Trying to lower TA, but it’s rising

[Bperry]

I’m a new convert to TFP, and had just been following my Pentair test kit recommendations for FC and TA levels which are 1-3 and 90-120 respectively until last week when I started using the pool math app.

In an attempt to lower my TA down from 110, I added soda ash to lower the PH to 7.2 as recommended by the app, which it did. But after aeration for two days with my waterfall, the TA seems to be trending up rather than down.

Any advice on where to look deeper?

Edit: I just went and looked again at my buckets and realized the soda ash increases the TA, not decreases. I think I started using the pool math app to just track measurements, then discovered the TFP recommendations were different.
So I increased the TA successfully and then added acid to lower it. I suppose now I just need to wait a bit and see where things stabilize and go from there?

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
There is no real reason to drop the TA unless you hare having a problem with your pH rising very quickly or you are having a scaling issue due to high CH. I realize the App states you are 'out of range' but you need to understand that TA has the least effect on overall water chemistry of any of the parameters tested.
Soda Ash dramatically raises TA and pH.
TA - read TA - Further Reading
Follow Lower Total Alkalinity - Trouble Free Pool
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

 

[Bperry]

Welcome to the forum!
There is no real reason to drop the TA unless you hare having a problem with your pH rising very quickly or you are having a scaling issue due to high CH. I realize the App states you are 'out of range' but you need to understand that TA has the least effect on overall water chemistry of any of the parameters tested.
Soda Ash dramatically raises TA and pH.
TA - read TA - Further Reading
Follow Lower Total Alkalinity - Trouble Free Pool
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

Thanks, that helps. I’ve had to dive into all this fairly quickly after using trichlor all summer and then finding my CYA was off the charts high. Feels like levels are starting to stabilize and after realizing all the different factors that go into maintaining a pool, I didn’t want I make the mistake of just focusing on FC levels anymore.

 

[mknauss]

Your Poolmath logs look great. Have you tested CH? You should do that and enter the data in Poolmath. The CYA is fine, Round up when you test between 40 and 50, 50 and 60, etc. So your CYA is 60. Just keep FC in target range.

 

[Bperry]

Your Poolmath logs look great. Have you tested CH? You should do that and enter the data in Poolmath. The CYA is fine, Round up when you test between 40 and 50, 50 and 60, etc. So your CYA is 60. Just keep FC in target range.

My test kit doesn’t do CH so I have a better kit on order K-2006 from Amazon that’ll be here in another week or so. For some reason all the local stores are out of good test kits other than the basic strips.

I had to drain a lot of water to get the CYA down to where it is.

 

[mknauss]

Pool stores do not carry proper test kits.
The best value in proper test kits is the TF100 from TFTestkits.net.

The K2006 has small amounts of reagent. OK for this year, but then you will need refills early next year.