Just starting up my pool. My reading for the TA appears to be low at 40. The PH level is high - around 8.2 (which seems to be normal for my water). FC at zero. CYA at 30. Should I raise the TA before adjusting the PH & slamming?
Low TA, high PH
- Thread starter PeterDM
- Start date
How green is that pool?
If it looks like you'll be vacuuming to waste or backwashing a whole lot, I'd ignore TA for now. Everything is going to be different after you replace a bunch of water. Why treat it to dump it in a day or two? pH does need adjustment, because chlorine works better at lower pH.
If the water is just hazy, or just some green slime on the walls, then kick TA up to 50 or 60, give it time to mix, then recheck pH and adjust it before reaching for the bleach. You don't have to be exact, just round up or down to some convenient quantity of baking soda and be done with it.
Once the SLAM Process is complete, you'll be fine-tuning and rebalancing everything and can fix anything then.
If it looks like you'll be vacuuming to waste or backwashing a whole lot, I'd ignore TA for now. Everything is going to be different after you replace a bunch of water. Why treat it to dump it in a day or two? pH does need adjustment, because chlorine works better at lower pH.
If the water is just hazy, or just some green slime on the walls, then kick TA up to 50 or 60, give it time to mix, then recheck pH and adjust it before reaching for the bleach. You don't have to be exact, just round up or down to some convenient quantity of baking soda and be done with it.
Once the SLAM Process is complete, you'll be fine-tuning and rebalancing everything and can fix anything then.
Just redid the TA & got 60. The pool is very green. Late opening means the water has had plenty of opportunity to green up! I've got a drip leak from my sand filter at the minute, but water level is 2 or 3 inches higher than it should be, so I've got some water to play with.
So, I should adjust Ph & then start SLAM?
So, I should adjust Ph & then start SLAM?
Thanks Richard ! BTW: what I appear to have on hand for lowering PH is a powdered product from Aquarius called pH- Is this muriatic acid? I also have what seems like an ancient plastic bottle marked "Muriatic Acid".
The difficulty of TFP compliance is the long interval between the last season & the new one! I have a tendency to forget WTH I was doing last year!
The difficulty of TFP compliance is the long interval between the last season & the new one! I have a tendency to forget WTH I was doing last year!
pH- is dry acid. Poolmath can give you the dosage for that, if you want to use it up. Don't buy any more, but don't hesitate to use it, either. Muriatic Acid doesn't go bad with age, but the plastic jugs that hold it do. I'd want to get rid of that first, but be very, very careful because the jugs can get really brittle and disintegrate, and acid is nothing to fool around with. If the jug is on the verge of crumbling, there's no better way to get rid of it that by using it in the pool.
