I’ve learned a ton on this forum. Really, a ton. After only 4.5 short months here, I’ve noticed several other posts with the same …let’s call them “misconceptions” …that I initially had at some point. I’ll describe them below and offer my thoughts. Of course, if I’ve gotten any of this wrong, please let me know (I know folks here can be shy 
)
1. TA
Pre-TFP, I wanted to stabilize my pH; it always crept up. I read that TA is a buffer for pH and can help to stabilize it and slow the drift of pH. My misconception was that the more TA I had, the more stable my pH would be. So I actually bought baking soda from Home Depot and dumped in several pounds, aiming for the highest end of the range. I didn’t realize that lower TA would stabilize pH lower and higher TA would tend to stabilize it higher. Maybe this was a silly oversight, but I’ve seen some questions and posts on the forum from newbs that suggest they had the same misconception I did. For whatever reason, I did not pick up on the details of the TA/pH relationship in all my reading. I eventually realized this after reading many responses to TA question posts.
2. CYA
My initial reading and understanding was that once CYA is in your pool, it’s there to stay, except for splash out and refill due to rain (not evaporation). Only after I began seeing crazy FC loss (and confirmed no organic action via passing OCLT) did I follow someone’s suggestion to re-test CYA. I was shocked to see my CYA reading was 20ppm lower than previously measured 8 weeks before. And only after more reading and some posts did I discover that CYA degrades as temps near and exceed 90 degF. This info is out there, but it’s not in the “executive summary” of CYA. And being in Houston in a terribly hot summer, this seemingly lesser known CYA tid-bit is really a big deal. And to be honest, it got me wondering if this is how pool boys in hot climates get away with the puck method. My guy was using 2 tabs/week last summer. In my pool that adds 15 ppm CYA per month. And from what I read in the forum, one could potentially see degradation of up to 10ppm/month from water temps above 90 deg. So the net increase in the hottest months might only be 5 ppm. …In any case, please don’t mistake my cerebral musings as endorsement of pool boys or trichlor worship and ban me from the forums for blasphemy. Just some observations and thoughts.
)1. TA
Pre-TFP, I wanted to stabilize my pH; it always crept up. I read that TA is a buffer for pH and can help to stabilize it and slow the drift of pH. My misconception was that the more TA I had, the more stable my pH would be. So I actually bought baking soda from Home Depot and dumped in several pounds, aiming for the highest end of the range. I didn’t realize that lower TA would stabilize pH lower and higher TA would tend to stabilize it higher. Maybe this was a silly oversight, but I’ve seen some questions and posts on the forum from newbs that suggest they had the same misconception I did. For whatever reason, I did not pick up on the details of the TA/pH relationship in all my reading. I eventually realized this after reading many responses to TA question posts.
2. CYA
My initial reading and understanding was that once CYA is in your pool, it’s there to stay, except for splash out and refill due to rain (not evaporation). Only after I began seeing crazy FC loss (and confirmed no organic action via passing OCLT) did I follow someone’s suggestion to re-test CYA. I was shocked to see my CYA reading was 20ppm lower than previously measured 8 weeks before. And only after more reading and some posts did I discover that CYA degrades as temps near and exceed 90 degF. This info is out there, but it’s not in the “executive summary” of CYA. And being in Houston in a terribly hot summer, this seemingly lesser known CYA tid-bit is really a big deal. And to be honest, it got me wondering if this is how pool boys in hot climates get away with the puck method. My guy was using 2 tabs/week last summer. In my pool that adds 15 ppm CYA per month. And from what I read in the forum, one could potentially see degradation of up to 10ppm/month from water temps above 90 deg. So the net increase in the hottest months might only be 5 ppm. …In any case, please don’t mistake my cerebral musings as endorsement of pool boys or trichlor worship and ban me from the forums for blasphemy. Just some observations and thoughts.
