Is low TA & CH okay?

[NewWorldViking]

I'm just preparing to open the pool (plaster in-ground). Haven't SLAMed yet or added anything. Just figuring out what I'll need.

I'm a bit of an unusual case. You know the crazy snow out west this winter? That's me. I always remove a lot of water when I close in the fall (3ft) because the snow fills the pool back up over the winter. 3ft is usually enough but this winter I had to dig down and cut a hole in the ice to remove an extra 2ft of water to preemptively keep the skimmer from flooding. The pool is now full and probably 75-80% fresh snowmelt from snow that fell directly in (and much clearer than usual).

PH is 7.8
TA is 60
CH is 80

The Pool Math app recommends higher TA & much higher CH. But my Saturation Index is 0.1, in the OK range.

Is it okay to leave TA & CH like this? What's gonna happen if I do that? Or should I increase both?

 

[mknauss]

With a plaster pool you need to get your CH up to 250 ppm minimum. The TA is fine for now.

 

[Texas Splash]

Is it okay to leave TA & CH like this?

TA yes, CH no. I would increase the CH to at least 250 which we consider the bare-bones minimum for a plaster pool plus a heater.

But first, how are you testing? I don't see a test kit in your signature.

 

[IceShadow]

What saturation index are you using? We typically promote CSI on Pool Math. What temp is the water?

 

[NewWorldViking]

Using Taylor K-2006C. Using the saturation index wheel from that.
Temp is 62.

Makes sense. Probably not a lot of calcium in fresh fallen snow and I wouldnt want it stolen from my plaster. I'll increase CH above 250 and adjust the rest from there.
Thanks!

 

[IceShadow]

I don’t know your salt/CYA/etc. levels but your CSI is likely around -0.7 or so, so increasing CH is likely a good idea.

 

[NewWorldViking]

I don’t know your salt/CYA/etc. levels but your CSI is likely around -0.7 or so, so increasing CH is likely a good idea.

CYA is <30, guessing 15-20. I'll be using pucks for a while.

I have rather hard water so CH hasn't been a big issue. But this year I didn't add a drop of it, just pumped water (and calcium, and CYA) 1out so snowmelt doesn't overflow.

 

[mgtfp]

Make sure to run the pump long enough to mix the water through. You may have a layer of mainly snow melt water sitting on top. Don't increase CH until you are sure that it really needs to. Having hard water you may regret that otherwise.

Make sure that water is mixed properly, test again, and then increase CH if required.

 

[NewWorldViking]

Make sure to run the pump long enough to mix the water through. You may have a layer of mainly snow melt water sitting on top. Don't increase CH until you are sure that it really needs to. Having hard water you may regret that otherwise.

Make sure that water is mixed properly, test again, and then increase CH if required.

Definitely mixed. I do a thorough netting out of debris as soon as the ice melts which churns things up and do a filter run and vac as soon as freezing risk is passed to head off gunk growth. I use ice as my cover as I cant imagine a cover surviving the snowpack that can develop. An early pre-opening cleaning makes a big difference in the amount of chlorine I need for the opening SLAM.