Total Alkalinity vs pH

[Poiks]

Moved from here.
Hi all, I think my question is similar to the OP but I'm not 100% clear on what to do, so here goes.

In the last month, I had to use 4 lbs of baking soda--twice--to get my TA to 70. Generally speaking, my pool takes about 6 oz of muriatic acid to get the pH to the target of about 7.7.

At the moment, my pH is 7.5 and the TA is 70. Pool Math app is asking me to add Borax or Soda Ash to raise the pH. This isn't something I've encountered before so I'm wondering what, if anything, I need to do.

Thanks!

 

[mknauss]

Remember that Recommended Levels are ranges. Poolmath simply populates the target with the mid point. You can make the decision that since you are in the Range of Recommended Levels, there is no action to be taken. So a TA of 50 or higher is acceptable. And a pH in the 7's is acceptable. Do not attempt to fine tune those to a single number.

This video may be of some help.

 

[Poiks]

Remember that Recommended Levels are ranges. Poolmath simply populates the target with the mid point. You can make the decision that since you are in the Range of Recommended Levels, there is no action to be taken. So a TA of 50 or higher is acceptable. And a pH in the 7's is acceptable. Do not attempt to fine tune those to a single number.

This video may be of some help.

Thanks! And thanks for moving this to a new thread. I'm used to a different forum (not pool-related) where users get scolded for creating new threads when an old one is on the same topic.

The confusion I have is about the Borax/Soda Ash recommendation, never having seen that before. I'm assuming the basic issues is that those chemicals raise pH, while the acids lower it. Since my pH tends to rise day-to-day anyway, I'll plan to hold off on the acid until my test results indicate that I need to add it again.

 

[mknauss]

You can change the targets shown in Poolmath for your pool situation. Do not blindly follow the recommendations in Poolmath, it is simply a calculator. Use the forum, Pool School, etc to understand why you need to adjust a certain parameter.