Pool looks great but...High CH

[unkyjoe]

Here are my readings.

Temp 30.6c
Salt 3200 PPM
Chlorine 3 PPM
PH 8+
TA 140 ppm
CH 390ppm
CYA=35

First year running a salt cell that is reporting the salt incorrectley, be that as it may I am experiencing scaling on the pool walls "vinyl" and as you can imagine it is playing heck on my plates.

Is a drain and refill indicated here? Or wait and see what bringing down the PH and aerrating the water does?

Water is crystal clear and can see a penny on the floor of the pool.

 

[unkyjoe]

P.S. CSI is 0.66

 

[dBsooner]

If you have scaling, then replacing the water is the only way to go. Unless you do reverse osmosis.

Calcium Scaling

Calcium scale on your pool is something we all want to avoid. With some elbow grease and a pumice stone for pools we can help you remove this eyesore.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[dBsooner]

P.S. pH is too high.

 

[Bperry]

Here are my readings.

Temp 30.6c
Salt 3200 PPM
Chlorine 3 PPM
PH 8+
TA 140 ppm
CH 390ppm
CYA=35

First year running a salt cell that is reporting the salt incorrectley, be that as it may I am experiencing scaling on the pool walls "vinyl" and as you can imagine it is playing heck on my plates.

Is a drain and refill indicated here? Or wait and see what bringing down the PH and aerrating the water does?

Water is crystal clear and can see a penny on the floor of the pool.

Lowering the pH will fix the CSI and probably the scaling. Your CH isn’t very high, but your pH is.

 

[dBsooner]

Lowering the pH will fix the CSI and probably the scaling. Your CH isn’t very high, but your pH is.

But replacing the water would also help pH, yes? (I guess depends on fill water too) Just trying to help weigh options here. I like your idea of lowering the pH to get the CSI down, which "should" fix the scaling. Wouldn't TA need to come down with it, which could take several rounds of lowering pH? (I'm learning here too)

 

[jesse-99]

Yeah I don't see any need to drain your pool at this point. Bring your pH down some and TA too, and your CSI will get in spec.

 

[Bperry]

But replacing the water would also help pH, yes? Just trying to help weigh options here. I like your idea of lowering the pH to get the CSI down, which "should" fix the scaling. Wouldn't TA need to come down with it, which could take several rounds of lowering pH? (I'm learning here too)

TA doesn’t matter as its only effect is pH buffering. Adding in some acid to keep the pH down will also reduce the TA. Since the TA is high, the pH will probably rise quickly and so more acid will drive it down. Aerating is only needed if you want to lower the TA extra fast.

Replacing water may help, as long as the CSI of the fill water is closer to zero but not necessary.

 

[dBsooner]

TA doesn’t matter as its only effect is pH buffering. Adding in some acid to keep the pH down will also reduce the TA. Since the TA is high, the pH will probably rise quickly and so more acid will drive it down. Aerating is only needed if you want to lower the TA extra fast.

Replacing water may help, as long as the CSI of the fill water is closer to zero.

Perfect! That makes sense! Thank you!

 

[unkyjoe]

I have turned off my SWG until I get this under control and will switch to liquid chlorine to avoid destroying my new SWG cell.

I guess I will start with PH down to 7-7.2 , then aerate the water to get the PH back, and see if I can get it balanced without a water change for now?

Let me know what you all think.

 

[dBsooner]

I guess I will start with PH down to 7-7.2 , then aerate the water to get the PH back, and see if I can get it balanced without a water change for now?

For large pH changes it is best to add about half of what PoolMath recommends, give it 30 mins to an hour to mix in, then test pH again. Repeat cycle until you get down to 7-7.2. You don't want to be wrong and way overshoot.

 

[dBsooner]

P.S. Thank you @Bperry and @jesse-99. I didn't think about just fixing CSI to fix scaling. I am so used to running CH down sub 100 (non plaster, non fiberglass) that I just switched to "get that CH down" mode on his vinyl.... and scaling in that SWG. Shining example of how awesome this community is!

 

[JJ_Tex]

I have turned off my SWG until I get this under control and will switch to liquid chlorine to avoid destroying my new SWG cell.

I guess I will start with PH down to 7-7.2 , then aerate the water to get the PH back, and see if I can get it balanced without a water change for now?

Let me know what you all think.

I would just lower the pH and leave the cell on. Water passes through the SWG regardless of it being on or not.

 

[mknauss]

I guess I will start with PH down

Use muriatic acid to lower pH. Dry Acid leaves sulfates in your water that will destroy the SWCG.

 

[proavia]

No need to drain your pool because of your 390ppm CH reading.
Your pH needs to be kept in the 7's - 7.2 to 7.8
Over time, bringing the pH down into the 7's will also bring down your TA.

Don't use dry acid - it leaves sulfates in the poll and isn't good for your SWG.

Since you mentioned CSI - with a SWG, keep the CSI in the 0.00 to -0.30 (negative 0.30) range to minimize SWG scaling.
Use PoolMath and change the pH (but still keep in the 7's) and TA numbers to see the effect on CSI. You may find that a lower TA (60-80) will bring CSI into range.

What test kit are you using? Add it to your signature.

 

[unkyjoe]

Thanks for all the help, I will lower the PH down to 7.0 7.2 in stages and monitor it with my Taylor test kit

I will go ahead and leave the SWG running if you think it will be ok, I will be using Muriatic Acid, and will make sure to use breathing protection, that can be nasty stuff if breathed in.

Once my PH comes down the other items should come into line? CSI should also adjust in time? Or anything else I need to do other than keep the PH in check moving forward?

I want to thank each and every one of you for your assistance. Last year I destroyed a cell due to this high CA and dont want it to happen again. It was an Intex SWG so no great loss.

 

[unkyjoe]

 

[Bperry]

Thanks for all the help, I will lower the PH down to 7.0 7.2 in stages and monitor it with my Taylor test kit

I will go ahead and leave the SWG running if you think it will be ok, I will be using Muriatic Acid, and will make sure to use breathing protection, that can be nasty stuff if breathed in.

Once my PH comes down the other items should come into line? CSI should also adjust in time? Or anything else I need to do other than keep the PH in check moving forward?

I want to thank each and every one of you for your assistance. Last year I destroyed a cell due to this high CA and dont want it to happen again. It was an Intex SWG so no great loss.

The trouble with breathing protection is that it can fool you into staying in a cloud of fumes much longer than you should and you could end up damaging your eyes. That’s assuming you’re using an organic vapor mask. If you’re using a dust mask, there’s no issue since it won’t filter vapor anyway so pretty useless for acid.

A better choice would be safety glasses or goggles and no mask. Your nose will tell you if there’s a problem brewing long before there’s an actual problem.

Just lower the bottle into the pool water and tip it so a small stream comes out, and stay upwind. If any gets on your skin, just rinse it off.

 

[reggiehammond]

For large pH changes it is best to add about half of what PoolMath recommends, give it 30 mins to an hour to mix in, then test pH again. Repeat cycle until you get down to 7-7.2. You don't want to be wrong and way overshoot.

When fighting high TA, there’s no reason to be that cautious. In fact, overshooting isn’t a big issue because the acid and TA will immediately get into a brawl with each other. Once pH gets back to 7.8-8.0, aim for 7 or 7.2 and let it rip.