TA so high

[stevelh]

New pool owner - details in sig. Fill was completed 5/25/2020 around 11 am with tap water. Added 62.58 oz dry stabilizer (2,4,6 Trihydroxy-s-triazine, aka Utikem chlorine stabilizer and conditioner from Menards) as soon as pool was full. Once dissolved, added 81 oz of 7.5% Clorox bleach.
Evening of 5/25/2020 test results (TF-100 kit):
FC 5
CC 0
pH 7.2
TA 520
CH 180
CYA 20
Water temp 74 degrees
Now this evening 5/26/2020 test results:
FC 2.5
CC 0
pH 7.5
TA 470
CYA 20
Water temp 78 degrees (solar blanket on most of the day except when family in pool)
Water is crystal clear.
So my TA is still way too high. I tested my tap water, and TA is 370.
Pool Math says to lower pH to 7.0-7.2 and aerate to increase TA. Does that mean just running the pump more? Should I add more stabilizer now, or figure out TA first?

13,000 gal, AG 24’ round Matrix, Pentair 19” Sand Dollar filter with Dynamo 2 speed 1.5 hp pump, TF-100 test kit, tap water fill

 

[JohnT]

Welcome to TFP!

Finally somebody who can compete with me on TA! Mine, which is from a well, varies through the year and I’ve tested as high as 480ppm.

TA is a very, very low priority. That’s especially true with a vinyl liner. The only reason to be concerned with TA is the effect it has on your pH. Manage your pH when it gets out of range, and when you get a feel for how it moves with muriatic acid additions, don’t be afraid to push it down to 7. Aeration can be kids playing in the pool or turning the return so it breaks the surface. Rain is your friend.

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! A couple other notes to go along with what John offered:
- Be careful about the Clorox bleach. If it lists something about polymers or fabric conditioner, don't use it anymore.
- Yes, increase the CYA to at least 30, perhaps even 40 if it's getting warm in your area and the pool gets lots of direct sunlight. Remember as the CYA goes up, so too must the FC as noted on the FC/CYA Levels.

As John said, take your time with the TA and everything should go well. Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Pool Math says to lower pH to 7.0-7.2 and aerate to increase TA.

This may be a typo, but just so you're clear, aeration raises pH but does not effect TA. When you add MA to reduce pH, TA drops as well.

 

[stevelh]

Welcome to TFP!

Finally somebody who can compete with me on TA! Mine, which is from a well, varies through the year and I’ve tested as high as 480ppm.

TA is a very, very low priority. That’s especially true with a vinyl liner. The only reason to be concerned with TA is the effect it has on your pH. Manage your pH when it gets out of range, and when you get a feel for how it moves with muriatic acid additions, don’t be afraid to push it down to 7. Aeration can be kids playing in the pool or turning the return so it breaks the surface. Rain is your friend.

Thank you! It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so maybe that will help. I will add more stabilizer and continue to test until (someday, hopefully) this all starts to make sense.

 

[stevelh]

Welcome to TFP! A couple other notes to go along with what John offered:
- Be careful about the Clorox bleach. If it lists something about polymers or fabric conditioner, don't use it anymore.
- Yes, increase the CYA to at least 30, perhaps even 40 if it's getting warm in your area and the pool gets lots of direct sunlight. Remember as the CYA goes up, so too must the FC as noted on the FC/CYA Levels.

As John said, take your time with the TA and everything should go well. Let us know if you have any other questions.

Thanks!

 

[Mdragger88]

That amount of stabilizer according to PoolMath should have raised u to about 35 cya so maybe retest tomorrow - it can take a couple days for it to measure

 

[stevelh]

This may be a typo, but just so you're clear, aeration raises pH but does not effect TA. When you add MA to reduce pH, TA drops as well.

My TA has a red circle with exclamation point in the Pool Math app, and I attached what it shows when I click it.
So the addition of the acid to lower the pH would be what affects the TA, right?

 

[stevelh]

That amount of stabilizer according to PoolMath should have raised u to about 35 cya so maybe retest tomorrow - it can take a couple days for it to measure

That was my concern, because I measured the amount it said it should take to get me there. I will wait another day before adding more just in case.

 

[IceShadow]

There are reasons to lower TA, but unless you fall into those categories, you don’t need to chase it down. PoolMath will say it’s out of range but unless it’s causing problems you don’t need to worry about it. Your pH will rise quickly and you’ll use acid to lower it, and the TA will come down a little when you do.

 

[stevelh]

So, with TA being low priority for my type of pool, should I worry about tracking it at all?

 

[Richard320]

Your TA may not be quite as bad as you think. That's a new pool and so I'm guessing a new test kit? Sometimes the R-009 develops a static charge on the tip which makes the drops smaller. Then you use more and assume higher TA. The cure is to wipe the tip with a damp paper towels before each drop for the next 2 or 3 tests. If you have static, your readings will get a lot better real fast. If nlt, no harm done.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

My TA has a red circle with exclamation point in the Pool Math app, and I attached what it shows when I click it.
So the addition of the acid to lower the pH would be what affects the TA, right?

Correct. Lowering pH will also lower TA.

 

[IceShadow]

So, with TA being low priority for my type of pool, should I worry about tracking it at all?

You need to know what it is so that you can make sure your CSI isn’t too high and so that you can correctly calculate the amount of acid to add to lower the pH.