Aeration - TA/PH

[holdup1time]

Hi all...one week member here....new plaster pool 7 days old

Ok I need some facts as I'm very confused on this topic.

I've been reading so much and I can't remember what is fact or not.

I have two bubblers on a shallow sun tanning shelf that put the water about 1 foot in the air above the waters surface. My pool pump, and those bubblers have been running 24/7 for past 7 days.

I also have two sheer decents that have not been running due to a breaker issue on that pump.

My question is regarding the effect aeration has on TA and PH.

New plaster pool so my PH has been riding on the high end (8.0) and I've added 30 oz of muratic acid twice and it brings it down to 7.6

However, my TA has been slowly trending down....from 110, 110, 90, and today 80...that is over a 7 day period.

So does aeration raise, lower, no effect on PH?

Does aeration raise, lower, no effect on TA?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. All my other samples are in good range....just wondering if my bubblers are the cause of my TA decreasing?

 

[mknauss]

Aeration raises your pH. I suggest you turn off the bubblers. Only use them and the sheer descents when you want the Wow factor.

 

[mknauss]

Are you using Trichlor for daily maintenance?

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[holdup1time]

Are you using Trichlor for daily maintenance?

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

Hi mknauss
Yes as of now, I'm using trichlor tabs...bout to go on vacation and will try the liquid chlorine method when I return...just no time to switch and try to get it lined out with liq chlorine.

Could the trichlor tabs lower my TA and ph?

 

[holdup1time]

Aeration raises your pH. I suggest you turn off the bubblers. Only use them and the sheer descents when you want the Wow factor.

Good to know...I did turn the bubblers off today...was thinking they were lowering my TA...but wasn't sure...was just shooting from the hip

 

[mknauss]

Trichlor is very acidic. So it will lower your pH and your TA. Be wary that you will need to monitor your TA and add baking soda when it gets to 50 ppm.
You really should only use trichlor when you are going to be away from your pool for more than a couple days.
SWCG makes adding chlorine easier, if you are interested.

 

[holdup1time]

Trichlor is very acidic. So it will lower your pH and your TA. Be wary that you will need to monitor your TA and add baking soda when it gets to 50 ppm.
You really should only use trichlor when you are going to be away from your pool for more than a couple days.
SWCG makes adding chlorine easier, if you are interested.

Thanks so much mknauss! So my trichlor and my aeration has been decreasing my Ph and my TA....glad to finally get the facts....will test tomorrow and if TA is still decreasing, will add some sodium bicarbonate ....want to feel warm and fuzzy leaving for vacation that my levels are all in range.
Looking forward to trying the liquid chlorine method when I return...just forked over a ton of money for the pool so any conversion to SWCG system will have to be on the back burner for a while.
My dad switched to liq chlorine and so far so good.
My only concern is the posts I've read about the lack of quality from liquid chlorine...having to sift through many bottles on the shelf to find ones that are not out of date and old...and seems like people are having to add a lot....seems like I'll be buying tons of liq chlorine and manually adding each day...but if it keeps my cya in check, it's worth it.

Thanks again for your help! Appreciate it!

 

[RoyR]

Aeration increases pH....acid lowers it. Baking Soda increases TA, acid lowers it...TA stays constant when using aeration to increase pH..

 

[holdup1time]

Aeration increases pH....acid lowers it. Baking Soda increases TA, acid lowers it...TA stays constant when using aeration to increase pH..

Thanks Roy

 

[Richard320]

I knew I covered this a while ago, and I found it again.

When you want to raise TA, you add Baking Soda. So TA = Baking Soda. What happens when you mix baking soda and acid? It fizzes and foams and releases carbon dioxide gas. It's no longer baking soda. The alkaline part has just bubbled away. Same thing when you add acid to the pool. It reacts and the gas escapes.

You know what else releases carbon dioxide gas? Shaking a bottle of soda. Aerating your pool is exactly the same as shaking a soda. The reason you can drink a soda faster after it's been poured over ice and/or has gone flat is because.... here it comes... the pH went up so it's no longer so acidic.

If you wait long enough, the C02 will escape the surface of the pool, which is why pH climbs over time. Aerating it just accelerates the process, hence the pH rises. The alkalinity was gone as soon as the acid mixed.

A final attempt: Lowering TA goes along with lowering pH. It's like a ratchet and a bolt. You push down (acid) and then you lift the ratchet (aerate). The ratchet is the pH, it comes back up. The TA is the bolt. It stays down.

 

[holdup1time]

I knew I covered this a while ago, and I found it again.

When you want to raise TA, you add Baking Soda. So TA = Baking Soda. What happens when you mix baking soda and acid? It fizzes and foams and releases carbon dioxide gas. It's no longer baking soda. The alkaline part has just bubbled away. Same thing when you add acid to the pool. It reacts and the gas escapes.

You know what else releases carbon dioxide gas? Shaking a bottle of soda. Aerating your pool is exactly the same as shaking a soda. The reason you can drink a soda faster after it's been poured over ice and/or has gone flat is because.... here it comes... the pH went up so it's no longer so acidic.

If you wait long enough, the C02 will escape the surface of the pool, which is why pH climbs over time. Aerating it just accelerates the process, hence the pH rises. The alkalinity was gone as soon as the acid mixed.

A final attempt: Lowering TA goes along with lowering pH. It's like a ratchet and a bolt. You push down (acid) and then you lift the ratchet (aerate). The ratchet is the pH, it comes back up. The TA is the bolt. It stays down.

Richard, you are an "all you can eat buffet of pool knowledge!"
I did add backing soda today since my TA has been steadily dropping...(using the pool math calculator of course) ...since cutting back on my bubblers on the tanning shelf, my ph has stopped increasing....previously, they bubblers would go about 1 foot high from the water...last 2 days, I've had them just barely coming out of the water...just enough so my wife can look outside and know the pump is running....last 3 days my tests have been 7.6, 7.5, and 7.5...I chart all my daily tests and now I can look back and see how my PH rose from 7.5 to 8.0 and now think it was due to aeration....what a nice fine tune handle to have besides adding chemicals!