New numbers and want some guidance if need be...

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Well started last night... Got pH down to 7.0 with the acid pool math said to add. Aerated for a total of about 2 hours last night and it raised a couple points and TA down to 170....after 5 hours total aerating i checked pH again... Just about 7.6... Added some water today to the pool and TA is back up to almost 200!! So frustrating.
Had to work late so didn't get to so much.

I plan on using the remainder of the MA tomorrow and aerating again. Also gonna pick up some stronger MA if I'm off in time. Guess the only thing that will speed it up is more aeration?

And in order to aerate... The pump has to be on....wonder how $$ that will cost with the pump running all if I get that much time at once.


Both returns are being utilized with PVC aerators already, so not sure what else I can do.

At least I feel like I'm starting to understand how the MA and aeration work to adjust my numbers, lol
 
Yeah, that fill water will get you. It happened to me this year as well. Not as extreme ad yours, but had me wondering how on earth did my numbers go up so quickly? .... until I remembered ...duh! The water hose knucklehead. So I've been doing the acid aerating thing as well. :)
 
Home Depot must sell different strength MA by region. We have 2 gallon pack 31.45 for 10.99.

I am curious about the method my PB suggested to lower TA. His method:

Turn off the pump.
Pour a gallon of MA into the pool. Might have been more than a gallon.
Wait 10 minutes and then turn the pump back on.

I have not tried it. He suggested this after I explained the process I used from TFP. Curious on what you guys think would happen with this approach.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Pouring a gallon of MA with no circulation seems awful dangerous to me ... for the pool that is. Still, it doesn't resolve 806pool's root problem about keep pH where it needs to be while he lowers TA. Adding all that acid would surely lower pH as well. Sounds a lot like my installer who, after my pool was finished, simply used a test strip then walked around the pool and dumped an relatively large, and generic quantity of stuff fi my water. :brickwall:
 
jagger2005 said:
Home Depot must sell different strength MA by region. We have 2 gallon pack 31.45 for 10.99.

I am curious about the method my PB suggested to lower TA. His method:

Turn off the pump.
Pour a gallon of MA into the pool. Might have been more than a gallon.
Wait 10 minutes and then turn the pump back on.

I have not tried it. He suggested this after I explained the process I used from TFP. Curious on what you guys think would happen with this approach.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
That is The Slug Method. Also called Acid Column. Acid column myth
 
FYI lowes has the Crown brand MA full strength at $7.68 per gallon. Few cents more than leslies, but it keeps you away from the pool store, lol

Quick question... So aeration raises pH... When it rains...that is aeration. So those of you that actually get rain, lol, what are you doing to keep the pH in balance/getting too high if your TA is good?
Just curious.
 
806pool said:
Quick question... So aeration raises pH... When it rains...that is aeration. So those of you that actually get rain, lol, what are you doing to keep the pH in balance/getting too high if your TA is good?
Just curious.
Click to expand...

We add muratic acid to bring it down. Eventually this will lower the TA to the point I have to actually add baking soda to bring it back up ... it's just become a way of life at this point. I have a SWG so I end up playing the Ph/TA balancing game all the time. 80 TA is the sweet spot for my pool assuming no SWG. Because of the SWG I generally get about a 3 point Ph climb weekly. I adjust to 7.5 on Sat and by next Sat it is up to 7.8. Rinse and repeat. I generally only have to mess with TA monthly. I throw enough Arm and Hammer in to bring it up to around 100-110 then continue with the weekly Ph adjustments. No one ever said owning a pool wasn't going to require some work.
 
Good info. Thank you! So how much baking soda does one usually keep on hand? So bleach, MA, and baking soda should just be stocked. Anything else? And the baking soda just the regular arm and hammer that I've seen at the grocery store for ever. Nothing special? I remember reading about it now...

Lowes DOES have the 31.45 MA for $7.68, BUT it isn't out in the garden section with all the other pool stuff and where the other KemTek MA is. It's actually in the paint/cleaning isle. I picked up 6 gallons.

Are there any storage issues for MA like there is for bleach? Does it lose its potency after time, or if it gets hot, or anything else I should know? Kinda worried now that I bought too much. Not really sure how much I'll have to have on hand for adjustments throughout the month.

Been aerating all day. TA is down 30. PH is back up to 7.6 so I used pool math and added the recommended 131oz of 14.5% MA. It's my last gallon of 14.5% so next will be the full strength. Hopefully this starts going quicker. Pump running non stop is gonna be $$$ I'd imagine. I'm not home to add the MA during the day either. I think I'm gonna let it run all night and add more MA in the morning if TA is back up a little.

EDIT: forgot to adjust the gallons this time in pool math so I actually added 197oz of MA.

We have an auto cover that is usually on all the time when we aren't in the pool. Had the cover off all day today and it was about 95*+ and I could see that a ton of water evaporated!! Guess that cover keeps a lot of water from escaping!
 
I always keep a couple gallons of bleach on-hand. Actually, I try to buy my week's worth at one time. As for MA, I keep a gallon or two out back in a Rubbermaid container away from everything else - especially anything metal. It's hot outside, but in the shade and doesn't effect MA's performance. Since it's outside, I make sure to open it carefully in case there is any pressure built-up from the heat. All my other misc stuff (baking soda, etc) I just keep in the laundry room.
 

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806pool said:
Good info. Thank you! So how much baking soda does one usually keep on hand? So bleach, MA, and baking soda should just be stocked. Anything else? And the baking soda just the regular arm and hammer that I've seen at the grocery store for ever. Nothing special? I remember reading about it now...

Lowes DOES have the 31.45 MA for $7.68, BUT it isn't out in the garden section with all the other pool stuff and where the other KemTek MA is. It's actually in the paint/cleaning isle. I picked up 6 gallons.

Are there any storage issues for MA like there is for bleach? Does it lose its potency after time, or if it gets hot, or anything else I should know? Kinda worried now that I bought too much. Not really sure how much I'll have to have on hand for adjustments throughout the month.

Been aerating all day. TA is down 30. PH is back up to 7.6 so I used pool math and added the recommended 131oz of 14.5% MA. It's my last gallon of 14.5% so next will be the full strength. Hopefully this starts going quicker. Pump running non stop is gonna be $$$ I'd imagine. I'm not home to add the MA during the day either. I think I'm gonna let it run all night and add more MA in the morning if TA is back up a little.

EDIT: forgot to adjust the gallons this time in pool math so I actually added 197oz of MA.

We have an auto cover that is usually on all the time when we aren't in the pool. Had the cover off all day today and it was about 95*+ and I could see that a ton of water evaporated!! Guess that cover keeps a lot of water from escaping!
Click to expand...
The acid will outlast the plastic jugs it's in. They do get brittle with age and UV exposure, but you'll likely use it long before that's an issue.

What you do need to worry about is the fumes. The caps are vented and anything metal within 20 feet will grow a fine layer of rust amazingly fast.
 
Making progress little bits at a time. TA is down to 100 as of tonight...pH was at about 7.6, so more MA went in and aerating all night. Now the acid is only dropping TA very slowly (15 or so at a time), and pH is taking longer to rise...just like you said! Once it's down to the 60-70 as you recommended, I'll keep a close eye on it from now on.

Also did a backwash on my filter today. On and off about 4 times, over a short period then added approx 75-80% DE back into it. Pressure is MUCH stronger now from the aerators = more bubbles! splashing! etc.

I tested my CYA and it's down to 25 or so. Not sure what caused that to drop. I've been reading about stabilizer? Put some in a sock in the skimmer basket? Is there a certain type/brand of stabilizer I should look for? Is this a pool store item? Anything else I should know about CYA ?

If it's ok, I want to finish off the TA lowering then move to the CYA, unless I need to address it right away.

All these little things outta whack. Frustrating. Part of pool ownership I guess.

As far as the numbers go...I've read several times people saying "my pool likes X". How do I come to the point where I know what numbers my pool likes for any given test? So I have a solid baseline. Would this baseline /numbers change from one season to the next or from summer to winter, etc?

Thanks for all the help.
 
CYA and stabilizer are the same thing. You can get it most any place that sells pool stuff. Just make sure it says 100% or very close to it. Don't want no hidden stuff there. :)

CYA gets lost during backwashing and other things that remove water from your pool. Not evaporation of course, that only removes water. But anything else that removes water will lower it. I would add some CYA back in since it helps you keep chlorine in your pool. Would hate the green menace to get a hold while you are working so hard to get things straight.

I know it seems like a lot right now; but I can say for sure, that once you get it balanced, it really is easy to take care of. Mostly just check levels once a day or so and add in what it's asking for. Usually only some bleach each day. Maybe once in a while add what is needed for pH correction.
 
Yeah, several of us have experienced unexplained CYA drops this season with no water replacement - odd. But definitely increase as needed with all the sun you get. You don't have to wait on anything else, so you can continue with your TV/pH adjustment at the same time. Hang in there. At some point all of those numbers should settle down so you can focus on the most important part - swimming. :swim:
 
I noticed in pool math it lists liquid stabilizer or by weight... Is the solid recommended over the liquid or vice versa for one reason or another. Would like to know which one to get before I go to the pool store. Thanks!!
 
It really comes down to budget and time. The liquid is faster but costs more. By faster I mean, it shows up on the tests quicker. They are both equally effective. Also, you don't have to go to the pool $tore for powered CYA. You can buy it most places that carry pool stuff.
 
So i just did all the tests and my CYA is minimal....i can fill the cylinder all the way up and still see the black dot. That cant be good. How does this drop so quick. Seems like in the last few weeks its gone down quick! FC is at 7.

So i was reading that CYArakes up to a week to show up. Is that just on the test? So what will happen to the pool if the CYA is near zero (according to the test) for a week until it distributes?

Guess i gotta grab some CYA today...
 
HD or Lowe's has stablizer...HTH brand IIRC. It is a solid (granular) so it takes its time dissolving into your pool. Fill up a sock or whatever and drop it into the skimmer basket or hang it in front of a return. If you read on the ingredients, you should see cyanuric acid as the most plentiful ingredient. That's what ya want! Your CYA will be fine...just be patient.
 
Ph is just about to 7.6 and TA down to 60ish. From earlier recomendations it sounds like that is where i should try to keep it. Down side is its time to add water again so TA will go up a bit. I figure i can just work on it gradually now when the pump is on during its normal cycle instead of 24/7 like it has been the last few days. Correct me if im wrong, but now i can just aerate and add MA as needed during normal 4 hour cycles when tesrs show the need too, as long as i stay on top of it.

Just picked up the 100% CYA granules from home depot. $5lbs $20. Did pool math and saus 80oz to bring up to CYA up to 40....i figure thats a good starting point as its in the middle of the recommended 30-50. If someone thinks different let me know.
So ill put it in an old sock in the skimmer basket i guess. Just in the bottom? No need to tie it up or anything? Can it just stay in there even when the pumps not on? Can i just let it dissolve during the normal pump cycle (4hkurs a night). Any need to leave it on continuously?

Thank you all so much for all the help with getting the TA taken care of. This place is great!
 
To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, simply place the required amount as calculated by the Poolmath calculator into a white sock and suspend it near a return jet. You can squeeze the sock occasionally to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, it may take about a week for the CYA readings to fully adjust.
 

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