Lowering TA with Dry Acid Or Muriatic Acid

[sam98177]

I'm having problems with the pH being at the higher limit and the TA being too high:

Here's my test results from this morning:

FC = 6
CC = .2
pH = 7.8
TA = 200
CH = 300
CYA = 35

I posted earlier results in another thread, but I think I should have posted them here. I seem to can't lower the pH and TA much. I haven't tried the acid stuff yet.

Yesterday morning, my FC = .4 and the CC = .2 My floatie was almost empty and I added the pucks.

I'm using 4 3" Pace Pucks in a floatie, and I shocked the pool yesterday afternoon, with a 1.75 gallon of Clorox.

Anyways, I'm trying to get the TA and pH down to a better reading. I've seen the posts on how to do such.

My questions are: How much acid do I use at a time to decrease the pH and TA.

Where is the best place to get the dry acid. I know where to get the liquid acid, but I think I need the dry acid because I have a fiberglass pool, or is does it really matter?

I have DE filter, which was completely washed and filled with new back in May or early June.

After I can realize my pH and TA at a lower reading, I'm going to do the aeration thing. I like the valve jig that Aquarium made. I'll do something similar too. My return lines dont have threads, so I'll figure something out.

Thanks,

Sam

[waterbear]

I'm having problems with the pH being at the higher limit and the TA being too high:

Here's my test results from this morning:

FC = 6
CC = .2
pH = 7.8
TA = 200
CH = 300
CYA = 35

I posted earlier results in another thread, but I think I should have posted them here. I seem to can't lower the pH and TA much. I haven't tried the acid stuff yet.
Adding acid is the ONLY way to lower pH and TA.
Yesterday morning, my FC = .4 and the CC = .2 My floatie was almost empty and I added the pucks.

I'm using 4 3" Pace Pucks in a floatie, and I shocked the pool yesterday afternoon, with a 1.75 gallon of Clorox.
Be ware of the pace tabs. They contain copper!
Anyways, I'm trying to get the TA and pH down to a better reading. I've seen the posts on how to do such.

My questions are: How much acid do I use at a time to decrease the pH and TA.
How big is your pool? A good rule of thumb is to add a pint for each 10000 gallons of water (with pump running), wait about 30 minutes and test the pH. Repeat until pH is where you want it.
Where is the best place to get the dry acid. I know where to get the liquid acid, but I think I need the dry acid because I have a fiberglass pool, or is does it really matter?
You can use muriatic acid in a fiberglass (or any type) of pool and it is actually preferable to dry acid (sodium bisulfate, pH down, pH minus, etc.) since it will not add any sulfates to the water. You can get dry acid at any pool store or in the pool dept of such places as Walmart, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Lowes, etc.

Dry acid is 'nicer' to use (no fumes) but it is much more expensive and not as effective (you need a LOT more of it). It really is just as dangerous as the muriatic acid, it just doesn't fume.
I have DE filter, which was completely washed and filled with new back in May or early June.

After I can realize my pH and TA at a lower reading, I'm going to do the aeration thing. I like the valve jig that Aquarium made. I'll do something similar too. My return lines dont have threads, so I'll figure something out.
If you want to lower TA then drop your pH to 7.0, test your TA and start aerating. Monitor the pH and when it starts to rise drop it back down to 7.0 and test the TA. Keep this up until the TA is where you want it when you test and then stop adding any more acid and just aerate until the pH climbs back up to 7.6.
Thanks,

Sam

Hope this helps.

[TheG$]

So what effect would an in line "ozonotar" have on the aeration process? (In other words assume I need to Lower TA a lot but need to keep pH where she is now basically).

My assumption is, it is already performing that aeration to a large degree. But not knowing how the introduction of O3 may effect the offgas of Co2, I am not sure. Thoughts?

[chem geek]

The ozone will get converted to oxygen gas rather quickly and will essentially outgas oxygen from the pool (and such oxygen bubbles will pull carbon dioxide from the pool) since it is already saturated in oxygen (from being in equilibrium with oxygen in the air). I do not know the rate of ozone generation in a typical ozonator so can't comment on how good it is at aeration compared to an SWG. You could certainly try the TA lowering process with the ozonator off and on at different times and compare the rate of TA lowering. It's clearly going to be better with it on than off -- I just don't know by how much.

Richard