New to hot tubs high ph question low TA

[redalert001]

Hi I am a newbie and just filled a fantasy entice hot tub 275 gallons after installing an ozonator I also did two purges. The first purge was in secondary water with a purge recommended by the manufacturer I drained and refilled the spa with secondary water (the hot tub came with the house and I thought the hot tub was just dirty I didn’t realize the previous owners were using secondary water but I found the city water!). Then I found out about ahhsome on this website and I found the regular hose bib to the city water so I did a treatment of ahhsome but it didn’t say to do a drain and refill so I just drained the water and filled the hot tub back up. I have been trying to get my ph down the last two days and wanted to see if I am on the right track as I am not sure what color is displaying on the ph scale I think it’s between 7.8 and 7.5 but I’m not sure at all I have attached pictures though. I also linked to pool math I have been tracking everything being very careful let me know if I didn’t link it correctly. I have been following these steps. Just seem to be stuck on the ph lowering for the last two days as I got my TA down fine it’s at 40 right now but my PH still seems high but maybe it’s okay? I attached photos of my ph. I am a little nervous about what I am going to wake up to tomorrow. I just want to say a big thank you as this website has been super helpful and I bought the tf-pro kit with magnetic stir and felt prepared before putting in chemicals but know I’m getting a lil anxious! Thanks ahead of time!

Link to my pool math

PoolMath Logs

 

[redalert001]

Just tested TA it was 20 so I put in 1.9oz of baking soda as directed by pool math.

 

[JoeSelf]

You don't want TA below 50. Anything between 7.2 and 7.8 is fine. Wait about 15 20 minutes after jets are run to test PH. You should find a TA where your PH will settle in.

 

[Mdragger88]

What is secondary water? Grey water?

 

[redalert001]

What is secondary water? Grey water?

It looks like lake water it comes from a dam or reservoir I’m told I just moved so its new to me as well the secondary water is used for sprinklers for the grass and I am told its free.

 

[redalert001]

You don't want TA below 50. Anything between 7.2 and 7.8 is fine. Wait about 15 20 minutes after jets are run to test PH. You should find a TA where your PH will settle in.

This is now day five of fighting with the PH and TA. I will attach pictures of my PH. I am not sure what ph level it is but I think it’s 8 or more? TA is 40. I am debating just dumping the water tomorrow and starting over unless I am reading the ph level wrong. I know I need to add more baking soda to raise my TA to 50 but I know based off past experiences so far it will push the PH past 8. I can’t seem to get the TA and PH to tango. I am now worried that all the ph down I’ve added that the sulfates are going to cause problems as I tested the CH yesterday and it was 225. Can test CH tomorrow if anyone thinks it’s a problem.

Is there a more accurate way to test PH? I am not concerned about cost at this point.

 

[redalert001]

I just want to reiterate that I’m having a hard time reading the ph. I just want confirmation on what my photos of my ph are reading to others.

I have also switched to four drops instead of five as mentioned in this forum for help in better reading the PH.

 

[Mdragger88]

It looks more like 8ish to me but hard to tell with shadows -i like to use a blank white page on my phone as the backlit background. Add a tiny dab of soda to get to 50 ta and then only enough acid for ph to remain in high 7’s when needed
- add 50ppm borates via boric acid to help moderate ph rise.
Also be sure you’re checking ph when the tub is calm.
Adjust your circulation intervals if you can to help reduce aeration as well as making sure you have the proper water level (covering jets) to reduce standby turbulence

 

[mknauss]

It looks like lake water it comes from a dam or reservoir I’m told I just moved so its new to me as well the secondary water is used for sprinklers for the grass and I am told its free.

Ditch water we called it in Colorado. Was diverted directly from the Colorado River. So might have some sediment (if you had sprinklers you needed a sediment filter and pump).

 

[Mdragger88]

Ph will always be rising in a spa - its just a fact of life. *The ozonator is also aerating the water.

 

[JoeSelf]

You can turn off the air unless you are using the spa, if you are able. This will help keep PH down.

 

[redalert001]

It looks more like 8ish to me but hard to tell with shadows -i like to use a blank white page on my phone as the backlit background. Add a tiny dab of soda to get to 50 ta and then only enough acid for ph to remain in high 7’s when needed
- add 50ppm borates via boric acid to help moderate ph rise.
Also be sure you’re checking ph when the tub is calm.
Adjust your circulation intervals if you can to help reduce aeration as well as making sure you have the proper water level (covering jets) to reduce standby turbulence

I dumped the water yesterday and did an another cleaning of ahh some then refilled the spa again to rinse then filled back up with water. I got my TA down to 50 but my PH still looks a little high? I attached a picture. I also brought muractic acid 31.45% yesterday at ace hardware and ditched the dry acid.

 

[mknauss]

pH is in the mid 7's. No purple which would be 8.

 

[redalert001]

pH is in the mid 7's. No purple which would be 8.

Okay great thank you so much truly appreciate it! I just tested my tap water again and it’s the same color as the picture I posted.

On a separate note I read on here when counting the color change that the true count is when the color no longer changes?

For example, when testing TA with the TF-pro kit I put in a single drop at a time. The fourth count the color changes from green to gray. The fifth drop changes to a solid pink. The sixth drop changes to a lighter pink. Then no color change with seventh drop. Is my TA 50 or 60? Based on reading on here it looks like the no color change would be a TA of 60?

 

[mknauss]

Based on reading on here it looks like the no color change would be a TA of 60?

correct

 

[redalert001]

correct

On to the addition of dichlor to achieve sanitation following this method. I am confused do I first add 34ppm dichlor to get a CYA of 30? Then, as a next step add more dichlor to get 10ppm FC? Or am I suppose to be adding 34ppm dichlor over several days to get both the CYA and the FC up together? Not sure if I need to get CYA up first then work on the FC separately. Thanks ahead of time.

 

[mknauss]

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[JoeSelf]

Add it over several days as you use the tub. Track your additions in pool math. .5 tablespoon adds 5 FC & 5 CYA in my tub. When I add dichlor I add 5 CYA in a test log for CYA, so 3rd add would go from 10 to 15.

 

[redalert001]

Spa & Hot Tub Maintenance A Basic Guide

Hot Tub Maintenance can be done easy with a few tricks. Hot tub chemicals, rashes, and schedules are all covered in this easy to grasp article.

www.troublefreepool.com

Thanks again! I actually read that before filling up the spa the first time but that was more than a month ago so forgot about the article, I apologize! I bought gentle spa to add borates to the spa as directed in the article I referenced I was following when filling up the spa. The article also advises 50ppm borates is the ideal level. The back of the bottle says 6 ounces for every 200 gallons. My spa is 275 gallons based on that math I would add 8.25 oz?

I did some further reading , Borate in pool - further reading, and now I’m wondering if I should ditch the Pro team gentle spa and buy some DudaDiesel as I didn’t know there was another choice until I read, borate in pool - further reading article.

If I should proceed with Pro team gentle spa should I add 8.25 oz or 6oz like the bottle states? The link is broken to the pool math app in the “Borate in pool - further reading” article. Also, in the pool math app I do not see any section for borates therefore I am just confused on how much to put in. I only see borates under add chemical in the app but that doesn’t tell me how much to add just to keep a track record of it.

Last question! How high should the water be filled in the spa. I have a floating ring skimmer hole that varies height with the water level. I saw somewhere on here 2-3 inches up to the skimmer hole. I called and did a video chat with the manufacturer yesterday and they said I could drain an inch of water if I really wanted as I told them the lounge seat was not useable for my spouse (6’1”) nor I (5’4”). I have called them previously on recommend water level they stated all the way up to the skimmer hole which I did but then upon first use the lounge seat was unusable. The water level on me in the lounge seat was above my chin. Just wondering if there’s a golden rule on here as well for height of water in the spa in reference to the skimmer hole. I am just confused if water is suppose to be going into the hole 24/7 or just filter cycles or just on the highest jet setting maybe I need to call the manufacturer back on Monday. I attached pictures of the current water level on the skimmer when it was on a filter cycle therefore the jets are running on low.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[Mdragger88]

The gentle spa is a mix of
Tetraborate Pentahydrate (20/30%) & boric acid (70-80%)
It is mostly boric acid.
They are both listed as chemicals in poolmath

Since its a mix Just use the directions on the bottle and call it good until the next fill. You can attempt to do the math but 4oz per 150 gallons should yield you about 30 ppm borates. Those are the instructions on the website

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You have a floating weir- for it to function as designed water should be just over it. With The recommended water level in my tub there’s about 1/2 inch of water over mine.