Chem log, to see....

[Charlie_R]

Question for the more knowledgeable folks here.

I've put in about a gallon and a half of muriatic acid over the past several days, and can't seem to keep the pH down to 7.2 or below, yet the TA doesn't seem to be dropping that much yet. TA appears to want to hover for a while at the high levels, even with the spray rig I made. I realize the instructions said it will take a while, but shouldn't I have been seeing a more pronounced drop already? I'll test again tonight, and see where it is.

[BigDave]

I looked over the thread and it seems that your TA has dropped from 250 to 210. That's almost 20%, sounds prettty good to me. The pH goes up because you are aerating (and have plenty of TA). The pH drops when you add acid (kinda the definition). TA also drops when you add acid. If you want to see it: aerate 'till your pH is about 8.0, measure TA, add acid to drop pH to about 7.0, let it mix for a couple hours, measure TA.

[Charlie_R]

Thanks, BigDave.

I guess I just got a little impatient this afternoon, after having added yet another 1/4c of acid. This evening's test of TA did actually show a drop to 180, but still in the error range from the last test. May be a "can't see the forest for the trees" type of blindness. Thanks for the reminder of where I had come from. Maybe I should have started a spreadsheet to record all my test results?

Now if I could just figure out how to get the calcium down....Or am I OK with that at 250? Not sure what the saturation point would be where I would start to see scale on the ladder etc. I do note that there is some scale on the ladder legs at the waterline, from previous years use. I don't think it is from this fill.

Charlie

[BigDave]

Your pH rise will slow down as the TA gets lower and, I presume, you'll stop aerating when you get to your TA goal which will also slow pH rise (it's why your aerating). Remember, you're in the process of reducing TA - adding acid as often as you are is not a permanent state.

Calcium Hardness at 250 shouldn't be a problem, just avoid chlorinating with cal-hypo.

[Charlie_R]

Thanks for the info on the CH.

Yes, I would quit aerating when I reach the goal of TA=100. However, my wife likes the sound of gentle splashing from return, so I'll probably need to keep an eye on this level, and adjust as needed with baking soda.

Cal-hypo pucks available now, have a line in the ingredients "other chemicals, 4%" with no explanation as to what they are, so using them is a no-go for me. I want to know exactly what I'm putting in my pool!

[Charlie_R]

Is there a Pool Owners Anonymous? I was told today that I'm obsessed with the pool, and Wife may be right. I can't get near that thing without picking up the leaf net and working out some of the tree leaves and other organics from the water. Is this normal behavior from new pool owners? or am I "a little touched in the head"?

[BigDave]

Tetched? Whatever could you mean?
Perfectly normal; you're learning something new that means something to you, you're invested. Don't let the haters bring you down. If you feel you're obsessed then backup but if you're just practicing your new hobby - Stand Proud.