PH high

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S

sas90

0
Jul 31, 2017
105
edmond/ok
Hello,

back in the summer i had an issue with extremely high CYA which caused something to grow; i finally got by CYA down by draining/filling pool.
i then did the "SLAM" and was able to maintain chlorine levels with other readings WNL. I now strictly use household bleach 8.25% to maintain chlorine levels based on my CYA levels. Now that issue is under control i was wondering about my ph levels.

it seems to be the only thing out of "normal" range. it's been about a week since i tested my water last (since it's winter i do it weekly) and we received about 4-5 inches of rain which i understand can help reduce TA. Prior to the rain, TA was around 120, ph was 7.8, CYA 50, and CL 4 (these were pool store readings).

here are my test results using TF-100 test kit:
ph 8.0 (i initially used the "quick" test kit but i find it difficult to read - seemed to be somewhere between 7.8 and 8.2 so i used a ph test meter after calibrating it and got 8.0)
Chlorine - 3
FC - 0
Calcium hardness - 300
TA - 100
CYA - 50

i've read about a process to reduce TA which will help the ph but i didn't know if i needed to go to that extreme yet since my TA seems to be in the normal range for my chlorinated fiberglass pool or just "wait and see".

thanks for your help!
 
Rain will raise your pH as it is aerating your pool. So add some muriatic acid to your pool to drop the pH down to 7.6. Each time you do that, the TA gets dropped a bit too. You can see that in Poolmath.

Best to keep your pH in the 7's, easier on your equipment and your eyes!

Take care.
 
thank you mknauss - I remember you from my previous issue - you were very helpful then too! :)
after i posted this thread, i went to pool math and realized it told me what to do about my ph. :) but, your additional comments about the rain, TA, and pH are very helpful!

thanks again!

- - - Updated - - -

a couple more things -
does a hardware store (like lowe's or home depot) have muriatic acid and is it called that or something else? i've never used muriatic acid before.
And, do i add muriatic acid just like i add my household bleach (slowly pouring near a return while the pump is running)?
 
does a hardware store (like lowe's or home depot) have muriatic acid and is it called that or something else? i've never used muriatic acid before.
And, do i add muriatic acid just like i add my household bleach (slowly pouring near a return while the pump is running)?
Click to expand...

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These are what those bottles used to look like in the paint section. Make sure to look at the % on the bottle. Yes - pour slowly near the return jets and mix a bit if needed with a brush. Never add at the exact same time as bleach.
 
Since you mention Lowe's, here's MA that I purchased at Lowe's. It's in the paint department:

Generated from my Motorola o using tools.rackonly.com

MA has a fuming mist off the top of it. Open and pour with the bottle downwind of you.

And as the others said, store it away from chlorine. It's only together in the picture because I was posted on another thread a picture of all the pool chemicals I needed for my spa.
 
I'd like to follow up on this question. Same issue here, my PH is too high and I can't get it down. 24 hours after I pour in the Muriatic Acid (31.45% - 20 Baume), the PH is up again (around 8). I'm probably doing something wrong here?

Here are my test results (TF-100 kit):
FC: 7
pH: 8.0
TA: 100 (the Calculator says best between 70 to 90, the cheat card in the TF-100 kit says 100 to 120)
CH:250
CYA: 60

 
Your TA is a bit high and that will keep an upward pressure on your pH. I know there are ranges stated everywhere but each pool and water are different. You really just keep dropping your pH to 7.6 when it reaches 8.0 and it will eventually stabilize at a TA and appropriate pH. Unless you have high TA fill water that you must add often.

Only other question is any water features, spillover spa, etc. They will drive up pH if run for long periods.
 
Thank you so much! I don't think my fill water is high in TA. I'll check..

Yes, I do have a water feature that runs every night for 30 minutes and yes I do have a spillover spa. Did not know they drive up pH.
So, I shouldn't worry too much about TA then? As long as my pH is within range, or is that not what you are saying :)
 

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The only time to worry about TA is if it gets too low (below 50) or is so high the pH is driven up rapidly. You have neither of these.

Can you configure the spillover to only run 30 minutes or so a day? That would drastically reduce your pH rise.

Take care.
 
Ha, thanks again. I did not know that TA wasn't that important..

It is actually a spa-in-pool.. They both run on the same pump, so I can't turn them off separately. But I'll keep lowering the pH and see how that works! :-D
 
Did you measure pH 30 min after adding the acid?

While I know you calculated pH using a calibrated meter, it's possible it was more 8.2 than 8.0 and your acid add didn't drive it down as far as you thought.

Try using poolMath to kick it down to 7.6 and see how it holds.
 
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