I am just starting my second year with a brand new pool. Chlorinated via SWG. The pool is 13,500 gallons and last year I was going through a gallon of muriatic acid per week. I've been open for 5 days now and it looks like the trend continues.....lots of muriatic acid. Is this expected? What are your SWG experiences from a PH standpoint? Are you too adding acid everyday?
PH for SWG
- Thread starter dubele
- Start date
Rapid PH increases with a SWG are almost always caused by having your TA too high. You want TA down around 60 to minimize the PH increases.
60 will be a struggle due to all of the acid I put in. Maybe I'll start alternating days between acid and baking soda treatments
What is your TA now? Can you post a full set of results? Following TFP's recs for a vinyl liner with a SWG my ph stays really stable once everything is balanced. I don't think I've used a gallon of acid in the last four years.
I think what Jason is saying is that if your TA is high and is causing the ph issue once you get the TA down it won't be a struggle as you say. Your PH will stabilize and you won't be putting all that acid in.
I think what Jason is saying is that if your TA is high and is causing the ph issue once you get the TA down it won't be a struggle as you say. Your PH will stabilize and you won't be putting all that acid in.
Propbndr
LifeTime Supporter
I would skip the baking soda and use acid addition and aeration to allow the TA to come down. It may take time but, it will balance out.
TA should be between 60 and 90 with a SWCG system. I'm currently at 80 and my PH is steady.
Aeration is a very important concept and is really the only way to get the TA down and let the PH rise without raising the TA also. Once the TA is down to say 80 aeration causes CO2 to outgas and the PH to go up. This can occur in a couple of hours if there are five 10 year olds in the pool. There are other ways to aerate such as if you have a waterfall etc. To be clear, this is something that would occur naturally over a couple of days if the 10 year olds never showed up or there is no waterfall. It is a matter of equilibrium. Once the PH is too low due to lowering the the TA and PH with acid, carbon dioxide equilibrium will occur and the PH will naturally move back up to around 7.5 whether through aeration or if you just wait. Even pool stores will tell you to correct the TA first but you don't have to buy their chemicals. They probably won't tell you about aeration though.
You don't say if you have a vinyl pool but if you do, you don't want to lower the PH much below 7.0. So, get your TA down in increments by not drastically lowering the PH. You may have to do this several times but once the TA is around 80 your PH should be stabilizing and not rising as fast.
Thanks everyone. I did a test tonight and my alkalinity was at 110. I threw in about 4lbs of baking soda tonight. My pool is an aggregate plaster finish. I will retest tomorrow.
I did a pH test tonight also and it was 7.5. That's a first meaning I have higher readings at night as I add acid in the morning. I only opened the pool a week ago, so who knows, maybe this second year will be different meaning less acid demand.
I did a pH test tonight also and it was 7.5. That's a first meaning I have higher readings at night as I add acid in the morning. I only opened the pool a week ago, so who knows, maybe this second year will be different meaning less acid demand.
Here is an article on lowering TA. http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/129-how-to-lower-lowering-total-alkalinity
Also, borates could help, http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/90257-Borates-Why-and-How
Also, borates could help, http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/90257-Borates-Why-and-How
Why are you adding baking soda?
Baking soda raises TA and that is exactly opposite of what you want. Please read this, ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.