Ph Hard to raise

[outdoor]

So i added Borates a little over a week ago, my ph is now a little low 7.2

I seem to be having a hard time raising it to 7.5 i understand that is part of what borates does, but how do i get ph up to 7.5?

I've been aerating for quite a while now

 

[BoDarville]

Washing soda or soda ash will do a better job of raising pH per oz. of product than borates. Also, your TA could be unusually low. A full suite of test results will give us a much better picture of what is going on.

 

[outdoor]

FC 5
salt 2900
ph 7.2
TA 90
CH 110
Borates 50
CYA 50

 

[BoDarville]

Thanks for posting those results. I would go with the washing soda or soda ash and keep aerating as you have. You will need about half the amount (by weight or volume) of washing soda or soda ash than you would borates to raise the pH to a given target. Plus, with borates already at 50 ppm, I would not add any more of that.

 

[Patrick_B]

I agree, I would go with Soda Ash if it were me.

 

[outdoor]

that will increase my TA though? Is my TA not at the right level? according to poolmath it could be even lower at 80

 

[Richard320]

Personally, I'd leave it alone. 7.2 is swimmable. There's no need to micromanage it. A few days or a week of SWG on will probably push the pH up a bit anyway.

 

[outdoor]

Personally, I'd leave it alone. 7.2 is swimmable. There's no need to micromanage it. A few days or a week of SWG on will probably push the pH up a bit anyway.

if i run it through a propane heater, will it not be a bit acidic for the metals?

 

[Richard320]

if i run it through a propane heater, will it not be a bit acidic for the metals?

No. 7.0 pH is neutral. 7.2 is slightly basic.

 

[outdoor]

No. 7.0 pH is neutral. 7.2 is slightly basic.

interesting the manual for heater says ph should be 7.6-7.8 and CH 200 min

 

[BoDarville]

If your heater is still under warranty, I would follow their recommendations especially if there is a chance you would invoke the warranty. Aside from that, a pH between 7.2 and 7.8 is fine as far as pool water management is concerned. During swim season, I aim for a pH of 7.4 simply because that is very close to the pH of tears and therefore easier on the eyes. During the off-season, I let pH drift up a bit to 7.6-7.8.