Can't get my PH to go down (Update)

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G

grosbiz

0
May 9, 2011
14
Ottawa, Canada
I am trying to get my PH down before I shock and I can't seem to do it. Does MA get stale after some time? I am using some leftover from the previous owner. There is still fumes coming out of the bottle and it still stings when some of them gets in my eyes :shock:

Here are my numbers.

FC 0
CC 0
PH 8.2
TA 90
CYA 80
CH 225

I added 16oz(Pool Calculator) of MA 2 nights in a row and the PH has not dropped at all.

Thanks

Justin
 
Re: Can't get my PH do go down

Acid doesn't generally lose strength.

The problem as I see it is that the pH tester stops at 8.2. Anything above that will read as 8.2. So who knows where you were really at when you began? Another problem is that the Pool Calculator isn't good for massive adjustments. Plug in your numbers, add what it says, brush a little to mix it up and let it circulate for 15 or 20 minutes, then test again and repeat.

Have faith - it will come down. When I fired my pool guy it took me a ten pound bucket of dry acid and a gallon of MA to move the pH to the center of the test block! And some fine tuning after that.
 
Re: Can't get my PH do go down

I'll just second richard - your PH could be 9 for all we know. Add some more, mix, retest.

Noticed your FC at 0. Dont let your pool sit without chlorine for any period of time or you'll be posting in the Algae section next. :(

Good luck.
 
Re: Can't get my PH do go down

Thanks Richard for the info. I guess I'll make the trip to the USA a little earlier to get my test kit as the pool store people start to know me by my first name since I get my water tested daily with them.

Lightingguy: My FC has been at 0 for the past 2 weeks(supprised that no algea has developped). Pool store kept on saying to "shock"(1/2 pouch of shock every 2 days) but it would not work. Then I was referred to the school section on this site and I have been trying to get my PH down before starting to shock it. It is really a pain to run to the store every single time to get my water tested and I don't want to spend $15 on strips when I am planning to get a kit that will do more.

Thanks again for everyone's help.
 
Re: Can't get my PH do go down

It's fine to wait to shock until your PH is down - but I would still get SOME chlorine in there. I think you are lucky that algae hasn't taken hold of the pool - perhaps the water is cold?

There's no reason not to get at least 8ppm FC in there and maintain it (based on your CYA). Do you feel you need to shock other than the pool store?
 
Re: Can't get my PH do go down

lightingguy said:
It's fine to wait to shock until your PH is down - but I would still get SOME chlorine in there. I think you are lucky that algae hasn't taken hold of the pool - perhaps the water is cold?

There's no reason not to get at least 8ppm FC in there and maintain it (based on your CYA). Do you feel you need to shock other than the pool store?
Click to expand...

The water temp has been averaging at about 84. I was suggested to shock it by the pool store and the "How to shock" in the Pool School since the chlorine I have been putting in keeps getting back to zero even after large quantity.

From the pool school:

" If you have algae, or the CC level is above 0.5, or the free chlorine (FC) level is zero, you should shock the pool."

Any advices are welcome.

Justin
 
Re: Can't get my PH do go down

If you're using test strips, then your FC might be high and bleaching out the strips, which would read as zero. High FC will also cause a false high pH reading. You could try an OTO chlorine test kit to see what that shows. The OTO is the cheap test kit that is sold anywhere pool supplies are sold. OTO does not bleach out.You need to get an FAS-DPD test kit to really know what your chemistry is.
 
Re: Can't get my PH do go down

As to your initial question, there may be some degradation in the strength of the MA over time. If you have any doubts and want to trust your calculations and results, I would buy some fresh, full strength MA and use that instead of the older chemical. You could always use it at a later time once your chemistry is balanced. Also, I would avoid using the "eye-burn" test to determine acid strength. You only have two eyes and MA is cheap.
 
Re: Can't get my PH do go down

JamesW: I am not using the test strips. The pool Store does my tests and I have some OTO Chlorine tests that shows my low level of chlorine. I am in the works of getting the TF-100 kit but it is a little complicated because of my location.

Flintstone: I will try some new MA. This eye-burn test is not ideal :cool:.

I think I wll keep adding some chlorine(algea prevention) and some MA to see if my PH will go down. I think I might be higher than 8.2 but the test from the pool store can't read higher than that.

Thanks again.

And :bowdown: to everyone for their help.
 

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(Update) Can't get my PH do go down

So last afternoon getting home, I added 500ml of MA, added 3" of water. Swam in it for the evening and added another 500ml of MA.

This mornings test

FC 0
CC 0
PH 6.4
TA 40
CYA 50
CH 225

I confirmed with the pool store that their max level of PH reading was 8.2. I suppose this why I had been putting MA to bring it from 8.2 to 7.5 and it was not dropping. I guess my PH was around 9 or so. Now, I guess I overcompensated with the MA. I'll also get my tap water tested next week to find out what will it do when I add some to my pool when I top up. Now to put some Baking soda to bring the TA and PH up.

I can't wait to get my TF-100.
 
You may have been getting some bad data from the pool store.

6.4 is way too low for PH you should get it up to at least 7 soon.

The PH test is pretty common and cheap - it's just the little red dropper test. It's probably worth grabbing one so you can self test your water while you sort out the TF-100/Canada issue
 
Re: (Update) Can't get my PH do go down

grosbiz said:
So last afternoon getting home, I added 500ml of MA, added 3" of water. Swam in it for the evening and added another 500ml of MA.

This mornings test

FC 0
CC 0
PH 6.4
TA 40
CYA 50
CH 225

I confirmed with the pool store that their max level of PH reading was 8.2. I suppose this why I had been putting MA to bring it from 8.2 to 7.5 and it was not dropping. I guess my PH was around 9 or so. Now, I guess I overcompensated with the MA. I'll also get my tap water tested next week to find out what will it do when I add some to my pool when I top up. Now to put some Baking soda to bring the TA and PH up.

I can't wait to get my TF-100.
Click to expand...
It is ordered, right?

You'll be chasing your tail to the tune of ka-ching until you start testing yourself.
 
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