help with adding borax to pool

[rsuire]

Start..
ph above 8.4
TA 240





I am trying to get my TA down...to add Borax to pool.. I started bring my PH down to 7.2, adding 3 cups each time with MA...test shows no change in TA...sooo Bring PH back up ,test ,down again for a week now and still no change in my TA. Does this process take a while or am I doing something wrong?I have used 1 gallon and 2 quarts of MA I Have a gallon left ,not wanting to buy more as this is a expense I was not prepared for when decide to add Borax to pool.All advise welcome

Also have swg ..How do u know when to boost the pool ??? boost I assume is the same as shock!!!

 

[JasonLion]

You should never allow your PH to get that high. You should lower PH right away.

When you say "raise PH" I hope you mean using aeration. Adding chemicals to raise the PH also raises the TA back up.

Lowering TA can be a slow process. It often takes many cycles of lowering PH and then waiting for it to come up again, repeating over and over. In many cases it takes weeks.

 

[rsuire]

Yes I am using aeration to raise PH ...New pool .... 3 weeks , and leaning to adjust levels.Found this website after reading tonssssss of others and have to say this site has the best methods to fixing problems with out to much cost.

Thanks, I will keep adding MA and aeration untill TA is down....just didnt want to keep adding MA if there was no chance of the TA going down ...

 

[duraleigh]

rsuire,

You need to spend some time in Pool School as you do not yet have a grasp on how to adjust and balance your pH and TA. It's Okay, we all have been there but do some reading and then ask questions. :-D

 

[cheesebag70]

Usually the borax is gonna raise your ph level.
I would go ahead and dose the pool with the first round of borax FIRST...THEN i would worry about adjusting the ph and Ta.
Just sayin...I done it 100 times...usually just fine.

 

[DuckinVegas]

I had a TA of 240 and have been cycling for almost a month. My TA is 80 as of today. Hopefully by the end of the week it'll be ready to add borates! Everything I've read strongly suggests getting your TA down before the addition of borates cause it will be a much longer process after due to the stabilization benefits of the borates.

 

[gdecol]

volume of borax vs sodium bisulfite

I am double certified and knew nothing about lowering TA using BORAX.
How much borax vs SB should be used?

 

[zea3]

Re: volume of borax vs sodium bisulfite

This thread has gotten a little off track. The original poster had high pH and TA and wanted to lower both prior to adding borates to the water. The method they are using to lower pH and TA is to add MA to drop both, then aerate the pool to raise pH back up. Since pH has a much smaller ideal range several cycles of MA and aeration are needed to significantly drop high TA levels. The amount of MA used is determined by using the pool calculator.

I am double certified and knew nothing about lowering TA using BORAX.
How much borax vs SB should be used?

Borates are usually added to improve the feel of the water and to act as a mild algaecide. How much is needed can also be determined by using the pool calculator.

 

[gdecol]

I see that I mis-read/mis-understood the use of borax.
In actuallity it is similar to laundry water conditioning...