PH Problems

[Ccrowel]

[h=2]PH Problems[/h]

This is our first pool season and we are continually adding PH Minus. We are going through almost 20- 40lbs a month of PH Minus. Every few days we test our water with a swimline hydrotools test kit and the PH is always above 8. Everything else seems to be inline so we are not sure what to do. The PH Minus seems to bring it down to the right level but it doesn't last. Please advise. Thank you!​

 

[PAGirl]

SWG's and new plaster tend to push PH up. I'm not familiar with your tester, what type is it? (Like digital, strips, etc.) most people here use muriatic acid to lower PH. It can be found in the paint department or pool section of home improvement stores.

A lower TA can help.

Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

 

[smackdab]

Dry acid adds sulfates which can attack concrete starting somewhere around 300 ppm, I think. Just 40 lbs of dry acid in a pool your size has added about 238 ppm of sulfates so I think I would switch over to using muriatic acid which is cheaper.

Swimline hydrotools test kit is a droped based 4 way test kit: chlorine (OTO), ph, ta, & chlorine nuetralizer. So really it is a 3 way test kit. Your missing the chlorine (fas-dpd), CYA and CH test, which you need. The taylor K-2006, TF-50, or TF-100 test kits have what you need.

Is your plaster new?

The swg and waterfall is creating aeration which also will cause the pH to rise. What is your TA level?

 

[Jaimslaw]

Per others, it would be helpful to post whether your pool was refinished within the last year; and if you have any waterfalls and/or a spa with multiple spillways, as either or both will cause PH numbers to creep up faster than those who do not have a lot of these water features (creating aeration, which drives up PH).

Two suggestions, one being to read on this site, how to lower your TA levels to around 60 ppm (and doing so with muriatic acid, not the PH minus), which will help with the rising PH levels. The second suggestion: explore investing in an automated acid feeder set up (numerous posts about this, as well as costs). This will allow a daily injection of smaller quantities of acid to control PH levels as opposed to what might be your method of testing PH and adding it once a week (ie the weekend). I found my acid consumption to control the rising Ph was much less with the daily/incremental addition of acid - via the automated acid injection- than when I would test and add my acid all at once on the weekend.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Hi there Ccrowel, welcome to TFPs

As others have mentioned, your new pool is still curing its plaster so that makes the pH rise. Along with that your SWG and your sheer descent both cause increased pH due to aeration.

I would also suggest you get a better test kit. Its the MOST important pool tool you can have and will save you beaucoup bucks in the end. I suggest for a big pool like yours you look at the TF-100 with a added Speed Stir device. Both available from TFTestkits.net They ship fast out of NC so if you ordered it today you'd have it by the end of the week, I bet.

Go with Muriatic Acid (found in the paint department of my Lowes) as its a much better choice for lowering pH than the more expensive pH Down product pool stores sell. In fact, our pool care methods here mean we rarely go to pool stores for our chemicals. We teach you how to get the best results from simple chemicals found in your local grocery or hardware store.

Have you seen this? --> ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

 

[drimran]

My pool is just over a year old and I've had same problem with rising Ph, how long does it take for plaster to cure?
I'm going through a gal of MA every 2 weeks.
My TA is 80

Thank you.


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[YippeeSkippy]

Try turning off any water features (that waterfall for example) and see if that helps your pH stabilize. Just run the waterfall briefly each day to flush the lines then turn off.
Also try dropping your TA to 70, perhaps even 60 and seeing how that effects your pH and be mindful of your CSI (using PoolMath)

 

[Ccrowel]

Ok... Thank you for the response. The test kit I use is drops and TA is at 80 right now. I will try muriatic acid.

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Yes plaster is new. It was finished in Oct of last year.


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Thank you for all of your help. I will look into it!