Hello from Central, CA

[Mack3355]

Hi everyone, Have an in ground pool with sand filter, believe I have approx. an 18' x 33' irregular shaped pool, 28,000 gals. that has been here about 23 years if my estimates are correct. (Just bought the house in April). We have been doing pretty good all summer with chemicals. Using bleach and basically that has been all up until the last month. CYA has been high since we moved in, very high. We stopped using the pucks and shock completely. It has been nothing but bleach until my PH got to about 8.0 and I used some MA to bring it down. TA was a bit high as well and the MA brought it down. Stayed down around 7.4 for a week and then started climbing back up again. Used more MA and it came back down again. Been about a week and it is back up again. We have a "Solar-Breeze" pool skimmer. Could its action in the pool 24/7 be aerating the water and bringing the PH back up? Other causes? Thanks Mack,

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

What is your TA level? Generally the pH always tends to rise unless your TA is pretty low and assuming that your top off water is not high in pH and/or TA.

Please add your pool details to your signature and as described HERE as it will help us help you in the future.

 

[Bloomfield]

Welcome. My pH always creeps up also no matter how much MA I put in. It doesn't seem to be a big deal and pool always looks great. I just use liquid chlorine and MA.

 

[tim5055]

Same here, my pH continually creeps up, but more because of my waterfall than anything else.

 

[Mack3355]

Thanks everyone I have fixed my signature now with my pool info. My numbers today were as follows;
FC - 2
TC - 3
PH - 8.2
TA - 120
CH - 480
CYA - 120

Thanks for the replys / help
Mike

 

[Mack3355]

Tim, Did you drain your pool to get the CYA down? Ours is coming down slowly with backwashes and not using pucks or shock.

 

[tim5055]

Tim, Did you drain your pool to get the CYA down? Ours is coming down slowly with backwashes and not using pucks or shock.

our area has a very high water table, so draining scares me. I did it through several one foot drains as well as being quick to back wash and vacuum to waste over several months.

I'm sure the previous owner used pucks/shock. I bought a bucket of pucks and two boxes of shock, my being pool stored before I found this site. I used two pucks and one bag of shock before converting to all bleach.

 

[Mack3355]

Tim, I did the same thing. LOL Bucket of pucks and a case of shock are stored right now. We are going to continue doing the same until this drought ends. I'm on a well.

 

[jblizzle]

Your FC is way way too low for your CYA and just asking for an algae bloom.

 

[Mack3355]

Added bleach tonight

 

[jblizzle]

What did you target?

 

[Mack3355]

What did you target?

Target was 6, added 1.4 gallons of chlorine. Adding one gal of MA this morning.

 

[jblizzle]

Still too low. Minimum required is about 9 ppm with your high CYA.

 

[Mack3355]

Still too low. Minimum required is about 9 ppm with your high CYA.

I will work on getting up there? I will recalculate with the pool calculator to see what else I need to add.

 

[Mack3355]

I will work on getting up there? I will recalculate with the pool calculator to see what else I need to add.

Added another gallon of Chlorine which I believe should get it up where it should be. Thanks Jason.

 

[jblizzle]

Now have to keep it above 8-9ppm at all times. Remember the pH test is not valid when FC > 10ppm.