Updated predicament: High TA, Very High FC, good pH

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Re: New member: No TA, low pH: Advice?

dmanb2b said:
yup...12 lbs should raise your TA to 70 or so...plus the borax you have already added should put your TA somewhere around 80....just broadcast it over your water surface and keep the pump running...I just checked it on http://www.poolcalculator.com
As melt says...now is a good time to start reading pool school...right after you get that TA and PH up
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Thanks for all your help! I will repost the results tomorrow! Thanks again. :)
 
Re: New member: No TA, low pH: Advice?

Alright, I have to inquire as to why everyone is recommending 70-80 TA for me when Pool School and the Pool Calculator say 100-120 is my ideal level of TA due to the fact that I use Tri-Chlor tablets for chlorine....which am I to aim for?
 
Re: New member: No TA, low pH: Advice?

You can do either one. Right now it's important that you get everything under control (ie pH and TA at least high enough to measure).

Trichlor is the source of your problems. It is very acidic so reduces pH and TA and increases CYA. It is also expensive! Very few people here use it for day-to-day chlorination. It's fine for now, but we'll probably try and talk you out of it later :p
 
Re: New member: No TA, low pH: Advice?

yup...I prefer regular old great value (walmart) 6% unscented bleach. $2.54 for 182oz. But to answer your Q...the reason we say 70-80 for now is we don't like to get in the habit of overdosing....and raising TA is much easier than lowering TA..... having TA in the 70-120 range is acceptable for now, so you can get your PH adjusted asap...the PH tweaking will also likely raise your TA some more
 
Re: New member: No TA, low pH: Advice?

I recommended 70 to 80 because it gets you some TA (you have none currently) and because you can always raise it higher if you need to. Too much TA and then you have to go through the process of lowering it. Always easier to add things than to try and take them away. As it stands, I keep my TA at 70.
 
Re: New member: No TA, low pH: Advice?

Thank you for everyone's clarifications :) Just wanted to make sure I was on the right track. It makes perfect sense to aim for 80 with the Soda and as I adjust pH later this may further raise it. Thanks again. Also, I do agree with the BBB vision for using liquid bleach as it is cheaper, more effective, and has no undesireable side effects on the water....however, I have a near full 50lb tub of it I want to use first as I can't bring myself to throw away $120. :) Trust me, when it is out, that chlorinator is hitting ebay lol
 
Re: New member: No TA, low pH: Advice?

Without a full set of updated #'s it's hard to tell, but have you kept the chlorine up while battling the PH/TA issue? Even then, it shouldn't be dirty, unless you had a storm etc....I would fix the TA/PH first...and then you may have to shock. Borax doesn't turn water green. Your FC at 3 is a little low for a CYA of 55, as mentioned in my 1st post
 
Re: New member: No TA, low pH: Advice?

dmanb2b said:
Without a full set of updated #'s it's hard to tell, but have you kept the chlorine up while battling the PH/TA issue? Even then, it shouldn't be dirty, unless you had a storm etc....I would fix the TA/PH first...and then you may have to shock. Borax doesn't turn water green. Your FC at 3 is a little low for a CYA of 55, as mentioned in my 1st post
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We did have a mild storm last night I heard. Could this be the cause?
 

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Re: New member: No TA, low pH: Advice?

yes for the dirt...not for the green. If the green is algae, it will require chlorine. Keep your FC at 5 or above...the problem with using trichlor is that your CYA will continue to rise througout the season...therfore increasing FC demand.

As for the green...perform an overnight FC loss test and see if you need to shock.
 
Re: New member: No TA, low pH: Advice?

dmanb2b said:
yes for the dirt...not for the green. If the green is algae, it will require chlorine. Keep your FC at 5 or above...the problem with using trichlor is that your CYA will continue to rise througout the season...therfore increasing FC demand.

As for the green...perform an overnight FC loss test and see if you need to shock.
Click to expand...

overnight FC loss test?
 
Updated Predicament: Very high FC, High TA, good ph.

Alright,

I did as everyone recommended....and after 13 pounds of baking soda I seem to have most definitely raised my TA as well as my pH....and FC....all of them wayyyyyy high...here are the new numbers (I seem to have too high of everything now, but pH):

FC 14
CC 0
TC 14
pH 7.2-7.5
T/A 160-170
CH 230
CYA 90-100
Temp 78

As you can see from the attached picture, the pH is finally perfect, be everything else has skyrocketed! :?: What is everyone's thoughts on this? Suggestions?
 

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Your numbers are not bad. The TA, though a bit high, is not horrible and can be dealt with later or over time. The main effect it might have is for the pH to rise over time. Your CYA is still high and that gets lowered through partial drain/refill (or backwashing and rain overflow -- any water dilution), though you can manage the pool with the high CYA by keeping the chlorine higher with a minimum FC of around 7-8 ppm.

So with things actually looking pretty good right now, what do you want to do? Since your CC <= 0.5 ppm (it's 0) and if your water is clear and you have <= 1 ppm FC loss overnight, then you're all set with your pool and can just let the chlorine level drop somewhat which it should do on its own if exposed to sunlight during the day.
 
chem geek said:
Your numbers are not bad. The TA, though a bit high, is not horrible and can be dealt with later or over time. The main effect it might have is for the pH to rise over time. Your CYA is still high and that gets lowered through partial drain/refill (or backwashing and rain overflow -- any water dilution), though you can manage the pool with the high CYA by keeping the chlorine higher with a minimum FC of around 7-8 ppm.

So with things actually looking pretty good right now, what do you want to do? Since your CC <= 0.5 ppm (it's 0) and if your water is clear and you have <= 1 ppm FC loss overnight, then you're all set with your pool and can just let the chlorine level drop somewhat which it should do on its own if exposed to sunlight during the day.
Click to expand...

Chem geek, thank you for laying it all out so simple for me. The water is a bit more cloudy than it was before the TA and pH was raised so high. I am not sure of two things:

1) How to clear the water and return it to it's translucent state.
2) Whether the pool water is safe at these levels to swim in with my family (8 month old son).

Thank you :goodjob:
 

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