TA ?

[GypsmJim]

My TA is 50, the book says it should be 100. Yes, I am wiping per the directions on the TF-100 kit.

My pH has been a constant 7.5 all Summer. Never changed.

Should I be worried? Should I get some baking soda and adjust it up? Or, leave well enough alone?

 

[OTPirate]

Hey! Which book are you referring to? Your TA is a tad on the low end, but I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you see your pH changing drastically. As long as your pH isn't running amuck, I'd just leave well enough alone.

 

[GypsmJim]

Hey! Which book are you referring to? Your TA is a tad on the low end,

Low end,yeah.....that's my point......LOL.

The TF-100 kit says the min should be 100. (OK, it's not a "book", its the bible then.)

 

[mknauss]

Straight from the Recommended Levels chart in Pool School --

TA 50-90+

We do not have a TA number, it is what it is for the pH to be stable.

 

[rphpool]

I wish I had that problem

 

[GypsmJim]

Straight from the Recommended Levels chart in Pool School --

TA 50-90+

We do not have a TA number, it is what it is for the pH to be stable.

OK, I found the chart now. However, the charts in the TF-100 test kit show different numbers (much higher) for bleach treated pool TA. That's where my concern came from.

Thanks...

 

[mknauss]

My TF100 did not come with a chart. Odd.

 

[Gotham55]

I run most of my bleach/salt pools around 50-60 TA or I have high PH all the time, the SWG and bleach are very high in PH so you don't need as much TA

 

[domct203]

Your TA of 50 is fine if your pH is stable.

 

[OTPirate]

My TF100 did not come with a chart. Odd.

There is no chart, he may be referring to the test kit instructions.

 

[Demegrad9]

Total Alkalinity test – TA has a buffering affect on pH, preventing it from moving suddenly. Good TA readings will be around 70-90 for salt pools and 100-120 for normal pools
1. Rinse and fill the clear plastic cylinder to the 25ml mark
2. Add two drops of R-0007 and mix. Then, add 5 drops of R-0008 and mix again. Solution will turn green.
3. Add R-0009 one drop at a time, swirling between each drop. Wipe the tip of the bottle after every drop with a damp cloth. Continue ‘til color changes to red. Multiply the number of drops you added times 10. (11 drops = T/A 110) Record it. TA can vary widely. but a range of 70-120 normally works well.

The above is directly from tftestkits website. IMO the information there should be more aligned with what is written here.

 

[GypsmJim]

The above is directly from tftestkits website. IMO the information there should be more aligned with what is written here.

I agree.

 

[OTPirate]

TFTestkits aligns itself to the recommended levels of Taylor Technologies of a TA between 80-120 ppm. TFTestkits does recommend a 60-90 ppm for SWG pools because a lower TA is recommended to counter act the upward pressure that a SWCG puts on the pH.

 

[richierich]

My TA has been 60 from the day I put water in it in April until today. It's perfect.

 

[duraleigh]

I agree.

From the beginning of TFP, TA has always been the least understood parameter for which we test. Lucky for us, it is also likely the least critical. Here are some random thoughts about TA....

1. The TA suggestions in the TF_100 test kit are what was established years ago and gradually, thye thinking on TFP has evolved towards lower vlues.

2. The TA guidelines for the TF-100 will likely be lowered in the next reprint. There is no rush to do that because the 80-120 suggestion in the kit is fine.....no harm done.

3. The belief on TFP has been that TA lower than 80 could cause your pH to easily swing wildly......experience teaches us that is not the case.

4. Many members on this forum routinely keep TA in the 50-70 range permanently with nothing but good results.

5. Keeping TA in that low range slows the natural pH rise in most pools and that is a good thing.

6. Other pools maintain TA's in the 100-120 area with no detrimental affect.

7. Many members deal with fill water that test TA in the 200+ range. Again, that seems to cause no long term harm and the TA immediately starts downward as outgassing in the pool water takes place.

8. I have always been just a little wary of the multiple suggestions we make for TA in pools with different surfaces (vinyl, plaster,fibergalss). They are certainly valid suggestions but I have always considered them as micro-managing. That's not what TFP wants....we want folks to go swimming and enjoy their pools.

8. So what will the suggestions for TA ranges be? I don't know for certain. We continue to digest all the info submitted on this forum and make an attempt at consensus based on that input. The guidelines in TFP pool school are the most up to date. I would follow those.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The thing that makes TA confusing to most people is the fact that the largest component of alkalinity in pool water is carbonate alkalinity (CO2/HCO3-/CO3--) and carbonates do two things -

1. They act as a pH buffer (something that we like);

2. They act as a chemical that raises pH (something we don't like).

Because those two factors compete with one another, pH and TA become coupled in a way that is counter-intuitive. If the alkalinity of pool water were solely the result of the concentration of permanent forms of hardness (borates, phosphates, sulfates, etc) and not temporary forms of hardness (carbonates), then managing TA would be completely independent of pH. But, because the vast majority of the alkalinity is composed of a chemical that is temporary (carbonates can transform into dissolved CO2, outgas and raise pH), pH and TA get caught up in one another.

Following the recommended levels is a good starting point. Each pool owner can tailor the TA value that works best for their pool.

 

[GypsmJim]

Now I'm sorry I asked the question. In the face of contradictory specifications, what is a person supposed to think? Now that I know it doesn't matter (probably), I'll just have another beer.