Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well water!

[minxcal]

Ever since the pool was installed last month, I've been working down the TA. Started somewhere around 280, it's currently at 130. Full results:

FC - 4
CC - 0
pH - 7.2 (was 7.8 - added 2C of dry acid today to get to TA 120. Yes, I know MA is preferred, but I'm super sensitive - skin and smells. Didn't want to chance it.)
TA - 130

Realized today that we probably need to top the water off a bit, so I tested our outside hose - it comes straight from the well with no treatment. Well water test:
TA - 20
pH - way more yellow than 6.8. I thought I had added the chlorine reagent for a second!

So.... I need to ask all of you smart people... I should probably wait until the pH comes back up to at least 7.8 before adding this well water, yes? And the low TA of the well water being added should only HELP continue to bring my pool TA down if it's diluting, right?

Thoughts?

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well wate

Well how much water are you adding? It may not lower the pH that much ... you could add the water through a spray nozzle and effectively be aerating the added water bringing the pH up.

Yes the TA should continue to drop as you add the low TA well water. How did the TA get so high in the first place?

 

[minxcal]

Re: Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well wate

Well how much water are you adding? It may not lower the pH that much ... you could add the water through a spray nozzle and effectively be aerating the added water bringing the pH up.

Ha! I'm a little slow sometimes!

Yes the TA should continue to drop as you add the low TA well water. How did the TA get so high in the first place?

That was the TA of the trucked-in fill water.

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well wate

Do you know how much metal is in the well water? If you end up using a lot of it and it has metals, you may need to eventually start using a sequestrant to prevent any metal staining.

 

[minxcal]

Re: Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well wate

I don't know how much, but I do know it's high in iron, at least. We had a little mishap when we filled our hot tub that took 3 days of running it, wiping it down, and swapping between 2 filters to clean out (lesson learned - don't have the hose on full open - it sucks everything up from the bottom too!) I'm thinking I might not worry about topping it off since we'll probably be winterizing in a few weeks. I'm sure we'll get some rain between now and then! But, it's still good to know what the tests say for that water.

Still, part of me would like to see if I can't get the TA down with it rather than adding anymore acid... but I'm SOOOO close now! It did just test at 120! Not that much further to go! What, 4 doses since I've been getting -10ppm per dose!

 

[duraleigh]

Re: Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well wate

Regardless of the TA, adding iron to your pool can be a huge problem for a variety of reasons.

If that was my pool, I would leave TA right where it is and let it come down on it's own. What are you using for refill water, anyway? Is it the well?

 

[minxcal]

Re: Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well wate

Yes, the only water we have is well water. I don't want to have to get a truck for a few inches. I think I'll just wait and have another truck come in the spring and deal with what we've got until we close this year. I put the solar cover on, so that should help some with what we've lost (hopefully just evap!)

 

[duraleigh]

Re: Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well wate

Do you have a water softener for your domestic water? If not, do you have iron stains in the commodes?

 

[minxcal]

Re: Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well wate

Yes we do, and no we don't. If we're away for vacation or something, we might have the slightest pink ring, but that's all. Mu husband actually suggested filling from an inside tap last night. It did rain some today, though, so depending on how much more we get, we may not need it. I'd say it's an inch or so from when we had it filled. Leaving the cover on when we're not in will help some, too. But, good to know for next year!

 

[minxcal]

Re: Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well wate

So... I had to top it off today - no more ifs, ands, or buts as with company this weekend, we were about 2 - 3" shy of target level which was realllllly low in the skimmer. I didn't want to just use the well water hose, though, so I hooked up a makeshift little filter, and it worked beautifully!

I spent all of $32.87 hooking this up (under sink filter housing, filter, and 15' hose). You can't see, but I just hooked our regular garden hose up on the "in" side.

Think it worked?

I did take a sample to have it tested for metals after the pump ran for a few hours - and it was 0! Pool looks sparkly clear too, no sediment or anything - and my husband, though he'd never say it, is so impressed! All he did say is "leave that by the hot tub, k?" Not something I would want to do for a big fill, or for anything other than small topping off, really, but effective for me at least.

Ha!

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Working down high TA... and SURPRISE with our well wate