TA not lowered after adding acid to lower Ph to 7.0 and aerating

[aggiejet]

Finally opened my pool. My readings this morning after SLAM chlorination and adding acid to lower PH to 7.0 and aerating overnight:
FC 18
Ph 7.4
TA 100
CH 240
CYA 50

The TA was 100 when I started this process. i.e., I haven’t been able to lower by TA. I am continuing to aerate to raise my Ph to 7.6/7.8 (recommended) I have added a picture of my “aeration” if that makes any difference.

I was surprised my TA wasn’t reduced. What kind of change or results should one expect when using this method to lower TA.

Thanks

 

[Jimrahbe]

A,

Your TA is just fine where it is...

Lowering TA is a process, not just dumping in a bunch of acid. It takes me about two full days to lower my TA from 130 or so down to 60...

Basically I measure pH and TA and then add acid to bring the pH down to about 7.0.. I start aeration and never shut it off until I am done. I test again in 2 to 4 hours and when my pH gets up to 7.4, then do it all again, and then again in another 2 to 4 hours.. over and over again.. At first TA will drop very little if at all.. Over time, the TA will drop more and more with each acid dose... I do this all day the first day and then start again the next morning... I keep dosing until I get my TA to about 50.. For me anyway, it springs back to 60 pretty quickly and then very slowly increases over time.

I use a waterfall for aeration, but suspect you have a better aeration system then mine..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[aggiejet]

Jim,
So despite my awesome aeration system, (harbor freight pump that doubles as my pool cover pump) I’m getting very little change in Ph even after 8-10 hours of aeration. What do you make of that?

Thanks

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

When it gets hot, evaporation increases. Check the TA and pH of your fill water.

 

[Nikilyn]

It took me a few weeks to lower mine. Granted, I didn’t work on it everyday, but it finally worked. There were times it wouldn’t lower but I just kept at it.

 

[Jimrahbe]

A,

How do you chlorinate your pool?

Is your FC still above 10 ppm? If so, you can't test pH and get a reliable number.

If your FC is below 10 and your pH is in the 7's, I am not sure why you are doing anything??

You should never adjust TA, just trying in match some magic number, if your pH is stable and your TA is above 50 ppm.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PoolGate]

Jim,
So despite my awesome aeration system, (harbor freight pump that doubles as my pool cover pump) I’m getting very little change in Ph even after 8-10 hours of aeration. What do you make of that?

Thanks

Let's see a pic of your awesome aeration system in action.

 

[Oly]

Take Mike's suggestion above and test your fill water. Don't stress a TA of 100 rather keep your pH in the zone and your TA will follow. Now if you have high TA in your tap water then gaze into your water and you can see your future, in the summer you will be buying muratic acid.

 

[wysocki]

I'm trying to understand all this, but I have a problem adjusting my SWP with the various opinions in addition to the official "optimum recommendations" from sources I should trust. For example:

	TFP	Hayward & Pentair
TA	60-80	80-120
CYA	70-80	30-50

Why are the TFP recommendations way outside those of the big two swg manufacturers?

 

[magiteck]

I'm trying to understand all this, but I have a problem adjusting my SWP with the various opinions in addition to the official "optimum recommendations" from sources I should trust. For example:

	TFP	Hayward & Pentair
TA	60-80	80-120
CYA	70-80	30-50

Why are the TFP recommendations way outside those of the big two swg manufacturers?

pH tends to rise in SWG pools. The higher the TA, the faster it will rise. Keeping your TA at those manufacturer recommended levels may not hurt anything, but your pH will rise much more rapidly and you're going to need very frequent acid additions.

A higher CYA level has been found by TFP to be helpful in SWG pools because of the slow, steady state of chlorine they release. At lower CYA levels, it's harder for the SWG to keep up. Then you have to turn it up or increase the runtime, both things that will shorten the cell life. I might be a bit cynical, but Hayward & Pentair are selling replacement cells, so they don't really have an incentive to help you maximize the cell life...