Fighting High pH and other test results...

[Cody]

Tested yesterday, here are results:

FC 6.0
pH 7.5
TA 70
CH did not test
CYA 60-70

I added acid two days ago, so pH is good, but it will rise....always does here.

Yesterday I tested my city water and possibly discovered one of the reasons why...pH was about 8.0 in tap water....so, when I add water to pool, I'm adding high pH water.

TA at 70 is a bit low, right? If I raise it, will it help me keep pH more steady? Suggestions on level for TA knowing pH is a constant fight?

I also added 64oz of 10% liquid chlorine assuming the CYA is actually 70.

Thoughts?

 

[tim5055]

NO, your TA is fine. The higher your TA the faster the pH rises. Most of us regulars around here keep our TA in the 50-70 range, so you are fine.

Correct, always round the CYA up. But, why so high of a CYA? I don't see a salt water chlorine generator in your signature, so letting the CYA slowly drop would be a good thing. Noe emergency requiring a drain at this point, just maintain FC in relation to the CYA.

When the pH gets to 7.8-8.0 then add acid to bring it down to 7.6 or so. Don't try to push it down into the low 7's as it rises a little faster down there.

 

[HeyEng]

NO, your TA is fine. The higher your TA the faster the pH rises. Most of us regulars around here keep our TA in the 50-70 range, so you are fine.

Quick question on TA. If the "regulars" keep TA at 50-70 then why does the pool math app suggest 70-90+? I am not trying to be a wise guy (but my wife says I am good at that!) just trying to learn.

 

[tim5055]

Quick question on TA. If the "regulars" keep TA at 50-70 then why does the pool math app suggest 70-90+? I am not trying to be a wise guy (but my wife says I am good at that!) just trying to learn.

Good question.

Things evolve and there are individual circumstances like the OP here.

If you look at the recommendations from the "pool industry" they recommend 90-120 most of the time. We have reduced that.

It's a fact, higher TA puts upward pressure on pH. The downside to keeping TA as low as a lot of us do is that it requires you to regularly test your water. Go below 40 and you are subject to TA crashing. 70-90 is a good median, but it is not catastrophic if you go lower.

 

[Cody]

NO, your TA is fine. The higher your TA the faster the pH rises. Most of us regulars around here keep our TA in the 50-70 range, so you are fine.

Correct, always round the CYA up. But, why so high of a CYA? I don't see a salt water chlorine generator in your signature, so letting the CYA slowly drop would be a good thing. Noe emergency requiring a drain at this point, just maintain FC in relation to the CYA.

When the pH gets to 7.8-8.0 then add acid to bring it down to 7.6 or so. Don't try to push it down into the low 7's as it rises a little faster down there.

Okay, so in Pool Math what should I set as my target TA? I had it completely backwards. I thought a little higher TA would help keep my pH DOWN! CYA is a bit high because I was lazy this winter and used pucks and some granular i had laying around...I'll let it drift down. Ideally CYA of 50 works good for me in the past, but it does drift down as it gets warmer and I have to add water.

 

[HeyEng]

Good question.

Things evolve and there are individual circumstances like the OP here.

If you look at the recommendations from the "pool industry" they recommend 90-120 most of the time. We have reduced that.

It's a fact, higher TA puts upward pressure on pH. The downside to keeping TA as low as a lot of us do is that it requires you to regularly test your water. Go below 40 and you are subject to TA crashing. 70-90 is a good median, but it is not catastrophic if you go lower.

Thanks for the answer. My TA tends to hang around 90, but PH doesn't trend up too much. We had a good bit of rain/churning over the weekend and it pushed the PH up, so I added the recommended level of MA and noticed a "warning" in the app that high TA could require different "dosing" of MA but it didn't really elaborate (and a cursory search here couldn't tell me why). Nonetheless, the PH tested at the desired level, so all seems good. Just very happy that there are so many knowledgeable folks to help out dummies like me. OK...sorry for the hijack...back to your regularly scheduled program.

 

[cfherrman]

If you manage your csi, use whatever targets you want.

If you do not manage your csi, use recommend in pool math as it keeps your csi in check.

Try managing your pH to the 7.8 range and hit it down when it hits 8.

Just leave your ta alone for now, see what happens with it. If you can get your pool to find it's own balence that is the best. Keep your ta at or above 50, or 60 if you suspect testing error. Ta 40 is typically given as the danger zone.