Another trying to decrease TA

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Topfox

Well-known member
Jul 2, 2018
62
VA
Hey everyone,

Decided to take the plunge and stop paying others to take care of my pool. Opening went pretty well, got my filtration system all figured out, filled up the pool, pulled the plugs and got my salt level to the correct amount. Water is nice and crystal clear, but as I test the other items in the pool my TA is pretty high, like 260. Did some research which basically says drop the PH to 7.0 or 7.2 with Muriatic Acid, wait a day or more, test, rinse and repeat until the TA is at the appropriate level. I have done two rounds of this over a week period and my TA hasn't moved at all (Ive tested everyday). I am seeing the reaction to the acid with my PH going down after the acid and then going back up with aeriation, but not seeing the TA budge at all. What am I missing here?

I have a 20x40 gunite saltwater pool, white plaster, 3ft-8ft deep, auto cover (that covers the pool most of the time). There is a tanning shelf that is about 5x12 in the shallow end, 2 skimmers in the pool and I have a solar heater setup, although I currently have it turned off while Im trying to balance the pool. I have a port for a Polaris robot, and 3 return ports on the same wall. None of the returns have any sort of directional jet on them, just straight shots out of the pool wall.

Thanks
 
Your pool volume is approaching 40000 gallons, right? Can you add what volume your pool is to your signature?

Unless you have high CH, your TA is not an immediate issue. Just manage your pH to keep it in the 7's.
Does your SWCG shed calcium flakes while operating?

When you cover the pool, the off gassing of CO2 is reduced. That can slow the process of the pH rising. You can use Poolmath to see how much your TA should drop for each acid addition.

Other issue is any pool chemicals or fill water that are adding alkalinity.
 
Using a Pentair test kit (not test strips), but it only tests Chlorine/PH/TA/Acid Demand then I have test strips for the salt test. I have a Taylor kit showing up any day now that will test the full spectrum folks normally recommended testing here. When they filled my pool I calculated in the 28500 gallon range based on number of the trucks and what the truck driver told me the capacity of his truck was. I have not noticed any flaking from the SWGC. I havent had to add any water to the pool since the initial refill from the winter open, and other than Pool Salt, Bleach and Muriatic acid, I haven't added any other chemicals to the pool at all. When I opened the pool after the refill the PH was at the top of the testing chart, and the chlorine was at 0.

When doing the testing Im currently at:
Chlorine: 1
PH: 7.2
TA: 260
Salt: 3600
 
Well, I agree with Marty - TA is seldom an immediate issue. Depending on CYA, the FC of 1 may be a problem.

Any idea where you r CYA may be? Have you added it or used solid forms of chlorine like pucks or shock?
 
I currently do not know my CYA, and I haven’t added any solid chemicals or CYA to the pool. Once I saw the TA level was high, I basically started focusing on that while I waited for my expanded level test kit to get here. I’m happy to say it was finally delivered tonight. So I should be able to grab all the other values tomorrow, and have a better picture all up for everyone. Thanks for the responses thus far.
 
OK, broke out the new test kit for the first time. Assuming I did everything correctly, this is what I am looking at:

FC - .5
CC - 3
PH - 7.0-7.2
TA - 260
CH - 260
CYA - 0...the solution didn't get cloudy at all to hide the dot.
Salt - 3600
 
You need some work.

1. Disregard TA and CH for now

2. Please redo the FC and CC test. Assuming you get very similar results, get chlorine in your pool ASAP - 3 ppm every day and prepare to use more

3. Calculate and add enough CYA to get to 30 ppm. Give it 24 hours to show up on the test but if you calculate the dosage correctly, you are safe to assume it is in there.

4. Pool is still crystal clear, right? Keep it that way by getting the chlorine in there ASAP.

5. Thoroughly, please read "The "ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School.....you need to know what the results mean and why you are testing these parameters.

6. 24 hours after your calculated CYA addition, please post a full set of test results and we'll get to the next steps.
 

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Topfox said:
Sounds good. Thanks.

Yes, the pool is crystal clear.
Click to expand...
Good, Chlorine will keep it that way!! Remember, when we talk about chlorine we are referring to liquid chlorine. If you have a bottle of plain bleach (no EZ-Pour or scents) you can pour that into the pool with the pump running. Don't add chemicals without the pump running.

Home Depot or Lowes will probably have what you need. Granular CYA is usually in the pool section out in teh outside garden area.

Add the CYA by using what we call the sock method. Get an old sock (no holes in the toes) and put the measured amount of CYA you need to get to your first target. Tie the sock closed and either suspend it in front of a return (hang it from your brush pole works with something weighted on the deck) OR if it still allows flow thru the skimmer, place the sock in the skimmer. Every 15/20 minutes give the sock a squeeze to speed up the process or just leave it alone, your choice. Please DO NOT follow the directions on the container of CYA to just pour it into the skimmer and don't just toss the sock in the pool as the CYA is acidic and can bleach/stain pool finishes.

We also like to see folks add chemicals like CYA in stages. In your case, add enough to target 30 and wait to see the results. If the final goal is higher due to a salt water chlorine generator or a pool in a very sunny location then we might target 50, then target the final 70. Doing it in stages allows you to make sure you don't overshoot your goal. We find that many people are slightly "off" on the volume of their pool, so it's easy to add too much of a chemical. At first, just stick with 30 as your target.
 
Hey Everyone, sorry for the delay. Got in a car accident and got injured, so somewhat slowed down. Been trying to source Bleach to raise chlorine levels. Have about 5 gallons showing up tomorrow, but was able to get a single gallon in yesterday. Tested it before the added bleach. And the FC was 1, CC was 9. Tested again today and the FC was 1 and CC was 12. I’ve been reading about the chlorine, but it isn’t making a ton of sense. Shouldn’t CC have gone down at least a little bit with the addition of Bleach? If I’m understanding the calculators and so forth right I need to add many gallons of bleach, but was surprised to see CC go up. Am I totally not understanding this at all?
 
Topfox said:
Hey Everyone, sorry for the delay. Got in a car accident and got injured, so somewhat slowed down. Been trying to source Bleach to raise chlorine levels. Have about 5 gallons showing up tomorrow, but was able to get a single gallon in yesterday. Tested it before the added bleach. And the FC was 1, CC was 9. Tested again today and the FC was 1 and CC was 12. I’ve been reading about the chlorine, but it isn’t making a ton of sense. Shouldn’t CC have gone down at least a little bit with the addition of Bleach? If I’m understanding the calculators and so forth right I need to add many gallons of bleach, but was surprised to see CC go up. Am I totally not understanding this at all?
Click to expand...
Should also note we dropped in the CYA in a couple of socks to get that started today. Looks like I need like 8lbs.
 
The packages usually state 1lb/10ppm for a 10k volume that means at 28500 gallons 1 lb CYA =3.5 ppm, which is approximately 8.5 lbs to achieve 30 ppm in a 28500 gal pool. That's what I've always done. Go for the 7.3 and check.
 
Getting there with the FC CC and CYA

FC-.5
CC-2
CYA-50

Adding another 2 gallons of bleach tonight to see if it gets me there. Then I guess it’s back to trying to get TA right and double checking everything else again.
 

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