Just when I thought I had my water chemistry under control...

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PoolEric

PoolEric

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Jun 21, 2018
40
Arlington, MA
Pool Size
20000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Greetings Wise Pool Peoples!

Just when I thought I'd gotten all the info I needed to balance my pool, I have a quandary on my hands.

History: The Pool People opened the pool a week ago. I have a loop-lock cover, so in the fall the water level is brought below the input jets, and snow and rainwater fill the pool by the time the spring comes. The Pool People vacuum up the pool, but add minimal chemicals, per my instructions (because I'm foolish enough to think I know what I'm doing... sort of).

Currently, according to my Taylor test kit:
FC: 5
pH: 7.0
TA: 125
CH: 180
CYA: 60

First issue: The pH is low and the TA is high. I don't know how the TA got high, since I haven't added anything to raise it (that I'm aware of). My first test of the season (a week ago), had it already high at 120. As I understand it, the only way to lower it is either (a) replace water or (b) aeration. Neither option is appealing since the only aeration technique I can think of is using my garden hose. That, and replacing water, use a lot of water I'd rather not waste. Also, I think if I add borax (20 Mule Team) to raise the pH then my TA will go up too... correct? In some of my reading, it was mentioned that a high TA will cause the pH to drift upward, which I haven't seen. How long would it take to notice a pH drift?

Some other thread mentioned using a pool fountain to do aeration. That sounds nifty, though most of the fountains I looked at had crummy reviews. Also, most of them involve connection to the output jets, which I'm skittish to do. Any recommendations?

My CH is low which is nice since I don't have to try to pull anything out of the water that doesn't want to go. I was wondering if I need to use calcium chloride or I have some 73% Cal-Hypo shock which would raise the CH eventually. One oddity is that my first test of the season showed CH at 200... so it's actually dropped. But that's not supposed to happen without help. Any thoughts?

The last question is about my arch-nemesis, CYA. My first CYA reading this season was almost zero (yay!). So I added stabilizer and a little dichlor I still had, and got the CYA to 50. Nice. But when I checked the CYA today, it was around 60-70 (I can never be sure... finding that little dot gives me a headache). I'm pretty sure I didn't add anything else with stabilizer in it, yet the CYA went up. Or maybe the stabilizer I put in earlier hadn't completely dissolved? I have no idea.

Any thoughts? Ideas? Inspiration?

Thanks in advance! You guys are always so helpful... I'd still be using test strips if I hadn't come here years ago!

Regards,
Eric
 
What does the water look like?
TA is nothing to be concerned with. If your pH rises to 8, lower it with acid to 7.6. You need the TA reading to determine how much acid to use. Otherwise, no issue.
CH -- would be good to add a bit. Get it to 250 ppm.
CYA -- who knows. Depends on how you added it. Did you do the sock method? What is a DH filter?
 
I've had good luck increasing my PH just by pointing the return eyes upward so they cause the surface of the pool to ripple when the pump is on.
 
mknauss said:
What does the water look like?
TA is nothing to be concerned with. If your pH rises to 8, lower it with acid to 7.6. You need the TA reading to determine how much acid to use. Otherwise, no issue.
CH -- would be good to add a bit. Get it to 250 ppm.
CYA -- who knows. Depends on how you added it. Did you do the sock method? What is a DH filter?
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply!

The water is crystal clear 😁

The pH is currently 7.0 ... maybe lower, if the test kit doesn't go that low. Should I just wait for it to rise? It's been at 7.0 for days. Is that safe to swim in?

I didn't use the sock method... I did what the instructions on the bag said, which was to pour it directly into the skimmer basket. I was vaguely aware of the sock method, but was lazy. And I'd have to scrounge up a sock ;)

A DH filter is the sort of filter a knucklehead uses when he mistypes "DE" ;)
 
Great on the filter, no issues.

Adding the CYA that way means it will take a week or more to show up in the water. As long as you do not backwash during that time, as it is then lost.

pH will not stay that low for long with a high TA. Swimming will create lots of aeration. Might have some eye irritation, but not likely.
 
Awesome! Thanks! Things make more sense now.

One other thing... Using CaCl2 to raise the CH, it sounds like ice melt is the less expensive alternative to pool chemical CaCl2. That's hard to come by this time of year, but I've found one that is 94% CaCl2 (Snow Joe PRO MELT Calcium Chloride) Would that work?

Thanks again!
 

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