pH is high..help

[julie492]

Here are my numbers from this evening:

FC 6.5
CC 0
TC 6.5
pH 8.2
TA 140
CH 300
CYA 30

No algae signs. There is scaling...mostly like cracked egg shells when I scrape it off. Not on the liner..but its on the inside of the filter compartment and where the intake and return are. I'm thinking its the powdery residue in the pool most likely from the stabilizer two weeks ago. I've cleaned all the scaly stuff though. Still a lot of residue on bottom of pool though. Will a sand filter do a lot better job of filter all the fine powdery residue than those cheap paper cartridges I buy for the crappy pump/filter??

What can I do to lower the pH? Powder does not seem to dissolve in this water..so I hate to go adding anything powdery or granular since I'm dealing with residue already.

 

[PaulR]

The scaling is because your pH, TA, and CH are all high.

Muriatic acid (from hardware store paint dept) is liquid so you won't have problems dissolving it. But it is POTENT stuff, pour slowly in front of a return jet with the pump on. Many of us use rubber gloves when handling the stuff. It can give off unpleasant fumes, you'll be happier if you can arrange to be upwind of the measuring cup. You probably want to get a plastic measuring cup that you use only for pool chemicals.

You'll need about 4 cups of it to lower your pH down to 7.5.

You also might want to read about Lowering TA so this is less likely to happen again.
--paulr

 

[257WbyMag]

You'll find that most of us here tend to use the muriatic acid to lower pH when it creeps up. It is easy to measure and dose, distributes well into the water, and doesn't add any extra stuff that we don't like into the water. The pH minus powders can add certain substances sometimes that can cause problems when they accumulate in the water. Overall, just as long as you respect the warning labels on the bottle of muriatic acid and are careful with it, you'll be fine.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Yes, if you feel you are ready to upgrade to a small sand filter next season, it will do a much better filtration job than the Intex. Be sure to get an appropriate size though, you don't want to go too big on the pump, or too small on the filter.

If you predissolve powder chemicals before adding them, you shouldn't have any residue. CYA is best added thru the sock method.

 

[reebok]

you can also find muriatic acid at the pool store. it's cheaper there than the hardware store around me.

 

[JimB]

I'll second that Muratic Acid is potent stuff. We used it to 'bleach' the wood decks on the Cutter I was stationed on in the Coast Guard back in the '70's. I can't remember how many pairs of jeans I ruined by having that stuff (even diluted) splash up on me.