Just made some aerators for the returns and dumped and bunch of acid in to try and get the TA down while we aren’t using the pool for a few days. What’s an average time on raising the pH when aerating? How long should I aerate?
How long will it take to raise pH when aerating?
- Thread starter DomFoster
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 66,973
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
As long as it takes.
Everyone’s aeration setup is different and rate of PH rise depends on TA. Too many variables to generalize.
Everyone’s aeration setup is different and rate of PH rise depends on TA. Too many variables to generalize.
I guess basically I am taking a gamble that it won’t shoot up too high. When I did everything the pH was 7.2 and TA 175, so I figured I would dump a bunch of acid in and let the aeration run for 4 days.
You need to understand what's happening.
The acid reduces pH and it also lowers the TA. Aeration drives the pH back up. It won't touch the TA. It's sort of a ratchet effect. The TA is the nut, the pH is the handle. Acid pushes the handle down, which lowers the TA and the pH. Aeration pushes the handle up but the nut stays where it was. So you've already lowered the TA as much as you can with your acid addition. Aerating for four days will do nothing but drive the pH sky high. It's the cycle of lower pH with acid, raise it with aeration that lowers TA.
When I went to work on lowering my TA (because of extremely high CH and high risk of scaling) I turned the spillover spa on full blast and got pH to rise from 7.2 to 7.8 in about 4 hours. That allowed a followup dose of acid in short order. You'll need to check your pH every couple hours to see where you are and get a feel for how fast it's climbing.
Also note that the as the TA goes down, the amount of acid needed to lower the pH also goes down, nuit the time it takes to drive pH back up with increase.
My ph was 7.5 and ta 180. I spent two weeks with my cover open and six stream fountains arcing into the pool 24/7 and my ph only dropped to 7.4. I decied to leave it. This year my ph is running 7.4 and ta 150.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 66,973
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
You need to be testing your PH frequently with a new aeration setup to determine what the PH rise over time your setup is giving you.