Muriatic Acid & Calcium Hardness Adj

[nupoolsoon]

Hi,
We just returned from vacation yesterday. Did a quick CL check last night, we did have some left when arriving home, but not much. I added 2-174oz jugs of bleach last night to bump it back up. Our Ph was around 7.7 last night. I should have added more CYA last night b/c now I need to adjust a few more things today instead.

So I just did a full set of tests
FC....8.0
CC....0.0
TC....8.0
pH....8.0
CH....100
TA.....90
CYA....did not measure...I know we have to add more today. We got LOTS of rain while we were gone and it was only around 30-35 b/f we left.

The one thing I noticed arriving home last night is when I was mixing the bleach in the water, the water was very foamy. Could have been related to all the sand left in the pool by the landscaper, maybe CH levels, although they have been pretty consistent all summer at 100-110...but maybe something else?

So DH is traveling this coming week and I really want to get more CH in the pool. I would like to do that one first since we do want to predissolve it in a bucket. Too messy for me to do by myself.

Then the CH bucket says you cannot add acid until 24 hours later though. Is it ok for the pH to remain that high for one day or can I add it late tonight instead? Any reason the CH bucket says not to add MA for 24hours?

Hopefully we will have our new SWG installed and operating this week too so I need get the #'s tweaked.

Thx.

 

[duraleigh]

Lower your pH into the mid 7's before you give much thought about CH. Sooner rather than later.

 

[JasonLion]

Lowering the PH is the most important thing.

You don't want to add calcium on the same day as raising your PH, but you can add calcium on the same day as lowering your PH. Lower the PH first and then wait 30 minutes and you can then add CH if you want.

CH levels around 150 can help reduce foaming, but foaming is rare even at lower CH levels. You have a vinyl pool, so there isn't normally any need to add calcium. Usually, proper FC levels will break down the contaminates that cause foaming. I would wait till tomorrow and if the chlorine hasn't taken care of the foaming then bring CH up to 150 and see if that resolves the problem.

 

[nupoolsoon]

Thanks for your help. I added 36oz of MA. I will retest later. I did realize just b/f reading JasonLion's post that if you increase pH, then you cannot add CH w/in 24hours, not when lowering pH.

As stated, since our CH level has been fairly constant all summer, I cannot figure out why all the foaming of the water now, although it dropped a tad bit. Even when I just added the MA and mixed it in with my pole and net, the water was foaming. I will see if possibly lowering the pH will help at all.

However, reading more about foamy water now, I truly believe it is from all of the polymeric sand that ended up in the pool when the landscaper finsihed up while we were away. Had we been home, it would not have sat in the pool for two days...oh well.


Can't find exact specs on polymeric sand, but I do know it was by Techo-bloc.

"The components of polymeric sand vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but in general, the main ingredients are quartz and crystalline silica (usually 80-95% of the product by volume). Depending on whether the sand has an organic or man-made chemical binder, some include portland cement in their poly sand recipe, but all of them have a proprietary polymer/organic ingredient that is water-activated and acts as the binder between sand particles. It's this polymer that makes this sand so effective."


So the chlorine breaks down the organics from the sand?? Will adding more chlorine make it break down faster (doubtful right?). How long do you think it will take the CL to break it all down..DAYS..WEEKS??

Should I try a defoamer to speed the process?

Thx again.

 

[nupoolsoon]

pH is down to 7.4 and still foaming.

I just ordered some Pool First Aid which has natural enzymes to break down organic matter. Hoping their shipping is quick!! Hope this takes the nano-particles from the paver sand and devours them.

Thx for your help.

 

[Guest]

The enzyme will probably help but plain chlorine would have done the same in time.