I took over my pool’s maintenance from a service after my pool turned green one time too many around December 1, 2020 and I am still learning how things work.
When I took over the pH would rise quickly (SWG, plus spa weir and fountain), it seemed like 0.1 to 0.2 per day. A month in when the rest of the pool chemistry seemed stable I decided to add borates. The pH does seem to rise more slowly now but it is only a modest improvement. After adding borates my TA and CH went up...
My questions:
1. In my first month of maintenance the TA was rock steady at 70 ppm measured. After the borate addition the TA rises all the time, about 10 ppm/week. I add MA to bring down both the pH and TA. Do borates cause TA to want to rise?
2. After adding borates the CH measurement crept up about 150 ppm to 500 over a month or two and now seems stable. Fill water tests at 150 ppm. Is there a borate impact on CH?
3. CYA is disappearing pretty fast, almost 1 ppm/day. I’ve read I should only need to add CYA a few times/year. I’ve already added about 7.5 lbs since Dec. 8, 2020. I’m still only at 60 ppm. Any idea what might cause this?
4. What level of TA should I record in PoolMath? Should I record the direct measurement from my Taylor 2006/TF100 test kit or should I record measured TA – (0.33*CYA) = adjusted TA?
BTW: My pool loses about 1.5-2 inches of water per week in the dry winter season which seems high. The pool is south facing in a pool cage with lots of wind protection. I have 7 4x10’ solar panels with no visible leaks but I’m assuming the water can evaporate a little through all that surface area of the solar panels plus water is warmer. I’ve had leak companies in about 5 times in 8 years and found only minor leaks around the skimmer. The last repair seemed more robust but may be leaking again as the weather has warmed.
Also, when we had the pool refinished 5 years ago the tile guy told us that the patio deck to pool shell concrete was built wrong or without something that seals the patio deck and pool from leaking (there is no coping). So, when we get lots of rain the pool does not visibly overflow, the excess water leaks through this joint. Despite this my salt level has been fairly stable since I took over the chemistry. It has taken 4.5 months for the salt to drop from 3200 to 2800 and the pool water has risen to this joint at least 3 times.
Thanks for your responses
When I took over the pH would rise quickly (SWG, plus spa weir and fountain), it seemed like 0.1 to 0.2 per day. A month in when the rest of the pool chemistry seemed stable I decided to add borates. The pH does seem to rise more slowly now but it is only a modest improvement. After adding borates my TA and CH went up...
My questions:
1. In my first month of maintenance the TA was rock steady at 70 ppm measured. After the borate addition the TA rises all the time, about 10 ppm/week. I add MA to bring down both the pH and TA. Do borates cause TA to want to rise?
2. After adding borates the CH measurement crept up about 150 ppm to 500 over a month or two and now seems stable. Fill water tests at 150 ppm. Is there a borate impact on CH?
3. CYA is disappearing pretty fast, almost 1 ppm/day. I’ve read I should only need to add CYA a few times/year. I’ve already added about 7.5 lbs since Dec. 8, 2020. I’m still only at 60 ppm. Any idea what might cause this?
4. What level of TA should I record in PoolMath? Should I record the direct measurement from my Taylor 2006/TF100 test kit or should I record measured TA – (0.33*CYA) = adjusted TA?
BTW: My pool loses about 1.5-2 inches of water per week in the dry winter season which seems high. The pool is south facing in a pool cage with lots of wind protection. I have 7 4x10’ solar panels with no visible leaks but I’m assuming the water can evaporate a little through all that surface area of the solar panels plus water is warmer. I’ve had leak companies in about 5 times in 8 years and found only minor leaks around the skimmer. The last repair seemed more robust but may be leaking again as the weather has warmed.
Also, when we had the pool refinished 5 years ago the tile guy told us that the patio deck to pool shell concrete was built wrong or without something that seals the patio deck and pool from leaking (there is no coping). So, when we get lots of rain the pool does not visibly overflow, the excess water leaks through this joint. Despite this my salt level has been fairly stable since I took over the chemistry. It has taken 4.5 months for the salt to drop from 3200 to 2800 and the pool water has risen to this joint at least 3 times.
Thanks for your responses
