Muratic Acid still high after 23 months

[pudisgreat]

Your pool looks great, even with all those leaves. I’m thinking a chainsaw may be a useful Xmas gift.

What pH do you targeting?

I don’t think pump speed will affect pH change in any great way.

I love my trees! It is worth it to me to keep them, may change in the future. The worst part is getting them off the floor of the pool in the deep end. But I do it. Wish I had a pool robot that was better since it doesn't like the really big leaves. 7.6, now raising it based on others feedback. I'm not planning to add MA till it hits 8 and push it back to 7.6 instead of 7.4. We'll see if that helps.

 

[ajw22]

I'll get the FC up. In the summer it was higher, but now with the SWG off seems to stay at about 4. I added a gallon of bleach with more 3" tabs and it is 5.0 today. I'll get some more bleach. The tabs don't seem to adjust super quick but I have 3 in the pool working now.
I added a bunch of baking soda before I saw your post. TA is now at 90. Calculated CSI is -0.100. I'll try to keep it closer to zero in the future. I knew not to let it go below -0.600 but I had been letting it run on the low side.
I'm hooking up my well pump irrigation again today, I drained that because of the harsh freeze. I will let you know the TA and CH of fill water later today. I don't often fill it, the rain does that most of the time for me.

Please, please, stop chasing after perfect numbers.

You are causing yourself unecessary work and your water chemistry is worse in the chase.

Any CSI between -0.6 and +0.6 is ok. Don't chase your CSI all around.

You have a SWG , and you are also putting Trichlor tablets in the water, and adding liquid chlorine???? Why? Use one method of chlorination at a time. SWG except in the winter when the SWG shuts down and then use liquid chlorine and that is it.

Just focus on two things and get them stable in your pool - pH and FC. Anywhere in the TFP ranges is OK...

What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[pudisgreat]

View attachment 466840
Stop adding Trichlor tabs. You have enough CYA. Use only liquid chlorine for now. Follow the FC/CYA for liquid chlorine until it's warm enough to use your SWG (add model to signature when able). Chlorine / CYA Chart

Stop adding baking soda. You are chasing your tail with baking soda and muriatic acid additions. A TA down to 50 is fine.

We still don't know the TA and CH of your fill water.


What model? Add it to your signature.

Fill water TA 30, CH 30, ph yellow with Taylor kit. Bluelab Combo Meter says pH is 6.2/6.3. The combo meter is supposed to have a .1 variance. I only recently purchased the Bluelab for my hydroponics so only had for a month. I don't use it for the pool normally but thought I'd give it a try since my Taylor color meter doesn't go below 7.0 on pH.

I'll remove the tabs that are in the skimmers if that is a good idea?

 

[ajw22]

Fill water TA 30, CH 30, ph yellow with Taylor kit. Bluelab Combo Meter says pH is 6.2/6.3. The combo meter is supposed to have a .1 variance. I only recently purchased the Bluelab for my hydroponics so only had for a month. I don't use it for the pool normally but thought I'd give it a try since my Taylor color meter doesn't go below 7.0 on pH.

pH yellow in the test is all we care about. The number does not matter. Yellow means low, acidic, and the pH needs to raised into the 7's. pH anywhere in the 7's is ok.

Do not manage your pool with the precision you need to manage your hydroponics. Pools are not as sensitive as crops.

I'll remove the tabs that are in the skimmers if that is a good idea?

Very good idea as the Trichlor is also adding acid that does not help you when you have low TA and acidic fill water.

 

[pudisgreat]

Please, please, stop chasing after perfect numbers.

You are causing yourself unecessary work and your water chemistry is worse in the chase.

Any CSI between -0.6 and +0.6 is ok. Don't chase your CSI all around.

You have a SWG , and you are also putting Trichlor tablets in the water, and adding liquid chlorine???? Why? Use one method of chlorination at a time. SWG except in the winter when the SWG shuts down and then use liquid chlorine and that is it.

Just focus on two things and get them stable in your pool - pH and FC. Anywhere in the TFP ranges is OK...

What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.

www.troublefreepool.com

I use SWG when it works. When it shuts off due to temperature, I've used an alternate method. I only needed to use 4 tabs of Trichlor so far this season and I did that because I had it left over from the pool company who installed the pool in 2021. I only added bleach this week because I was told to get my FC level up and Trichlor is maintaining but not raising my level. I haven't had issues with algae or anything else...just thought I was going through too much MA based on what others state.
I don't normally chase CSI, I just had someone say that I could be disolving my plaster if I let if fall to low. It's never gone below -.6 that I am aware of so I think I'm good. But my Ch is on the high side. It has been that way since the pool was built. Started around 400 and has slowly risen to 600. Now seems to be at 575. The pool company told me not to worry unless it goes over 1000, so I don't check that but once a month or so.
My numbers have been relatively stable I just have been trying to stick to a pH of 7.6 and keeping my TA over 40. From what others say it sounds like I shouldn't worry about pH until I hit 8.0. I'll try that.

 

[pudisgreat]

pH yellow in the test is all we care about. The number does not matter. Yellow means low, acidic, and the pH needs to raised into the 7's. pH anywhere in the 7's is ok.

Do not manage your pool with the precision you need to manage your hydroponics. Pools are not as sensitive as crops.



Very good idea as the Trichlor is also adding acid that does not help you when you have low TA and acidic fill water

I haven't had a need to add water since July. The rain really does that for me in this part of the humid south.

Since my pool water pH wants to go up and my fill water is 6.2, isn't it a good idea to use my fill water? If Trichlor lowers my pH isn't it worth using up my stock? I'd think it would help lower my pH. I never have an issue with low pH pool water and I've never had to add more than an 1/2 an inch at a time. Water level stays very consistent for me here in NC.

 

[ajw22]

I use SWG when it works. When it shuts off due to temperature, I've used an alternate method.

I am trying to get you to understand the effects of what you are doing so you don;t get whipsawed by every well intentioned comment that is not always applicable to your situation.

I only needed to use 4 tabs of Trichlor so far this season and I did that because I had it left over from the pool company who installed the pool in 2021.

With low TA and pH water you should have realized the acid in the Trichlor is not what you need and just trashed the tablets.

I only added bleach this week because I was told to get my FC level up and Trichlor is maintaining but not raising my level. I haven't had issues with algae or anything else...just thought I was going through too much MA based on what others state.

Others do not have your identical pool in your micro-climate.

Your low TA low pH fill water is unlike most peoples. You need to figure out the chemicals that get your pH within the 7's with a low TA. Other people need to manage their pool differently. Focus on proper testing and knowing the effects of every chemical you put in your pool.

I don't normally chase CSI, I just had someone say that I could be disolving my plaster if I let if fall to low. It's never gone below -.6 that I am aware of so I think I'm good. But my Ch is on the high side. It has been that way since the pool was built. Started around 400 and has slowly risen to 600. Now seems to be at 575. The pool company told me not to worry unless it goes over 1000, so I don't check that but once a month or so.
My numbers have been relatively stable I just have been trying to stick to a pH of 7.6 and keeping my TA over 40.

Think about draining your pool by 1/3 to get your CH down and then seeing if your CH stays stable. Your CH could have climbed from the plaster dust and curing of the plaster. If your CH is now stable around 575-600 then it would be better if you did a one time water exchange to get your CH down around 400.

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

From what others say it sounds like I shouldn't worry about pH until I hit 8.0. I'll try that.

That is a good start.

 

[ajw22]

Since my pool water pH wants to go up and my fill water is 6.2, isn't it a good idea to use my fill water? If Trichlor lowers my pH isn't it worth using up my stock? I'd think it would help lower my pH. I never have an issue with low pH pool water and I've never had to add more than an 1/2 an inch at a time. Water level stays very consistent for me here in NC.

Do you add baking soda or other chemicals to raise your TA that also raises your pH?

 

[pudisgreat]

Do you add baking soda or other chemicals to raise your TA that also raises your pH?

Normally the only things I add are MA and Baking Soda. The Triclor in the winter, this is only my second winter with the pool and I added four 3" tabs and one gallon of bleach. My SWG stopped working in mid November. I typically add MA each week trying to maintain 7.6. But I normally put it in and hit 7.4 (rarely 7.2), then let it rise and hit with more MA. I don't measure the amounts I add, when it is 7.9 I do roughly 1/2 gallon, when it is 7.7/7.8 I'll do closer to 1/3 or 1/4 gallon. When I check more than twice a week, I tend to add 1/4 gallon and do so more frequently. Seem to do about a gallon a week. Less in the winter which I assumed was due to the use of the Trichlor. Baking soda once a month or every 6 weeks or so when it hits 40-50. Then I add a large amount of Baking Soda to get it up to 70-80. I dissolve the Baking soda in a bucket of water about a pound at a time and toss it in. This week I hit 80-90 on TA, I added a bit more than normal because my 15 lb. bag was near empty and wanted to toss it. So, I'm higher than normal on TA, but not by a lot.

Is the Ch of 575 bad enough to need to drain 1/3 and refill? I can do it but we are on a well so draining means adding salt to my yard which is never great for the trees. I can do it slowly over time but 7500 gallons is a lot of salt water for my yard at one time and does require a lot of effort by my well to refill.

 

[ajw22]

Stop adding baking soda and stop lowering your pH to 7.4-7.6. You are yo-yoing your TA and pH and creating the excess acid demand.

Only add acid when your pH is over 8 and then lower it to 7.8. Maybe you will hit 7.6 if you overshoot. Take whatever TA you get even at 40-50. See what your pH/TA equilibrium you pool reaches.

PH TA Relationship - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Maybe add just a bit of baking soda when you add your low TA and pH fill water. But just enough to raise your TA by 10-20 ppm.

It is not a question of CH 575 being "bad enough". Your pool water chemistry looks like it will be happiest with low TA high pH. However the higher your CH is the lower you need to keep the pH in the summer. And the lower pH further lowers your TA which send you on the yo-yo of chemical adjustments.

Getting your CH to 400 will make keeping your pH, TA and CSI in range a lot easier.

 

[Mdragger88]

@pudisgreat
Here’s what each 8oz tab does to your water once dissolved- your cya is high enough for winter, time to switch to liquid chlorine when the temps are too low for swg production