Rising PH and spillover

[Dilbydog]

Hello again,
I don’t know if this post is best placed here or in the plumbing sub forum, but here I go. I’ve just about dialed in our (new to us) pool and spa. However, I am still fighting high TA levels and rising PH levels. I’m fairly certain the PH is being driven by the spillover from the spa to the pool, and here is my conundrum:

The pool and spa return is via an in-floor system, a 5 port Caretaker. Four zones feed the pool pop-ups and one zone feeds the spa. Every time the spa zone is activated the spa spills over into the pool. The spa does have a main drain. Is there a way I can adjust my valves such that the spa doesn’t spillover into the pool, yet still receives proper circulation? Or will I just be addressing the rising PH into perpetuity?

Thank you,
Dill

 

[mknauss]

Your only return to your pool is via the Caretaker?

If so, then you might try adjusting your three way valve on your spa/pool suction split to pull just a smidge from the spa. Then when the Caretaker puts water into the spa it will fill back up and might spillover a bit.

You say your TA is high. How high? It will drive your pH up too. Just keep adding acid to get our pH back to 7.6 from 8.0 and the TA should drop. If you want to force the TA down, follow this Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity

 

[Dilbydog]

TA started out over 200 and were in the 160 range right now.

 

[mknauss]

I would suggest getting a gallon of acid and spending a day driving that TA down.

Read through the link.

I drop the TA in our pool when we exchange to fresh water (due to high CH). I crank up my pump to high RPM and put full return to the spa and returns from the pool. Drop the pH to 7.2 and then check in a couple hours and my pH is up to 8. Repeat. Might take longer with your larger volume.

 

[Dilbydog]

That’s been my last few weekends (less the spa jets). Everything I’ve read says that TA will fall slowly, and to just keep pushing the PH back to 7.2, let it rise. Repeat. It’s been two weekends of a gallon of MA but the TA is crawling down.

 

[mknauss]

It is correct you can just do it the slow way. If you are around all the time it works great.

Take are.

 

[Jimrahbe]

dd,

Spillovers cause more of a problem when they run all the time, not just now and again..

How often does the spa pop up come on and how long is the spillover being run?

I think getting your TA down will help control your pH problems.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dilbydog]

Jim,
I’d say the spa zone runs for 20 seconds per cycle, I run my system for (2) three hour blocks per day. So in total there’s somewhere in the neighborhood of 72 minutes of spill over per day. If the math and stopwatch in my head are accurate.

 

[Jimrahbe]

dd,

Then I don't think the spillover is your main issue.

As Marty points out, adding MA once a day is not going to reduce your TA much at all... When I do it, it takes me a day or two, of testing and adding acid, and testing again every three hours or so and doing it all over again. For me anyway, the first few doses lowers TA just a little, but as the day goes on, the change seems to be greater each time. I usually try to get below where I want to be, as the TA reading seems to spring up 10 ppm pretty quickly.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dilbydog]

dd,

Then I don't think the spillover is your main issue.

As Marty points out, adding MA once a day is not going to reduce your TA much at all... When I do it, it takes me a day or two, of testing and adding acid, and testing again every three hours or so and doing it all over again. For me anyway, the first few doses lowers TA just a little, but as the day goes on, the change seems to be greater each time. I usually try to get below where I want to be, as the TA reading seems to spring up 10 ppm pretty quickly.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Got it. I’ll fire up the spa jets and see what I can address over the long weekend.

 

[blay127]

Please keep us posted on your results. I too am fighting a similar fight with rising ph due to a spillover. However my TA is "in range" and ph is still rising. Thanks for posting