Another newbie with a balancing question

[cropdusterdave]

Just hooked up the filter yesterday. Added some stabilizer to bring up the CYA and some bleach. Ran the numbers tonight and came up with:

FC=5
PH=7.4
TA=250
CYA=TBD

So far the FC and PH look fine to me but why such a high TA? Is that normal in new pools? This is an ABG Splash Superpool. I'm doing the BBB method and it tells me to lower the PH to 7.0 then bring the PH back up with aeration to lower the TA. Does this sound right?

Thanks!

 

[duraleigh]

How are you testing the TA?

 

[cropdusterdave]

Sorry....should have mentioned. Taylor K-2006 kit

 

[BoDarville]

cropdusterdave:

Might be worthwhile to test the TA level of your source water (fill water) as a baseline. A TA of 250 does seem high, but IMHO it's worth a little reagent to find out where you are starting from with regards to your fill water.

 

[cropdusterdave]

BoDarville,

Good idea. I did test everything while the pool was filling with the garden hose and before I introduced anything to the water. The TA was pretty much the same as it was today after running for a day so I suspect that the TA in my source water is the culprit. Is the higher TA acceptable or should I play with the PH to get it into the recommended range?

Thanks for the replies.....

 

[BoDarville]

I would focus on managing the pH within the recommended range as a higher priority over managing TA. In fact, there are two reasons to lower your total alkalinity (TA):

• 1. Because you want to slow down the rate that the PH rises

• 2. If high TA is contributing to a high calcium saturation index (CSI) which puts you at risk of calcium scaling.

In other words, you shouldn't lower TA just to reach a target number unless you are experiencing either of the above conditions.

If you find that you need to lower your TA, here's the complete article on how to do this: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/lowering total alkalinity

 

[cropdusterdave]

Just the info I was looking for. Thank you very much. From what I understand...calcium scaling isn't as much of a concern in a vinyl lined pool or similar so I'll continue to concentrate on getting a good CYA level while maintaining chlorine and PH. It's amazing how much you can learn in a week!

 

[yeggim]

Just the info I was looking for. Thank you very much. From what I understand...calcium scaling isn't as much of a concern in a vinyl lined pool or similar so I'll continue to concentrate on getting a good CYA level while maintaining chlorine and PH. It's amazing how much you can learn in a week!

As a general note, high calcium in any pool can cause scaling. Calcium is not needed in a vinyl pool but it is needed in plaster pools up to a certain point. Years ago I went hog wild with CalHypo in my ABG pool and had some serious scaling. It's also recommended to have a certain amount of calcium in fiberglass pools.