timing questions re: lowering TA

[maria_in_tx]

Excited to say I rec'd my TF100 test kit and tested last night. Must say... some of the results were pretty different from some of the test strips I was using.

Here's what I have:
FC 5 (have SWG, but it is not working... keeping chlorine levels by adding bleach while waiting on new SWG to arrive).
CC 1
TC 6
CYA appx 30-40 (need to add more)
CH 190

Here's the problem:
TA 210, pH tested at the top at 8.2, so I'm not sure what it actually is.

I've been battling this ever since we filled the pool about a month ago. The last test strips I used seemed to indicate I had finally gotten TA and pH down into a more normal range, but the test kit showed otherwise (it did rain a bit, so I don't know if that could have affected it?).

Here's what I'm not sure about regarding the process for lowering TA:

I believe I can add a max of about 14 oz of dry acid at a time, but...

One brand I used before said to add directly to the pool... the brand I have now says to dilute in a bucket first... do I follow the package instructions, or do you have a different recommendation?

How long do I wait between adds?

How long do I wait to retest to determine the effect of that add?

Since I don't really know how high pH is over 8.2 (the test max), how do I know it's going down?

How many adds can I / should I do per day?

Pool school says the aerating can be done by splashing kids (sounds good to me)...

How long after an add can the kids get in?

Do I have to keep adding every day to keep making progress? In the past I tried adding once every couple days, but didn't seem to be getting ANYWHERE (could my TA have been THAT high originally)?

Should I add the CYA before beginning to add the dry acid to address the TA? If so, how long do I wait after adding the CYA before adding the dry acid?

BTW... water is clear and looks good...

Ok... sorry for so many questions... I feel like I understand the steps that need taken, but just can't quite understand the right timing of it all.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[JasonLion]

You will be better off if you use muriatic acid, it is less expensive, more concentrated, and doesn't add anything you don't want added to the pool. However, muriatic acid is a little trickier to handle.

For dry acid, give it an hour to mix in with the pump running before testing again. For muriatic acid half an hour is fine.

You need to add more acid at a time and more frequently until you get the PH down to something more reasonable. You can add as many times a day as you can physically manage as long as you wait for it to mix in and test the PH before adding more. It is also fine to add more acid at one time than you have been added. You can use Pool Calculator to figure out how much acid you can add. Typically you don't want to add the full amount it calculates for large PH changes, but 2/3rds the amount it calculates is fine.

 

[maria_in_tx]

Thanks... will give it a try... hadn't realized I could add that much at once. Thank you for the help!

 

[Butterfly]

If your CC test of 1.0 is correct, then you need to shock your pool.

Directions are in Pool School: pool-school/shocking_your_pool

But, before your shock, get your pH down to about 7.2.

Don't increase the CYA until you are done shocking.

You can work on lowering the TA when you are done shocking.

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