Low pH, high TA

[samrunyan5]

I had an above ground 18 foot 52 inch pool installed Thursday. Total gallons of water held is 8000. The pool was filled Friday evening. Saturday morning I added 1.5 pounds of dry stabilizer. I added a lesser amount than recommended (1 pound per 4000 gallons) to get me within ideal conditions because the only chlorine tabs available in my area right now are trichlor so I was fearful of my CYA rising too high in the future. Saturday evening I added 4 ounces of 73% cal-hypo. My filter has been running for just about 24 hours at this point.

FC 3.0
PH 7.2
CYA 20
TA something insanely off the charts. Test strips say 180. Water solution kit from pool store couldn't get a reading. Followed the instructions to test, added 30 drops of the TA test solution and the water never cleared or turned yellow so I got nervous. Also, I know test strips aren't recommended.

I'm waiting for the Taylor test kit yall recommend but it won't be delivered until end of next week.

Okay, now that I think I have all of the preliminary information out of the way. The city I live in has high amounts of calcium in our city water. Could this be the reason for the high TA? I bought muriatic acid yesterday but haven't added it in the pool yet. Can I just mix a whole gallon with water for dilution and start the process since the TA seems off the charts? This is my first time owning a pool so I don't want to screw anything up.

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! Let's not try to do anything until your test kit arrives. Be sure to add it and your pool info to your signature. See mine as an example. For the pH, try to create aeration. That agitation will naturally increase the pH.

TA is notoriously high in your area. It will take some time to lower, this is what you do:
Aerate the water until the pH hits 8.0 then use enough muriatic acid to lower the pH to 7.0. Begin the aeration again and repeat. That large swing in pH drop followed by aeration will pull the TA down a little each time.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

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[samrunyan5]

Welcome to TFP! Let's not try to do anything until your test kit arrives. Be sure to add it and your pool info to your signature. See mine as an example. For the pH, try to create aeration. That agitation will naturally increase the pH.

TA is notoriously high in your area. It will take some time to lower, this is what you do:
Aerate the water until the pH hits 8.0 then use enough muriatic acid to lower the pH to 7.0. Begin the aeration again and repeat. That large swing in pH drop followed by aeration will pull the TA down a little each time.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

Thank you for this information! I will hold off on the muriatic acid until the Taylor kit comes but start aerating today. Sorry if this is a silly question, is it safe to swim in the pool with the current TA level?

 

[kimkats]

It is safe to swim in as it stands. The pH is what keeps your eyes and skin comfortable so you are good to go there.

Make sure to keep the FC on the upper end for your CYA as seen here: FC/CYA Levels Use liquid chlorine to get and keep your FC up.

 

[samrunyan5]

It is safe to swim in as it stands. The pH is what keeps your eyes and skin comfortable so you are good to go there.

Make sure to keep the FC on the upper end for your CYA as seen here: FC/CYA Levels Use liquid chlorine to get and keep your FC up.

Thank you! I'll keep an eye on the chart. Liquid chlorine is really hard to find in my area right now. Local pool store, Menards, and Home Depot only have tabs or granular cal-hypo stocked at the moment. Once I can find liquid chlorine, I'll be sure to grab some.

 

[kimkats]

I am very lucky in that the Ace Hardware up the road has a huge amount of it on a continuous bases. I hope ou can find a good source for chlorine soon so your CYA does not get too high.