pH and shocking

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PoolGai

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Jun 3, 2011
18
Hi All-

My pH tends to run on the high side of the scale, usually around 7.8, I believe mainly because I have a SWG. My question is this: is it better to use a tri-chlor shock such as Leslie's Genesishttp://www.lesliespool.com/Home/Pool-Chemicals/Pool-Shock/12509.html vs. any type of shock that's made of calcium hypochlorite, which I understand can also contribute to the pH rising, or will does it really matter? I guess the only way I can find out is to test before and after and see how much it contributes in either direction....I was just curious if anyone has similar experiences with SW and shocking...

Thanks again.
 
Why would you ever need to shock with a SWG? It's automatic, you can't run out of chlorox or forget to dump it in! And if something does go wrong and you do need to shock, plain ol' bleach will get the FC up. And all it leaves behind is salt, which your water is full of already!

If the FC never drops below minimum for your CYA level, you won't get algae, and you don't need to shock.

Sounds to me like you need a test kit and a little time in Pool School.

To lower pH, you need muriatic acid, not shock, not some overpriced fancy-packaged cure-all from the pool store.
 
Right now I'm shocking because I have an issue with my aquapure sensor and am waiting for a replacement part so that I can begin producing chlorine again - sorry I forgot to mention this. I know you need to lower pH with muriatic acid; my question was if I needed to use a shock, and because my pool runs high on the pH scale, which would be best to use one that is composed of tri-chlor, which I understand can lower pH and add to your CYA level, or calcium hypochlorite?

My Taylor 2006K test kit will be here today and I'll be able to test with consistency. I'm certain I my CYA levels are on the low end so I believe once I get those up, I'll be in much better shape. I should be able to post them later tonight or tomorrow.
 
Trichlor is never good to use when shocking because it dissolves too slowly. If you need to add a lot of chlorine, and a lot of CYA, and lower the PH, then you could shock with dichlor. But it is uncommon to need to add that much CYA.

Cal-hypo doesn't raise the PH, it simply doesn't lower the PH the way dichlor and trichlor do. I find it much simpler to maintain the PH with muriatic acid, instead of using products that do several things at once, often not in the correct proportions.
 
ganderking said:
Right now I'm shocking because I have an issue with my aquapure sensor and am waiting for a replacement part so that I can begin producing chlorine again - sorry I forgot to mention this. I know you need to lower pH with muriatic acid; my question was if I needed to use a shock, and because my pool runs high on the pH scale, which would be best to use one that is composed of tri-chlor, which I understand can lower pH and add to your CYA level, or calcium hypochlorite?

My Taylor 2006K test kit will be here today and I'll be able to test with consistency. I'm certain I my CYA levels are on the low end so I believe once I get those up, I'll be in much better shape. I should be able to post them later tonight or tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Test results will definitely help choose which product wisely. Knowing CYA and CH levels is vital, so you aren't making a problem worse.
 
Ok, so I finally got my Taylor 2006K Test Kit in the mail and ran all of the tests tonight. I feel a lot more confident over using the test strips and taking the sample to the pool store.

FC = 3.5
CC= 0.0
TC = 3.5
pH = 7.5
TA = 110
CH = 175
CYA = 35 (added 4lbs of stabilizer for a new target of 55)

So the only number, from my research, that appears to be low is the CH. Is there any need for me to raise this up? And initially my TA was around 77 and the local pool store suggested I raise that to help with the pH fluctuations.

My other post, where I asked about my stains, now makes a lot more sense and I know I def. have scaling in my pool. I got in tonight and they felt like tiny little bumps all over the bottom and some of the sides. Jason suggested I get Jack's Magic The Blue Stuff but when I called them, they suggested the Magenta Stuff (formulated for salt water pools). I'll have this on Friday, add it in and try to keep my pH on the lower scale for a few weeks...hopefully all of that stuff brushes off and dissipates eventually.
 
I never even considered that, good idea. I'm pretty sure I have naturally hard water since it's so difficult to get soap to foam! I'll check it tomorrow to be sure. Did my other numbers look good?
 
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