Ia am battling a high TA of 200. I am using the lower to 7 and aerate but I'm not really getting anywhere. I only have two return jets in my pool, it is a 27 year old pool. I have pointed the eyeball up, but there really aren't any bubbles, but it is breaking the surface of the water.
Here are results when I started this process.
FC 2
CC 2.5
pH 7.8
TA 200
CH 425
CYA less than 30
temp 90
CSI .86
i added half the recommended dose of stabilizer ( just to be cautious) slowly into the skimmer per instructions on the bottle. ( I later learned I should have done it in a sock in the skimmer), left the pump running24/7, added 3 quarts and 2 cups 8% bleach to raise chlorine to 7, and 64 ounces of 20% MA. Let that work for 24 hours. Then read everything I could find on the lower TA process. (Including the "slug" paper which debunked this method)
i started the process the next day.i spent a lot of time trying to figure out who's MA amount to use, taylor lower alkalinity chart said add three gallons, pool math said 66 ounces and pool calc said 105. Went with pool calc.
DAY 1 -9 pm
pH was still 7.8
TA was still 200
FC 5
cc .5
added 105 ounces of MA to bring PH down to seven, tested again in one hour, confirmed pH was 7 and began aerating. Tested again in 2 hours, pH still 7. Continued aerating.
DAY 2 -6 am
PH 7.8
TA 200
CYA 30 ( interesting after only 4 days but I was curious)
added 128 ounces MA, Tested In 30 minutes, pH 7.4, added 64 ounces MA , tested in one hour, pH 7.0, continued aerating.
DAY 3- 6 am
pH 7.4
TA 175
Added 64 ounces MA, pH after two hours pH 7.2 ,continued aerating with just my jets pointed up.
Spent the day trying to build a better aerator seen on a post here, it was too heavy and I worried about the weight so I did not use it, old pool, 1 1/4" threaded return, I worried it would strip the thread and it is not removable. Modified it to a lighter weight one, waiting for the glue to dry and will put it in tonight.
Day3 10pm
pH 7.4
TA 150
temp down from 90 to 84
CSI .29 ( way better)
Day 3 12:30 am (now)
pH 7.8
TA 175
It does not seem I am making much headway! The pool is crystal clear and no signs of scaling that I can see. There is a multitude of very small brown stain spots all over the pool that do not brush off or feel slimy, but I opened the pool to a massive green swamp which is what got me here in desperation and defiance when the pool store said I had to drain the whole pool. I figured I had nothing to lose trying your methods. Very happy with that. Now I am an OCD tester, looking for balanced water.
so here are my questions:
how often do I need to test and adjust the pH back down to 7?
Should I be concerned about having my pH so low over several days, assuming this is going to take several more days?
why did the TA go back up after only 2 hours from 150 to 175?
is better aeration going to make this go faster and result in a more stable TA as an end result?
how long is this going to take?
can I expect my pH and TA to stabilize when I do get there?
should I be dealing with my high CH first, then worry about TA?
Obviously I am missing something and my brain is about to burst trying to absorb and apply all the information I have learned here!
Thank you all for the wonderful site and most informative education, I still have a lot to learn!
Here are results when I started this process.
FC 2
CC 2.5
pH 7.8
TA 200
CH 425
CYA less than 30
temp 90
CSI .86
i added half the recommended dose of stabilizer ( just to be cautious) slowly into the skimmer per instructions on the bottle. ( I later learned I should have done it in a sock in the skimmer), left the pump running24/7, added 3 quarts and 2 cups 8% bleach to raise chlorine to 7, and 64 ounces of 20% MA. Let that work for 24 hours. Then read everything I could find on the lower TA process. (Including the "slug" paper which debunked this method)
i started the process the next day.i spent a lot of time trying to figure out who's MA amount to use, taylor lower alkalinity chart said add three gallons, pool math said 66 ounces and pool calc said 105. Went with pool calc.
DAY 1 -9 pm
pH was still 7.8
TA was still 200
FC 5
cc .5
added 105 ounces of MA to bring PH down to seven, tested again in one hour, confirmed pH was 7 and began aerating. Tested again in 2 hours, pH still 7. Continued aerating.
DAY 2 -6 am
PH 7.8
TA 200
CYA 30 ( interesting after only 4 days but I was curious)
added 128 ounces MA, Tested In 30 minutes, pH 7.4, added 64 ounces MA , tested in one hour, pH 7.0, continued aerating.
DAY 3- 6 am
pH 7.4
TA 175
Added 64 ounces MA, pH after two hours pH 7.2 ,continued aerating with just my jets pointed up.
Spent the day trying to build a better aerator seen on a post here, it was too heavy and I worried about the weight so I did not use it, old pool, 1 1/4" threaded return, I worried it would strip the thread and it is not removable. Modified it to a lighter weight one, waiting for the glue to dry and will put it in tonight.
Day3 10pm
pH 7.4
TA 150
temp down from 90 to 84
CSI .29 ( way better)
Day 3 12:30 am (now)
pH 7.8
TA 175
It does not seem I am making much headway! The pool is crystal clear and no signs of scaling that I can see. There is a multitude of very small brown stain spots all over the pool that do not brush off or feel slimy, but I opened the pool to a massive green swamp which is what got me here in desperation and defiance when the pool store said I had to drain the whole pool. I figured I had nothing to lose trying your methods. Very happy with that. Now I am an OCD tester, looking for balanced water.
so here are my questions:
how often do I need to test and adjust the pH back down to 7?
Should I be concerned about having my pH so low over several days, assuming this is going to take several more days?
why did the TA go back up after only 2 hours from 150 to 175?
is better aeration going to make this go faster and result in a more stable TA as an end result?
how long is this going to take?
can I expect my pH and TA to stabilize when I do get there?
should I be dealing with my high CH first, then worry about TA?
Obviously I am missing something and my brain is about to burst trying to absorb and apply all the information I have learned here!
Thank you all for the wonderful site and most informative education, I still have a lot to learn!