TA is 110 and I started getting calcium snowflakes because my CH is 675. Dumped a couple qts of acid in yesterday and last night aerated. I made an aerator and might make one more to speed up the process and maybe use to cool the pool down certain days. So I've got a ways to go on the TA. I'll check and see what the pH is later today and see what the TA reduced too. I did bump my pool pump speed up a bit to get a little more aeration....but I knocked it back down this morning when I got up.
Operation TA Commenced
- Thread starter jp4LSU
- Start date
Right on. The aeration will help move things along. What ph are you targeting when you add acid? When dropping from 8 to 7.2, you'll decrease TA by about ~10ppm each time. A little less as your alkalinity gets lower.
Sunnydaze, I targeted 7.2 when adding acid mid-day. I made the aerator and installed it last night and checked pH and it was 7.2. I'll check this afternoon and see where I'm at. I bought 4 gallons of acid, I think I'll need some more. I added almost 2.5 qts yesterday to get to 7.2.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,351
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Aeration also increases evaporation ----- which will raise your CH due to your fill water.
mknauss, am I fighting a loosing battle? 
I do run my aeration at night to get the cooling benefit as well, while I'm trying to get the TA down. I'm trying to come up with a plan to get the pool fill hooked up to the softened water. Might have to wait for cooler weather before I do that.
So I just checked my pH and TA after the 1st round.
Like Sunnydaze said, TA is reduced by 10. I'm at 100 now and pH is back up to 7.7 or so.
So round 2 has commenced....I added MA to get the pH back down to 7.2 and I'll start aerating this evening when the sun goes down.
I do run my aeration at night to get the cooling benefit as well, while I'm trying to get the TA down. I'm trying to come up with a plan to get the pool fill hooked up to the softened water. Might have to wait for cooler weather before I do that.
So I just checked my pH and TA after the 1st round.
Like Sunnydaze said, TA is reduced by 10. I'm at 100 now and pH is back up to 7.7 or so.
So round 2 has commenced....I added MA to get the pH back down to 7.2 and I'll start aerating this evening when the sun goes down.
Another strategy to reduce TA is let your pH rise to 8.0 on its own, reduce pH to as low a number as you are comfortable with on your LSI/CSI (for me, pH of 7.2 is way too low, not great for surface or heater — but with your CH, you can go lower than me). Let pH rise naturally again. Rinse & repeat. At first you may be adding acid every few days but as your TA comes down, pH rise should slow.
Chasing TA or pH is a fool’s errand. Just test the water & keep the chemistry balanced. Don’t look to control pH as much as just contain it in the balanced range. TA can almost look after itself. Trouble free lol.
What is TA of fill water?
Chasing TA or pH is a fool’s errand. Just test the water & keep the chemistry balanced. Don’t look to control pH as much as just contain it in the balanced range. TA can almost look after itself. Trouble free lol.
What is TA of fill water?
TFP teaches that controlling pH and TA is an essential part of pool water management. Keeping pH in the 7's is the right spot to be. We are learning that a TA around 60 or so seems to be more effective than the 80-120 often suggested elsewhere.
As asked above, we should know the pH and TA of your fill water for the best advice.
As asked above, we should know the pH and TA of your fill water for the best advice.
To put a finer point on it, my interpretation of what you call TFP controlling pH is containing it within a range (7’s and intervene at 8.0). I’m pretty sure that’s what I’ve been reading here for a while.
Unless I wasn’t clear (which is entirely possible), what I suggested was a potentially narrower range of pH to keep LSI/CSI balanced. I take your reply as having some problem with that, unless I’m misinterpreting (also entirely possible). Unless your experience differs greatly from most, managing pH as suggested (either in the 7’s as you state or a little narrower to keep LSI/CSI balanced) TA will tend towards the 50 - 70 range on its own as water approaches CO2 equilibrium). This can be upset by the TA in the fill water which is why I asked about it. Forcing TA down is generally unnecessary (but a valid choice for folks who feel a need to do that or if it’s necessitated by the fill water, which again is why I asked about it). Was there something wrong with that which drew your response?
SoDel, good question on fill water TA. I need to check that. I would think that with the really high CH in the faucet, it would be really high as well. I'll check it. I'm glad you mentioned that.
SoDel and duraleigh, I checked my unsoftened pool fill (well water) and the TA is 370!!!
With the CH (375) and TA (370), no wonder I'm seeing scale flakes in the pool.
I'll get the pool fill connected to the softened water this fall, and the TA is down to 70 as of yesterday. My target is 50 and just maintain the pH in the meantime.
With the CH (375) and TA (370), no wonder I'm seeing scale flakes in the pool.
I'll get the pool fill connected to the softened water this fall, and the TA is down to 70 as of yesterday. My target is 50 and just maintain the pH in the meantime.