+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: very high alkalinity

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    7

    Default very high alkalinity

    I read the sticky on alkalinity but I'm still not sure what to do or what the cause of my problem is. My pool is an above ground, vinyl liner job. My pH is presently 7.8, Calcium is 80, Cl around 10 and alkalinity ranges between 500-600. The water is cloudy but clean and when we swim our skin often feels dry after a few hours. What would you suggest? Thanks.

  2. #2
    aylad's Avatar
    aylad is offline SuperMod Emeritus Burfle Ringer aylad 4 stars aylad 4 stars aylad 4 stars aylad 4 stars aylad 4 stars aylad 4 stars
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
    Location
    Northwest Lousiana
    Posts
    4,757

    Default Re: very high alkalinity

    What is the TA of your fill water? If it's not that high, then use the sticky on lowering alk with muriatic acid. If your fill water TA is that high, then there's not much you can do except keep your pH closer to 7.0 and keep your calcium levels down as low as possible.

    Welcome to the forum.....
    Janet

  3. #3
    waterbear's Avatar
    waterbear is offline Lifetime Member Sniggle Mechanic waterbear 4 stars waterbear 4 stars waterbear 4 stars waterbear 4 stars
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    St. Augustine, Fl
    Age
    70
    Posts
    3,743

    Default Re: very high alkalinity

    Also, how are you testing the water. Strips are not very precise for testing TA.
    Retired pool store and commercial pool maintenance guy.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    7

    Default Re: very high alkalinity

    Yes, my source water, a well, has very high alkalinity. For some reason it is much higher than the house water which comes from another spring.

    I'm testing with the Taylor reagents which are probably five years old. I have run out of the 009 as I've used so many drops to test this water and will replace it. How low should my calcium levels be and how should I lower them? What should I used to lower my pH?

  5. #5
    Watermom's Avatar
    Watermom is offline SuperMod Emeritus Quark Inspector Watermom 4 stars Watermom 4 stars Watermom 4 stars Watermom 4 stars Watermom 4 stars Watermom 4 stars
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
    Location
    Charleston, WV
    Posts
    9,345

    Default Re: very high alkalinity

    Vinyl pools do not need calcium so with such high TA, the lower the CH the better.

    You use muriatic acid to lower pH. Please read the MA guide in Jan's signature above.

    Welcome to the Pool Forum, by the way!

  6. #6
    aylad's Avatar
    aylad is offline SuperMod Emeritus Burfle Ringer aylad 4 stars aylad 4 stars aylad 4 stars aylad 4 stars aylad 4 stars aylad 4 stars
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
    Location
    Northwest Lousiana
    Posts
    4,757

    Default Re: very high alkalinity

    If your pool is plaster/concrete/gunite, you need your calcium to be 200-400 ppm. If it's vinyl-lined, then you don't need to keep it that high. Usually with a vinyl liner, the lower, the better--but with your TA that high, keeping it low is a necessity to keep from getting milky water from precipitating calcium. Use muriatic or dry acid to lower your pH, which will also lower your TA (as outlined in the sticky), but read the guidelines for safe handling of muriatic acid linked in my sig below, first.

    Edit: Looks like Watermom's post button works faster than mine today!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    7

    Default Re: very high alkalinity

    There have been several references to "sig"; where is this found?

  8. #8
    PoolDoc's Avatar
    PoolDoc is offline Administrator Quark Inspector PoolDoc 5 stars PoolDoc 5 stars PoolDoc 5 stars PoolDoc 5 stars PoolDoc 5 stars PoolDoc 5 stars PoolDoc 5 stars
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    11,386

    Default Re: very high alkalinity

    The 'sig' is the big blue signature box at the end of moderator posts.

    I've set up a bunch of bucket tests for determining what you're dealing with, but the results are not going well, where it turns out people have been testing with pool store kits, strips, etc. Complete the
    Pool Chart Entry Form
    , and if you don't have a K2006, you'll need to order one. It's just not working out well, when we don't insist on that, FIRST.

    Test kit links below.

    Ben

    ================================================== ======

    + Get a cheap OTO (yellow drops) / phenol test kit, or if available at YOUR Walmart (check availability), get the HTH 6-way DROPS test kit, which is compatible with the Taylor K2006. Test the pool as soon and you can, and post the results. If you get the 6-way kit, ALSO test the water you FILL the pool with, especially if it's a well, and post THOSE results as well. (The HTH is the best available kit you're likely to find locally, but it's not the K-2006. It can only provide rough measurements chlorine levels above 5 ppm, and it measures "TOTAL" hardness, rather than "CALCIUM" hardness, which is not ideal.)

    + Having a good test kit makes pool care easier for EVERYONE. A good test kit means a kit that can test chlorine from 0 - 25 ppm, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and stabilizer with reasonable accuracy. Test strips (AKA 'guess-strips' ) do NOT meet this standard. Some pool store testing is accurate; most is not. The ONLY way you'll know whether your pool store is accurate or bogus, is by testing accurately your own self. On the other hand, pool store 'computer' dosing recommendations are NEVER trustworthy -- ignore them. They are designed to sell more chemicals than you need, and WILL cause many pool problems.

    + We recommend the Taylor K-2006 test kit, which meets the requirements above, for many reasons. The HTH 6-way drops kit is a great starter kit, and is compatible with the K2006 (it's made by Taylor). There are a few alternatives; for example Lamotte makes an FAS-DPD kit that's OK -- but it costs 3x as much. But, we're not aware of any test that is better, and since we are all familiar with the K-2006 (and can help you with it) we recommend it exclusively ( Test kit info page )

    One caution for the 2012 season: Amazon does not stock the kits directly. So when buying at Amazon, Amato is our current preferred seller. However, they often don't list enough stock to last the whole day, so try order mid-morning. You should expect a delivered cost under $60 for the K2006A and under $95 for the K2006C. If you can't find that, wait a day.

    + Here are links to the kits we recommend (you can check local availability on the HTH kit, using the Walmart link):
    HTH 6-Way Test Kit @ Walmart
    Taylor K2006A (3/4 oz bottles) @ Amazon
    Taylor K2006C (2 oz bottles) @ Amazon

+ Reply to Thread

Similar Threads

  1. High CYA, High Alkalinity - everything else fine
    By distressedpool in forum Dealing with Algae & Slime
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 08-21-2012, 04:16 PM
  2. High PH and Low Alkalinity?
    By Neo Seeker in forum Dealing with Alkalinity and Calcium
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 05-23-2012, 09:38 PM
  3. Low PH -- High Alkalinity
    By davenlu2000 in forum Testing and Adjusting Pool Water Chemistry
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 09-25-2006, 04:21 PM
  4. Risks with high alkalinity?
    By Rangeball in forum Dealing with Alkalinity and Calcium
    Replies: 62
    Last Post: 08-15-2006, 09:25 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts