How much acid is the right amount to start with?

[dtail]

Hey Everyone,
I just picked up a gallon of Muriatic acid today for our pool. I thought before I add any, I would search the forum to see if there's any posts showing how much acid to add to begin lowering the TA but haven't found any. I see posts about lowering the pH and lowering the TA by adding acid and using aeration of the pool but I haven't seen anything on how much MA to add to start with. My TA is at 90 as of this morning and my pH is 7.6. I want to get my TA down to 70, and keep my pH around the same as it is now. Does anyone have an idea of how many oz of MA I might start with? All my levels are within range for everything except my TA. I just don't want to add too much and have a problem before I can learn the correct amounts of acid I should use for our pool. Thanks in advance!

 

[Texas Splash]

For any dosage amounts, we use the PoolMath APP which tells us how much product is required. Your TA isn't bad though, and if the pH is fairly stable (not rising too quickly) you can leave it alone. No rush to lower it. Now if the pH is shooting-up quickly every day or two, then sure, add some acid to lower the pH to about 7.2 which will also pull the TA down. Go in stages and lower the TA only enough required to ensure the pH remains stable. Hope that helps.

 

[mknauss]

Why do you want to reduce the TA?

Lower Total Alkalinity

A lower Total Alkalinity level can help a pool owner stabalize their pH increase. We'll explain how to lower TA with a little help from muriatic acid.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[dtail]

I thought with my TA level at 90 I was good but according to the Pool Math app, my level is too high and it's telling me to add acid to lower it? Maybe I have my target set to low? I have it set to 70 because I was trying to stay in the middle of the "ideal" range as shown on the app for TA. If 90 is good then I'll just monitor it and if it changes, then I'll be ready with MA I picked up. I'll just change my target to 90 on the app and everything will be good then. Thanks for the help! If I do need to add any MA down the road though, how many ounces would be good to start with, any suggestions?

 

[mknauss]

The app provides you suggestions. You need to understand why you would want to adjust something. Elevated TA only effects how fast your pH rises and scaling tendency.

 

[dtail]

I was also going by the levels that are shown in Pool School, which the ideal levels for TA are 60-80, which are the same in the app. I was trying to maintain the levels as shown in both the school and the app. I'll just make sure they all stay in acceptable ranges going forward. Thanks for your help.