Help me with TA -- colorblind , pictures attached.

[mgtfp]

Also watched the 10ml video now. I didn't count the drops, but the colour transition looks right.

I suspect that in your first post, if you had kept adding drops, it probably would have turned pink eventually, but you weren't expecting the TA to be still that high.

 

[jesse-99]

Also watched the 10ml video now. I didn't count the drops, but the colour transition looks right.

I suspect that in your first post, if you had kept adding drops, it probably would have turned pink eventually, but you weren't expecting the TA to be still that high.

(I stopped at 9 drops in the 10ml and x25 multiplier video)

I think in my first post, I still must have screwed up the R-0007/R-0008 because I was getting that light blue right away...

But you are correct, I was *NOT* expecting my TA to STILL be in the low 200s. Which means, it might have been in the high 200s as little as 3 days ago (cause I've been adding MA regularly since then --- thankfully I can re-aerate very easily as I have lots of water features to help with that)

 

[mgtfp]

I think in my first post, I still must have screwed up the R-0007/R-0008 because I was getting that light blue right away...

It does look like that a bit. Wasn't sure if the non-white background played tricks with my colour perception, but it does look blue. And if you got that blue right away, then FC interference probably was the issue.

As for not wiping the tip, the TF-100 instructions (on the laminated paper) I received say to "wipe the tip of the bottle" -shrug- but it probaly doesn't matter anyways as it's not a new bottle anymore and I've already gone through about 1/3 of it?

Yep, probably not an issue anymore after a 1/3 anyway. I just try not to get any water from a damp cloth to stay at the tip, so I try to keep my cloth slightly lower. But that's probably just me being OCD.

 

[jesse-99]

Just a quick update regarding WHY my TA is so darn high. My 32,000 gallon pool was filled up to 30,000 gallons with tankers. Another 2,000 was added in via my auto-fills. Another 5,000 or so gallons was added via auto-fills because I had a leak (since fixed). So roughly 1/4 of my pool is filled by my auto-fills and my well. I tested my well water today (yay, I can do these tests now thanks to all of your help, and can even see the green to pink color change!) and my well water tested at 400 TA. So I think that's why I've been at 200+ TA, since 1/4 of the water is from my well. Is 400 TA from my well just an absurd number? (Thankfully I did the TA test using the x25 multiplier but it still took 16 drops!!! (verified with my pH tester reading 4.5x when it was pink -- thanks MGTF{P for that tip too!!)

 

[mknauss]

Is 400 TA from my well just an absurd number?

Not really.

You get rain. Do what you can to fill your pool with rain water instead of well water.

 

[jesse-99]

Not really.

You get rain. Do what you can to fill your pool with rain water instead of well water.

-chuckle- Well. we're *supposed* to get rain here. I don't think it's rained since March however! We are in one of the most severe droughts here in Illinois I've ever soon. But, point taken, lol.

I thought 400 TA from a well would be alarming, but maybe not...! Thanks Marty, you're always fast to respond.

 

[jesse-99]

Just a quick update. Been adding more MA, aerating, more MA, aerating etc. Will update my #'s tomorrow morning. I think I'm making good progress.

 

[mgtfp]

Glad that the testing is working now for you. Yep, high TA in well water is not uncommon.

Let's hope you'll get some rain soon - not just for your pool, but also to stop that drought.

How is your CH doing? Have you tested that in your pool and the fill water? Especially the combination of high CH and high TA results in a high CSI which can lead to scaling problems.

CH Test has a colour transition from pink to blue, hopefully that works for you - and for that there is no workaround with a pH-meter.

 

[jesse-99]

Appreciate the input on the well water as well.

I measured CH for the first time earlier this afternoon today. I can do the color test pretty easy on that one. I saw the transition from pink to blue without much issue. CH is 250. I ordered 25 pounds of Calcium Chloride from Home Depot today. (First time I ever checked CH to be honest)

 

[mgtfp]

Hang on a bit before adding any calcium chloride. You first want to know the CH of your fill water to understand if your pool's CH will keep rising over time. Depending on where your TA will settle and which pH your pool will like to sit at and what the CYA is, your CH will probably be just fine, and it might creep up over time on it's own depending on your fill water. Post a full set of water parameters first so we have the complete picture.

 

[jesse-99]

Noted, thanks. I won't get the calcium chloride for another 2 days or so, so I'll have time to check the fill water's reading for it.

 

[jesse-99]

Well here's an update. Keep in mind I have been adding MA for 6 days now , everytime pH drifts up to 7.8-8.0 and bringing it down to 7.0 or 7.2 each time, aerating, etc.
FWIW, I can -easily- see the green to pink color change now... though i still verify it every time with my digital pH meter to make sure I hit the 4.5 reading mark with the exact drops.

Current numbers from this evening:
FC 8.0
pH 7.6
CYA 70
TA 90 (it took 13.66 gallons of MA to reach this level over the 6 days, aiming for 50)
CH 250 (waiting on bumping this up until I check my auto-fill water CH value)

Since this thread was originally about TA... it's gone from what I suspect was around 270 to 90 over the last 6 days. I have to add considerably fewer drops now to the TF-100 TA test, and I can even do it without the x25 multiplier and stick to the x10 multiplier (9 drops last time!). So I'm making big progress.

pH still going up on its own quickly, but I've been running water features a ton lately to help aerate. With a disappearing edge drop, 2 bubbler/beach-jets , a water slide, and 2 big waterfalls, I suspect my pH will be very hard to manage if I use the water features regularly, so I'm *AIMING* for a TA around 50 in hopes that will slow down the overall pH rise. Am I correct in this that pH should rise slower at a TA of 50 compared to a TA of 270'ish like I probably had 1 week ago?

(I may also look into Poolsmith CO2 injection, to help combat my water features, although it won't help with my 400 TA auto-fill, -sigh-)

 

[mgtfp]

Yes, lower TA should slow pH drift from CO2 outgassing down. I have my TA typically between 70-80, pH very manageable there for me.

Your CH doesn't look too bad, it really depends on your typical water temperature and final TA and pH, and whether you will be able to keep TA that low. With a SWG, you want your CSI between -0.3 and 0. At pH 7.8, TA 50 and 90°F, your CSI is currently -0.26. Unless your pool sits at lower temperatures, I would leave the CH for now, and see how it develops over time, and which pH and TA you will settle with. Once you are sure that your CH doesn't rise on it's own (due to fill water), and you know which pH and TA your pool is most stable at, then you can adjust CH if required.

Turn "Track CSI" and "Track Water Temperature" on in PoolMath, so that PoolMath calculates and tracks CSI for you. Play a bit with the parameters to get a feeling how it changes. CSI should generally be above -0.3 (to protect the plaster from etching) and below +0.3 (to avoid scaling). With a SWG, you want CSI not above 0 to protect the SWG-cell from plating (within the cell there are localized areas with higher pH compared to the overall pool pH).

 

[jesse-99]

Things are looking great. I did finally add a bit of Calcium Chloride today to bring up my CH from 250 (my auto fill CH is around 125). TA is down to 80 (and the test is actually very easy for me to do now that I know what I'm looking for!). CSI is at 0.01 and lately is always in the -0.20 to .20 range. pH not rising as quickly as before either and easier to manage thanks to lower TA. Pool looks amazing. I love this site!