High pH, high TA, no one cares?

[rb11722]

Hi, awesome boards. I have a brand new IG pool (17k). It was plastered about 6 weeks ago and the kids are chomping at the bit to get in there. The pool builder is also contracted to maintain the pool for the season and his guys come out about once a week. About 2 weeks ago he told me everything was ready and the pool was good to swim in. Being somewhat of a controlling nature, I ordered the TF 100 kit and tried to see if things looked all right with me. From the start I've had very high pH readings and TA readings. The pH test in the TF100 goes to 8.2 and it looks to me to be at least that color if not a bit higher. The TA test is easier to do and I would get readings in the 250 - 300 range. The FC initially was very high, >20, but appears to now be around 8. The pool looks great, water is clear etc.

When I have asked the builder (several times) if these high pH readings were normal he brushed it off, mumbling something about the plaster etc. Essentially he didn't think it was a big deal. I've also tried to search for answers to my question, but could not get a conclusive answer. My question: Is it safe to swim in a pool with a pH of 8.2 and a TA of 250?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Your pH should never be allowed to go above 8. I would add enough acid to get it to the mid 7's. It may take a lot due to the fact that the test doesn't go higher than that and it may be higher than 8.

Don't worry about the TA as far as swimming goes. It'll be fine. Once you get the pH down go swimming.

You can work on the TA as you adjust the pH. Whenever it rises to about 7.8 lower it back to about 7.1.
If it raises way too fast, you can purposefully lower it by aerating the water a lot to raise the pH faster and then use muriatic acid to lower the pH whhich also lowers the TA.

 

[Ohm_Boy]

New plaster does raise the ph, pretty much constantly. Keep an eye on it, and when it gets up to around7.8, add acid to reduce it to 7.2 or so. You'll also be bringing the TA down as you reduce the ph.

 

[rb11722]

Thanks, I will follow your advice of adding acid. Will adding acid change my chlorination at all?

 

[JasonLion]

No acid won't really affect chlorination.

 

[rb11722]

Thanks again for the advice. I've been pouring in huge amounts of acid ( using the pool calculator), but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Could it be that the high TA is pulling up the pH very quickly? As per the the tf100, the TA is around 300. If I move the pH to 7.5, how long do you think it takes for the pH to go above 8?

 

[JasonLion]

Yes, with TA around 300 the PH will go up very rapidly. Lowering the PH to 7.0 or 7.2 each time will greatly speed up the process of lowering TA.