Vinyl liner, high TA, high PH, 50 lbs. Acid little change

Problems relating to pH and total alkalinity.
Increase ph, increase TA. Reduce pH, reduce TA.
pH chemistry advice and techniques for the pool.
blackbart10
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My Pool: 30' round rigid above ground vinyl liner 1.5hp pump 200lb. sand filter, 36000gal salt generator.
Location: N. CA

Vinyl liner, high TA, high PH, 50 lbs. Acid little change

Postby blackbart10 » Thu 27 Jun, 2013 14:30

Hi, Been reading different replies but can't seem to make much sense out of them. I have a 22000 gal 4 foot deep vinyl liner pool. Starting tests showed TA at 270 ppm and Ph at 7.8. After adding over 50 lbs. of dry acid over the course of a week the TA has dropped to 240 ppm and ph is still 7.8. I need to know what to do, at this rate it will take a lot of time and acid. please help. Thanks Matt


Denniswiseman
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Vinyl liner, high TA, high PH, 50 lbs. Acid little change

Postby Denniswiseman » Fri 28 Jun, 2013 11:09

Use muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) to reduce your TA and PH then aerate to raise the PH up
This has been well documented in this forum
blackbart10
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu 27 Jun, 2013 14:12
My Pool: 30' round rigid above ground vinyl liner 1.5hp pump 200lb. sand filter, 36000gal salt generator.
Location: N. CA

Vinyl liner, high TA, high PH, 50 lbs. Acid little change

Postby blackbart10 » Fri 28 Jun, 2013 11:12

Thanks for the reply, the pool store says not to use muriatic acid with a vinyl liner, is that true? what's the best way to add it, how much at a time?
chem geek
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Vinyl liner, high TA, high PH, 50 lbs. Acid little change

Postby chem geek » Fri 28 Jun, 2013 11:58

You follow the procedure in this post. It doesn't matter whether you use dry acid or Muriatic Acid. For plaster pools, one wants to be careful about using too much dry acid as sulfates can be a problem for plaster, but in vinyl pools it doesn't matter. As for the danger to vinyl, ANY strong acid is a problem if it settles on the liner -- dry acid is no safer in this regard. However, people can usually see if dry acid isn't dissolved whereas with Muriatic Acid people don't notice if it has pooled at the bottom so that's the main difference and reason for what pool stores recommend.

There should be no problem using Muriatic Acid if you add it slowly over a return flow at the deep end with the pump running and you lightly brush the sides and bottom of the pool where you add the acid to ensure thorough mixing. You just want to prevent any pooling of acid which can only happen if it does not get thoroughly mixed. Once mixed, it stays mixed -- it does not later separate.
Denniswiseman
Pool Industry Leader
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Posts: 2592
Joined: Tue 06 Sep, 2011 05:48
My Pool: 10k inground fibreglass, Telescopic Cover, Hayward Powerline pump, Quality filter with glass media, 27kw output heat pump, K-2006C test kit
Location: United Kingdom

Vinyl liner, high TA, high PH, 50 lbs. Acid little change

Postby Denniswiseman » Fri 28 Jun, 2013 12:38

A good idea is to vacuum the pool after spreading it around so as to suck up any pooled acid and recirculate
You can also dilute it before pouring it in
blackbart10
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu 27 Jun, 2013 14:12
My Pool: 30' round rigid above ground vinyl liner 1.5hp pump 200lb. sand filter, 36000gal salt generator.
Location: N. CA

Vinyl liner, high TA, high PH, 50 lbs. Acid little change

Postby blackbart10 » Sat 29 Jun, 2013 23:19

Thanks a lot, muriatic acid $7 a gallon at local hardware store. On the right track now.
Denniswiseman
Pool Industry Leader
Pool Industry Leader
Posts: 2592
Joined: Tue 06 Sep, 2011 05:48
My Pool: 10k inground fibreglass, Telescopic Cover, Hayward Powerline pump, Quality filter with glass media, 27kw output heat pump, K-2006C test kit
Location: United Kingdom

Vinyl liner, high TA, high PH, 50 lbs. Acid little change

Postby Denniswiseman » Sun 30 Jun, 2013 02:49

Be careful with it as it is pretty noxious
Wear some type of rubber/vinyl/latex gloves
Use in a well ventilated area
Don't breathe the fumes
Dilute and wash away any spills with water
Good luck

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