Please guide me

[Lemonhead]

13,000 gallon round , sand filter , above ground vinyl liner .
Fc 4
Cc 0
Ph 8.2
Alkiliinity 90
Cya 40
Calcium/hardness 150
Phosphate 550

I put in half a box of borax mule and 4 hours later this was the test results . I’m still learning here but I love this site . Seems the ph is high and the alkalinity is low. Which order should I correct these in ? And advice on the phosphate too please . Thanks guys

 

[Texas Splash]

The pH is high, but the TA is fine. How did you test your water? Your sig shows TF-100 but you included a phosphate result.

Also, how does the water look?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

First I need to ask you WHY you wer putting Borax in your pool- what were you trying to raise, the TA or the pH?

Did you get these results from your own TF-100 or the Pool Store?

How do you chlorinate you pool? Liquid, granular or pucks? Chemical name and brand if you know it please.

Do you have Muriatic Acid? That's what you're going to use to lower your pH. It may also lower your TA a bit. Not a bad thing, but 90 can be ok.
PoolMath tells me that 16 ounces of 31% Muriatic Acid should take you down to 7.6 pH. If it doesn't (and give it a good hour with the pump on) it means you may be far above 8.2 but the tester tops out at that. Just repeat the 16 ounces.

Don't worry about the TA dropping, MA does that. A high TA will pull pH up, while a lower TA (say 60) might help slow a pH rise up so fast.

For Future Reference:


Maddie

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Dang Pat... I was typing away knowing i'd get a first response in for this poster and you beat me to the punch. I need to type faster and with fewer mistakes.

 

[Lemonhead]

Had a tf-100 last year. I was late opening the pool this year . I need to order a new kit . The water looked fine. It’s been a week since removing cover . I just thought the ph was low so I dumped in the borax mule . I still had the left over chlorine and ph test drops from the blue case the old test kit came with. Can the phosphate reading be high from the borax ? Is it concerning? I got it tested from a pool store that puts the water into a cartridge and does a fancy test

 

[Lemonhead]

First I need to ask you WHY you wer putting Borax in your pool- what were you trying to raise, the TA or the pH?

Did you get these results from your own TF-100 or the Pool Store?

How do you chlorinate you pool? Liquid, granular or pucks? Chemical name and brand if you know it please.

Do you have Muriatic Acid? That's what you're going to use to lower your pH. It may also lower your TA a bit. Not a bad thing, but 90 can be ok.
PoolMath tells me that 16 ounces of 31% Muriatic Acid should take you down to 7.6 pH. If it doesn't (and give it a good hour with the pump on) it means you may be far above 8.2 but the tester tops out at that. Just repeat the 16 ounces.

Don't worry about the TA dropping, MA does that. A high TA will pull pH up, while a lower TA (say 60) might help slow a pH rise up so fast.

For Future Reference:
View attachment 349726

Maddie

I thought it would raise both . I thought ta and ph were low

 

[Texas Splash]

If you still have the pH viewing (red drops) tester, I would just use that and some muriatic acid to lower the pH down to about 7.5. Also keep the FC elevated around the 5 ppm range until you can get some refills for your TF-100. I wouldn't do anything else at the moment. You can ignore phosphates.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

So you added the Borax before you knew what your pH and TA were?

How do you chlorinate?

 

[Lemonhead]

If you still have the pH viewing (red drops) tester, I would just use that and some muriatic acid to lower the pH down to about 7.5. Also keep the FC elevated around the 5 ppm range until you can get some refills for your TF-100. I wouldn't do anything else at the moment. You can ignore phosphates.

I’ll order test ASAP. I miss it actually. Will phosphates go away naturally or are they just not a concern ? Pool guy tried selling me remover but I knew better to come here first

 

[setsailsoon]

LH,

Welcome back from last year! Pat and Maddie have your back with expert advice. You will have your results right on the money very quickly with their advice. One year old TF 100 reagents are probably a lot better than pool store results. Remember we sell absolutely nothing. So advice here is never compromised by desire to sell you something.

Chris

 

[YippeeSkippy]

<----TFPer hearing their phosphates are only 900!

Yeah, ignore phosphates. Waste of money at this time, especially the weak ones Leslies pushes on folks.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Ok, so do you need directions on how to add the Muriatic Acid?

 

[Lemonhead]

Ok, so do you need directions on how to add the Muriatic Acid?

No sir . I got that covered . Just wish I never went to a pool store . Now I’m fixated on phosphates

 

[Lemonhead]

Forgive my silly questions about phosphates. I just needed to go back to pool school !!!!!

 

[Texas Splash]

Forgive my silly questions about phosphates.

That question gets asked here a lot. Usually because the pool store leads us to believe that's the cause of all our water problems.

 

[setsailsoon]

Phosphates illustrate the point I make often that it's important to get advice from people that are not conflicted by trying to sell you something. TFP sells nothing.

TFP Method ====> Don't worry about phosphates====> no extra cost=====> Great looking pool!

Pool Store Method =====> phosphate paranoia=====>$59/bottle=====> pool has filter problems