Soda Ash turned pool cloudy OH NO

[NewCPO]

Hello, I have a 45,000 gallon sand filter pool; the pool is concrete. Soda Ash spilled into the pool on accident. Needless to say the pool is cloudy. Around 315oz of soda ash was added directly to the pool. I used 150oz muriatic acid. Reading before soda ash was ->
FC: 5 CC: 5 pH: 7.4 TA: 80 CH: 250
After soda ash and muriatic acid my
TA: 110 CH: 275

What should I do to fix this as quick as possible? I appreciate the help thank you!

 

[ajw22]

pH now??

Don’t do anything.

Give the pool a few days to settle down and see what the pH and TA are and go from there.

 

[JamesW]

315 oz of soda ash will raise the TA by 50 ppm and it will take 575 oz of 31.45% acid to lower the TA by 50 ppm

575 oz is 4.5 gallons of acid.

Just keep lowering the pH to 7.0 until the water is clear.

 

[NewCPO]

pH now??

Don’t do anything.

Give the pool a few days to settle down and see what the pH and TA are and go from there.

pH is 7.4 -7.5

 

[ajw22]

pH is 7.4 -7.5

Just manage pH normally.

 

[JamesW]

I would add 1 gallon of acid now and brush the pool thoroughly and then retest the pH in a few hours and keep lowering the pH to 7.0 to 7.2 until the water clears up.

150 oz of acid will lower the TA by 13 ppm.

80 + 50 = 130 - 13 = 117.

575 oz - 150 oz = 425 oz of acid.

PoolMath

Discover the calculator behind the perfect pool, PoolMath. Dealing with pools has allowed TFP to become the original authors of the best calculator on the net.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[NewCPO]

315 oz of soda ash will raise the TA by 50 ppm and it will take 575 oz of 31.45% acid to lower the TA by 50 ppm

575 oz is 4.5 gallons of acid.

Just keep lowering the pH to 7.0 until the water is clear.


View attachment 508962
View attachment 508961

Why 7.0? I’ve read the cloudiness is caused by calcium from the soda ash . Also keep in mind the estimate of how much soda ash spilled in is a guesstimate of how much left the bag. Right now I’m vacuuming the pool and adding some makeup water.

 

[NewCPO]

I would add 1 gallon of acid now and brush the pool thoroughly and then retest the pH in a few hours and keep lowering the pH to 7.0 to 7.2 until the water clears up.

150 oz of acid will lower the TA by 13 ppm.

80 + 50 = 130 - 13 = 117.

575 oz - 150 oz = 425 oz of acid.

PoolMath

Discover the calculator behind the perfect pool, PoolMath. Dealing with pools has allowed TFP to become the original authors of the best calculator on the net.

www.troublefreepool.com

View attachment 508965

Why to 7.0?

 

[JamesW]

Soda ash is sodium carbonate and it does not contain calcium.

However, the carbonate combines with calcium that is already in the water to form calcium carbonate.

By lowering the pH to 7.0, you convert the carbonate into bicarbonate and the calcium carbonate that is causing the cloudiness dissolves.

 

[NewCPO]

Soda ash is sodium carbonate and it does not contain calcium.

However, the carbonate combines with calcium that is already in the water to form calcium carbonate.

By lowering the pH to 7.0, you convert the carbonate into bicarbonate and the calcium carbonate that is causing the cloudiness dissolves.

Awesome information thank you so much! How long do you think it should take to clear up ?

 

[JamesW]

The first graph is the percentage of bicarbonate vs. carbonate based on the pH.

The second graph is the percentage carbon dioxide (Carbonic acid) vs. bicarbonate.

At a pH of 8.0, most is bicarbonate.

As you go below 8.0, you begin to get some carbonic acid, which helps dissolve the calcium carbonate even more.

You could probably add more than a gallon if you really wanted to clear the pool faster, but the pH will go below 7.0, which can be a risk for metals like in the heater.

y = 100-(100/(1+10^(10.3– x))), x from 8 to 12 - Wolfram|Alpha

Wolfram|Alpha brings expert-level knowledge and capabilities to the broadest possible range of people—spanning all professions and education levels.

www.wolframalpha.com

 

[NewCPO]

The first graph is the percentage of bicarbonate vs. carbonate based on the pH.

The second graph is the percentage carbon dioxide (Carbonic acid) vs. bicarbonate.

At a pH of 8.0, most is bicarbonate.

As you go below 8.0, you begin to get some carbonic acid, which helps dissolve the calcium carbonate even more.

You could probably add more than a gallon if you really wanted to clear the pool faster, but the pH will go below 7.0, which can be a risk for metals like in the heater.

View attachment 508969

y = 100-(100/(1+10^(10.3– x))), x from 8 to 12 - Wolfram|Alpha

Wolfram|Alpha brings expert-level knowledge and capabilities to the broadest possible range of people—spanning all professions and education levels.

www.wolframalpha.com

Hey thanks for this awesome answer. I will follow the 7.0 recommendations. How long do you think it should take to clear up?

 

[JamesW]

I would add 1 gallon of acid and brush thoroughly and then retest in a few hours and keep lowering the pH to 7.0 to 7.2.

The acid creates a bunch of carbon dioxide, which will offgass and then you can add more acid in a few hours.

 

[JamesW]

How long do you think it should take to clear up?

What is the water temperature?

 

[NewCPO]

What is the water temperature?

80°F . FC & CC: 5 TA: 90 CH:275 last time soda ash was added was 5:30pm EST. It is now 11:45pm EST . With my phone light I can now see the floor drains in the 5ft deep end which were not at all visible at 8-9pm so that’s a good sign. Thank you again for your diligent help.