Struggling to get Total Alkalinity under control

[dvleemin]

Hi All,
We have a 2 month old pool and we've been struggling to get the Total Alkalinity under control, and I was hoping for some advice.

We filled our pool and right from the start the TA was off the charts high (using both cheap test strips we had, and a Taylor K-2006). The PH was around 7.8 so a bit high. So we plugged everything in to the pool math calculator and have been adding muriatic acid as recommended. We have now adding something like 15 gallons of it, but the TA is still super high - and we then ended up with a PH of 6.8. So we added Borax as recommended and PH is now good.

So just not sure what to do now? I add muriatic acid to try and get TA under control, but then have a ph problem . . .

Darryl

 

[mknauss]

Can you post a full set of water chemistry test results? Your Poolmath data is not populated.

In general, high TA is not a big concern to address immediately. As you have a SWCG, it can cause scaling in the cell so you do need to manage your pH, when it gets to 7.8 or 8, lower it to 7.2.

If you have sufficient TA, you do not need to chemically raise your pH from 6.8. It will rise very quickly on its own.