Need some advice, as usual

[TL]

Opened my pool up, had my standard white cloud. Initial test results:

FC- 0
CC-1
pH - < 7.0 (taylor kit stops there)
CYA -0
TA - 120

So, I have begun the bleach assault, and the water is clearing. My question is regarding the TA and pH. The base demand test recommends around 8 lbs of soda ash to bring my pH up to desired levels (7.4 ish). It is going to make my TA higher than it is now, is that going to be a problem? On the pool calculator it says not to mess with lowering TA unless you have an issue. How did my pool become so acidic over winter? The base demand result was AFTER I already added 8lbs of Borax earlier in the day. When I closed it was at 7.3. If the high TA is an issue, do I have to rig up some sort of aerating system to lower the TA and bring pH back up? Is that the only way? Also, how in the world does CYA disappear over the winter, I closed with a value of 60! Thanks, as always, this is a FANTASTIC site!

 

[zea3]

Aeration will bring up pH, but does not affect TA. Before we discuss changing anything else I have a few questions. What is your current water temperature? How long did the pump run before collected the water sample for the tests?

 

[JasonLion]

CYA sometimes disappears over the winter. No one is completely sure why. We suspect that it is getting broken down by bacteria that normally live in the soil but can also grow in the pool.

You need to get your PH up to at least 7.0. If you have a quantity for soda ash, you can use borax instead, you just need to use twice as much. When making large PH changes, it is best to add about 2/3rds as much as you thing you need, give it an hour to mix in, test your levels again, and continue to adjust from there. PH changes are always some what approximate and it is best to not over do it.

Various things can change the PH over the winter, but changes that large are quite unusual.

 

[TL]

I am planning on using borax to get the pH up. The pool pump had been circulating for about 2 hours before I tested. I also scrubbed the sides and bottom, which agitated and stirred the water even more before testing. Current water temp is around 60 degrees. I thought the low pH was strange as well, especially when I added 8lbs of borax and the pH was still not registering as 7 or higher. So if I do have to add a ton of borax to get the pH up, and my TA creeps towards 200, will I then have a new problem to deal with or is high TA ok?

 

[JasonLion]

Take one thing at a time. Your TA probably will go up a little, but it won't go up to 200. If you have to lower it later that isn't a big deal.