple of bucks, but we'll see. :roll: ...The pros-vs-cons I was asking about really didn't refer to price, but thanks for your reply! :-D
 
stakeman said:
I've added ALOT of acid this summer because of the sprayers raising the PH. Which dropped my TA...so is there a pro vs con using the baking soda vs Alk control sold at the pool store? The calculater has me adding around 10 pounds of baking soda...
Click to expand...
Akalinity increaser from the pool store is sodium bicarbonate AKA sodium hydrogen carbonate.
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate AKA sodium hydrogen carbonate.
They are one and the same, the only difference is the price and the package and possibly the purity. The stuff from the grocery store is going to be purer since it is a food and drug grade AND it will cost you a LOT less.
Your call.
Lowes sells a 4 lb jar of Alkainity increaer for $17.98
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... 0Increaser
A 12 lb bag of Arm & Hammer is anywhere from a low of aobut $5 at Costco to under $7 at Walmart to this high price on the 'net
http://www.mightyox.com/ARM-HAMMER-Baki ... ce=froogle
You can also buy a 4 lb box of Arm and Hammer baking soda at the grocery for under $4 just about everywhere.
Do the math.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
I haven't read anything comparing the grades of sodium bicarbonate. Unless someone has a good reason not to use sodium bicarbonate purchased as farm grade from the county co-op I would recommend that as a source. Here in Alabama a 50 # bag cost about $9 plus tax. The swimming pool doesn't know the difference between the high price stuff or the low price stuff.
 
stakeman said:
Ok so I added the baking soda for under 10 bucks. That saved me about 18.00! I'll recheck the TA tomorrow. I guess having a SWG I'll just be a BB guy.
Click to expand...

borates have nothing to do with your chlorine delivery system. I highly recommend them for the feel of the water alone, much less their other good properties. glad you were able to save some $$ ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply