A few quick questions about pH

[ElkPool]

Does lack of filtration cause the pH to rise? My pH is usually around 7 (I try to keep it up, but it keeps going down), but on one recent test I was surprised to get a bright red that looked close to 8.

Would lack of filtration/aeration (The filter shut off for a few days unbeknownst to me, and I also haven't been swimming in about a week) do this? Or was it something else?

The pH is now back down.

Does this mean I should run the filter less often? How come my pH always wants to come down? Eventually doesn't it get ENOUGH Borax??

Thanks

 

[duraleigh]

Pump running or not has little to do with pH as a rule. The most common cause for pH going down is the use of pucks to chlorinate. Posting a set of test results may help us see something so just take the above as a guess.

 

[ElkPool]

I'm usually around 7 FC, 7.0 pH despite efforts to keep it up, 140 TA, 90 CYA. My pH just read very high one single time...maybe I just put in a drop extra by accident??

 

[duraleigh]

The most common cause for pH going down is the use of pucks to chlorinate.

The number of drops in the pH test is not deadly critical......4 or 6 drops should return the same pH as 5 drops.

 

[ElkPool]

That's very strange. I am used to fluctuating between 7.0, and 7.4 when I address it. That dark red came out of nowhere!

 

[257WbyMag]

What test kit do you have? Did you happen to switch to a new bottle of pH indicator solution? If you normally use Taylor R-0014 pH indicator for your testing and happened to buy a bottle of R-0004 pH indicator as a replacement, you might end up with this type of problem as the R-0004 calls for a different test block.

 

[ElkPool]

I have the Taylor K-2006. It uses the R-0004...I did actually buy a replacement bottle, but I checked and that's R-2004 too.