The Long Road in Trying to Lower TA

[polyvue]

Also, I don't think your tap water has a CC of 3.5. Try that test again.

This level does seem unlikely. My tap water (in Sacramento) consistently measures pH 8.0, FC 1.0 and CC <= .2

But I remember that chem geek posted somewhere that his water utility (SF Bay Area) adds ammonia to the water supply (converts to monochloramine) for sanitation. Pretty sure that he also reported the level of CCs but I cannot locate the post. If the test result is repeatable, try contacting your water supplier in N. Virginia for a report.

[chem geek]

The monochloramine level, which shows up as CC, is 1.2 ppm in my tap water. It is possible that a reading of 3.5 is accurate, though that does seem high since usually water districts target 1-2 ppm for the monochloramine level (for those that use monochloramine for a residual in the distribution system; some are still using chlorine which registers as FC).