when do I worry about alkalinity?

Problems relating to pH and total alkalinity.
Increase ph, increase TA. Reduce pH, reduce TA.
pH chemistry advice and techniques for the pool.
the3mcauleys

when do I worry about alkalinity?

Postby the3mcauleys » Thu 27 Mar, 2008 11:55

Our Total Alkalinity is 150 and our PH is 7.2. We have no chlorine but are trying to get the TA and PH correct first before adding chlorine. Is the TA something to be concerned about at 150? Should we just go ahead and add the chlorine? We have a freshly plastered pool and are trying to open it for the season.


chem geek
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Postby chem geek » Thu 27 Mar, 2008 12:06

Definitely go ahead and add the chlorine. There is nothing wrong with the higher TA in terms of adding chlorine or other chemicals. The main problem is that with a higher TA the pH will tend to rise due to outgassing of carbon dioxide (TA is partly a measure of the carbonation of the water -- similar to a carbonated beverage).

After you've got chlorine in the pool, you can lower the TA by following the procedure outlined in this post. You only really have to lower the TA if you find rising pH to be a problem. You should post your other water parameters because if the Calcium Hardness is high, then the higher TA with higher pH can lead to scaling.

Richard

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