pH & TA

[Tattooed Nurse]

I have been fighting keeping the pH & TA down since we set up our pool in September. The pH will be 8 & TA 90, I add muriatic acid (liquid form), check it again the next day and pH is 7.4 & TA 70. 2 days later my pH shoots up to 8 & TA 90. I am adding muriatic acid every 2-3 days. Is this a normal thing?

 

[PoolStored]

TA does not rise unless you add something to raise TA. Like baking soda or water that has high TA.
Do you have an autofill?
Test your input water for TA.

On the test, are you adding drops until the sample doesn't change color, and subtract the last drop?
Are you wiping the tip of the R-009 with a wet paper towel?

It may just come down to testing error...have a read:

Water Testing Errors - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Tattooed Nurse]

TA does not rise unless you add something to raise TA. Like baking soda or water that has high TA.
Do you have an autofill?
Test your input water for TA.

On the test, are you adding drops until the sample doesn't change color, and subtract the last drop?
Are you wiping the tip of the R-009 with a wet paper towel?

It may just come down to testing error...have a read:

Water Testing Errors - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

I do have an ATO. The fill water is a pH of 7.4 & TA of 210. I am adding drops until the sample color does not change but I do not subtract the last drop after the color does not change. Not wiping the tips of the reagents either. Should I do that on all of them or just the R-009? Would my fill water with such a high TA be causing it and if so will this be a forever fight?

 

[ajw22]

Would my fill water with such a high TA be causing it and if so will this be a forever fight?

yes.

What is the CH of your fill water?

 

[Tattooed Nurse]

yes.

What is the CH of your fill water?

250

 

[PoolStored]

Should I do that on all of them or just the R-009?

Subtract the last drop. I find that with new R-009, you typically have to wipe it once to remove static. I ended up just keeping the practice. Did you read the water testing errors article?

 

[Tattooed Nurse]

Subtract the last drop. I find that with new R-009, you typically have to wipe it once to remove static. I ended up just keeping the practice. Did you read the water testing errors article?

Yes sir. I am reading them now. Going to print and put in my pool notebook that I have started from TFP for future references. Thank you so much for being so kind to help me.

 

[Tattooed Nurse]

I'm guessing with what my ATO water readings are this will be a fight always.

 

[ajw22]

250

Do you have a whole house softener that you could tap into for your pool refills?

Or you can run your fill water through a RV water softener.

That should reduce the TA and CH.

 

[Tattooed Nurse]

Do you have a whole house softener that you could tap into for your pool refills?

Or you can run your fill water through a RV water softener.

That should refute the TA and CH.

We have a water softener on our house but our pool is quite a distance from our house. May have to look into getting a water softener for it. We do have one in our RV that we don't use so we could incorporate that instead of it just sitting around being useless.

 

[ajw22]

We have a water softener on our house but our pool is quite a distance from our house. May have to look into getting a water softener for it. We do have one in our RV that we don't use so we could incorporate that instead of it just sitting around being useless.

That’s your fix or you can keep on fighting.

 

[Tattooed Nurse]

That’s your fix or you can keep on fighting.

PERFECT!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

 

[mknauss]

PERFECT!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

The water softener will reduce the CH -- but not the TA. Only acid reduces TA.

 

[Tattooed Nurse]

That’s your fix or you can keep on fighti

The water softener will reduce the CH -- but not the TA. Only acid reduces TA.

Well I'm having to add acid every 2-3 days. Just going to be FOREVER fighting!

 

[PoolStored]

Well I'm having to add acid every 2-3 days. Just going to be FOREVER fighting!

At a TA of 210, you are a candidate for this. If you can get the pool down, then water additions won't be so bad.

Lowering Total Alkalinity (TA) Quickly with the Acid Aeration Method

Thought I'd make a post that might help others. We've had quite a few members this year with high TA, and I've been typing the same information over and over. I'm going to post this so I can link it to help others. High TA can cause rapid pH rise. High TA is typically caused by high TA fill...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[mknauss]

With an elevated fill water TA and the evaporation you see in your dry environment, you will add acid regularly. Likely just get on a twice a week schedule. I keep my TA at about 80 ppm with 130 ppm TA fill water and high evaporation. It takes adding acid twice a week.

 

[ajw22]

Test the pH, TA, and CH from your house softened water.

 

[Tattooed Nurse]

With an elevated fill water TA and the evaporation you see in your dry environment, you will add acid regularly. Likely just get on a twice a week schedule. I keep my TA at about 80 ppm with 130 ppm TA fill water and high evaporation. It takes adding acid twice a week.

EXCELLENT IDEA!! Will definitely get on a schedule!! I usually have to add anywhere from 40-64oz twice a week.

 

[Tattooed Nurse]

EXCELLENT IDEA!! Will definitely get on a schedule!! I usually have to add anywhere from 40-64oz twice a week.

With an elevated fill water TA and the evaporation you see in your dry environment, you will add acid regularly. Likely just get on a twice a week schedule. I keep my TA at about 80 ppm with 130 ppm TA fill water and high evaporation. It takes adding acid twice a week.

And our evap is crazy here!! At least an inch of water a day!!!

 

[Bperry]

And our evap is crazy here!! At least an inch of water a day!!!

That’s very excessive evaporation. Are you leaking out of the overflow by chance and having lots of autofill water making up for it?