Hello,
This summer I have been struggling to get the Total Alkalinity level up in my pool. We have been receiving a lot of rain here, and so I've had to drain quite a bit of water over the course of the summer. The Baking Soda bill is getting expensive, so on my last trip to the pool store (Pinch-a-Penny) to refill the Chlorine, I asked if there was a cheaper way to get the Total Alkalinity level up. They respond by saying that the numbers I was giving them aren't possible and to bring in a water sample. I'm concerned that if I do that, I'll walk out with hundreds of dollars worth of chemicals I've never needed in the past.
Here are my latest readings (I use TFTest Kits for testing)
Chlorine - 12.5 (I had been shocking the pool last week because when I came home from my last trip, I had a bit of algae growing)
pH - 7.2 (I had just added some acid. This is on the low end of where I keep it. Typical is 7.4-7.5)
Calcium Hardness - 400 (This has always been right around 400 for years. Even through adding/draining water, this seems to be consistent)
Total Alkalinity - 40 (Pool Math says my target should be 80. I've been having difficulty raising this level. I've added baking soda, but have also had to drain a lot of water over the summer)
CYA - 30-40 (I try to keep this around 40, but right now it is a bit low. I've been using a couple chlorine tabs to try to raise this a little)
Borates - 30+ (I only have a test trip to test this, and I have difficulty judging. Not sure if there is a more accurate way to test for this...)
Temperature - 85
Given these levels, what should I do to raise TA? Should I bring the water sample to the store?
Thanks
-M
This summer I have been struggling to get the Total Alkalinity level up in my pool. We have been receiving a lot of rain here, and so I've had to drain quite a bit of water over the course of the summer. The Baking Soda bill is getting expensive, so on my last trip to the pool store (Pinch-a-Penny) to refill the Chlorine, I asked if there was a cheaper way to get the Total Alkalinity level up. They respond by saying that the numbers I was giving them aren't possible and to bring in a water sample. I'm concerned that if I do that, I'll walk out with hundreds of dollars worth of chemicals I've never needed in the past.
Here are my latest readings (I use TFTest Kits for testing)
Chlorine - 12.5 (I had been shocking the pool last week because when I came home from my last trip, I had a bit of algae growing)
pH - 7.2 (I had just added some acid. This is on the low end of where I keep it. Typical is 7.4-7.5)
Calcium Hardness - 400 (This has always been right around 400 for years. Even through adding/draining water, this seems to be consistent)
Total Alkalinity - 40 (Pool Math says my target should be 80. I've been having difficulty raising this level. I've added baking soda, but have also had to drain a lot of water over the summer)
CYA - 30-40 (I try to keep this around 40, but right now it is a bit low. I've been using a couple chlorine tabs to try to raise this a little)
Borates - 30+ (I only have a test trip to test this, and I have difficulty judging. Not sure if there is a more accurate way to test for this...)
Temperature - 85
Given these levels, what should I do to raise TA? Should I bring the water sample to the store?
Thanks
-M
