Understanding what to change

[Romoth]

All,

Thanks for the excellent advice on my previous post and the advice to not trust Leslie's! After getting my TF test and getting comfortable with it (testing daily to get a baseline), here is where I'm at:

• FC 3
• PH 7.5
• TA 80
• CH 300
• CYA 40

I recently several nights ago dropped by PH down to 7.2 to bring my TA down to 80. It's coming back up and is now a little above 7.5 based on color. The water is crystal clear and beautiful.

My question relates to calcium hardness. Is it worth trying to bring this to the "ideal" level or should I let it ride? Is there anything else I need to be concerned with here, or should I let this work it's way through for a while? I find I'm adding 40 - 45oz of 7.1% bleach every day to keep in the 5 - 5.5. range, so I'd also like some help on whether that is reasonable or not.

Thank you!

 

[JJ_Tex]

The #1 priority should be chlorine. With a CYA of 40, the absolute bare minimum should be 3. I would add enough to take it to a FC of 7, so that it remains in the target range of 5-7 most/all of the day and never gets close to 3.

For the rest, I would use the Pool Math app and your numbers look pretty good. In TX, your fill water is going to have calcium in it and your pH is going to want to creep up towards 8. I try to not use acid until it hits a pH of 8. I see a lot of people trying to micro-manage their pH to low 7's and end up getting frustrated by the constant acid additions.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Your numbers, including your CH look real good. Depending on the CH of your fill water, your CH will continue to rise with evaporation. If you haven't already, familiarize yourself with the calcium saturation index (CSI). Low CSI creates a potential for plaster etching while high CSI creates the potential for scaling and flakes. Ideally, you want to maintain your CSI between 0.0 and -0.30 to mitigate the potential for scaling. CSI can best be moved by adjusting pH and TA.

Calcium Saturation Index (CSI)

How is CSI calculated? Very simple – use our PoolMath tool. To ensure long plaster life and save money, click here to learn more.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Romoth]

Thanks for the replies both of you. That gives me a lot of comfort I'm heading in the right direct! I'll read up on CSI.