Dealing with scale problem

[beaverplt]

Hi all, I've just opened my 25,000 in ground pool. The first thing I did was shock it and add some algaecide to clear it up. Testing my water this morning (with a test strip) I found that my PH was normal but my TA and Hardness were both very high. Previously when my TA was high, my PH was also. This is a first for me. I'm new to this forum, but I've learned by searching around that;
A: testing with a strip is not the best way to manage pool chemistry.
B: My problem is not unusual.
C: TA takes a while to lower.

I read the link in "Pool Solutions" by Ben Powell about lowering TA. He says to use small doses of acid and to aerate the pool. My questions are, what is a "small dose" for a 25,000 gallon pool? How often do I add the dosage? How often do I test?
Thanks all

[CarlD]

We cannot recommend you take that step unless we know something about your pool situation.
Is it a hard-sided or vinyl lined pool?
What is your chlorine level?
What is your pH reading?
Your T/A reading?
Your CH Reading?
and your Stabilizer/CYA reading?

If you have a vinyl pool and your T/A is, say 180, you are fine. Vinyl pools only become problematic when T/A approaches 200 and CH is over 400, at which point it gets cloudy. But a concrete/tile or plaster pool you need to keep TA below 120-125 and CH between 200 and 400.

[beaverplt]

Sorry, Took a while to reply. (Darn job gets in the way) I forgot the details. My pool is vinyl lined. Keep in mind that I've been testing with test strips, so my numbers won't be accurate. My chlorine levels are nil. PH is at 7.2. TA is over 240. I'm guessing CH is hardness? That's at 400. My CYA reading is in the normal color range, but I forget the numbers.

[PoolDoc]

1. Read http://pool9.net/alk-step/. That will explain how to fix the problem. Read http://pool9.net/ma/, which will tell you how to safely handle muriatic acid.

2. Order a K2006 http://pool9.net/testkit/; you'll need it to manage the process as you get close to the end.

Welcome to the forum!

[beaverplt]

Thanks for the links. The one thing missing though (unless I missed it) is how much acid to add and how often. When I had a problem with high PH and TA a few years ago, the local pool dealer told me to add 1/2 gallon of acid twice a day and keep the pump running 24/7. I've started the process using that advice. With the PH being normal I've added a submersible pump and aimed the return jets upward to aerate the water.

[PoolDoc]

I'm not sure how many gallons you have, but 1/2 gallon is a lot for most pools.

I don't care what your dealer told you; do NOT dose by "X amount on Y interval"! Test your pH, and hold it to 6.8 - 7.0 by adding acid AS NEEDED!

Low pH (<6.0) will damage ALL types of pools.

[beaverplt]

Two years ago, We had a "gusher" of a leak in a return line and lost a lot of water quickly. To make a long story short, we bypassed our iron filter (which was failing at the time also) and water softener to refill the pool more quickly. I was not very vigilant at testing the water because I was spending more time digging down to and repairing the line. We have very hard water and the result of all this is our vinyl liner is about 70% covered in white scale. We tried a powder (I don't remember the name of it) that the pool dealer recommended to soften it. It barely touched it with the main benefit being my hardness decreased quickly. Of course the scale gives algae a great foothold and I'm fighting that right now also. Through my last thread I've managed to greatly improve my pool chemistry, but how do I deal with that much scale?

My test readings this morning using an HTH 6 way kit gave me these three readings.
Chlorine (using the color chart) 9 ppm
TA 110
PH 7.2
When I tested for hardness, the sample turned yellow after I put in the 5 drops of indicator and swirled it. I have no idea what that means. Last week it tested at 210. Is my water suddenly too soft? Is the kit defective?

Considering that we have algae clinging to the scale I added 2 gallons of 12.5% chlorine to raise the chlorine level. What should I do from here?
Thanks

[PoolDoc]

+ Watch the Taylor videos, or at least the 2 calcium ones, and then retest:

http://pool9.net/tk-guide/
http://pool9.net/tk-interfere/

+ Order a K2006 -- you're gonna need it! http://pool9.net/tk/

+ Use bleach to keep your chlorine in the DARK yellow OTO range, till ALL traces of algae are gone.

[beaverplt]

Hi. Thanks for the links and advice. Thanks to this forum and the advice I've gotten, It seems I am on the right path. Keeping the chlorine in the dark yellow to orange area has been helpful. Brushing 1 - 2 times a day along with running our Dolphin has loosened some of the scale and along with it taken out algae with it. Here is my problem, While I fully intend to get a K2006 kit, some recent issues with other household problems have stretched our budget farther than we'd like. It's an expense that will have to wait. In the meantime, My HTH kit, while maybe not the most desirable, is still better than dip strips and will need to do for now. This takes me back to my question on the yellow color test result. Nothing in the HTH instruction guide deals with that result. Has anyone had this experience with the HTH kit? One thought that comes to mind is the high chlorine level. Could that mess with the test result?

[PoolDoc]

Here's a rough color chart for high ranges with OTO: http://pool9.net/oto-chart/

As far as I know, I'm the only one who has advocated using OTO this way; certainly I've never seen a pool kit with color block for the high range.

I'll help where I can, but you have to understand: no matter what your budget is, your pool will NOT forgive you. And it will cost far, far more to clean up, than to avoid problems.

I'm sure you really want to swim. But you might consider replacing the cover on your pool -- leaving 1/8 exposed, to 'breathe' the gases that form when chlorine breaks down goo. Covering the pool with hurt the algae and GREATLY reduce the chlorine need to eradicate it. That's the only way I know to deal with your situation AND cut expenditures significantly.

You would be able to swim in the late evening, without increasing costs much IF you avoid lotion on the swimmers (chlorine demand) and pee (BIG chlorine demand). You could continue aeration that way, too. Just keep it covered when the sun is shining.

Best wishes.