Cannot Get TA to lower

[outdoor]

I want to add Borates, so i'm trying to get TA between 70-80. Right now it is around 110.

my PH was around 7.8, so i added 4 litres of muriatic acid. It was supposed to apparently lower it roughly by 23. my PH is now 6.8, hard to tell exactly cause i have a hard time matching the colours but seems around there. But my TA is still 110?????

Why is it not lowering? I now have my return jet braking the surface of the water and my stepson was in splashing around, so will wait for PH to come back up, but i don't understand why TA did not lower.

 

[Patrick_B]

I just takes time and additions to break it. Be patient, it will come.

 

[outdoor]

I just takes time and additions to break it. Be patient, it will come.

so i just wait till PH comes up to 7-7.2 and TA should go down?

 

[JasonLion]

By my calculation, 4 liters of acid was about three times too much to add at one time. That will have driven the PH down dangerously low.

The common PH test will report any PH below 6.8 as 6.8, so there is no easy way to measure just how low the PH has gone. That means you need to raise the PH back up in steps until you can get it to read as anything higher than 6.8 on the test.

Once you have done that, you can start working on the lowering TA process, which is a multi-step process that takes time and requires patience.

 

[outdoor]

By my calculation, 4 liters of acid was about three times too much to add at one time. That will have driven the PH down dangerously low.

The common PH test will report any PH below 6.8 as 6.8, so there is no easy way to measure just how low the PH has gone. That means you need to raise the PH back up in steps until you can get it to read as anything higher than 6.8 on the test.

Once you have done that, you can start working on the lowering TA process, which is a multi-step process that takes time and requires patience.

Oh I have not read where it says how much to add at one time, just Pool math indicated what I needed to add to get PH down and TA down to what i needed

- - - Updated - - -

Also why has TA not come down? I added a BIG load of acid.

Edited for Language. Mod-Patrick B

 

[pooldv]

PoolMath doesn't measure in BIG loads...We prefer more precise measurements.

Here is an article from Pool School on Lowering Total Alkalinity.

 

[Patrick_B]

This should be done in stages. Run another TA and report back. You should have seen some shift in the TA.

 

[outdoor]

I will have to test TA again tonight, but I had tested yesterday morning was 110, added 4L of acid around 1:30 tested again around 5pm still 110

 

[Patrick_B]

Just use care and double check. While it may not be huge there should have been some shift. I assume test discrepancy somewhere.

 

[outdoor]

ok so brought my PH back up to 7.2, TA was now 120. added about 1 litre of acid it went down to 6.8 left the pump aerating overnight checked this morning PH back to ~7.5 TA only down to 110. added 2 litre of acid to bring PH back down to 7. Will test in a bit to see how much PH went down

 

[Patrick_B]

Let the pH come up naturally on its own. You can't lower TA by forcing it up with products that add any Alkalinity. Let it rise to at least 7.6 but preferably 7.8 before pushing it down with acid. This is the correct procedure.