AGP - Drained Yearly - Muriatic Acid ???

[Andrew_D]

Hello All,

Haven't been on TFP since last season, as our Canadian Prairie winters aren't too conducive to outdoor pools for some reason...

I first found out about TFP in 2019 or 2020. Used the TFP method in 2020 and loved it. Added a salt cell for 2021 and had even less chemicals to handle - awesome!

Here's my question: How important is the TA and pH and Muriatic Acid monitoring/correcting in an above ground pool that is only open for 4-5 months and then drained?

Background:
Our well water here on the farm has very high TA and pH. I haven't filled yet this spring because we are still covered in the white stuff (thanks Colorado!) but the past couple years, the first test of the spring typically shows TA in the 450-550 range.

In 2021, I would wait for pH to climb up to the 7.8-8.0 range and add acid to push it back down to 7.0-7.2. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. TA would slowly be dropping. In the beginning, it would take 3L of acid every 3 days. Towards the end of summer, once TA had dropped lower, it was closer to 1L every 4 days. Always waiting for the pH to rise and then using acid to push it lower. However, by end of summer, TA was still 150. At this point, Ma Nature does what she always does, and I had to drain the pool for winter. (I leave 6-8 inches in the bottom so it doesn't blow around, and so the chlorine puck floater can move around now that the pump can no longer run, but basically empty.)

Now I see that MA price locally has jumped 33% compared to last year.

My point is - given the starting point of the water, I am never going to get TA down to the 50-80 range anyway.

How important is it to try to correct pH and TA?

Or can I simply let the salt cell do it's thing with chlorine?

Remember - the water is only here 4-5 months. (I already had the pool full this time last year - this year will likely be closer to 4 months.)

Thoughts?
Andrew

 

[mknauss]

If the CH shown in your Poolmath logs is correct, your swcg will scale up very rapidly at that TA. And the high pH may be uncomfortable to eyes, skin, etc.

 

[Jonsstihl]

I think you are draining too much. If you get a lot of wind in your area you may find the walls of your pool blown out if there is not enough water to hold them in. I just passed the first winter with my pool and only drained it 6 inches below the skimmer. by december it was up to the bottom of the skimmer but with pipes disconnected it just leaked out the pipe slowly. Next year I may drain to 18 inches below the skimmer.

would a water softener help the TA??? it would definitely help the calcium. that is really high TA. any pond water close by you can test and pump into your pool instead of tap water.

with my salt cell My TA ends up around 60-70

some guys have built an aerating rig with some pipes and a sump pump

 

[JoyfulNoise]

High TA with high CH will cause calcium scale in your SWG. That not good.

Question - why aren’t you letting Mother Nature help you?? If you get that much snow, and perhaps some rain, then let the snow fill the pool and melt and capture as much rain and snow melt water as possible. Leave the high TA water in the well and only use it for minimal top offs.

 

[Flying Tivo]

+1 on the white stuff!

 

[Andrew_D]

In 2021, CH ran in the 100-125 range all year.

This is a rectangular pool. Draining water to just below the pump connections causes the walls to bow in fairly extreme. I felt that draining more water would be better than leaving it half full. Yes/no? I put braces between the top rails to help stabilize it during the winter. Just enough tension to push the top rail out an inch or so. I could try leaving those in with the pool half full next winter, but then the amount of pressure pushing in on the top rails all winter would be very significant and I'd be worried about damage.

Pool was about half full of snow after winter. That has been settling as the weather warms up. Our snow during the winter is very dry - takes a lot to produce much water. Snow this time of year tends to be wetter, of course. After a bit of evaporation in late fall / early spring, the snow melt tends to bring the water level back to where it was when I drained it end of September.

Andrew

 

[Andrew_D]

I guess the other point is that I know of a ton of folks who have not discovered TFP that simply use a chlorine puck floater and that's it. To them, it isn't a big deal because they are draining the pool after 3-4 months anyway. And then start with new water the next year. I'd be tempted to leave the water up at the pump connection points if it was a round pool. But being rectangular, the sides get pretty bowed.

Andrew

 

[Jonsstihl]

Sorry, I assumed it was a round pool but I would think it wouldn't really matter. I'm surprised that draining only a bit of water causes the sides to bow in. I would probably try and leave it with water up to the jets just make sure no pipe is connected so that any water that gets in the jet would drain out and not freeze. What does the pool manufacturer say about winter setup/draining.

 

[Andrew_D]

Almost all pool manufacturers state that pools should be dismantled and taken down for winter.

Here's a youtube showing how these pools look when only partly full:

Likely filling ours this weekend as it is finally warming up. The snow/ice block has melted and my moto is "maintain it, or drain it". So I have to get it filled up, bring the pump & filter out and get ready to go!

Andrew

 

[Andrew_D]

Got the pool filled this week and it turns out that the well water this year is not as high in TA compared to previous years. I am starting out at a TA of 300 (vs 450-500 in past years). I am crediting this (rightly or wrongly) to filling other storage tanks on the farm first which may have flushed out the well a bit.

Andrew