Happy summer, everyone! I have used TFP to successfully manage my 28,400 gallon SWG pool for several years (running the SWG at around 60-80% between 4-6 hours a day, depending on the season). This summer, I had to be out of town for two months, so I hired "professionals" to look after it.
When I returned, I found the SWG running at 100% 24 hours a day, the chlorine was sky high (17), the CYA was at 0, and the TA was 130, about twice the level I usually keep it at (50-70). The salt level was also way down. On the positive side, the pool was very clean, and the pH was relatively stable at 7.5, the sweet spot for my pool. Over the last week, I've been slowly working the salt level up (3200) and the chlorine level down (8.5), and that hasn't been too hard. The CYA is at 30, though I usually aim for 60-70. However, the TA keeps gradually rising (it's now 7.7 on the edge of 7.8), and now the pH is too (140).
My questions are about how to manage the transition back to normal, and how much to worry about the high TA, since I can't seem to do much about it. I've put in 160 pounds of salt in the last week to get the salt level up over several days, and pool math thinks I should add another bag to get to 3400. To get the CYA up, pool math recommends adding 10 pounds of chlorine stabilizer, which seems like a lot. And to get the pH down, it suggests 30 oz of muriatic acid.
I've added all of these things in the past, but never in such volume. Is it better to make these big changes all at once, or better to work them in more gradually? And is it better to correct for all these problems all at once, or one at a time more gradually? Finally, how much should I worry about the TA level? I'd also welcome any recommendations about how long to run the SWG at what levels, given the difference between my old approach and theirs. Can I go back to five hours at a high level? Grateful for your advice, --Erin
When I returned, I found the SWG running at 100% 24 hours a day, the chlorine was sky high (17), the CYA was at 0, and the TA was 130, about twice the level I usually keep it at (50-70). The salt level was also way down. On the positive side, the pool was very clean, and the pH was relatively stable at 7.5, the sweet spot for my pool. Over the last week, I've been slowly working the salt level up (3200) and the chlorine level down (8.5), and that hasn't been too hard. The CYA is at 30, though I usually aim for 60-70. However, the TA keeps gradually rising (it's now 7.7 on the edge of 7.8), and now the pH is too (140).
My questions are about how to manage the transition back to normal, and how much to worry about the high TA, since I can't seem to do much about it. I've put in 160 pounds of salt in the last week to get the salt level up over several days, and pool math thinks I should add another bag to get to 3400. To get the CYA up, pool math recommends adding 10 pounds of chlorine stabilizer, which seems like a lot. And to get the pH down, it suggests 30 oz of muriatic acid.
I've added all of these things in the past, but never in such volume. Is it better to make these big changes all at once, or better to work them in more gradually? And is it better to correct for all these problems all at once, or one at a time more gradually? Finally, how much should I worry about the TA level? I'd also welcome any recommendations about how long to run the SWG at what levels, given the difference between my old approach and theirs. Can I go back to five hours at a high level? Grateful for your advice, --Erin
