Going through a ton of muriatic acid, any ideas?

[MasterLFD]

Hey all,

We just filled the pool a little over a month ago now and with the help of this awesome site, the pool looks great! I am however having to put a half gallon of M Acid in the pool every 2 days. I have read through the site and was kind of expecting to be adding acid for things like SWG, new pebble plaster curing and aeration from the raised spa pouring into the pool. I have since turned down the amount of water pouring out of the spa on the daily cycle so where it just trickles down the face and doesn't aerate nearly as much. So the only things I can think of are just the SWG and new plaster. My question is, with the below test levels, is a half gallon of M Acid every 2 days seem like a bit much or is that normal under the circumstances? If that's normal, should I expect to be using this much M Acid for the life of the pool?

Thanks all!

FC - 7
PH - 7.5
TA - 70
CH - 250
CYA - 80
CC - < 0.5
Salt - 3600
Borate - 50

 

[JamesW]

If you maintain the pH closer to 7.8 and the TA at about 60, then I think that you will see better pH stability.

I would also suggest raising the calcium to about 350 ppm.

What is the water temperature?

 

[MasterLFD]

If you maintain the pH closer to 7.8 and the TA at about 60, then I think that you will see better pH stability.

I would also suggest raising the calcium to about 350 ppm.

What is the water temperature?

I've been letting the PH get to 7.8 then dumping in the acid to lower to 7.5 - rinse and repeat. I suppose on the next go around I can put a whole gallon in and lower TA?

Yeah I looked all over for some calcium chloride with no luck. I was told that the water around here is normally really hard so none of the local pool stores carry it.

Temp is 75.

Thanks,

 

[JamesW]

I would suggest leaving the pH right at 7.8. Only add acid if the pH goes over 7.8, and then only add enough to lower the pH to 7.8.

If the calcium hardness of the tap water is really high, then you would want to be more conservative in adding calcium. If you could add the correct amount, and then use low calcium water (such as softened water) for refilling, I think that that would be best.

I thought that most pool stores carried calcium chloride. I would be surprised if it were hard to find anywhere in the U.S. However, I can see where some stores might not carry it if the local water were very hard.

What is the calcium level out of the tap?

 

[MasterLFD]

CH is 250 out of the tap which I didn't think was that high. I only checked with 2 mom and pop stores in the area. I suppose I could check Leslie's but I try to stay clear of that place after reading these forums lol..

 

[JamesW]

250 out of the tap is pretty high. So, it might make sense to target a lower calcium level to prevent excess calcium levels as the water evaporates and is refilled.

However, I think that the calcium will get pulled from the plaster if it's not added. So, it might not help to go with a lower level.

A water softener would help prevent excess calcium buildup from refill.

I would suggest pH = 7.8 to 7.9, TA = 70 to 80 and CH = 300 to 300