Phosphate battle

[proximo]

Thank you for all the input! I'm very excited to have all this collective help.

I received my Taylor k-2006 test kit. Wow! What a change - I feel like a mad scientist with all these tests! (evil cackle off in the distance). Anyway here are my results:
FC: 23ppm
CC: 0
PH: 7.2
CYA: 60
TA: 170
CH: 80
Saturation Index: -.45

The FC may be extra high as I just shocked it for the second day in a row the previous night. I used the no-brand 6% chlorine for the first time. The water is clearing up but is still cloudy. I will shock it again tonight. Also I've been steadily trying to lower the PH - it's typically around 7.8 or higher. I'm planning to add the Borax soon to help inhibit algae. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!!!

@kelemvor Our well is pretty slow. I never had to add water in the winter or early spring. I also did a bucket test to see if it was a leak. The water is very warm (East Texas) - around 88-90° right now.

@PoolDoc - I have over the course of the last year added a few algaecides, flocs, pool clarifiers and other expensive junk. I would not be at all surprised that I've worked against the Phosphate removers I was using. The main problem I had with the phosphate removers is that my sand filter would get so clogged up with it that I had to keep backwashing it to keep it running normally. In addition the previous owners were sold an oversized 1.5hp pump - so it's laboring extra hard already. I plan to reduce this to 1hp when it gives out.

Thank you for all the help! It's truly appreciated.

[waterbear]

Before you add the borax and acid for the algastatic effect of borate at 50 ppm work on getting the TA down a bit. Your high TA is why your pH is always on the high side. Here is the reason (warning, it is geeky chemistry stuff):
High TA means a high level of bicarbonate in the water (bicarbonate is the main thing we are measuring when we measure TA--this part of TA is also called "carbonate hardness" or "carbonate alkalinity" or "kH" in water testing other than pool/spa water testing.)
The higher the bicarbonate the faster carbon dioxide will outgas from the water (because at normal pool pH range we have a buffer system of bicarbonate and carbonic acid in the water and carbonic acid is, for our purposes, carbon dioxide dissolved in water, and the higher the bicarbonate level the higher the carbonic acid level to balance it).
Out gassing of CO2 is the main cause of pH rise in a pool (not counting curing new plaster). I hope I have not confused you with this introduction actual chemistry of what is going on! The main point is that if your TA is high your pH is going to rise fast and toward 8.3 and the cure is to lower the TA to slow the pH rise.

At any rate, before adding the borax and acid work on getting the TA down to about 100-120 ppm if you are planning on continued use of your trichlor feeder or to about 70-90 ppm if you are switching to bleach as your main chlorine source (probably a good idea with CYA at 60 ppm!)

Lowering TA is a process so when you are ready for it let us know and we can walk you through it. In the meantime you can read up on it.

[proximo]

Thanks for the help, waterbear. I assume regular doses of muriatic acid are the best way to do this? I have been adding a pint or two in the morning and evening. Is there any danger of getting the PH too low before we hit the target TA range?

Does the use of trichlor tabs contribute to too high TA levels? If I stop using the chlorine feeder will I just have to add bleach every day?

[aylad]

The use of trichlor tabs doesn't contribute to too high TA levels--it's CYA levels you have to worry about with a feeder. Trichlor tabs also are very acidic, so most folks have to make sure that they don't drive the pH too low, but that doesn't sound like a problem for your pool

Here's the method for lowering TA:
http://www.poolsolutions.com/gd/lowe...p-by-step.html

[waterbear]

Here's the method for lowering TA:
http://www.poolsolutions.com/gd/lowe...p-by-step.html

Lowering TA is a process so when you are ready for it let us know and we can walk you through it. In the meantime you can read up on it.

Great minds think alike!