High TA but low Ph

[CR9guy]

Hello all, just put up my 1st pool, an 18x48 coleman. Filled it up last weekend using our well water & subscribed to the pool calculator app to track my testing. My initial TA was 250 & PH was 6.9. I did an initial shock using 65% cal-hypo. Here's my testing today:
FC 3.8
CC 0
PH 7.2
TA 300
CYA undetectable with Taylor k2006
CH 260

I need to bring my TA down and CYA up & just want to make sure my logic is sound. I'll need muriatic acid to bring the TA down how much over what period should I shoot for? Should I wait on adding stabilizer until TA/PH is balanced?

Just for information the pool is ~6100 gal, 16" sand filter, 1hp pump w/ an inline puck chlorinator.

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
Great job on getting a quality test kit to start!
TA will come down over time as you keep pH in the 7's. It is not a critical parameter for you so just test for it every time your pH gets to 8 and you need to add acid.
Raise your CYA to 40 ppm. Use liquid chlorine daily to stay in the target range for your CYA using the FC/CYA Levels
Reserve the use of the puck thing for when you will be away from the pool for more than a couple days.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

 

[CR9guy]

Thanks so much, I did read the ABCs and am starting to understand better now that I can apply the information. Is there type of stabilizer that's more recommended than another?

I had purchased the pucks & shock before I found this forum and read about the BBB method. I'll plan on switching to liquid chlorine moving forward.

 

[mknauss]

As long as the stabilizer product is 100% cyanuric acid, they are all the same. Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware all carry it in most areas. If you have a Menards near you, they are great resource for pool products. Especially liquid chlorine and acid.

 

[Soximus]

TA will come down over time as you keep pH in the 7's. It is not a critical parameter for you so just test for it every time your pH gets to 8 and you need to add acid.

MK, can you expand on this a bit? I've learned (from TFP!) that pH tends to gradually increase over time, all on its own... are you saying that TA will gradually be reduced over time, since you will be forced to periodically tamp down pH levels with additions of muriatic acid?

Sort of a side-note, but I wish the How to Lower Total Alkalinity guide was more integrated into the Pool Math app... the below seems like a crucial bit of into that the "ideal" TA range I'm seeing in the app (60-80ppm) doesn't really take into account when it's making recommendations w/r/t TA!

"There are two reasons to lower your total alkalinity (TA) right away, because you want to slow down the rate that the pH rises, or if high TA is contributing to a high calcium saturation index (CSI) which puts you at risk of calcium scaling. You shouldn’t lower TA just to reach a target number. Make sure you actually have one of the above issues before lowering your TA. "

 

[mknauss]

are you saying that TA will gradually be reduced over time, since you will be forced to periodically tamp down pH levels with additions of muriatic acid?

Correct. As long as you are not adding TA (from fill water, product, etc) the TA will come down over time as you adjust the pH with acid.

doesn't really take into account when it's making recommendations w/r/t TA!

Hard to put everything in an app. Knowledge is power. Go through Pool School. The app is a tool, but you must know the chemistry process to use the tool effectively.

 

[CR9guy]

On a side note I popped in to my local Walmart over lunch and for whatever reason the 4lb Clorox pool stabilizer is ringing up for $1

Sometimes you get lucky!