Low TA, high pH

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Bperry said:
There’s no way to tell margin of error. Depends on who does the test, whether they cleaned the machine after the last use, had it calibrated on schedule, etc.

The Taylor kits don’t use color comparisons except for pH. Any pH that starts with 7 is just fine.
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I
Mdragger88 said:
First- let the spa rest & when the water is still & has been still a little bit retest ph & ta.
If ta is still below 50 add 10ppm worth of baking soda- be careful to not add too much.
Afterwards only lower ph to the high 7’s so you don’t risk lowering ta too far.
Some spas do fine with ta of 40 & some experience ph bounce when it is that low.

As mentioned- order new reagents & be sure they are the correct ones for your comparator.
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I suspect that the issue was my process for lowering TA. I probably added too much acid each dose and did it too fast. I'm going to review the process again per tfp and go from there. Thanks
 
HappyBubbles said:
I

I suspect that the issue was my process for lowering TA. I probably added too much acid each dose and did it too fast. I'm going to review the process again per tfp and go from there. Thanks
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Big ph drops when you’re trying to lower ta- (like at the beginning)
Then move to little ph drops when you’re only trying to lower ph.
Its easy to overdose a small tub so err on the side of caution when measuring
 
Mdragger88 said:
Big ph drops when you’re trying to lower ta- (like at the beginning)
Then move to little ph drops when you’re only trying to lower ph.
Its easy to overdose a small tub so err on the side of caution when measuring
Click to expand...
With 230 TA and pH at 8.2 pool math gave me doses of 77ml. Is that too much? I don't know remember what amount I did before but I am just adding acid 50ml at a time and run one of the pumps for 30 minutes. Im trying it lower and slower this time.
 
HappyBubbles said:
With 230 TA and pH at 8.2 pool math gave me doses of 77ml. Is that too much? I don't know remember what amount I did before but I am just adding acid 50ml at a time and run one of the pumps for 30 minutes. Im trying it lower and slower this time.
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I’m having trouble following what’s going on. The TA is now 230? What happened?
 
There was really no reason to dump the water - a bit of baking soda would have remedied the issue.
Now you’re starting all over with a high ta so you need the big ph drops (8.0-7.2)
When you get closer to your target TA (around 60) aim for a ph of 7.6 instead.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
There was really no reason to dump the water - a bit of baking soda would have remedied the issue.
Now you’re starting all over with a high ta so you need the big ph drops (8.0-7.2)
When you get closer to your target TA (around 60) aim for a ph of 7.6 instead.
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The reason was to improve my process and get it right until balancing my fill water is easier.
 
HappyBubbles said:
The reason was to improve my process and get it right until balancing my fill water is easier.
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Every time it will get easier- my ta isn’t quite as high as yours but really it doesn’t matter.
Higher ta just makes ph rise faster-
You can actively work on it a little here & there if you want. It doesn’t have to be a ta lowering marathon.
There is no “perfect” ta - just the one that satisfies you & allows you to keep your ph in check most easily .
For most tubs thats around 50/60
but some have a quite stable (predictable) ph rise at around 70/80.
Ph rises in spas because of all the aeration relative to the size of the body of water, that’s just going to happen to some degree regardless of the TA.
Aim for a ph in the 7’s. If ta falls below 50 bring it back up to 50/60 with a little baking soda.
The two most important things in a spa are :
👇
#1 - Chlorine is King 👑 never fall below minimum for your cya
FC/CYA Levels
#2 - ph in the 7’s (high 7’s is fine)


When you’re starting up I assume you’re using some dichlor until you reach around 30ppm cya ?
Keep in mind it is acidic so it will also lower ph & subsequently ta.
Use PoolMath effects of adding to see exactly how much so you don’t overshoot with the acid at the same time.
 
Mdragger88 said:
Every time it will get easier- my ta isn’t quite as high as yours but really it doesn’t matter.
Higher ta just makes ph rise faster-
You can actively work on it a little here & there if you want. It doesn’t have to be a ta lowering marathon.
There is no “perfect” ta - just the one that satisfies you & allows you to keep your ph in check most easily .
For most tubs thats around 50/60
but some have a quite stable (predictable) ph rise at around 70/80.
Ph rises in spas because of all the aeration relative to the size of the body of water, that’s just going to happen to some degree regardless of the TA.
Aim for a ph in the 7’s. If ta falls below 50 bring it back up to 50/60 with a little baking soda.
The two most important things in a spa are :
👇
#1 - Chlorine is King 👑 never fall below minimum for your cya
FC/CYA Levels
#2 - ph in the 7’s (high 7’s is fine)


When you’re starting up I assume you’re using some dichlor until you reach around 30ppm cya ?
Keep in mind it is acidic so it will also lower ph & subsequently ta.
Use PoolMath effects of adding to see exactly how much so you don’t overshoot with the acid at the same time.
Click to expand...
I appreciate your help and advice. I get pretty impatient because I get sticky grey/brown goo ring from my fill water which I understand is the high pH. I add 30ppm CYA manually and liquid chlorine. So far with this new water I've added 500ml of 20be muriatic acid. Not all at once! But it it is a battle to get pH down and it takes a long time. Previous water I was in a hurry. I don't think I've ever been able to get my pH right in 2 years of trying. With my fill water within days it will go bad while I am trying to get things right. It's very frustrating and I have yet to get a process down to where I can fill the tub and balance the water without issues. Every time is hit and miss. Mostly it's a miss.
 

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Brown grey sticky goo sounds like biofilms not a ph problem.
Do you purge with Ahhsome before each drain?
If not you should be.
If so maybe you’re just not flushing it out well before completely refilling?
Are you keeping fc above minimum at all times in the tub? (Even/especially during use?)
Is your fill water visibly dirty? If so you should use a hose end filter.
 
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HappyBubbles said:
I appreciate your help and advice. I get pretty impatient because I get sticky grey/brown goo ring from my fill water which I understand is the high pH. I add 30ppm CYA manually and liquid chlorine. So far with this new water I've added 500ml of 20be muriatic acid. Not all at once! But it it is a battle to get pH down and it takes a long time. Previous water I was in a hurry. I don't think I've ever been able to get my pH right in 2 years of trying. With my fill water within days it will go bad while I am trying to get things right. It's very frustrating and I have yet to get a process down to where I can fill the tub and balance the water without issues. Every time is hit and miss. Mostly it's a miss.
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8.2 pH isn’t very high and should pretty instantly go down if you add acid.
You understand pH is something that never stabilizes?
 
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Mdragger88 said:
Brown grey sticky goo sounds like biofilms not a ph problem.
Do you purge with Ahhsome before each drain?
If not you should be.
If so maybe you’re just not flushing it out well before completely refilling?
Are you keeping fc above minimum at all times in the tub? (Even/especially during use?)
Is your fill water visibly dirty? If so you should use a hose end filter.
Click to expand...
I did use a hose end filter and I have purged with ahhsome 4 times in the past week. The goo has persisted. Right now my ta is 160. I ran all the jets with aeration for 15-20 minutes and let the water rest for another 15 minutes and my pH is 7.6. Should I aerate more and keep trying to lower the TA? Also, running the jets is no longer producing the goo.
 
HappyBubbles said:
Gotcha. Well I've been running all the jets with aeration for 30 to 40 minutes and I just checked pH again and it is holding steady at 7.6-7.7

I haven't added acid so ta is the same as my last measurement.
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As long as my pH stays down I guess it worked out. Thanks guys. Next time I fill and start again what is the first thing I should do:
Add 30ppm CYA
Add chlorine to shock level
Start acid to lower pH

Can I do all of the above at the same time?
 

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