Low pH and TA

[josemary9]

Opened up to green pool. shocked with bleach and 2 leftover bags of shock from last year. Green gone now but pool cloudy. I had a 0 CYA reading so added stabilizer 2 days ago and have not vaccummed yet since that would mean a backwash. My TA is around 60 and pH 7.2. It was high so I added baking soda yesterday to lower it, now its too low! I also had pucks in the skimmer to try to add to CYA.

So to increase the TA AND pH, I use borax alone right? Maybe by vaccuming it will clear the water?

 

[PSW]

60 and 7.2 are not so far off target levels...and not something you need to worry about until you finish shocking. Be sure to follow the directions in pool school.

Vacuuming will be a good idea if you still have large debris in pool..but if the water is only cloudy, just keep shocking and running your pump 24/7

Another side note, granular CYA won't show up on your test right away. It can take a few days (sometimes up to a full week) for the CYA to show up on test results.

 

[duraleigh]

It was high so I added baking soda yesterday to lower it, now its too low!

Nope, Baking soda is used to raise TA. That's it's only purpose.

As Blake suggests above, focus on keeping your chlorine up at shock level and brushing and vacuuming your pool and it will clear up. Leave ph, TA, and CH alone until your pool is crystal clear.

 

[josemary9]

I have been lazy, I have been dumping in bleach but not actually testing the levels! Maybe this is why it is still cloudy? Last year it was clear pretty soon, it seems to stay cloudy! I test the basic test and getting 5ppm but maybe need to make sure I am keeping it higher??

 

[josemary9]

So TC is around 15 so I am keeping the chlorine high but it is still cloudy! The plastic tip of my hose cracked so I have to replace and get vaccumming, does that help?

 

[duraleigh]

The shock process will take several days of filtering, keeping your FC up, checking your levels, etc. etc. If you go about it haphazardly, it will take longer. read "How to Shock Your Pool" up in Pool School

 

[josemary9]

if cya is not detected - added stabilizer, what is recommended shock level?

 

[duraleigh]

pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock

 

[josemary9]

I looked there and 20 is the lowest CYA so I assume thats the shock level I go by?

 

[JasonLion]

Shock level is 10 for any CYA level 20 or below. [Unless the pool has never ever had any CYA in it, in which case shock level is lower.]

 

[josemary9]

Pool cloudy

FC - 4
CC - 1
TC - 5
pH - 7.3
TA - 80
CH - 200
CYA - 30

I opened a week ago today and pool still cloudy! I was not able to vaccuum until now since the plastic tip was broken, we just replaced it. Also it rained, just increased the chlorine back up. CH seems ok right? Maybe it it because I had not vaccummed yet?

 

[PSW]

Re: Pool cloudy

Have you gone through shock process? Also, how long are you running your pump and filter each day?

 

[duraleigh]

josemary9,

You have started 4-6 posts and no one can follow your whole story. Please keep all your future posts under this thread.

 

[josemary9]

Sorry! I will stay here now!

I have tested chlorine 3 out of the 7 nights because I have 3 babies and hard to get out there and it has been raining HARD alot. I plan to keep it right the next few days. All the green cleared out the first day, its just cloudy!

 

[josemary9]

Running filter and pump 24/7 on high. Just tested chlorine and its 11. I will add a bit more bleach and keep it steady!

 

[duraleigh]

Excellent. The "cloudy" phase is where almost everyone gets impatient. If you have a great filter and can brush and clean the filter often, it goes pretty quickly. You should see steady, if not rapid, progress daily.

 

[josemary9]

Yes frustrated, I wake up today and it still looks the same. I can tell we had some rain but last year it went clear fast! Family are starting to question my bleach method and pressuring me to go to the dreaded pool store for "shock"! I just added more bleach and off for the day. I dont get it!

 

[JasonLion]

How has the filter pressure been behaving? And have you been backwashing and if so how often?

 

[josemary9]

The filters are the big round things near the bottom of the deep end right? The pump seems to be fine! After getting a new vaccuum tip it sucks great, sticks to bottom and I have to pull off so pressure must be good! I have backwashed when pressure up, just did yesterday after vaccuuming!

 

[josemary9]

Still cloudy!