Question about raising pH

Jump to latest Follow Reply
R

radiation

0
May 21, 2009
25
I have a question about raising low pH. My current readings are:

FC: 1
pH: 6.8
TA: 110
CYA: 50

I have added 3lbs. of pH raiser but the pH level is not increasing (the reading above was taken about 2 hours after adding the pH raiser and is basically the same as the reading taken before adding the pH raiser). Is there something I am missing?
 
What's the active ingredient in the pH raiser?

I'm getting different answers from different parts of the Pool Calculator. In the Effects of Adding Chemicals section, for 25K gal it says 48 oz soda ash raises pH by .42; but up in the pH row, going from 6.8 to 7.2 it says use 116 oz (7lb). :scratch:
--paulr
 
You can use Jason's Pool Calculator to see the "Effects of Adding Chemicals" near the bottom of the page.

ie, 3 lbs of borax would raise the pH in your pool aqppx. .21, probably not enough to be able to to distinguish on the pH test.

I would use borax to raise your pH, and not soda ash. Borax has less effect on you TA.

Also, many pH scales read 6.8 even tho the pH could actually be lower.
 
btw, your FC is too low! With a CYA of 50, your FC range is 4 to 6 and never below 4 :wink:

You did not give us a CC or TC. Do you have one of those?

As we often say around here, "Get some bleach in there!"

How are you testing?

Welcome to the forum :wave:
 
I don't have TC or CC. I've got a Pentair test kit. Re: FC, that was going to be my next post...thnx for bringing it up.

My FC was 1 all week. I shocked last night and it went to 5. This morning it was 1 again. The water is crystal clear, no algae, no odor, no cloudiness. Do I keep shocking?
 
two observations, with a TA of 110 you really don't want to be adding sodium carbonate to raise your pH because it will sent your TA through the roof. You are better off using borox or just aerating the water to get the pH to rise.
As for your chlorine test, does the liquid turn red or yellow in the presence of chlorine. If it is the latter you have an OTO test that only measures TC. IF it is the former you have half a DPD test if it can only measure FC and not TC!
In any case you do need a better test kit!
 
First you should raise your pH to about 7.2 using Borax, (yep, the 20 Mule Team stuff in the green box you can find in the Laundry aisle of your grocery store) Use Jason's Pool Calculator to determine the dose and add about half. Circulate for an hour and retest. Continue to add, circulate, and test until you reach your goal pH.

.......... and then shock your pool.

The shock level for your CYA of 50 is about 20. See the CYA/Chlorine Chart, link in my sig.

You can use Jason's Pool Calculator to determine the amount of chlorine to reach shock level, link in my sig.

I agree that you need a better test kit. We only recommend two, the Taylor K2006 and the TF 100 from http://www.TFTESTKITS.net.

Most of us use the TF 100 and love it and you get more bang for your $$, link in my sig.

If you have been using the chlorinator (in your sig), that would explain your pH drop. Also, since your CYA is already at 50, which is the top of the recommended level, I suggest you turn it off and switch to liquid chlorine/bleach.

What is your location?
 
UPDATE: pH is now at 7.2 after adding 3 boxes of borax last night. I then added 4lbs of cal-hypo 78% and FC is over 10 (how can I tell exact level, test kit only goes up to 10?). FC has remained at this level for last 3 or 4 hours. I'm in North Jersey and it's going to be a beautiful day....can I swim with these levels or do I need to do more?

Thanks again for all the help!
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
radiation said:
and FC is over 10 (how can I tell exact level, test kit only goes up to 10?).
Click to expand...
Get a better test kit like we recommend! The FAS-DPD chlorine test can test up to 50 ppm FC with a precision as great as .2 ppm!

pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison

I would also recommend reading the pool school section of the forum (link in the upper right corner of every page and also in my sig) at least twice. You will find it answers a lot of your questions and gives you a better understanding of what is going on in your pool.

As to your Pentair test kit. Once again I ask do you have the one where the color changes to shades of red or shades of yellow when testing chlorine? They make both types.
 
radiation said:
I have ordered the TF100....trying to get things right while I wait for delivery. The Pentair Chlorine test only turns yellow and only goes up to 3. I also have strips that read up to 10.
Click to expand...
the Pentair OTO test only tests total chlorine. The strips are not that reliable at all!
 
ANOTHER UPDATE: I got my TF100 today and here are what I hope are accurate the numbers:

FC: 1.5
CC: 1
pH: 7.0
TA: 200
CH: 400
CYA: 90

I've done the CH and CYA tests twice and both times came out with the same results (unfortunately!). I also plugged the numbers into the pool calculator and read through pool school several times and think I know where to begin but your advice on exactly how to proceed is greatly appreciated!!
 
First decide if you're going to live with the high CYA, or do a partial drain&refill to lower it. If you're draining there's no value in doing anything else first, it just wastes chems. Given that you live in Jersey, most people would think CYA 90 is too high. On the flip side, you're far enough north that you probably drain down some for winter closing? If so you could probably live with it for this season and let it come down in due course.

If you don't drain, then you want to bring up your chlorine ASAP and then work on the TA. In Pool School, look up the CYA/Chlorine chart, and then read up on lowering TA.
--paulr
 
Yes, the water is still clear.

I read and re-read the Chlorine/CYA chart, shocking your pool and lowering TA. I still have two questions:

* will replacing water help lower the TA also?
* isn't the CH high and should I replace water to address that?
 
I've started with the shocking to bring up the FC. Following the Chlorine/CYA chart I targeted a FC of 35 and given my starting point added 14 gallons of bleach. About 45 minutes later I tested and FC was at 25 and CC was at 1.5. Does that mean I did not reach the target of FC of 35 or that it reached that but quickly got consumed back down to 25? Given that it is now at 25 should I add 4 more gallons of bleach to get it back to 35? I assume the answer is yes but just wanted to check.
 
radiation said:
I've started with the shocking to bring up the FC. Following the Chlorine/CYA chart I targeted a FC of 35 and given my starting point added 14 gallons of bleach. About 45 minutes later I tested and FC was at 25 and CC was at 1.5. Does that mean I did not reach the target of FC of 35 or that it reached that but quickly got consumed back down to 25? Given that it is now at 25 should I add 4 more gallons of bleach to get it back to 35? I assume the answer is yes but just wanted to check.
Click to expand...
Yep, bump it up.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply