How to control pH when away for 9 days?

[eqbob]

Later this summer, during the height of Texas heat, we will be away for 9 days. I'm not worried about FC as the salt cell will be on and running and dialed back in. However, with a pump run time of 12 hours and 3 sconces, the pH does rise.

Are there any short-term solutions to controlling pH? For Chlorine there's obviously pucks, etc. Is there any slow dissolving muriatic acid type of deal in the marketplace?

Pentair and others have an auto acid dispenser (IntellipH I think it's called), but that could be an expensive item for 9 days.

After having some pool people take care of things in the beginning, then switching to me, there's nobody I trust with the care...especially with measuring pH, figuring out how much, being careful with acid around the dogs, etc.

Any advice?

 

[eqbob]

Feedback on IntellipH or acid pumps in general?

In other thread, I posted that we'll be gone for 9 days in the heat of the summer.
Topics merged. Please keep everything related to one question/problem/project together in one place. JasonLion

One solution to controlling the pH then and other times is through something like an IntellipH.

Is there feedback on this device, good or bad? I *thought* I'd read that prolonged use of such a device "crashed" the TA, but perhaps I'm misremembering. I certainly don't understand how it would do that unless it's a time based addition issue instead of a quantity addition issue.

Any feedback or thoughts appreciated.

 

[pooldv]

Re: Feedback on IntellipH or acid pumps in general?

I don't know anything about the intelliph.

But, I leave my pool for 7-9 days at a time during summer for vacations plenty. SWG takes care of the chlorine and I drop the ph down to 7.2ish before we leave. I've never had any issues with jumping right into the pool as soon as we get back.

 

[JasonLion]

You can always add borates and lower the TA. It shouldn't be too difficult to balance the water closely enough that it can at least go 9 days, even if it drifts eventually.

Also, why 12 hours of pump runtime? That sounds like way too much.

The IntelliPH is fine, but the only time you should need one is if you have high TA fill water.

 

[pooldv]

I would turn off any water features that would aerate the water. We take week plus vacations plenty in the summer and I just lower the ph to 7.2ish. It will be fine.

 

[eqbob]

No borates due to dogs.
12 hours because it's soothing to hear the sconces run and we like the aesthetics and on a variable speed pump it's 25 cents a day.
I could turn the valves off for the sconces. Didn't think of that. They're all on independent ball valves.
I also thought about dropping it to 7.2 before leaving. Didn't know if that would be enough. With the sconces off, certainly could be. Could always dry run that test prior to the end of July as well.

Thanks for the answers.

Sorry for two threads. They do have a common link, but the intention of each was different. Appreciate the combination and feedback.

 

[pooldv]

Even if the ph drifts back up toward the end of the week and gets a little above 8 it won't hurt anything occasionally. It is sustained high ph that creates longer term problems.

I'm with you on cheap operation of VS pumps. I love my VS pump and the 150 watt draw at 1100 rpm. Our pump has run on 1100 rpm 24x7 since day one 3 years ago. We have lots of trees so constant skimming helps and I like the water movement and we can run the SWCG at 20% most of the time, hoping that helps it last longer.

 

[eqbob]

Thanks!

Have always wondered what the timeframe is for sustained? Don't have an idea tho if it's 1 week or 1 month or several months. But... likely not a heard and fast number and each pool is different?

- - - Updated - - -

Right now, all the salt pool owners in my area are working to get their slat levels right. The rain is just killing it.

 

[JasonLion]

How long scaling takes is highly variable. Partly it depends on how high your CSI is, but there are a number of other factors as well and no simple calculation you can do to take all of them into account.